Daily Montanan

The Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision late last week canceling a series of permits that allowed bison grazing on federal land by the nonprofit conservation organization American Prairie.

If NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Corp merge, the deal could mean as much as $16 million for CEO Brian Bird, and a total of nearly $30 million for the top five executives of the Montana utility.

A Montana district court has ordered a temporary halt on a new law aimed at restricting Election Day voter registration and tightening the hours voters can register in the days leading up to it.

Legislators took a step this week toward issuing a subpoena to Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen for information about voter records her office provided to the federal government.

Members of the public have opposed the mine, and Ravalli County Commissioners unanimously opposed its placement on a federal “fast track” designed to improve permitting efficiency.

Conservation groups challenged the federal government, saying it was using unproven methods at the risk of several endangered species.

The State Auditor’s office is clamping down on what it called “a troubling and deceptive business practice” regarding “misleading” health insurance plans from companies that offer poor coverage and bad customer service.

Transparent Election Initiative announced this week that former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has endorsed the “Montana Plan” which seeks to keep corporate money out of politics through a ballot measure.

The two attorneys exchanged letters in early April, with Knudsen demanding the county rescind the policy and Cromwell saying it doesn’t exist.

One of the longest continually-operated Chinese restaurants in the nation has closed, with Pekin Noodle Parlor, a Butte institution, announcing this week it was closing its doors permanently.