The MT Lowdown is a weekly digest that showcases a more personal side of Montana Free Press’ high-quality reporting while keeping you up to speed on the biggest news impacting Montanans. Want to see the MT Lowdown in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.
Just before sunset last Friday, Dillon native Hank Muntzer walked across his hometown’s main avenue with a wide grin on his face. He gestured to a group of protesters on the other side of the street.
“I’m the guy they’re triggered about,” Muntzer said.
In late January, the local appliance store owner was roughly two weeks into a two-year sentence for a felony charge of civil disorder for his actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 when President Donald Trump pardoned him and 1,500 others.
On Feb. 21, Muntzer attended a welcome home party at Mac’s Last Cast Sports Bar in the heart of the small college town and ranching hub of Dillon. The event was organized by Mary Sturgeon. She is the mother of Isaac Sturgeon who was a little more than a year into his six-year prison sentence when Trump issued mass amnesty. In September 2023, a judge found Isaac Sturgeon, also a Dillon native, guilty on seven charges that included assaulting, resisting or impeding police; obstruction of an official proceeding; and civil disorder. Muntzer and Sturgeon had known each other for years, but have become much closer since 2021.
In an event space adjacent to the bar, guests socialized over snacks, drinks and a frosted chocolate sheet cake. People came and went, with as many as 45 in the room when the function was at its busiest.
Across the street, roughly 30 people gathered to express their disdain for the celebration. Muntzer dismissed them as out-of-towners. Cathy Weber, a 44-year Dillon resident who attended the protest, disagreed with Muntzer’s assessment. She said that aside from two Bozemanites, she recognized everyone at the rally as a local.
“This is really a live-and-let-live community,” Weber said. “Those of us who share certain thoughts about things, we know who we are. Something like this doesn’t really take a whole lot of organizing. It’s the usual suspects.”
In the 2024 general election, Trump won 70% of Beaverhead County’s roughly 5,700 votes. Weber said she doesn’t always agree with the majority political party in the area, but appreciates the variety of opinions.
“We have to know each other. We have to deal with each other. We have to be respectful and kind with each other,” Weber said.
Mary Sturgeon said she ultimately decided to hold the event because of support she found in her community.
“After Trump got elected, everybody was saying: ‘There might be a presidential pardon. What are you going to do about that? Isn’t that cool? Why don’t you have a party?’” Sturgeon recalled. “I would go to the grocery store: ‘OK, Mary, if there’s a pardon, we want a party.’”
After roughly 90 minutes of dispersed conversation, Muntzer and Isaac Sturgeon spoke to the crowd about their actions on Jan. 6 and their journeys through the federal legal system. Following their address, Sturgeon and Muntzer talked politics with a half-dozen stragglers for another hour and a half, sharing eager expectations for the new presidential administration. After bidding farewell to the last of the guests, the two slipped into Mac’s for one last drink.
—Zeke Lloyd
Your Two Cents
Earlier this week, Montana Free Press and ProPublica reported that the Montana Board of Medical Examiners renewed the medical license of Dr. Thomas C. Weiner for another two years. That’s despite the Helena oncologist being fired from St. Peter’s Health in 2020 for allegedly mistreating patients. He is also facing federal civil charges of fraudulent billing practices and is the subject of a newly initiated criminal investigation by the Montana Attorney General’s Office, according to three people involved in the matter.
The license renewal comes after a ProPublica investigation in December revealed many instances of patient harm tied to Weiner’s care during his long tenure at the Helena hospital, including at least 10 suspicious deaths. The reporting drew from thousands of pages of court records and dozens of interviews. Weiner has denied all accusations and maintains that he never mistreated patients.
Since that story was published, many readers have asked us to explain how Weiner’s license to practice medicine has remained intact. The short answer is: we don’t know. The investigation and disciplinary proceedings of the Board of Medical Examiners are a black box unless a claim of professional misconduct is substantiated. And, as of this writing, Weiner’s licensure profile states that board records “show no adverse information containing this licensee.”
Given that, MTFP and ProPublica are looking for more first-hand accounts from former Weiner patients and their family members about any experience they’ve had with the Board of Medical Examiners. We’d like to hear from those who filed professional licensure complaints related to the care they received from Weiner at the Cancer Treatment Center at St. Peter’s Health. How did those cases end? What did you learn about the complaint process? Is there anything you wish had been different?
Drop us a line at [email protected] if you’d like to share your experience.
—Mara Silvers
News of the News 📰
I just started as the Indigenous affairs reporter at Montana Free Press! While I’m new to MTFP, I’ve been covering tribal communities in Montana for five years, first at the Great Falls Tribune and more recently at the five Lee Enterprises newspapers in Montana.
For the next few months, I’ll be covering the legislative session with MTFP/ICT fellow Kaiden Forman-Webster. I’m also working on a few projects about housing and behavioral health in Indian Country.
As the weather improves and roads begin to thaw, I plan to travel to every reservation in the state plus Great Falls, the headquarters of the Little Shell Tribe. I strive to portray Indigenous communities in their full complexity, and my goal is for Native readers to feel seen, heard and accurately reflected in MTFP’s coverage.
Please reach out with story ideas, advice, feedback or just to say hello! My email is [email protected], and you can find me on Facebook and X.
—Nora Mabie
The Gist 📌
The Legislature’s Senate Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on a bill seeking a judicial showdown between federal and state regulators over environmental oversight.
Senate Bill 349 attempts to wrest regulatory authority of fossil fuel power plant emissions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and replace it with review by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
During a short hearing on SB 349 — two opponents testified and there were no proponents — Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, referenced his unsuccessful attempt to pass something similar during the 2023 session.
The measure from two years ago, which was tabled in committee, included a proclamation that the EPA “lacks the authority to deny permits of operation” to coal mines and facilities operating within the state’s borders. It included a nearly $11 million fiscal note reflecting the regulatory money state agencies stood to lose if the federal government assumed all oversight of certain environmental regulations.
“This is intentionally meant to set up a bit of a challenge in courts — to get it outside of our own [state] court system, to federal appeals courts, maybe even the U.S. Supreme Court,” Trebas said of this session’s bill. “The benefit of the fight way outweighs the risks we take to do this … it’s budget dust.”
In their testimony, both Trebas and DEQ Director Sonja Nowakowski referenced the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS, rule the Biden administration adopted last year. Trebas said the rule — which requires Colstrip, the state’s largest electricity generator, to install expensive upgrades (potentially plant-shutteringly so) — goes “way overboard.” During her opponent testimony, Nowakowski said the Gianforte administration has been in touch with the Trump administration about the state’s desire to halt the MATS rule and has “received very positive feedback on that front.”
The other opponent, Anne Hedges with the Montana Environmental Information Center, defended the MATS rule.
“EPA is not targeting this facility. This facility is behind the times in complying and cleaning up its air pollution,” she said.
Hedges also argued that the state lacks the infrastructure and expertise to draw up its own emissions rules. Even with its own process for adopting standards, the state would still be prohibited from adopting regulations that don’t comport with federal laws, she said. Such laws include the Clean Air Act, the measure U.S. Congress passed in 1970 by a 349-1 margin to regulate industrial polluters and improve air quality.
SB 349 has a legal note flagging potential issues with the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy and Commerce clauses.
Those issues also cropped up in lawsuits over a pair of Colstrip-related bills the Republican-controlled Legislature passed in 2021. The state paid $825,000 on its opponents’ legal bills after a judge tossed out measures lawmakers passed to undermine attempts to close Colstrip.
—Amanda Eggert
Then vs. Now
Native American lawmakers and community members have for years advocated that Montana to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day — to no avail.
Opponents have contended that eliminating Columbus Day would erase history. They’ve argued that Christopher Columbus is an important historical figure and have said Indigenous Peoples Day excludes European Americans.
But on Wednesday, Senate Bill 224, which establishes Indigenous Peoples Day and notably does not eliminate Columbus Day, cleared the Senate with an overwhelming majority. It’s the most significant progress the legislation has made in years.
Wednesday’s advancement stands in contrast to a contentious Senate floor discussion on a similar bill two years ago.
In a committee hearing during the 2023 legislative session, Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, brought a bill that would replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. When introducing that bill, he spoke about atrocities Columbus committed against Native Americans, including rape, enslavement and murder. In a subsequent floor hearing that year, Republican lawmakers rebuked Morigeau’s descriptions of violence and ultimately blamed him for the bill’s failure. Morigeau at the time said he was “trying to merely talk about facts.”
This year, however, Morigeau and other proponents took a different path. When introducing the bill before the Senate State Administration Committee in early February, Morigeau did not mention Columbus. Instead, he spoke about unity and inclusion. He noted that his bill does not eliminate Columbus Day and said Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to celebrate people of all backgrounds.
While 2023 Senate Republicans criticized Morigeau for his description of Columbus’ actions, on Wednesday several Republican senators spoke in support of the bill.
Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell — who in 2023 called the Indigenous Peoples Day bill “unnecessary” and said Columbus’ contributions to history “are undeniable” — commended Morigeau for bringing this year’s legislation.
“There is an opportunity for people of Montana to celebrate two important historical events,” he said. “The contribution of the Indigenous peoples and the contributions of a man named Christopher Columbus.”
Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, who voted against Morigeau’s 2023 bill, called the 2025 version “a really good compromise, a way to honor multiple cultures and respect our heritage.”
In the final Senate vote Wednesday, 47 lawmakers — 19 of whom did not support the 2023 bill — voted in favor of the legislation.
Marsha Small, co-founder of Indigenous Peoples Day Montana, has been advocating for state recognition of the holiday for a decade. She told MTFP recently that while the floor discussion last session “hurt,” the organization has adopted different strategies to gain support through the years.
“Each time it’s a learning experience,” she said, adding that Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to bring people together. “If people can learn about each other in a respectful manner, then we’ve done our job. We’ve moved forward.”
—Nora Mabie and Kaiden Forman-Webster
For the Record 📣
The state’s primary bill to renew Medicaid expansion has passed the Legislature and will soon head to the governor’s desk. House Bill 245, sponsored by Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, will continue the low-income health coverage program for adults between the ages of 18 and 65, including work requirements previously enacted by the Legislature that must be approved by the federal government.
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has not pledged to sign the bill but has repeatedly said he supports Medicaid expansion as a “safety net” for Montanans who can’t otherwise afford health insurance.
But the outcome of HB 245 is just one of several moving parts when it comes to the state’s Medicaid system. Other policy bills adjusting reimbursement rates, periods of coverage and work requirements are still circulating in the state House and Senate, including bills that would impact other Medicaid populations beyond the low-income adults covered by Medicaid expansion.
Here are some of the other Medicaid policy proposals to keep an eye on:
- Senate Bill 334, sponsored by Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, would lower the income limit that makes someone eligible for Medicaid expansion benefits to 100% of the federal poverty level, rather than 138%. The bill would also make work requirements mandatory for enrollees age 55 and older, a population that is currently exempt.
- House Bill 386, sponsored by Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, would allow 12 months of continuous coverage for Medicaid enrollees in an effort to prevent “churn,” or the sudden ineligibility of seasonal and part-time workers due to income fluctuation.
- House Bill 750, sponsored by Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, would create a minimum 2% increase for reimbursement rates that health care providers receive for Medicaid services.
- Senate Bill 72, sponsored by Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, proposes allowing for presumptive eligibility for older adults and people with disabilities who receive Medicaid home- and community-based services. The bill intends to prevent backlogs and delays that can arise when a person’s application is being reviewed by the health department.
—Mara Silvers
Legislation graveyard 🪦
- ❌ ❌ Two abortion restriction bills were tabled in House Judiciary Committee this week when a group of Republicans joined with Democrats to oppose the measures. House Bill 555 would have curbed medication abortions, while House Bill 609 aimed to create a felony for transporting a pregnant person within or outside Montana’s borders with the intent of receiving an “illegal” abortion, a term not defined in the bill.
The sponsor of both proposals, Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings, told MTFP that she had asked for the legislation to be tabled after back-to-back days of intense hearings. Seekins-Crowe said that the intent of the bills had been misrepresented by opponents and that, with the transmittal deadline around the corner, she wanted to avoid distracting lawmakers from other legislative business. - ❌ ❌ ❌Three renter protection bills advanced by Democrats were voted down in their initial committees this month: House Bill 311 would have required the refund of rental application fees to unsuccessful applicants, House Bill 304 would have required landlords to supply tenants with more information about cleaning deductions to security deposits prior to moving out, and House Bill 305 would set up a state mediation program for disputes between mobile home park owners and their tenants and also required mobile home park owners provide notice to tenants about potential sales.
- ❌House Bill 429, a bill that would have enabled Montana’s Board of Investments to put funds in precious metals and certain established cryptocurrencies, died on the House floor last Saturday.
- House Bill 139, a measure Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, R-Belgrade, sponsored to prohibit the Fish and Wildlife Commission from closing more than 20% of the state’s hunting districts to mule deer hunting during the rut (when trophy bucks tend to be most active) died Monday. HB 139 failed two second-reading votes in the House, splitting both parties in interesting and unexpected ways. Hinkle said he sponsored the measure in response to a proposal a group is expected to submit to the commission during the next round of mule deer season-setting. Mule deer aren’t doing well across the West, but their decline is particularly pronounced in eastern Montana.
Highlights ☀️
In other news this week —
- Lawmakers are debating bills aimed at increasing the access to and affordability of child care in Montana.
- The Flathead Warming Center can stay open after the city of Kalispell tentatively agreed to settle a lawsuit over its operations.
- The governor’s preferred method to address property taxes cleared the House, and other proposals are also advancing in the Legislature.
On Our Radar 
Amanda — If you, like me, are hearing a lot of chatter around the subject of a federal land transfer, I expect you’ll appreciate this analysis of how serious that talk is and how the Trump administration might go about doing it. Andrew McKean, a Glasgow-based writer and editor, breaks it down in an Outdoor Life piece out this week.
Brad — I finally broke down and added a subwoofer to my stereo, because I was bored, though I hasten to add that I keep the volume vanishingly low, because I’m not a nightmare neighbor. What use for the thing, then? Oh, just the internet’s finest flower: eight-plus hours of “sub bass healing music” (extra quotes around “music”). I’ll let you know if anything heals.
Katie — Although we’re sure to get more snow before the season ends, I’m celebrating the recent spring-like weather by baking these blueberry-lemon poppy seed scones from Half Baked Harvest. The combination of lemon and blueberry feels very fresh and springy after two seasons of pumpkin spice and gingerbread.
Zeke — On a recent drive from Helena to Bozeman, I opted to enjoy the mountain sunset in silence. After a few minutes, my mind ached for some kind of stimulation. French artist Lucas Lecacheur’s soft, lo-fi album, 00 00 00 00, complimented the alpine view without crowding my mind.
Nora — I’m still marveling at the dress Lily Gladstone wore to the Screen Actors Guild Awards last Sunday. Made in collaboration with Gucci and Mohawk, Cree and Comanche artist Joe Big Mountain, the beaded velvet gown features a porcupine quill neckline. The dress will soon be displayed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Mara — Have you ever tried setting a timer to keep on track at work? I recently heard about a (somewhat torturous) inversion of that proposal. For those who work on computers all day, try keeping a running stopwatch in the corner of your screen to see how long you actually stay on a single task. When you switch gears to respond to a text or notification, restart the clock. By that metric, my average attention span appears to be somewhere in the (gulp) three-minute range.
*Some stories may require a subscription. Subscribe!