What the Helena

From the Rattlesnake Valley to the Beartooth Range, Montana’s roadless areas offer clean water, world-class outdoor access, and pristine wildlife habitat. But a new federal proposal could open up nearly 60 million acres nationwide to industrial logging and road building. Host Caleb Klaus speaks with MontPIRG Campus Organizer Madison Morgan about the history of the 2001 Roadless Rule, the disconnect between public demand and federal policy, and why the fight to protect our public heritage is coming to a head right now.

🔗 Get involved with MontPIRG: www.mtpirg.org
🔗 Find out more at Forward Montana: forwardmontana.org

How do you exercise your constitutional right to vote when you don’t have a mailbox, an ID, or a fixed address?
In this episode of What the Helena?, host Caleb Klaus sits down with David Quattrocchi, an organizer with the Unhoused Neighbors Union in Missoula. Together, they break down how housing insecurity acts as a structural form of voter suppression; from loss of critical documents during encampment sweeps to $500 urban camping fines that trap working people in the legal system.
David shares how the Unhoused Neighbors Union is building cross-class solidarity, why community organizing relies on those with lived experience, and what concrete federal and local policy changes are actually needed to guarantee housing justice for all Montanans.
🔗Get involved with Forward Montana: forwardmontana.org
🏠Learn more about the Unhoused Neighbors Union: UNU Missoula on Instagram

Montana now holds the worst price-to-income housing ratio in the entire country, surpassing Los Angeles, New York, and Hawaii. In this episode, we sit down with Forward Montana organizers Julie Sanders and Sage Bennett to break down what this reality actually looks like on the ground for young workers, students, and renters. From choosing between rent and basic groceries to navigating predatory property managers, we unpack the structural math of a crisis where local wages simply haven't kept pace with skyrocketing costs.

We also dive into the policy fights shaping our neighborhoods, exploring density bills, urban sprawl, local city council pushback, and the crucial need for renter representation in local office. Most importantly, Julie and Sage lay out how young Montanans can build collective power through tenant organizing and voter turn-out.

🔗Check your voter registration status and learn how to get involved at forwardmontana.org

Should political party bosses dictate who sits on state courts? In this episode of What The Helena?, Caleb Klaus sits down with retired Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Nelson to discuss Constitutional Initiative 132 (CI-132) and the high-stakes fight to protect nonpartisan judicial elections in Montana.
In the second installment of our Nonpartisan Judicial Elections series, Justice Nelson breaks down the clash between state judicial ethics and recent campaign funding laws, explains how courts act as a check on legislative overreach, and reminds us why democracy isn't a spectator sport.

🔗 Get involved with Forward Montana: ⁠forwardmontana.org⁠
👩‍⚖️ Check out Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts: yeson132.com

When partisan politics enters the courtroom, everyday citizens lose. For over 90 years, Montana has elected judges on a nonpartisan ballot, keeping party bosses and corporate special interests out of judicial rulings. But with political pressure mounting, Constitutional Initiative 132 (CI-132) aims to permanently enshrine nonpartisan judicial elections into Article VII of the Montana Constitution.
In this episode of What The Helena?, Caleb Klaus sits down with Trent Bolger, Executive Director of Big Sky 55+, to unpack the history of Montana's courts, the dangers of modern "judge shopping," and why protecting an independent judiciary is an issue where young and old Montanans share common ground.

🔗 Get involved with Forward Montana: ⁠forwardmontana.org⁠
🏫 Learn more about Big Sky 55+: bigskyfiftyfive.org
👩‍⚖️ Check out Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts: yeson132.com