The proposed Sheep Creek mining exploration located near the pristine headwaters of the Bitterroot River continues to draw intense scrutiny. A mining company is eyeing rare earth elements that are used for many technological applications. They are seeking federal and state approval to explore what’s below ground. Local community groups are monitoring the area’s water quality in case the project moves ahead, looking to ensure it stays clean.
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Polls continue to show a tight race in Montana's western district House race, and a possible blowout in the Senate race. VIPs from the Trump administration continue to visit Montana to get the Republican base to show up. And the latest campaign ads hammer the candidates' closing arguments.
Four candidates face-off in chaotic Senate race
The race to be Montana’s next U.S. senator is heating up in the final three weeks until election day. Recent polling shows Republican Kurt Alme has a comfortable lead in the four-way race. Meanwhile, independent Seth Bodnar and Democrat Alani Bankhead have hit the campaign trail hard trying to appeal to the same centrist and left-wing voters.
Western district House candidates say affordability is their top concern
The race for Montana’s western district House seat is tight. Recent polls show the two major candidates are tied with no clear lead. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy has this profile of the Democrat and Republican competing for the seat.
Supreme Court candidates differ on partisanship, constitutional interpretation
Two judges from the same court are competing for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. The justices spoke to MTPR’s Clayton Murphy about partisanship, restraint and what they would bring to the bench.
CI-132: Montana voters will issue a verdict on partisan judicial elections
Montana’s judicial elections are nonpartisan. An initiative to permanently keep it that way will appear on November’s ballot. Republican state legislators have tried unsuccessfully to make judicial elections partisan during recent legislative sessions.
Republican incumbent faces three challengers to represent eastern Montana in the U.S. House
It's been more than thirty years since Montanans elected a non-GOP candidate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and this year a Democrat, an Independent and a Libertarian are betting on a change.
'Montana Plan' ballot initiative aims to end dark money spending in Montana
Elections have consistently broken spending records in the state in recent years, largely due to corporate money. A ballot measure known as the Montana Plan aims to eliminate that kind of spending in Montana, sidestepping a controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling. That would make the state a national legal test case.
PSC District 1 candidates campaign on energy costs, data centers and transparency
Two candidates are vying for the open District 1 seat on the Public Service Commission. This district is the biggest in the state by land and covers much of eastern Montana, from the Rocky Boy’s Reservation to Glendive and Miles City. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy speaks with Keila Szpaller, deputy editor of the Daily Montanan, about the race and what this election may mean for Montanans.
PSC District 5 race highlights competing views on the role of utility regulators
The Public Service Commission’s District 5 seat is up for election. Voters from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to Helena and parts of Missoula will get to choose who represents them on the board. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy talks with Deputy Editor of the Daily Montanan Keila Szpaller about who’s running and what the race could mean for voters.
Picture of the Week
October 29, 2026 - Thank you to Brendan Moles for this week's picture of the week. Praying Mantis in the squirrel feeder, Missoula's Northside.
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October 29, 2026. Thank you to Brendan Moles for this week's Picture of the Week. Praying Mantis in the squirrel feeder, Missoula's Northside
Brendan Moles
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October 15, 2026 - Thank you to Fred & Sallie Brewer for this week's picture of the week. Elk cows, yearlings and calves near abandoned beaver pond. Highlands south of Butte.
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Picture of the Week. October 08, 2026 - Thank you to Anne Hosler for this week's picture of the week. Sunset over the Blue Mountain area in Missoula.
Anne Hosler
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Thank you to Shannon Harmon for this week's picture of the week. Moon rising above the mountains at Holland Lake 9/22/2026.
Shannon Harmon
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September 24, 2026 - Thank you to Noel Osterman for this week's picture of the week. Sunset on Tiger Butte Road in Cascade County near Belt on August 28, 2026 at 8:23 p.m.
Noel Osterman
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September 17, 2026 – Thank you to Juliann Burnham for today's picture of the week. The footbridge to the University of Montana.
Juliann Burnham
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September 10, 2026 - Thank you to Rose Miller for this week's picture of the week. "Canyon Ferry Lake Winter Sunset"
Rose Miller
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September 03, 2026 - Taking a break while kayaking Gates of the Mountains, looking back at Upper Holter Lake.
Will Hastings
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August 27, 2026 - The iconic Fire Tower overlooking Last Chance Gulch in Helena, MT.
Kylie Campbell
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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with Emily Ruskovich about her short story collection, ‘Nightjar’ (Penguin Random House). Join the University of Montana’s Creative Writing Program, the Missoula Public Library, and Fact & Fiction Books for an event with Emily; she’ll be in conversation with writer Sam McPhee at the Missoula Public Library on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 6 p.m.
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Economists expect the GDP report to show economic growth, but say that growth is "fragile." And, after 90% of the votes in Israel have been counted, no clear winner has emerged.
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Horror writer Stephen Graham Jones says horror's current moment is powered by more than just fear.
