U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, said that he changed his mind regarding voting for the vaccine mandate on private businesses with more than 100 employees after hearing from Montanans. Tester and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia were the only two Democratic senators to vote in opposition of the vaccine mandate. The measure against the vaccine mandate passed by a 5248 vote on Wednesday, Dec.

Two Republican state lawmakers spoke to Montana’s Legislative Council last week to reiterate an appeal made earlier this fall for the formation of a special legislative committee to investigate alleged irregularities in Montana’s 2020 election. That appeal was originally submitted to legislative leadership in an Oct. 5 letter signed by 86 Republican lawmakers. Speaking to the council

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen spoke Monday, Nov. 29, to a meeting of health care workers and community members in Sidney, where some employees of the Sidney Health Center have been protesting the hospital’s announcement that it will comply with a federal vaccine mandate for health care providers that receive Medicaid and Medicare funding. Employees at such organizations across the state

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines’ legislative effort to rescind President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate against private businesses passed the U.S. Senate. Daines has been fighting back against Biden’s business vaccine mandate that would impact Montana small businesses and could force nearly 130,000 Montanans out of work. Daines has also been working to push back against Biden’s

The hunting of all mountain lions in Region 6, except for in hunting district 690, closed at one-half hour after sunset on Wednesday, Dec. 8. The order halting the hunt came shortly after Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials received word that the pre-established harvest quota for the combined districts had been met. For more information, visit FWP’s website at fwp.mt.gov/ hunt/by-species,

Redistricting in Montana has moved on to a new phase, with the state’s commission now tasked with drawing lines at the state level. An organization representing the interests of Native Americans in the state wants to ensure the commission keeps their interests in mind. Ta’jin Perez, deputy director of the group Western Native Voice, noted drawing lines for state lawmakers is a more complicated

Montana State University Extension and MSGA distinguished 185 “Steers of Merit” out of 1,199 entries for 2021. Out of 614 steers entered in the Carcass Division, 114 were deemed Steers of Merit. In the Ultrasound Division, 71 out of 585 entries received the distinction. The number of Steer of Merit certifications for 2021 increased significantly compared to 2020. The main increase was due

A Montana woman became the first National Guard Soldier to graduate from the U.S. Army Sniper Course on Nov. 5. “We are extremely proud of this soldier’s achievement and recognize that this is a milestone for not only Montana, but the entire National Guard and Army,” said Maj. Gen. J. Peter Hronek, the adjutant general for Montana, in a news release. “This soldier had to volunteer several