A Missoula smokejumper and union leader has entered the race for the western U.S. House district. A U.S. Air Force veteran and leadership coach is now in the race for one of Montana’s U.S. Senate seats.

A ballot proposal aimed at simplifying the ballot initiative process is now tied up in court.

Montana’s senior senator has reintroduced a bill to change protections for over a hundred thousand acres in the state.

Trump broke little new ground, restating messages his White House has been pushing for months: that economic problems can be blamed on Joe Biden, and that his second term has been a massive success.

A federal program that supports schools and infrastructure in rural communities lapsed two years ago. This month, Congress revived it. In 2023, 30 Montana counties received a collective $16 million from the program.

A Helena judge has blocked a program that allowed parents of students with disabilities to spend state funds on private education expenses. The judge found the program was being funded illegally, because lawmakers hadn’t followed proper procedure.

A group of young Montanans are asking the state Supreme Court to overturn new laws that weaken the state’s ability to regulate planet warming emissions, and exclude some fossil fuel projects from environmental review. This filing comes a year after they won a landmark ruling over Montana's constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment."

A district court judge has ordered the state to allow for nonbinary designations on state driver’s licenses. The order follows back-and-forth disagreements between state officials.

The 2026 general election is just about a year away. The races for Montana’s U.S. Senate and House seats are taking shape. Three Montana Democrats join the race to challenge Sen. Daines. The U.S. House races feature veterans, ranchers and political newcomers.

Recent changes to federal environmental rules mean some logging projects are moving forward without public input. Tristan Scott works for the Flathead Beacon, and has been covering a 13,000-acre logging project moving forward west of Blacktail Mountain in the Flathead. He sat down with MTPR’s Elinor Smith to share his reporting.