John Hooks

A bill that would remove exemptions for public school employees to show material considered obscene to minors advanced out of committee in the state Legislature.

Conservation groups filed a lawsuit against federal wildlife officials over the protection status of Montana’s Arctic Grayling population.

Landlords could have an easier time canceling some contracts with renters under a proposal in the state Legislature. The policy is designed to speed up the eviction of tenants who refuse to let a landlord access property.

The Montana Emergency Rental Assistance program is coming to an end. The Department of Commerce says that they will stop accepting new applications after Jan. 20th due to diminishing federal funding.

A report commissioned by the MacArthur Foundation explores justice system inequities that cause Native Americans to be incarcerated at much higher rates than the general population. State data showed that Native people make up about 7% of Montana’s population but are at least 20% of the state prison population.

Indigenous people are incarcerated at a rate 38% higher than the national average, and are over-represented in the prison population of 19 states. They're also given harsher sentences than other racial groups, a new report says.

Montana’s marijuana industry includes 432 dispensaries, employs more than 4,000 people and contributes millions of dollars of tax revenue

A bill to allow cannabis business access to traditional banking services appears to have failed in Congress this week.

Two local Montana governments missed out on a previous round of federal pandemic aid due to a technicality. Sen. Jon Tester recently introduced a bill to bring the money into southwest Montana.

A years-long, undercover investigation dismantled a Butte drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. The investigation led to the conviction of 18 Montana residents.