Montana Free Press

10/09/2026

What if fighting climate change starts with what you wear?

Missoula’s third annual Climate Solutions Week fashion show highlighted sustainable designs, and what consumers can do to avoid ‘fast fasion.’

The fashion industry contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions, and advocates say buying secondhand, reusing materials and moving away from fast fashion can help reduce its environmental footprint.

🔗 Read more at the link in the comments.

10/08/2026

A month-long strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Stillwater Mine and Columbus Metallurgical Complex has come to an end.

United Steelworkers Union 11-0001, which represents about 420 workers at the south-central Montana facilities, ratified a three-year contract with the South Africa-based mining company Tuesday.
The strike, which began Sept. 3, centered on employee health benefits and the company’s proposed pay incentive structure.

The new contract comes as Sibanye-Stillwater faces continued challenges from the historically low value of palladium, the rare metal that makes up the bulk of the company’s Montana mining operations.

🔗 Read more about the contract and what it means for Montana’s mining industry at the link in the comments.

10/07/2026

A majority of Montana voters say healthcare will help decide their vote this November. We asked the candidates what they’d do about it.

A majority of Montana voters say healthcare will help decide their vote this November, so we asked the candidates what they’d do about it.

10/07/2026

Changes to state law helped transform absentee voting from a minority practice into Montana’s most common way to cast a ballot.

Used by fewer than one-quarter of voters, absentee voting now accounts for most Montana ballots.

10/07/2026

Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality Inc. has revived a proposal to build a 100-person tram service on Columbia Mountain about six miles outside the park’s southwest border.

Read more at the link in the comments ⬇️

10/07/2026

Yellowstone County commissioners voted this week to once again seek judicial review of a ballot initiative that organizers hope will rein in data center development north of Billings.

Read more at the link in the comments ⬇️

10/06/2026

Billings police shot and killed a 61-year-old man Monday after officers said he pointed a handgun at them during an encounter at a South Side apartment complex.

Police had been looking for Michael Carr, who also used the name David Fuller, to serve a temporary restraining order. Authorities said Carr fled from officers, ignored commands to stop and later emerged from a carport pointing a gun at officers.

Officer Nathan Finn fired four shots, striking Carr. Emergency medical staff pronounced him dead at the scene.

The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation will review the shooting, which was the second officer-involved shooting in Billings this year.

🔗 Read more at the link in comments.

10/06/2026

Cascade County voters have a full slate of races to consider this November, including a potentially competitive state Senate contest and a closely watched race for county commissioner.

Montana Free Press takes a look at four races to watch in and around Great Falls, including who’s running, the issues shaping each contest and what’s at stake.

🔗 Read the full story at the link in comments.

10/06/2026

By the end of the late-night Monday meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to allow the Daily Wire-affiliated movie about an ICE agent doing battle with Antifa protestors and MS-13 gang members to continue. The decision came two days after the commission temporarily paused operations on set, and served as an added plot point in a weeks-long drama over the film’s production in the southwest Montana town since filming began in late September.

Read more at the link in the comments ⬇️

10/05/2026

An absentee ballot requirement that has resulted in thousands of Montana votes being thrown out since 2025 was ruled unconstitutional Monday by a state judge.

The requirement has voided nearly 6,000 votes since 2025.