2+ day, 20+ hour ago   (156+ words) The 2026 summer wildfire season continues, but conditions are starting to improve in parts of western Montana Outdoor burning in Ravalli County resumed Tuesday. That open burn ban had been in place since July 13. Fall outdoor burning in Ravalli County is…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (152+ words) A wildfire burning east of Hamilton in the Bitterroot Valley continues growing and is creeping closer to a local highway. The lightning-caused Nature Grove Fire, 13 miles east of Hamilton, has grown to nearly 900 acres. Fire managers say it’s burning in…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (439+ words) It turns out there’s a lot that goes into our perception of smoke and how it squares with the Air Quality Index. And it starts with basic chemistry. AQI numbers measure solid particles, or particulate matter. PM 2.5 gets a lot…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (255+ words) In July, the Montana Psychiatric Association started hearing that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana wasn’t fully reimbursing psychiatrists. Helena-based psychiatrist Julian Thorne sits on the association’s board. He explains that when a medical provider bills an insurance company,…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (132+ words) Utility companies in Montana must give state regulators a plan for how they’ll keep up with demands at the lowest cost for consumers. NorthWestern’s most recent plan, however, did not meet the Public Service Commission’s criteria. This comes after the…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (145+ words) Montana Public Radio Campaign spending, judicial elections initiatives to appear on November ballot The Secretary of State verified three ballot initiatives. The first is the “Montana Plan,” an initiative that would work around Citizens United and ban corporations from spending…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago   (336+ words) Nine days before ballots get finalized, Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued a legal opinion that, in practice, would disqualify Republican Reps. Llew Jones and Steve Fitzpatrick from their races. Fitzpatrick, the current House Majority Leader, said this is all partisan…...