Latest Montana News
Abortion ruling prompts variety of reactions from states
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling was expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies. Some Republican-led...
Trial starts in challenge to new Montana voting laws
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Native Americans who must travel long distances to election offices and cope with unreliable and infrequent mail delivery are further disenfranchised under election laws approved last year, a lawyer said Monday during opening statements in a trial challenging the laws'...
Missoula Mayor John Engen dies of pancreatic cancer at 57
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — John Engen, Missoula's longest-serving mayor, died Monday of pancreatic cancer, city officials said. He was 57. After winning his fifth term in November 2021, Engen announced in March that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had a tumor on his...
Pipeline break spills 45,000 gallons of diesel in Wyoming
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A diesel pipeline in Wyoming owned by a company that's being sued by federal prosecutors over previous spills in two other states cracked open and released more than 45,000 gallons (205,000 liters) of fuel, state regulators and a company representative disclosed Friday. ...
Judge revives Obama-era ban on coal sales from US lands
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday reinstated a moratorium on coal leasing from federal lands that was imposed under former President Barack Obama and then scuttled under former President Donald Trump, in an order that marked a major setback to the already struggling coal industry....
Court: Proposed judicial election changes unconstitutional
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court on Friday ruled that a proposal to change the way state Supreme Court justices are elected is unconstitutional and cannot appear on the November ballot. The 5-2 ruling upheld a March decision by District Court Judge Peter Ohmann of...
Appeals court: Out-of-state petitioners can work in Montana
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A law that said only Montana residents can gather signatures to qualify initiatives for the state ballot is unconstitutional, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. The judges found that the residency requirement for signature...
Montana abortion laws remain blocked during legal challenge
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that temporarily blocks three abortion laws passed by the 2021 Legislature from taking effect while legal challenges play out. The ruling prevents the state from enforcing laws that ban abortions...
Justice Department asks judge to pause Idaho abortion ban
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge this week to bar Idaho from enforcing its near-total abortion ban while a lawsuit pitting federal health care law against state anti-abortion legislation is underway. Meanwhile, the Republican-led Idaho...
Wisconsin man dies when motorcycle hits bear in Montana
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Wisconsin man has died after his motorcycle struck a black bear on a western Montana highway, authorities said Tuesday. The 66-year-old man from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, was southbound on Montana Highway 83 just after 9:30 a.m. Sunday when a bear crossed the...
