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Like a lot of journalists, I’ve been using the Associated Press Stylebook as a reference, if not necessarily a dictate, for almost as many years as I’ve known how to type. Whether we’ve ever worked for AP or not, the news agency of record’s standard-setting ubiquity has made the Stylebook the go-to for guidance on everything from hyphenation to media law to the validity (and otherwise) of public opinion polling for multiple generations of reporters.
So I feel a special sense of personal satisfaction at the news, announced this week, of MTFP’s new story-sharing partnership with the Associated Press.
What will Montana Free Press readers get out of the deal? Free access to Associated Press stories covering news made in Washington, D.C., by Montana’s elected and appointed federal officials. Montana’s federal delegation regularly throws its weight around, and AP reporters on the ground in the nation’s capital are well-positioned to report on what Montanans’ representatives are doing in the halls of federal power. The AP stories we publish will be individually selected by our Montana-based team of editors.
What does AP get out of the deal? The ability to share Montana Free Press stories with AP member papers locally, regionally and nationally. That means more readers for our reporters’ best work. MTFP is built on the premise that accurate information is power — and that the more people it reaches, the more powerful people become.
We pride ourselves here at MTFP not just on the quality of reporting that our readers’ support makes possible, but also on our staff’s relentless focus on finding new and often collaborative ways to produce and provide news. That focus is a necessity for organizations that want to survive and thrive in the ever-changing journalism business. MTFP is proud to be one of those organizations, and we’re excited to partner with another one to bring you even more comprehensive coverage of news that matters to you.
READ MORE: Associated Press announces new content-sharing agreement with Montana Free Press.
—Brad Tyer, Editor
Happenings 🗓️
Montana’s primary election wraps up this coming Tuesday, June 4. The primary, where voters select party nominees to advance to the November general election, isn’t the final step in this year’s political process, but it is an essential decision point, especially in political districts that tilt strongly toward a particular party. The primary winners in those districts on Tuesday will cruise into November with strong if not overwhelming winds at their backs.
Once polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, we’ll cover results as they’re available from county election offices. Our homepage will also feature an interactive dashboard with live results courtesy of the Associated Press. Readers who want to follow that coverage throughout the evening should keep a tab open to our homepage at montanafreepress.org.
Depending on how fast county election administrators can complete their ballot counts, outcomes in close races may not be clear until late Tuesday night or Wednesday — or even later in cases where a recount becomes necessary.
We’ll continue to cover election results over the week as necessary, sharing the stories via our website, email newsletters and our usual social media accounts. If you’re interested in hearing our newsroom staff discuss Tuesday night’s results, we’ll also be holding a live online event Wednesday evening from 7 to 8 p.m. (you can sign up for that here).
If you’re an eligible Montana voter who hasn’t yet cast a ballot, you can do that in person at most polling places between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day. If you’re voting via an absentee ballot, you should now physically deliver it to your county election office or another ballot collection site instead of putting it in the mail. You can also register to vote or update your registration status with your county election office through the close of polls on Election Day.
See more: MTFP’s 2024 Election Guide.
—Eric Dietrich, Deputy Editor
By the Numbers 🔢
Number of absentee ballots submitted to county election offices statewide for the June 4 primary as of May 30, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website. That’s out of a total 448,689 sent to voters, for a statewide return rate of 38% so far.
Last week, the secretary of state’s office launched a new interactive map with daily updates on absentee ballot counts per county. As of the latest update Thursday night, Yellowstone County saw the largest number of ballots returned — 27,996 — while Liberty County reported the highest rate of return — 51%, or 364 ballots received out of 716 sent to registered voters.
—Alex Sakariassen
Glad you Answered 🙋🏻
“In our region of the Hi-Line, we have discovered that in the five counties we serve, there is only enough certified child care slots to accommodate about 15% of the working families that need it.”
—Rep. Paul Tuss, D-Havre, in a comment submitted during Montana Free Press’ virtual Reporting Journey event on May 29.
The event focused on MTFP’s recent in-depth coverage of the state’s childcare crisis, which last year prevented an estimated 66,000 Montana parents from fully engaging in the workforce. The article, a collaboration with national education news nonprofit Open Campus, included a survey soliciting reader feedback on their own experiences with childcare access, affordability and quality challenges. Responses so far have further confirmed the severity of the struggles Montana working families and childcare providers are facing, with respondents indicating that provider wages don’t appear to be high enough and in some cases saying childcare issues have made them anxious about starting families of their own.
If you have a story you’d like to share with MTFP, we’d welcome the opportunity to hear it here.
—Alex Sakariassen
Highlights ☀️
In other news this week —
It remains unclear who’s going to cover the costs of major law enforcement efforts on the Flathead Indian Reservation. As MTFP contributor Justin Franz reports, Lake County historically provided felony law enforcement on most of the reservation through its sheriff’s office under an agreement that avoided the situation faced by most other reservations, where felony law enforcement is handled by federal authorities or simply falls through the cracks. Lake County commissioners have recently balked at the estimated $4 million annual cost of those efforts, however, arguing the bill should be covered by the state of Montana.
A group in Great Falls is fundraising in an effort to preserve a parcel of state-owned open space just outside city limits along the Missouri River. As MTFP Local reporter Matt Hudson writes, backers hope to secure an easement that shields the 79-acre parcel, which is state trust land set aside to generate revenue for public schools, from development.
Signature gathering is ongoing for an initiative that could see a constitutional abortion rights question placed on the November ballot. As Mara Silvers reports, both proponents and opponents are ramping up organizing tactics as a June 21 deadline looms.
And, as we assume you’ve already heard, a New York jury found former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony charges stemming from his efforts to keep an extramarital affair with a porn star from becoming public knowledge during his 2016 presidential campaign. We reported on how Montana’s majority-Republican congressional delegation reacted to the verdict here.
On Our Radar 
Amanda — I still remember sitting at a burrito shop in Billings and reading my first essay by adventure writer Tracy Ross more than a decade ago. It was a funny and honest piece titled “You don’t bring me Clif bars anymore.” I expect her recent offering, “My adult kids found themselves in nature. Will my youngest lose herself in her phone?” will have a similar lasting effect.
Alex — The Hechinger Report this week penned a fascinating dispatch from a four-year-old publicly authorized charter school dedicated to giving expecting and parenting teenagers a viable path to completing their secondary education. According to the story, Lumen High School now enrolls roughly 60 teenage mothers and fathers and offers full-day childcare for their children.
Arren — Basketball legend Bill Walton passed away this week. While I could share any of the many beautiful recent obituaries that describe his storied career, Grateful Dead fandom, arrest for protesting Vietnam as a player at UCLA and more, I think I’d rather highlight a piece written from when he was alive: this New York Times Magazine profile that sees Walton sitting down with the writer at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
JoVonne — Glacier County residents have seen a big increase in property taxes over the last year with little explanation from state revenue officials about why. Lee Newspaper’s Nora Mabie reported on residents’ concerns.
Matt — Published prior to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ final NBA playoffs defeat, this Star Tribune piece is a glimpse into the Wolves fandom of poet and author Hanif Abdurraqib. It captures the intersection of hopefulness and the ability to overlook tough odds that all sports fans demonstrate from time to time.
Mara — The Flathead Beacon had a striking piece this week about how local mobile home park residents are grappling with eviction notices after properties change hands — and what housing organizations are trying to do to help.
Eric — This column from City Bureau, a Chicago-based news nonprofit, got my thinking gears spinning this week about what journalism is and isn’t useful for (and what sorts of readers it does and doesn’t tend to serve effectively). But then again, I’m a sucker for a fresh Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs analogy.
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