Montana Free Press

08/21/2026

The Cascade County Historical Society’s history museum in Great Falls is opening a new exhibit about an Indian boarding school that operated near Cascade from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century. It’s the History Museum & Research Center’s first major exhibition built around historical records recently donated by a Roman Catholic religious order.

It’s the History Museum & Research Center’s first major exhibition built around historical records recently donated by a Roman Catholic religious order.

08/21/2026

The 36-year-old father and his 9-year-old daughter were leaving United Way of Yellowstone County, which was giving away free backpacks and other back-to-school supplies.

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08/20/2026

A federal district court judge late Wednesday afternoon ordered the federal government to release a Billings father and his 9-year-old daughter from immigration custody in Havre, where they have been detained since Aug. 11. The judge’s order requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to release the pair by 4:45 p.m.

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08/20/2026

A Northern Cheyenne tribal judge on Tuesday weighed in on a months-long dispute between the tribe’s president and a majority of the tribal council, ruling to reinstate eight ousted council members and void an October election that was held to replace them.

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08/20/2026

Efforts to weigh in on a massive data center planned for north of Billings erupted into cheers and boos at a Yellowstone County Commission meeting this week, where residents fruitlessly tried a new legal avenue to push their concerns.

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08/18/2026

One of the Legislature’s most powerful members could be replaced on the general election ballot, against his will, by his longtime friend after a Monday night vote.

The vote to replace Jones was spurred by a legal opinion on the state’s term limit law issued last week by Montana Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen that effectively blocked Jones from being eligible to run for the state Senate this election cycle. Jones has served in the Legislature for more than two decades.

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08/17/2026

A moist weather pattern hit Maverick Mountain late last week, but it didn’t arrive in time to save its patrol shack. It did, however, give a break to the folks imperiled by the Sand Creek Fire threatening the ski resort in southwest Montana.

Wildfire’s explosive early growth stalls under mid-August rainfall as owners brace for return of dry weather.

08/17/2026

Recent improvements are setting the stage for Black Eagle’s next chapter, but aging leaders wonder who will carry the torch.

Recent improvements are setting the stage for Black Eagle's next chapter, but aging leaders wonder who will carry the torch.

08/14/2026

A request for a temporary restraining order to block the attorney general’s term limits opinion could determine whether two veteran Republican lawmakers remain on the November ballot.

A new interpretation, a court filing and a looming Aug. 20 ballot deadline.

08/14/2026

The lawsuit centers on House Bill 121, which requires public and some private facilities to enforce sex-segregated spaces for multiuser bathrooms, dormitories and locker rooms.

Arguments centered on the law’s constitutionality, and the judge asked several questions about how the law would work in practice.