Montana News

Feds: Another Tough Wildfire Season For West

Fire officials are poised for a tough wildfire season after another dry winter across much of the West, and made more challenging because federal budget cuts mean fewer firefighters on the ground, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Monday. Jewell said …

Montana Woman Charged With DUI After Drunken Horse Ride

A Billings, Mont. woman has denied drunken driving for an arrest that happened shortly after police escorted her home when they found her riding a horse while intoxicated. The Billings Gazette reported 43-year-old Dawnalee Ellis-Peterson was arraigned on the felony …

Montana Enacts Insurance Compact Legislation

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has made Montana the 43rd state to join the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission. Bullock’s state joined the IIPRC upon his signing of Senate Bill 28. The IIPRC is a state-based regulatory modernization initiative designed to …

Wyoming Serves Casper With Notice Over Asbestos

Montana officials have served the city of Casper and a contractor with notices alleging they failed to fully test for asbestos before demolishing an abandoned house. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that a notice from the Department of Environmental Quality alleges …

Study: Idaho Still Ranks Low For Employee Health Insurance

A new national study shows Idaho is again ranked among states with the lowest percentage of companies that offer workers employer-sponsored health insurance. Idaho ranks 4th nationally – trailing Alaska, Montana and Wyoming – with just 43 percent of the …

Montana Counties Say DES Requirements Overly Burdensome

The troubled agency responsible for preparing Montana for emergencies has been beset by lawsuits by former employees, claims of a dysfunctional work environment and now complaints that overly burdensome and shifting regulations are causing headaches for several counties. Montana Disaster …

Judge Approves $4M For Libby Asbestos Attorneys

A state judge says lawyers for victims of asbestos exposure in a contaminated Montana town are entitled to more than $4 million in fees and expenses out of a $19.6 million settlement with chemical manufacturer W.R. Grace and Co. State …

Sentry Names Adams Sales Territory Manager for Northwest

Brandon Adams will be joining Sentry Insurance a Mutual Co.’s national accounts sales team as a territory manager for the Northwest. The change is effective April 1. Adams will remain based in Portland, Ore. and be responsible for all broker …

MMIC to Acquire Utah Medical Insurance Association

MMIC, a large Midwest medical professional liability firm, has entered into an agreement to acquire Utah Medical Insurance Association, a provider of medical professional liability insurance for physicians in Utah, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. After the acquisition, UMIA will become …

Idaho Company Recalling Beef, Pork And Chicken

A southwestern Idaho company is recalling 33,500 pounds of fully cooked meat and poultry products because of possible bacterial contamination. The United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Saturday that Boise-based B and D Foods is …