The state’s new home for tens of thousands of historical artifacts will soon open to the public. The Montana Heritage Center is decades in the making, and features art galleries, a research center and interactive exhibits – including a simulated mine shaft. Montana Public Radio’s Shaylee Ragar joined a preview tour and has more.

Recent changes to federal environmental rules mean some logging projects are moving forward without public input. Tristan Scott works for the Flathead Beacon, and has been covering a 13,000-acre logging project moving forward west of Blacktail Mountain in the Flathead. He sat down with MTPR’s Elinor Smith to share his reporting.

The town of Belt has worked with the state for decades to tackle issues left by the Anaconda Coal Mine. A new multimillion-dollar water treatment facility will finally fix that. The plant will clean the acid drainage before discharging it back into the creek.

The Kalispell City Council wants to make it easier to revoke zoning permits from businesses. This follows a court settlement over the city’s attempt to revoke a homeless shelter’s permit.

State wildlife officials are investigating a black bear cub’s death near Stevensville. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the cub was shot and left to waste on U.S. Forest Service land off of St. Mary Peak Road. The Montana Department of Transportation is reminding pedestrians and drivers to be extra cautious during the holidays. According to the agency, Thanksgiving week is the deadliest holiday period in Montana for traffic accidents.

Travelers and residents returning to Montana will soon be greeted a little differently. The state is changing its welcome signs – and wants your input.

Bull Mountain Land Alliance and Northern Plains Resource Council accuse the state of violating the Constitution by changing coal mine permits without public input. In their lawsuit, they point to more than 300 changes made to the permit for the Bull Mountains Mine in south central Montana since the early 2000s.

A nearly century-old private college in Great Falls is on the ropes as it confronts a massive budget deficit. The University of Providence lost funding from the hospital system that supports it. Administrators are now laying off staff and changing course offerings in a bid to stay afloat. Montana Free Press reporter Matt Hudson is following the restructuring and joined MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with details.

The first results from Montana’s new standardized test show fewer than half of elementary-school students statewide are meeting math, reading and writing standards. The first year of testing had a rocky rollout.

A new commission charged with evaluating the state’s judges met for the first time Wednesday. Its conception was part of a broader push by GOP lawmakers to further regulate the judicial branch.