Jess Sheldahl

The largest school district in Montana plans to cut up to 40 full time employees to make up for a more than $4 million budget deficit.

A court in Wyoming sided with a group of newspapers last week, affirming the public’s right to know over individual privacy. The ruling will make records involving the dismissal of former University of Wyoming President Laurie Nichols public, unless UW appeals the decision.

A report released last month from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found a majority of land purchased by the U.S. Forest Service using Land and Water Conservation funds was in the west, which goes against LWCF guidelines.

A handful of Montana wildland firefighters are helping fight the historic bushfires in Australia, which have burned over 12 million acres, destroyed over 2,000 homes and killed at least 24 people. 

A former Helena elementary school teacher and husband of Democratic state superintendent of public instruction candidate Melissa Romano is facing a felony drug charge. The charges were filed Tuesday. 

The Billings Gazette laid off three people from their newsroom earlier this month. The latest string of cutbacks in Billings mirror widespread newsroom layoffs in Montana and across the nation.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is offering a reward for information about four trophy mule deer bucks poached north of Hardin. This is the the most recent in a string of poaching cases in southern Montana.

Montana State University Billings released the 32nd edition of its political poll Wednesday. The poll shows a majority of Montanans and Wyomingites support President Donald Trump and disapprove of Congress.

The Bureau of Land Management last week announced an increase to drilling permit fees on public lands. The fee increases directed by the U.S. Congress also apply to some mineral cost recovery for oil and gas developers.