Oct 14, 2026 · 4 min · 6 segments
Join the Montana State News Network for a round-up of the week's top stories and conversations with Montana newsmakers. Keep up to date with what's going on across Montana.
A major political shakeup in Montana's high-stakes US Senate race as the head of the state Democratic Party abruptly resigns to back an independent.
Montana Democratic Party Chair Shannon O'Brien announced her immediate resignation on Monday, endorsing former UM president and independent candidate Seth Bodnar.
In a statement, O'Brien called on Democrats and independents to unite behind Bodnar to defeat Republican Kurt Alme.
O'Brien broke sharply with her party's own nominee, Alani Bankhead, raising doubts about Bankhead's positions on reproductive rights and working families while asserting she lacks the momentum to win.
Bodnar thanked O'Brien, saying Montanans of all political stripes are rallying around his independent bid.
In her statement, O'Brien said, quote, "I hope all Democrats across Montana will join me in choosing the best person this year, even if he's not from the party they were expecting," end quote.
A battle between state lawmakers and the city of Laurel over a proposed mental health facility has escalated into accusations of civil rights violations.
According to reporting by the Montana Free Press, members of the legislature's long-range planning interim budget committee voted unanimously to send a letter warning Laurel officials that refusing to annex land and supply water for a planned thirty-two-bed forensic psychiatric facility could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act.
The committee also recommended withholding state funding from municipalities under discrimination investigations.
Vogel stated the city's refusal stems strictly from severe local water infrastructure shortages and an existing annexation freeze, demanding proof of any formal investigation.
A major political shakeup in Montana's high-stakes US Senate race as the head of the state Democratic Party abruptly resigns to back an independent.
Montana Democratic Party Chair Shannon O'Brien announced her immediate resignation on Monday, endorsing former UM president and independent candidate Seth Bodnar.
In a statement, O'Brien called on Democrats and independents to unite behind Bodnar to defeat Republican Kurt Alme.
O'Brien broke sharply with her party's own nominee, Alani Bankhead, raising doubts about Bankhead's positions on reproductive rights and working families while asserting she lacks the momentum to win.
Bodnar thanked O'Brien, saying Montanans of all political stripes are rallying around his independent bid.
In her statement, O'Brien said, quote, "I hope all Democrats across Montana will join me in choosing the best person this year, even if he's not from the party they were expecting," end quote.
A battle between state lawmakers and the city of Laurel over a proposed mental health facility has escalated into accusations of civil rights violations.
According to reporting by the Montana Free Press, members of the legislature's long-range planning interim budget committee voted unanimously to send a letter warning Laurel officials that refusing to annex land and supply water for a planned thirty-two-bed forensic psychiatric facility could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act.
The committee also recommended withholding state funding from municipalities under discrimination investigations.
Vogel stated the city's refusal stems strictly from severe local water infrastructure shortages and an existing annexation freeze, demanding proof of any formal investigation.
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