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Seaborn Larson

Robocalls, critics & pork: Montana’s budget fight still sizzling after contentious session

Robocalls are a hallmark abrasion of election season, so it seemed abnormal to Rep. Llew Jones, a longtime Republican legislator from Conrad, to hear them in an off-year. More unusual yet is that those automated voice messages target Jones for his role in engineering the state budget, a matter

AG Knudsen jumps into Gallatin County dispute on immigration jail holds

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen this week weighed in on questions about expanding Gallatin County’s assistance to federal immigration authorities, calling legal guidance from the local county attorney on the matter “flawed” in part because it runs against President Donald Trump’s agenda. The discussion about dedicating 10 jail

How a bipartisan coalition dominated the Montana Senate and fractured the Republican Party

Temperatures were well below freezing in Helena in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, the second day of the 2025 Montana legislative session. But the feeling inside the Senate president’s office was "colder in that room than it was outside" as Republican and Democratic Senate leadership

Montana Legislature wraps after passing property tax relief, but not without final drama

Montana Legislature wraps after passing property tax relief, but not without final drama

The 69th Montana Legislature adjourned Wednesday after passing sweeping property tax legislation and a far-reaching spending bill, but not before a final dose of drama in the Senate. The headlining policies such as property tax relief and the GOP’s judicial reform agenda were the fodder of the final

Montana Senate votes to censure Sen. Ellsworth, revoking nearly all legislative abilities

The only presence Sen. Jason Ellsworth will have in the Senate Chamber at the Montana State Capitol going forward will be the nameplate clinging to his vacated desk, and even that will expire in a matter of weeks. The Montana Senate on Tuesday resoundingly voted for a censure that stripped

Democratic coalition blocks expulsion of GOP Sen. Ellsworth; leaders to broker discipline

The Montana Senate was at an impasse on Monday over how to punish Hamilton Republican Sen. Jason Ellsworth after he attempted to use state money he had control over to arrange a contract for his longtime friend and former business partner. The chamber considered two punishments: One to expel him

Contractor subpoenaed after declining ethics committee's call to testify in Ellsworth case

The consultant on the other end of a state-funded contract that sparked splintering investigations into Sen. Jason Ellsworth declined a legislative ethics committee's request for his testimony on Friday, prompting lawmakers to issue a subpoena to the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office. Bryce Eggleston, the owner