The U.S. Forest Service will be allowed to use fire retardant this summer despite ongoing litigation; The head of Montana’s Department of Military Affairs is retiring.

As summer fire season approaches, planes will soon be dropping red retardant to try to stifle the fire's spread. A new lawsuit says the Forest Service’s use of that retardant violates federal wildlife protections.

The Trump Administration has fired the workers who research on-duty deaths and long-term health of firefighters. Investigative journalist Mark Olalde wrote for ProPublica about the impact of these cuts ahead of fire season. He joins MTPR's Elinor Smith to explain.

Montana voters handed their local school districts a mixed bag of results in this week’s school levy elections. A new wildfire burning in steep and rocky terrain in the Bitterroot Valley isn't threatening people or structures. For the second time in as many months, Montana Technological University in Butte has announced a new chancellor.

A collaborative group aiming to keep women in firefighting jobs has been halted by the Trump Administration.