This week, we shift gears to examine another thorny environmental issue in the West: Wildfire. Fires are getting bigger and more destructive, and as part of the ecosystem, they're not going away. Listen in as four wildfire experts discuss the issue at the Free Press Fest in Bozeman.

Gov. Greg Gianforte joined mining executives from the U.S. Antimony Corporation for a groundbreaking ceremony in Thompson Falls. Antimony is considered a “critical mineral” that’s used to develop military equipment.

After winning a landmark climate case at the state level last year, a group of young Montanans are taking the fight to the federal government. They presented their arguments to a judge in Missoula last week.

A Helena law firm says the state isn’t meeting its constitutional obligation to provide a quality education. Missoula schools are the first to sign on to a potential lawsuit over the issue.

Public comment period opens for proposed Medicaid work requirements. Chippewa Cree Tribe awarded $2.5 million for hepatitis C treatment. Missoula County awarded $1.2 million for wildfire mitigation. Trump administration appoints new director of Montana's Rural Development office. UM, MSU report growth in enrollment and student retention

The word "wildfire" often conjures dramatic images of walls of flame, charred landscapes and one particularly famous photo of elk in a river, surrounded by flames. So, how do wildlife fare during these big fires? This week on The Big Why, a listener asks, why we don't get any statistics on wildlife that die in wildfires.

Lawmakers are studying whether ambulance services should be taxpayer funded. Emergency medical services agencies told legislators that without funding support, many ambulance services won’t survive.

More than 500 agricultural groups from around the country are urging congress to pass a farm bill. But, they say it must support local farmers.

Turning Point USA will resume its college tour two weeks after its founder, Charlie Kirk, was murdered on a Utah university campus. The tour stops in Montana in October.

The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome among bats has been detected in northwest Montana. This is the first time the fungus has been detected west of the Continental Divide in the state.