Helena Independent Record

2 days ago | helenair.com | Victoria Eavis

A Native American rights group this week asked to join a lawsuit against Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen over a recently enacted bill that tightens Election Day voter registration hours, arguing the new law disproportionately harms the Indigenous population.

2 days ago | helenair.com | Seaborn Larson

Montana's behavioral health system build-out is zeroing in on Billings as the site of a new facility for criminal defendants in need of intense psychiatric treatment. Since before Montana's statehood, the state hospital for patients with severe psychiatric needs has been anchored in Warm Springs between Butte and Deer Lodge. That's a long haul for most of the state, particularly the eastern side where behavioral health services are sparse.

4 days ago | helenair.com | Carly Graf |Seaborn Larson |Victoria Eavis

With only a little more than a week to spare until the start of a new fiscal year, Gov. Greg Gianforte on Friday signed off on the state’s primary $16.5 billion two-year budget bill, advancing all but $31 million worth of the spending priorities tucked into it by the 2025 Legislature. House Bill 2 is the state's main spending measure. It funds government operations, chiefly agencies and their programs, through a mix of federal and state dollars.

6 days ago | helenair.com | Matt Kelley

Skip to main contentSkip to main content You have permission to edit this image. You don't have any notifications. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Topics News Alerts Subscribe Breaking News Subscribe Secure transaction. Cancel anytime. Have an account?

6 days ago | helenair.com | Scott Held

The election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as head of the Roman Catholic Church was a significant and joyous day for Catholics across the world. Here in Helena, the occasion was marked by the bells at the Cathedral of St. Helena ringing nonstop for quite a while. I personally heard about 20 minutes of the celebratory ringing, and I am sure they had been going for at least a few minutes before their melody graced my ears.