MIN Weekly News Roundup

Week ending April 13, 2025

'Hands Off' Protests Locally and Around the Country Attract Unexpectedly Large Crowds

Hands Off for Them. But Our Hands Still Hold Tight

Busse Provides a Break from the News Cycle with Reflections on True Wealth

New Recalls & Safety Warnings

Algae blooms along the Mudd Creek Bridge portion of the Big Hole River, which has seen a sharp drop in its trout population in recent years. Credit: Brian Wheeler

Legislature Advances Bills Loosening Water Quality Standards

Environmental Groups Petition DEQ to Limit Nutrient Pollution on Big Hole River

DOJ Ordered to Reinstate Fired Montana Highway Patrol Trooper

‘Bobby’s Law’ Aims to Create Minimum Penalty for Fatal DUIs

Visas Revoked for Four International Students at Flagship Montana Universities

Immigrants Without Legal Status Must Now Register and Carry Documents, After Court Order

Property Tax Discussions Wander, but Still No Single Idea Seems to Have Enough Support

House Votes Down Bill Granting Immunity to Constitutional Officers Who are Lawyers

House Rejects Making State Bar Membership Voluntary

Montana House Passes Bill to Give Towing Vehicles Right-of-Way in Roundabouts

Felony Bill for Parents, Doctors of Trans Minors Voted Down by Bipartisan House Coalition

Lawmakers Pass Bill Barring Discipline Against Students Who Refuse to Use Peers’ Preferred Names, Pronouns

Lawmakers Advance Bill to Enhance State Support for School Infrastructure

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority Bill Moves to Senate with Bipartisan Support

Judge Dan Wilson Announces Second Bid for Supreme Court Seat; Baker Set to Retire

Gianforte Joins Trump on Executive-Order Signing on Energy, Legislature Takes up Proposals

Gianforte Poll Numbers Steady in Second Term

Senator Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, sponsored Senate Bill 224 to establish Indigenous Peoples Day in Montana. Credit: John Stember / MTFP

After a Decade of Failed Attempts, Bill Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day Poised to Become Law

Flathead National Forest Seeks Public Input on Holland Lake Lodge Application

DOGE protest (Photo by G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Fired Federal Probationary Employees Thrown Back in Limbo After Court Losses

Supreme Court Says Trump Administration Must 'Facilitate' Return of Wrongly Deported Man

Trump Announces 90-Day Pause in Tariffs for Some Countries, Markets Soar in Response but Remain Volatile

Trump Attack on State Climate Laws Likely Doomed, but Attempts to Yank Funds May Be Next

Trump-Supported Budget Squeaks by in U.S. House after GOP Assurances of Vast Spending Cuts

U.S. House Passes Bill Targeting Voting by Noncitizens, Which is Already Against the Law

Trump Signs Orders Targeting Revival of ‘Beautiful, Clean Coal’

First Lady Melania Trump Celebrates Committee Passage of Take It Down Act in House Energy & Commerce