Western Montana’s temperatures have been unseasonably warm over the past couple of weeks, hovering up to 20 degrees above normal, but a major change is right around the corner.

The Public Service Commission’s District 5 seat is up for election. Voters from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to Helena and parts of Missoula will get to choose who represents them on the board. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy talks with Deputy Editor of the Daily Montanan Keila Szpaller about who’s running and what the race could mean for voters.

Two candidates are vying for the open District 1 seat on the Public Service Commission. This district is the biggest in the state by land and covers much of eastern Montana, from the Rocky Boy’s Reservation to Glendive and Miles City. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy speaks with Keila Szpaller, deputy editor of the Daily Montanan, about the race and what this election may mean for Montanans.

Montana’s judicial elections are nonpartisan. An initiative to permanently keep it that way will appear on November’s ballot. Republican state legislators have tried unsuccessfully to make judicial elections partisan during recent legislative sessions.

Two judges from the same court are competing for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. The justices spoke to MTPR’s Clayton Murphy about partisanship, restraint and what they would bring to the bench.

Election season is here and The Rocky Mountain Americans With Disabilities Act Center wants to make sure that voters know how to access polling locations and ballot drop boxes safely and independently.

State seeks public comment on proposed data center well in Yellowstone County; Herbicide treatment flights in progress near Dillon; Emergency drought assistance available to ag producers in 16 Montana counties. Federal grants give Montana ambulance services a $9 million boost

State workers will pay more for health care starting next year. State officials say that’s necessary because the cost of the state health plan was higher than expected. The state employees union struck a deal with the state to mitigate some of the price hikes for workers.

Local hikers, hunters and more shared their personal backcountry experiences at a rally in Missoula last week as the U.S. Forest Service considers a major policy change for roadless lands.

It's been more than thirty years since Montanans elected a non-GOP candidate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and this year a Democrat, an Independent and a Libertarian are betting on a change.