Montana's News

Community

New Neighbors, Rising Rents: The Remote Work Revolution Dividing Montana's Small Towns

Laptop-toting transplants have breathed new life into communities that once feared demographic collapse, but longtime Montanans are paying the price in soaring housing costs and strained services. From Whitefish to Lewistown, the remote work boom is forcing a reckoning over who Montana's small towns are really for. The transformation is both a revival story and a cautionary tale unfolding in real time.

Jul 4, 2026

Community

Boots to Ballots: Montana's Farmers and Ranchers Are Rewriting Local Politics

Across Montana's counties, a quiet but consequential shift is underway as agricultural workers and rural landowners trade their daily routines for campaign trails. Frustrated by rising property taxes, shifting land-use regulations, and federal grazing policies they say ignore local realities, a new wave of farmer-candidates is stepping into local government. Their campaigns are reshaping the conversation about who governs Montana's rural communities.

Jul 4, 2026

Investigative

Thirsty Land: Montana's Escalating Battle Over Who Controls the Water

As drought tightens its grip on Montana and cities continue to grow, a collision of competing water claims is reshaping the state's future. Ranchers, tribal nations, and expanding municipalities are locked in a struggle that legal experts warn could define Montana's next generation of policy. The stakes, measured in acre-feet and livelihoods, have never been higher.

Jul 4, 2026