Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is going after the largest newspaper chain in the state, demanding some information and answers to what he says was a cyberattack that exposed the personal information of thousands of subscribers.
Knudsen is ordering the investigation of Lee Enterprises, which operates the major papers in the state, including the Billings Gazette and the Missoulian, under the provisions of of Montana’s Consumer Protection Act.
The state says, “according to reports” the breach affects nearly 40,000 employees and subscribers, and he’s giving Lee a month to respond.
📰 Friday, Lee Enterprises says it would cooperate with the investigation.
Parks group says Montana may not be “safe” from public lands sales
The National Parks Conservation Association is worried the proposal to “sell off” public lands in the federal budget could have a devastating effect on the National Parks system. For now, opposition from Senator Steve Daines and Representative Ryan Zinke has Montana as the only state NOT on that list.
Senior Glacier Program Manager Sarah Lundstrom says if the provision is approved, that could change in the future.
Lundstrom says there’s already a system in place which allows lands agencies to sell “orphan” land holdings, but only when there’s a complete review, which she says is being ignored.
“It’s not about policy, it’s about politics,” – Sarah Lundstrom, NPCA
RELATED: Thousands of Acres Added to Public Lands on the BlackfootBack in business after weekend snow
The Going-to-the-Sun Road is back open in Glacier National Park, after a temporary weekend closure due to the weather.
Park officials had been worried about slides and other problems and closed the road as a precaution. The park did get snow, and more than 2-inches of precipitation during the storms, but no problems were reported.
Dennis Bragg photo
Dennis Bragg photo
Report- Summer road trip? Montana is a poor choice
We love a summer road trip across Montana, but a new report from the number crunchers at WalletHub is once more suggesting the Treasure State is among the worst states. 5th worst, for a summer road trip.
The results have been similar in recent years. Although the websites experts analyze 32 key metrics, Montana traditionally suffers because of high priced hotel rooms, safe driving laws and accident rates, and limited access to “scenic byways” among other points.
🚐 Surprisingly, Montana ranks 37th overall this year for “roadside attractions”, you know, the stuff that keeps the kids from asking “are we there yet?”
Gas is getting pricy again in Montana
Some shock at the pumps in the past few days, with one of the biggest weekly increases in gas prices we’ve seen this year.
GasBuddy.com reports average gasoline prices in Montana went up more than a nickel a gallon in the last week, pushing the average regular price to $3.23 a gallon, and close to $4 for premium gas. That’s erased the savings we’d realized this spring, although gas is still 14-cents cheaper than last year.
⛽️ More critically, the national average price of diesel has increased 16.1 cents in the last week and stands at $3.649 per gallon.
Analyst Patrick DeHaan expects prices will keep rising as military action expands in the Middle East.
Here are some sure signs that summer has officially arrived in Montana, according to locals.
Gallery Credit: Chris Wolfe