By Keila Szpaller | Deputy Editor
"Based on everything I’ve seen in this state, this is a state that is well run, and I would not be surprised if other states are looking to Montana as a model.” — Alex Adams, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, about foster care in Montana.
Haven’t voted in Montana’s primary election yet? Here’s how
by Micah Drew
The Montana Secretary of State’s website shows that voters in the state have already returned 188,595 ballots in the primary election as of Monday morning. In 2022 and 2024, the primary election turned out roughly 39% and 41% of registered voters, and the Secretary of State’s Office shows just more than 665,000 registered voters as […]
Montana to join Trump’s ‘A Home for Every Child’ initiative to increase number of foster homes
by Micah Drew
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced on Monday the state will be the 25th participant in a national collaboration seeking to strengthen the foster care system. According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, there are 1,749 children in foster care around the state, down from more than 3,300 in early 2021, when […]
Missoula’s Mountain Line wins national transit award
by Jordan Hansen
Missoula’s transit agency, Mountain Line, has been named the best transit system in the country by the Community Transportation Association of America, which advocates and provides training for small and mid-sized transit systems throughout the country. The award, which has different classes, was among peer transportation agencies of the 1,300 the CTAA represents, which includes […]
MONTANA ROCKS
It’s not too late to help name one of the working horses in Glacier National Park.
In a recent newsletter, the Glacier National Park Conservancy said it sorted through 900 name suggestions for a new horse that works at the park.
Glacier’s stock program consists of 66 horses and mules and six packers, and they support wilderness preservation, the newsletter said. They help with trail work, at fire lookouts, and more.
“These sturdy animals navigate Glacier’s mountainous terrain to help transport supplies and equipment into remote wilderness,” the newsletter said.
It said aging horses and mules will soon be ready to retire, and the conservancy funded the purchase of six new animals.
You can help name one.
The conservancy whittled down name suggestions for this horse to six: Dawson (after the pass), Doody (for some early rangers), Neightorious GNP (“Neigh-t” for short), Sperry (for the chalet), Talus, and Wilbur (for a horse concessions founder).
For some extra fun, check out the honorable mentions.
The video is of a pack heading up to Sperry Chalet. (Yes, I cheered on the mules. And you would too if you’d eaten some of the meals at Sperry.)
~ Keila Szpaller
FROM OUR D.C. BUREAU (AND PARTNERS)
President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund appeared to be on shaky ground Monday as he continued to face opposition from his own party. The extraordinary $1.776 billion fund to pay off allies and others who say they have been wronged by past administrators drew widespread condemnation by opponents, including some Republicans, who characterized it as an act of brazen corruption.
Transgender military members won a temporary victory against the Trump administration in federal appeals court when two judges ruled a policy banning them from service violated their constitutional right to equal protection under the law.
Some candidates in Texas lost runoff elections to Trump-endorsed opponents in a decisive sweet that serves as a fresh reminder that the Texas GOP remains in complete lockstep with the president.
Democratic Party leaders from a dozen states traveled to Washington, D.C., at the end of May to press for their votes to cast the first ballots in the next presidential primary. State representatives argued that diversifying the early states would ensure Democrats nominate a presidential candidate who not only holds broad appeal among the base, but can ultimately win over independent voters in swing states and the White House in November 2008.
THE HOOK
Did you vote? Don’t throw away your shot. That’s your “Hook” for the day.
It’s a theme from Hamilton, “My Shot,” by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The lyrics give a history lesson, and they tell a story that sounds familiar today. Take this phrase, for example: “Essentially, they tax us relentlessly.”
That’s what a lot of the 2025 Montana Legislature was about, property taxes, and we’ll probably have more of it in 2027.
And this: “I am not throwin’ away my shot.”
I’m not. I just don’t know which ballot I’m going to vote yet. Clock is ticking on that one.
Send me what you listen to after your favorite candidate wins or loses, consolation or celebration. I’m [email protected].
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