Montana
Yellowstone County Commissioners pick Kerr-Carpenter to replace Kelker in the Montana Senate • Daily Montanan
One familiar face is the leaving the Montana Senate, one familiar face will take her place.
Longtime Yellowstone County leader and state Sen. Kathy Kelker, D-Billings, submitted her resignation last week to the Yellowstone County Democratic Central Committee. Kelker has been a leader at the city, county and state levels having served on the Billings Public Schools Board as well as in the Montana Legislature and with the area Head Start program.
On Tuesday morning, the Yellowstone County Commission met to interview and select Kelker’s replacement from a list of three candidates whom the Democrats forwarded for consideration. They unanimously chose Montana State Rep. Emma Kerr-Carpenter, who had just won re-election to the Montana House, representing the central core of the state’s largest city, Billings.
By state law, if a vacancy for the Legislature occurs, the central committee from that political party, in this case, Democratic, forwards three candidates for the selection by the commissioners. In this particular case, the Yellowstone County Commissioners are all Republicans selecting a Democrat, but all three admitted after the interviews that they couldn’t have made a bad decision.
“The advantage she has is her legislative experience,” said Commissioner Don Jones. “If we select Emma Kerr-Carpenter, she’s familiar with the issues and ready to go.”
The commissioners said that it was Kerr-Carpenter’s previous legislative experience and her openness in communication that would help get her up to speed with just about a month remaining until the opening of the Legislature. The process of replacing Kelker has ended, but the process to replace Kerr-Carpenter in the House will likely follow a similar path with a quick turnaround ending up back in front of the Yellowstone County Commission.
In her interview with the Yellowstone County Commission, Kerr-Carpenter spoke mainly of two issues, crime and public safety, as well as the cost of living. Both of those issues seemed to resonate well with the commissioners, who are in the process of trying to figure out how to handle an exploding jail population, and low reimbursement rates from the state for the prisoners it houses at county facilities.
“These are big hairy issues that take partnerships up and down the line, from state to county to city,” she said.
Her previous experience in the Legislature, which she’s been a part of since 2019, include serving on appropriations for public safety. She said that has helped her understand the complexity of the problems. She said that in addition to addressing issues like reimbursement rates for prisoners, the lawmakers must also consider more judges and public defenders.
She also said the 2025 Legislature must look at more ways to bring down the cost of living.
“We’re just pricing people out of their homes,” Kerr-Carpenter said.
Other candidates
The county commissioners seemed pleased with the other two candidates, and may see them back if they decide to seek Kerr-Carpenter’s House seat. Dr. Mark Nicholson, who ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature last month, as well as former U.S. Navy intelligence officer Rudolf Haden, who was beat out by Rep. Sherry Essmann, R-Billings, applied for Kelker’s open seat and are likely candidates.
Nicholson said that his background as a physician handling complex problems can help steer the Legislature through Medicaid reauthorization, a process expected to be contentious in the upcoming session. He pointed out that in addition to understanding the nuances of healthcare from a provider perspective, he also understands that to Yellowstone County, it’s the largest business sector.
He said as he door-knocked more than 5,000 homes during the campaign season that he heard about healthcare, property taxes and crime. He pointed out that the average per-capita crime rate in Billings is about 98% higher than most places in America.
“Billings does have a problem,” Nicholson said. “We need more jail space, we need more judges. But we also need to give people better alternatives and that means better schools.”
He said that the state continues to dump prisoners and parolees in Billings and it is not paying its fair share.
“Billings is sometimes being treated as the ATM of the rest of the state,” Nicholson said.
He also said that property taxes are a matter of simply lowering the taxation rate, as the Montana Department of Revenue had recommended.
“There are all these Rube Goldberg ways of adjusting property taxes that are being talked about,” Nicholson said, “but there is a simple, certain way to reduce the taxes that is straightforward, and that’s by reducing the multiplier.”
Haden, who served for several decades in the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer, stressed that communicating back and forth among constituents is something that he’s literally trained for because of his background in the military.
He said that the top issue he heard while campaigning in Billings Heights was the cost of living.
“Since I’ve been back, I have seen my taxes go up,” Haden said. “And the cost of groceries: My refrigerator is a black hole.”
He said that one of the ways that the Legislature could help would be to encourage more housing and different types of housing. Driving around the core of Billings, there are buildings and spaces that are in need of transformation.
After the commissioners selected Kerr-Carpenter, Yellowstone County District Court Judge Collette Davies swore her in immediately. Kelker’s term runs through Jan. 4, 2027.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Montana State squares off with Illinois State Monday night in the FCS national championship game at FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Bobcats are making their third trip to the title game in the past five seasons under coach Brent Vigen. The program is seeking its first championship since 1984.
MTN Sports has been on the ground in Nashville for the past five days covering the lead-up to the game, including the pregame show “Bobcat Built: Montana State’s Championship Quest” hosted by Scott Breen and Kyle Hansen.
In it the MTN staff provides game previews, features, facts and figures and sights and sounds from the past several days in Music City in the run-up to the game. To watch, see the video reel below.
Watch: Bobcat Built – Montana State’s Championship Quest
Bobcat Built: Montana State’s Championship Quest
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Montana
Miley Cyrus Debuts Hannah Montana-Inspired Hair Transformation to Tease 20th Anniversary Plans
Though she hasn’t revealed what a celebration of the show’s legacy would look like, she did share why it’s so important for there to be one at all.
“For me, I love looking back at the growth for both of us because it’s very rare that someone grows up with their fanbase,” she explained. “When I was 15 years old, I’d look out and see 15-year-olds and now I’m a grown woman, I look out and see other grown people. So, what I want to do is honor the longevity of the relationship that we built.”
Having earned a Disney Legend award last year for her iconic role, the LOL star emphasized how the double-life pop star was so much more than a TV show character.
“Hannah Montana, it outgrew the fantasy,” she continued. “It became the reality of my life. Something that was about a regular girl getting to have this extraordinary life by being someone that she’s not and then turning my life and having this life because of being who I really am and authenticity. So getting to celebrate that—20 years is a long time.”
For a look back at Miley’s life from ordinary girl to rock star, read on…
‘Everything I knew burned down around me’: A journalist looks back on LA’s fires
Nvidia’s GeForce Now is getting native Linux and Fire TV apps
Iran offers citizens $7 monthly payments as protests spiral over economic crisis: report
Federal officials to halt more than $10B in funding to 5 states over non-citizen benefit concerns: report
Flu hospitalizations hit all-time weekly high in densely populated state, officials warn
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Federal officials to halt more than $10B in funding to 5 states over non-citizen benefit concerns: report
US critics and allies condemn Maduro’s abduction at UN Security Council
Maduro seized, norms tested: Security Council divided as Venezuela crisis deepens
Video: Welcome to Rennie Harris’s Dance Floor
Fraud fallout forces Democratic Gov Tim Walz to abandon Minnesota re-election bid
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
News1 week agoRoads could remain slick, icy Saturday morning in Philadelphia area, tracking another storm on the way
-
Politics1 week agoMost shocking examples of Chinese espionage uncovered by the US this year: ‘Just the tip of the iceberg’
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
News1 week agoFor those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos
-
News1 week agoWinter storm brings heavy snow and ice to busy holiday travel weekend
-
Politics1 week ago‘Unlucky’ Honduran woman arrested after allegedly running red light and crashing into ICE vehicle