News you can use
News you can use
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HELENA, Mont. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana is among a group of Republicans who received donations from the leader of a white supremacist group cited by Charleston church murder suspect Dylann Roof. Documents show the leader of the Council of Conservative Citizens Earl Holt made a $500 donation to Zinke's election campaign in October 2014. Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift said Monday Zinke will donate the money to a fund set up for the families of the victims of the Charleston shooting. The Guardian newspaper first r...
HELENA (AP) — A bill signed by Montana's governor could pave the way to clemency for Barry Beach, who is serving a 100-year prison sentence for a 1979 murder he says he didn't commit. Gov. Steve Bullock signed the measure Friday after it passed the Legislature with wide bipartisan support. The bill allows the governor to grant clemency to prisoners even if the state parole board recommends against it. The governor also will be able to waive fines, lessen a sentence or pardon someone after the law takes effect Oct. 1. B... Full story
HELENA, (AP) — The Democratic governor had strong words for House Republicans on Thursday as they continued to shoot down Democratic attempts to restore programs and funding proposed in his biennial budget. Gov. Steve Bullock said the 100-plus amendments brought by Democrats were meant to restore "reasonableness and essential services," such as protecting children from abuse and neglect. "I will not accept a budget that puts Montana's fiscal health in jeopardy and that fails to fulfill our obligations to the people of M... Full story
HELENA (AP) — A Republican-led committee allowed nearly three hours of testimony in favor of a proposal to expand Medicaid to about 70,000 low-income Montanans before voting along party lines to give the bill an unfavorable report. Many of the more than 200 supporters present spoke for and about a dozen people spoke against House Bill 249 known as the "Healthy Montana Plan" in a hearing that lasted 6½ hours Friday night. Ten Republicans voted for and seven Democrats against a motion in the House Human Services Committee to... Full story
HELENA (AP) — The Senate has narrowly endorsed a bill that would allow people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Republican Sen. Cary Smith of Billings says it would prohibit restrictions on guns on state university property with some exceptions. Under Smith's Senate Bill 143, Montana's Board of Regents would keep the authority to regulate the firing of guns, possession at campus events where alcohol is served and could prohibit guns in dorms, among other exceptions. Senators approved the measure by a vote of 2... Full story
HELENA (AP) — The Senate has narrowly endorsed a bill that would allow people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Republican Sen. Cary Smith of Billings says it would prohibit restrictions on guns on state university property with some exceptions. Under Smith's Senate Bill 143, Montana's Board of Regents would keep the authority to regulate the firing of guns, possession at campus events where alcohol is served and could prohibit guns in dorms, among other exceptions. Senators approved the measure by a vote of 2... Full story
HELENA (AP) — A Republican lawmaker on Tuesday called for Montana to join 24 other states in supporting a convention that would amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced federal budget. Rep. Matthew Monforton of Bozeman introduced House Joint Resolution 4 in the Judiciary Committee, which did not take immediate action. He said an amendment is needed to stop runaway spending by the federal government. "Why I believe in this and so many others do ... this is our last solution, our last chance to get control of the f... Full story
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock says in order for Montana to flourish state government must provide good roads, 21st century classrooms, safe bridges and clean drinking water. He used his second State of the State address Wednesday evening at the Capitol in Helena to promote his proposal to spend nearly $400 million on infrastructure projects. `The Democrat's Build Montana proposal asks lawmakers to support using a mix of cash and bonding to pay for 280 infrastructure projects and includes $45 million for areas of eastern M...
HELENA — A Republican state lawmaker has agreed to pay a $4,000 fine and not run for public officer for four years to settle a lawsuit that accuses him of breaking campaign finance laws. The agreement with Rep. Mike Miller of Helmville was filed in District Court in Helena on Friday. Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl filed a civil action against Miller and eight other Republican legislative candidates stemming from the 2010 primary election campaign. Motl says the candidates coordinated with and took i... Full story
HELENA — Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock's latest plan to accept federal money to expand Medicaid coverage has been formally introduced. Bullock announced the measure called the Healthy Montana Plan with sponsor Rep. Pat Noonan at the Capitol on Monday. Under House Bill 249, people earning 138 percent or less of the federal poverty level would qualify to receive Medicaid. Adults making up to $16,105 per year and a family of four earning up to $32,913 would qualify under the bill. Republicans rejected the expansion in the 2... Full story
HELENA — Montana Republicans have voted to join a lawsuit seeking to limit their primary elections to those registered with the GOP. The Republican State Central Committee approved the motion by an 83-43 vote Saturday in Helena. They will join a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in September against the state and its open primaries. The lawsuit currently includes 10 Republican county central committees. It asks a federal judge to strike down as unconstitutional Montana laws allowing any registered voter to participate i... Full story
HELENA — Montana lawmakers said at the opening of the legislative session Monday that they will work together and show respect for one another during the 2015 legislative session after a contentious session in 2013. House Republicans and Democrats elected as the new House speaker Rep. Austin Knudsen, a 33-year-old lawyer from Culbertson. Knudsen said he looks forward to a productive session. "We here in this body can disagree without being disagreeable," he said. Knudson also told members of the House his role is not one o... Full story
HELENA — More than 20 media groups, including The Associated Press, have asked a Montana court to hold the state House Republican Caucus in contempt for holding an unpublicized meeting in apparent violation of state open-meetings law. The Great Falls Tribune discovered the Nov. 13 Republican caucus meeting being held in the basement of a Helena hotel. The Tribune reported that about 50 lawmakers were discussing the 2015 legislative session. Montana party caucus meetings must be open to the public after courts ruled in 1998 t... Full story
HELENA — A federal judge in Montana has overturned the state's ban on gay marriage. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ruled Wednesday that Montana's constitutional amendment limiting marriage to between a man and a woman violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September that Idaho and Nevada's bans are unconstitutional. Montana is part of the 9th Circuit, and Morris cited the Circuit Court's opinion in his ruling. The move comes after f... Full story
HELENA (AP) — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amanda Curtis has posted her first and perhaps only television ad, a major accomplishment for a candidate who entered the race in mid-August with no money. The ad features Curtis meeting with Montanans and appealing to working families with her "one of us" message. "I come from a family that's a lot like most other Montana families," Curtis says. "And the reason that I've stepped up to the plate is the chance to be the voice for working families like mine." The ad started running... Full story
HELENA (AP) — Montana ranks fifth in the country for employment growth, but it faces slower growth in the future as many members of an aging workforce retire, state officials said Friday. The Department of Labor and Industry's Labor Day report shows the unemployment rate has dropped steadily since 2010. At 4.6 percent, it's now the 11th lowest in the nation. "Businesses have created more than 12,000 jobs in the first part of 2014, and that's truly a record-breaking pace for our state," Gov. Steve Bullock said in presenting t... Full story
LISA BAUMANN MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press HELENA - Democrats will be hard-pressed in quickly finding a strong candidate for Montana's U.S. Senate election after incumbent John Walsh's abrupt withdrawal from the campaign in a plagiarism controversy. Walsh's decision to quit the campaign Thursday gave an instant shot in the arm to Republicans nationally. A net gain of six seats in the Senate would give the GOP a majority in both chambers of Congress. And Montana Republicans... Full story
HELENA (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Walsh of Montana said Thursday he is dropping his campaign for office amid allegations that he plagiarized large portions of a 2007 research project he wrote for a master's degree. In a statement to supporters, the former National Guard commander said he is leaving the race but will keep the seat he was appointed to until his term ends in January 2015, when the winner of November's election is sworn in. "I am ending my campaign so that I can focus on fulfilling the responsibility entrusted to m... Full story
BILLINGS (AP) — Montana's U.S. House candidates claim to offer "all-of-the-above" solutions to the nation's energy problems— a familiar mantra among politicians keen to give equal attention to fossil fuels and renewables such as wind and solar. Yet stark differences in the details of their proposals reveal a wide divide. Republican Ryan Zinke is a staunch fossil fuels advocate who questions humanity's role in climate change. Democrat John Lewis touts the potential for renewables that he says could transform the state's ene... Full story
HELENA — The time has come to remove the words "halfbreed" and "breed" from the names of creeks, lakes and other places around Montana, according to leaders of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Nicholas Vrooman, who works with the tribe, presented a bill draft to that effect during a recent meeting with the State-Tribal Relations Legislative Committee. The words are racist terms that demean American Indians, he said. "Using the terms is a way to really denigrate people; place them on lower rung of society," said V... Full story
HELENA — Leaders of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians say the time has come to remove the words "halfbreed" and "breed" from the names of creeks, lakes and other places around the state. Nicholas Vrooman, who works with the tribe, presented a bill draft to that effect during a recent meeting with the State-Tribal Relations Committee. He says the words are racist terms that demean American Indians. The bill would require state and other agencies to identify places with the terms and remove them from maps and signs w... Full story
HELENA (AP) — Montana's attorney general asked a federal court Thursday to uphold the state's constitutional same-sex marriage ban in response to a lawsuit that seeks to overturn it. Republican Attorney General Tim Fox in documents filed in federal court in Great Falls denied all the allegations brought by the four gay couples who filed the lawsuit in May. The move was not unexpected, as Fox had said previously he would vigorously defend the ban. Approved by voters in 2004, the ban says marriage is between a man and woman. I... Full story
HELENA — This week largely has been about the numbers as candidates filed second-quarter fundraising reports and information came out about their personal assets. Here's a look at the week's most interesting and important developments in Montana's election campaigns: FOREST MANAGEMENT "MISUNDERSTANDING" Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Daines was one of more than two dozen representatives who signed a letter to House Speaker John Boehner last week urging him to reject proposals in the Senate that "address forest management p... Full story
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — This week, candidates have been busy introducing legislation and laying out their campaign platforms. Here's a look at the week's most interesting and important developments in Montana's election campaigns: BILLIONS FOR COAL: Democratic U.S. Sen. John Walsh, who is trying to keep the seat he was appointed to earlier this year, gave a lukewarm reception to President Barack Obama's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. Now he wants the federal government to spend at least $... Full story
HELENA — The candidates in Montana's U.S. Senate race traded jabs this week over campaign donations from politicians blocking the North Fork Watershed Protection Act. Here's a look at the week's most interesting and important developments in Montana's election campaigns. DAINES, WALSH SPAR OVER CAMPAIGN DONORS: Democratic U.S. Sen. John Walsh criticized his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Steve Daines, for fundraising with and taking campaign donations from U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania, one of three senators who b... Full story
