government

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A power planning group from Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington is pursuing $2 million from Congress to help fend off invasive mussels that have clogged Colorado River reservoirs since 2007.
These states and others are frustrated that boats continue to leave Lake Mead on trailer…

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A spokesman for the Border Patrol says it is shutting down nine stations, six of them in Texas, and plans to relocate the 41 agents who work at those outposts to positions nearer the borders.
Border Patrol press officer Bill Brooks says the stations being closed in Texas a…

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Gov. Brian Schweitzer is dropping the state's lawsuit against the Defense Department over plans to move the Montana National Guard's F-15s to California.
The move comes after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assured the state's senators that the Air Force will halt scheduled transf…

Online shoppers often cite the convenience of purchasing items from web retailers like Amazon, but another perk to cyber shopping is that buyers often don’t have to pay sales tax.
Thanks to a congressional bill, though, that could soon change.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — The entrance of Malmstrom Air Force Base is getting a facelift in time to mark the 50th anniversary of the installation of the nation's first Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Great Falls Tribune reports that the state and Cascade County projects …

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Simmering allegations of misconduct against Lake County policing agencies are so far not resulting in any tangible findings.
An interim legislative committee even took the unusual step of looking into the problems late last month, but in the end didn't take any action.…

The Obama administration got an enormous victory on Thursday when the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold the President’s signature achievement: the 2010 health care law.
And in a surprise to many court watchers, it was Chief Justice John Roberts who sided with the more liberal justices and wrote…

California has certainly had its share of financial woes, and now the city of Stockton, about 80 miles east of San Francisco, is set to become the largest American municipality to declare bankruptcy.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — A human-rights organization is calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release details about its investigation into a racially charged email sent by one of its immigration officials in Montana.
Montana Human Rights Network director Travis McAdam tells the Grea…

Look out, New Yorkers — Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Board of Health aren’t just after your large sodas. Now they want your bucket-sized popcorn and jumbo milkshakes, too.