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Class AA State Wrestling: Billings West claims third consecutive state title

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Class AA State Wrestling: Billings West claims third consecutive state title


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Price of persuasion: Groups spent more than $9 million influencing Montana legislators, with mixed results

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Price of persuasion: Groups spent more than  million influencing Montana legislators, with mixed results


Ron Marshall knew that he was beat. The vape shop owner-turned-state lawmaker had been in plenty of political scrapes over nicotine products during his tenure at the Montana Legislature, but this time was different. 

As chair of the House Human Services Committee in the 2025 session, he’d heard from both Big Nicotine and what the Republican from Hamilton categorically refers to as the “organ lobby” — the heart and lung associations — pushing hard against products that are harmful to users’ health.

But Marshall wasn’t ready for the tidal wave of spending by tobacco companies advocating for House Bill 525, legislation that winnowed the list of vape products sold in Montana, in what was one of the more high-dollar lobbying efforts of that legislative session.

All told, 474 groups spent more than $9.3 million to influence lawmakers as they decided the fates of hundreds of pieces of legislation during the first four months of the year. The data comes from principal spending reports filed with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices. Total spending was similar for the 2023 legislative session.

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Combined, tobacco companies spent $219,151. Spending by Altria, the largest tobacco company in the United States with Philip Morris brands like Marlboro in its portfolio, had more than doubled since the 2023 session. 

“They have this PMTA list of approved products, 26 approved,” said Marshall in a recent interview with Montana Free Press. PMTA is shorthand for Premarket Tobacco Product Application. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s PMTA list consists of new nicotine products that can be sold while the government weighs permanent approval. Big Nicotine is very effective at muscling its products onto the list, Marshall said.

Not quite halfway through the 2025 legislative session, Marshall quit, insisting that his adversaries’ lobbying reach was too great. HB 525, which died in process after Marshall resigned, would have put refillable vapes in the loss column by clearing shelves to make space for Big Nicotine’s PMTA-approved products.

Nicotine, labor issues and the politicization of judicial races and elections were top spending issues for principals attempting to influence the Montana Legislature. The top spenders from 2025 are a mix of in-state stakeholders and nonprofit issue advocacy groups tied to Republican influencers. Occasionally, these groups clashed over the same policy matters. 

The Montana Federation of Public Employees, the state’s largest union of public employees, was the top spender of the session with $179,079 in total expenditures. 

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The number of bills MFPE lobbied numbered 262. Their success rate — when a bill’s fate matched the organization’s support or opposition — was about 65%, according to state lobbying reports and the Montana Free Press Capitol Tracker. For perspective, the Montana Chamber of Commerce, which spent $122,000 lobbying on 164 bills including everything from Medicaid expansion (which it supported) to the version of residential and small business property tax relief that lawmakers passed (which it opposed) had a 75% success rate. 

MFPE President Amanda Curtis said in an early July email that union members write and vote to select subjects to lobby, or as Curtis calls it a “member-driven and member-approved” process. The list ranged from support for Medicaid expansion and public lands to increasing pay for public school teachers and opposition to partisan judicial elections.

The Service Employees International Union 775 was third in total spending at $138,045. The bills lobbied by SEIU went the way of its position about half the time.

Sandwiched between the two unions at No. 2 was Montana Citizens for Right to Work, which reported total spending of $139,541, while listing work on just one bill, Senate Bill 376, which would have ended requirements that employees pay union dues as a term of employment in organized businesses.

The right-to-work bill was voted down twice in the same day in February, first in committee and second on the Senate floor, where sponsor Sen. Mark Noland, R-Bigfork, couldn’t persuade 26 lawmakers to blast the bill out of committee for a vote.

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Before the bill was heard in the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee, union advocates lined the path from the Capitol’s second-floor rotunda to where the committee was meeting one floor above.

Noland recognized the union backers’ strength in numbers, granting them the majority of the time during the SB 376 hearing. More than 200 people signed up to speak against the bill. The only supporters of the bill were two right-to-work organization reps.

“We’re going to give you a little more time, because there’s more of you. And you know, I’m all about fairness,” Noland said at the hearing’s start. Spending reports for Western States Right to Work, lobbying as Montana Citizens for Right to Work, show they spent more than $100,000 on printing and postage, on-brand for an organization whose national parent, National Right to Work, is known for mail campaigns to pressure lawmakers and voters, including a secretive campaign in Montana’s 2010 Republican primaries.

A voicemail placed to Montana Citizens for Right to Work President Randy Pope wasn’t returned before the publication of this story.

Other single-issue big spenders include Americans for Citizen Voting, a Missouri-based group that’s proposed amending several state constitutions to say that only citizens vote in local elections. Voting is already restricted to citizens in state and federal elections.

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ACV was once a nonprofit but the IRS revoked that tax status in 2022, citing several years of not reporting their finances. When it was a nonprofit, the group was funded by Liberty Initiative Fund, which in turn received money from Restoration of America, an organization that has funded the use of discredited techniques for finding voter fraud, according to a 2022 report by ProPublica. Richard Uihlein, a large Republican donor and shipping supplies magnate, is the primary contributor to Restoration’s efforts.    

ACV Director Jack Tomczak traveled to Montana twice to testify for Senate Bill 185, the citizen vote bill sponsored by Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton. ACV’s total spending was $111,881. The bill died in the House. Afterward, ACV ran attack ads against Billings Republican Sherry Essmann for voting against the bill. 

Essmann told Montana Free Press in June that Montana already limits voting to citizens, which is why she voted against it. 

A slate of bills to weaken the political firewall between Montana courts, the Legislature and the executive branch drew top spenders. Combined, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Montana spent nearly $250,0000. The two groups opposed a bill to make Montana judicial races partisan, while also opposing bills that they said violate constitutional rights like freedom of religion. Likewise, the Montana State Bar and Montana Trial Lawyers spent a combined $103,000 opposing bills to change the judiciary. 

Seven of 27 bills to change the judicial system passed. Registered principals supporting the bills were few in number, but Senate Bill 42, which called for partisan judicial races, did draw support from Montana Family Foundation, a Christian policy and advocacy group that mostly steered clear of bills challenging the judiciary. MFF reported spending $78,000 lobbying the Legislature in 2025.

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Grizzly-human encounters picking up in Northwest Montana

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Grizzly-human encounters picking up in Northwest Montana



A mountain biker out for a ride after work last week used bear spray to repel what he believed was a grizzly bear approaching him on the Starry Goat Trail on Kootenai National Forestland outside of Troy. 

The man, who was not identified, spoke to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a video of the interview was shared on the agency’s YouTube channel.

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The encounter occurred last Thursday on the trail which is located off of Callahan Creek Road.

“I saw what I thought was an awfully weird root ball that was blown over, so I looked up at it and when I made a noise, the bear had recognized that I was there and had turned around and decided to come toward me,” he said. “At that point, I had to quickly stop, get off the bike, unclip and pull the bear spray out.”

He said the bear closed the distance really quick and that’s when he thought the bruin was a grizzly bear because of the hump in the shoulders, the facial features and the feet.

“I thought, ‘yelling at this thing is not going to work and what am I in for,’ so I let the bear get pretty close and sprayed it at about 10 feet,” he said. “The bear started to reroute and leave and he basically ran past me in this direction up the hill and sat with his back toward me and started pawing at his face.”

FWP said the Starry Goat Trail remains open but users are urged to remain cautious of possible bear activity. 

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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff set up cameras on the trail to try and identify the bear but did not see any activity and recently pulled the cameras.

Flathead Valley landowner shoots, kills grizzly

A grizzly bear charged a man near his residence along Foothill Road east of Kalispell on the night of July 10. 

The landowner heard a disturbance outside and discovered the bear getting into a chicken coop. The bear approached him, and he shot and killed it. Fortunately, the man was uninjured in the encounter. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the incident.  

Officials used the occurrences to remind people of how to be bear aware.

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Montana is bear country. Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with conflicts. Here are some precautions to help recreationists avoid negative bear encounters:  

– Carry bear spray in an accessible place and know how to use it. 

– Stay alert and look for bear activity, especially where visibility or hearing is limited (woods, bushy areas, streams).

– Anyone traveling quickly (mountain biker, trail runner) can be at high risk of surprising a bear. 

– Slow down and look ahead, especially in areas of dense vegetation, berry patches, and around blind corners. 

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– Ride or run in daylight and in groups. 

– Make noise! Let bears hear you, especially where visibility is limited. 

For more information and resources on bear safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.  



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3-Star QB Jackson Presley Flips Commitment From Montana State To Sacramento State

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3-Star QB Jackson Presley Flips Commitment From Montana State To Sacramento State


Sacramento State and head coach Brennan Marion continue to make waves on the recruiting trail.

The Hornets secured a commitment from three-star quarterback Jackson Presley, who was previously committed to Montana State. It’s his third commitment after flipping his commitment from Boise State to Montana State in late March.

“After a lot of prayer, reflection, and heartfelt conversations with those closest to me, I’ve made the decision to decommit from Montana State,” Pressley wrote in a statement. “This wasn’t easy, and it’s a choice I don’t take lightly.

“That said, I’ve been presented with opportunities that will support the vision I have for my future-on and off the field. I’m committed to building a future that supports not only my football journey but also my personal growth and long-term life goals.”

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Presley is the No. 804 overall prospect and No. 47 quarterback in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He also ranks as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Montana, only trailing four-star Michigan commit Matt Ludwig.

As a junior, Presley earned All-State and All-Conference honors after leading Glacier High School to back-to-back state championships. He finished the year with 2,669 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns and only nine interceptions.

In his last two seasons, Presley has completed 64.6% of his passes for 5,722 passing yards, 53 passing touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He added 337 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.

Following Presley’s commitment, Sacramento State’s 2026 recruiting class ranks No. 60 nationally with 37 commits, according to 247Sports. The class is headlined by four-star wide receiver Xavier McDonald, three-star wide receiver Kamarie Smith, and three-star running back Marquez Wimberly.

Follow FCS Football Central on social media for ongoing coverage of FCS football, including on XFacebook, and YouTube.





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