Montana Free Press

Montana's independent, nonprofit source for in-depth news coverage of politics, government, and other issues that matter to the people of this great state.

[Montana Free Press @mtfreepress]

Montana added an estimated 7,137 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, according to new Census Bureau data. While statewide growth remained steady, gains slowed in many of the state’s largest cities, including Kalispell, Bozeman and Belgrade. https://t.co/Iw3pzARM01

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Daines-authored America the Beautiful Act clears committee, faces hurdles on foreign visitor surcharge, funding priorities. https://t.co/j9LXoHyAHs

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A proposal to explore for copper and other minerals on public land west of Helena has garnered pushback from environmental groups who say the timeline for the federal government’s review leaves limited opportunities for public engagement. https://t.co/CWpuvomjUz

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The Montana Lottery miscalculated its finances by $18.5 million over the last several years, according to a recent report from the state’s Legislative Audit Division. https://t.co/9ojQpNp1mg

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Firefighters with the Helena Fire Department and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation contained a fire on the north face of Mt. Helena Monday afternoon, according to a city press release. https://t.co/0WaE9xF2ND

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Dan O'Malley discusses his son's Montana roots, UFC success and why the fighter views the White House event through the lens of sport, not politics. https://t.co/eFd57E6zBG

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The Democratic candidate benefited from a PAC surge in the Senate primary. Where will the money to compete come from now? https://t.co/osQ5SUKxTX

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The Montana-based group promoting a ballot initiative that would make campaign finance more transparent obscures its own financial backers with a murky fundraising structure, according to publicly available campaign finance filings reviewed by MTFP. https://t.co/nHKtwFK01h

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More than 300,000 ballots were cast in the June primary, the highest raw vote total for a primary during a midterm election year in state history. https://t.co/zBMKioiawj

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Conservation groups have filed at least three separate appeals seeking to halt the Trump administration’s decision to evict more than 900 bison from large swaths of federal land in central Montana. https://t.co/XuTYRzeqep

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The Anaconda Leader, a twice-weekly newspaper that had served its community in southwest Montana for more than half a century, announced Monday that it had closed. Its demise follows a nationwide trend of local outlets struggling to stay in business. https://t.co/XopEjYl0fM

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A state senator has suspended his property tax cap ballot initiative just two weeks before signatures come due, alluding to pushback from key stakeholders. https://t.co/koPocrRyfk

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Crazy Mountain Ranch says it wants ‘day-to-day’ control of key diversion structure. But opponents fear the request could reshape how water is managed across Montana. https://t.co/h9kr5PAqe8

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RML’s latest controversy arose this week when the U.S. Department of Justice arrested and charged two of its researchers with smuggling monkeypox virus samples into the United States and lying to investigators. https://t.co/VGg2RoTUa8

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Smokejumper Sam Forstag, the Democratic nominee, and conservative radio talk show host Aaron Flint, the Republican, will face off in November for Montana’s Western District U.S. House seat.
https://t.co/jCBszeX8eI

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Aaron Flint, the conservative talk radio show host turned U.S. House candidate, has won Montana’s Republican Western District U.S. House primary, according to The Associated Press. https://t.co/KsC3xaUbW2

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As voting comes to a close, candidates are watching results roll in, county election officials are tabulating ballots, and the secretary of state’s office is aggregating results. https://t.co/VenpijOXvn

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The decision marks a major setback for the young Americans seeking to reverse President Trump’s pro-fossil fuel agenda and reinstate the climate adaptations pursued by his predecessor. https://t.co/GlklrAEF2m

[Montana Free Press @mtfreepress]

As of 5:07 p.m., election officials had received about 46% of all absentee ballots mailed to voters statewide, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s office. The office expects to release updated numbers at 7 p.m.

Follow our election coverage live: https://t.co/Gg6MTcdM7H

[Montana Free Press @mtfreepress]

The U.S. Senate voted along party lines Tuesday to confirm Bozeman attorney Katie Lane as a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Montana. https://t.co/Ffk0uUsBqH