Montana Supreme Court says Butte residents should decide data center issue.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"The government says those cases … were wrongly decided. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t. But certainly as a district judge I have to apply them and I think it is fair to say that the processes that the Circuit Court laid out in those two cases … (weren’t) followed here." – Timothy J. Kelly, a federal district court judge who will decide whether the Trump administration can bar news organizations, including CNN, Politico and MS Now from the White House.

Montana Supreme Court allows Butte data center initiative onto ballot

by Micah Drew

The Montana Supreme Court ruled this week that a Butte-Silver Bow citizens’ initiative to require voter approval of data center construction will appear on the November ballot. In an order filed Tuesday, the court overturned a decision by the county elections administrator to retroactively change the deadline for submitting signatures for the initiative, which would […]

Montana to study adding more wildlife crossings

by Jordan Hansen

The Montana Department of Transportation wants to improve wildlife crossings along U.S. Highway 89, near Dome Mountain in Park County. The state announced on Monday it was launching a feasibility study into wildlife fencing and two different wildlife overpasses along the highway. “This section of U.S. 89 serves as an important corridor for both travelers […]

Judge skeptical of White House ban of 3 news outlets but holds off on ruling for now

by Jennifer Shutt

WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly indicated during a Wednesday hearing he may order the Trump administration to reinstate White House press passes for reporters from three news organizations who had their credentials revoked this weekend. Kelly, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said at the beginning of […]

COMMENTARY

Why roadless areas matter for wilderness preservation | Suzanne Cable

GOP’s ‘rubberstamp’ of Trump puts US Senate in play, Dem campaign chair says

Trump likes data centers. Congress seems stuck. The midterms could deliver a verdict.

GOOD READS

Note: Some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall

Republicans sour on Trump as he sinks to a record low | The Daily Beast

How President Trump broke the Kennedy Center | The New York Times

Bears are ‘spinning out’ in southern Montana. Managers are at their wits’ end| The Montana Free Press

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