HELENA — As new Covid-19 cases continue to surge in Montana, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte doubled down this week on his mask mandate ban. He said Monday that the state won’t be issuing any safety steps, and he stood by the Republican led law that forbids businesses from requiring employees to be vaccinated or from … Read more
Montana’s Attorney General wants to legalize a device that allows semiautomatic machine guns to fire more rapidly. Austin Knudsen is leading an effort urging an appeals court to strike down a federal ban on bump stocks. Knudsen recently filed a complaint on behalf of Montana and 17 other states, asking the full 6th U.S. Court … Read more
Helena home values are up. According to estimates from Zillow, the typical single family home in Helena was worth $375,343 as of June 2021, 27.5% more than what it was worth one year ago. In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. home sales slumped. Since then, however, rising demand, in conjunction with a … Read more
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief plan was approved by the education department Thursday. The plan lays out how the state will use federal relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to safely bring students back to the classroom this fall. Montana’s receiving over $382 million in ARPA funds, which … Read more
Montana is in the midst of the 100 deadliest days on state roadways. Montana Highway Patrol reported traffic fatalities rose between Memorial Day and Labor Day, along with alcohol use, which increased over 100-percent from the last two years. There have been 124 fatal crashes on Montana roads, so far this year. That’s a nearly … Read more
Lewis and Clark County is now dubbed a high COVID spread community. The CDC has placed the county at a “high level of community transmission” for COVID-19 after more than 100 new cases were recorded in the past week, with 29 additional cases reported on Wednesday. According to Lewis and Clark Public Health (LCPH) that … Read more
The annual Bob Marshall Music Festival is set to take place this weekend, August 6th and 7th, in Seeley Lake. There were rumors that it could be canceled due to smoke and wildfires, but organizers said the show will go on. Camping opens Thursday [Aug. 5]. You can secure your spot and festival tickets at, … Read more
Two Montana men, including one from Helena, were arraigned recently for a million dollar PPP scam. Trevor Gene McLeod, 48, of Laurel, and Kasey Jones Wilson, 29, of Helena, pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with a scheme to defraud Valley Bank of Helena of approximately $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans … Read more
HELENA, Mont. — Law enforcement in Helena is holding a National Night Out event as part of an effort to help promote police-community partnerships. The event will be taking place Tuesday night in Helena at Ryan Park by the Fairgrounds from 6-9 p.m. Lewis and Clark County Sr. Deputy Chris Norris says more than anything … Read more
A 65-year-old Helena man convicted in a child pornography case will not go to jail. Thomas Elliott Layne was sentenced recently [July 20] to five years of probation after pleading guilty to charges of sexual abuse of children in connection to images of girls found on his laptop who appeared to be 10 or younger. … Read more