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The western district House candidates drew clear distinctions over abortion in this week's forum in Butte. Tranel hammed Zinke over ethics investigations. Could the Libertarian candidate John Lamb hurt Zinke at the polls? Listen now on Campaign Beat.

Rep. Rosendale and Sen. Daines tell President Biden they don't want him to do something he isn't doing. The Montana Supreme Court nixes — for now — new voting restriction laws, while the bill for litigation tops one million dollars. And congressional candidate Ryan Zinke goes after his opponent Monica Tranel in a new ad also critical of the president.

The Gianforte administration picks another fight with the judiciary. Abortion and immigration are two national issues influencing state elections. A Republican candidate dons body armor. And a former Republican leader says she's voting to send a Democrat to Congress.

Democrats compete over the working class vote. Ryan Zinke opts out of a Republican debate. Not every Republican congressional candidate believes the presidential election was stolen. Another law passed by the last Legislature hits a legal snag.

Gov. Gianforte touts his success working with political opponents. Two Democratic congressional candidates debut their first TV ads. The Board of Public Education is sued over lack of public input on a recent decision over the word "equity." And Sen. Daines sees firsthand the horror of the war in Ukraine.

New voting restrictions aren't likely to go into effect prior to the June primary. A.G. Knudsen threatens another lawsuit, this time over transgender athletes. Rep. Rosendale disses Ukrainian president Zelensky. And Bob Campbell, a co-author of the preamble to Montana's Constitution, leaves a proud legacy.

Residents of Colstrip — a town that has grown and prospered because of coal — fear that any bad news for the industry will be even worse for them. Up against shifting markets and corporate interests, how can Colstrip's advocates ensure future stability for its residents?

In 2009, Montana was caught up in a heated national debate over whether terminally ill patients could expedite their deaths by taking lethal, physician-prescribed medication. More than a decade later, the state is still mired in disagreement about medical aid in dying, in part because courts and elected lawmakers have sidestepped the political hot-potato. Meanwhile, individual Montanans are confronting profound and personal questions about death in their own ways — including whether “good” deaths are even possible.

For many Montanans, the Badger-Two Medicine is synonymous with one of the most significant grassroots conservation successes in recent decades. That story is about Blackfeet tribal traditionalists, political leaders, and conservation groups coming together to defeat oil and gas leases in one undeveloped expanse of wilderness in Montana. Now, the coalition faces thorny questions — what does long-term protection and management of the Badger look like, and who gets to decide?

It’s not surprising for Montanans to have plenty of political disagreements. What’s more uncommon? Neighbors whispering about each other at grocery stores and disrupting entire public meetings with passionate tirades. Welcome to the era of COVID-19, when debates about public health, personal liberties and science have reached a fever pitch. Those disagreements are tugging at tightly-knit towns and counties, making some residents wonder how their communities will survive in more ways than one.