All posts by Big Sky Headlines

Minneapolis hits record for turnout in a municipal election, with 54% of voters casting ballots

More Minneapolis voters cast bal­lots in Tues­day’s e­lec­tion than any oth­er mu­nic­i­pal e­lec­tion in re­cent his­to­ry. The e­lec­tion drew a 54% turn­out of el­i­gi­ble voters — the most for a city-only e­lec­tion in more than four de­cades, smash­ing the 1997 re­cord of 46.5%. “Every vot­er felt like their vote count­ed, and in­deed it did,” said Jeanne Read More…

The ‘Squad’ quiet over Winsome Sears’s Virginia electoral victory

The leading members of the “Squad” have remained noticeably silent regarding the election of Winsome Sears in Virginia. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar expressed their support for several liberal candidates from minority racial backgrounds who won their elections on Tuesday. The collection of liberal congresswomen refrained from mentioning Read More…

Border Patrol Nabs Two Illegal Immigrants Previously Deported for Sexually Assaulting Children

Two illegal immigrants who were previously deported for sexually assaulting children were arrested within two hours of each other in the Rio Grande Valley on Monday. Customs and Border Protection disclosed that one of the illegal immigrant sex offenders originally hails from Guatemala and was found with a group of other migrants trying to enter Read More…

Republicans see Youngkin win as blueprint for midterms

Republicans are eyeing Glenn Youngkin’s successful campaign for the Virginia governor’s mansion as a roadmap for the 2022 midterm elections. For the GOP, the victory is more valuable than simply gaining another governorship. Youngkin’s campaign, Republicans argue, offers a blueprint for dealing with some of their biggest challenges of the upcoming midterm elections, including how Read More…

Oregon County Votes To Join ‘Greater Idaho’ in Rejection of Progressive Portland Policies

Another county in eastern Oregon voted to approve a measure to join the “Greater Idaho” movement in response to progressive policies in Portland. Sixty-three percent of voters in Harney County supported the non-binding Measure 13-18 as of Wednesday morning, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) reported. It’s the only countywide vote this year. READ FULL STORY

A fourth Democrat enters the race for Montana’s new congressional seat

A fourth Democrat and former state lawmaker has joined the race for Montana’s new congressional seat. Tom Winter, a former state representative from Missoula, announced his run for the U.S. House on Wednesday, saying populism and progressivism can win. Winter joins fellow Democrats Laurie Bishop, a state lawmaker, Cora Neumann, who runs a public health nonprofit, and Read More…

Billings nonprofit advocates for Native American voter participation and engagement

BILLINGS, Mont. – While Americans head to the polls on Election Day during National Native American Heritage month, groups in Montana look to engage Native Americans in building political and personal power to address local community challenges. Western Native Voice, a non-profit, non-partisan organization in Billings continues to work to increase Native American participation and engagement Read More…

HUNTER NUMBERS AND HARVESTS DOWN IN SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA

The second week of rifle season brought fewer hunters to south-central Montana check stations. In fact, overall hunter numbers were at “near historic lows” except for Lavina, where the number of hunters and harvested deer and elk “were the highest in recent history,” according to the Billings Gazette. Tallies for 2020 are not available because Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks closed check Read More…

Barclays CEO Jes Staley Steps Down Amid Pressure Over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

Jes Staley stepped down as chief executive of Barclays PLC under pressure from regulators about how he characterized his relationship with the convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. Barclays said Mr. Staley stepped down “in view of the conclusions” made by U.K. regulators in its long-running investigation into what Mr. Staley told the bank about his Read More…

OUT OF BOUNDS Colin Kaepernick slammed for comparing NFL Draft to SLAVERY in new Netflix special Colin in Black & White

A clip from the former football quarterback’s new show – Colin in Black & White – has gone viral and caused a social media frenzy to erupt as the 33-year-old attempts to draw similarities between scrutiny players receive from coaches to that of slavers. In the clip, Kaepernick – who earned more than $40million during his time Read More…

WYO LAWMAKERS ADVANCE TWO, KILL THIRD ANTI-FEDERAL VAX RULE BILLS

The Wyoming Senate voted 15-13 Friday to kill a bill fighting expected federal COVID-19 rules as the House advanced two heavily amended measures of its own. Senators voted down Senate File 3-COVID-19 discriminatory practices, one of three COVID-related measures being worked by the Legislature, after considering 13 amendments and adopting seven. As originally written, the measure Read More…

Pot rules, architecture divide Kalispell mayoral candidates

The differences between Kalispell mayoral candidates Mark Johnson and Sid Daoud came down to questions of small and smaller government during a virtual question-and-answer session with the Daily Inter Lake on Thursday. Johnson, the incumbent two-term mayor, and Daoud, the Ward 4 City Council representative, generally agreed in their desire to see reductions in development Read More…

Montana launches innovative new student assessment pilot project

State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen today announced Montana is initiating a new student growth assessment pilot. The Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot Program is a partnership with participating school districts and MetaMetrics, Inc., and is overseen by the Montana Office of Public Instruction. The pilot is designed to lessen the burden of federally mandated testing Read More…

The Biden Admin Said It Left 100 Americans in Afghanistan. They Now Admit It’s Far More.

The Biden administration is in touch with nearly 400 Americans who are stranded in Afghanistan, a figure that far exceeds the administration’s claims that about 100 Americans were left in the nation following the United States’ hurried exit from Kabul, according to a senior congressional source who was briefed Thursday by the State Department. With Read More…

Biden FEMA rejects Texas appeal for emergency aid for border crisis

AUSTIN, Texas — The Biden administration rejected Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s appeal that the federal government reimburse the state for millions of dollars spent responding to the border crisis. In a letter sent Sunday, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell denied the Republican governor’s request that it reconsider its denial to approve the state’s request for an Read More…

Kalispell Finalizes Ordinance to Restrict Marijuana to Industrial Zones

The Kalispell City Council voted to restrict marijuana dispensaries, cultivation and manufacturing to industrial zones after a second reading of the ordinance at the Oct. 18 council meeting, setting the city’s framework for facilities once operations can begin on Jan. 1, 2022. While marijuana operations are permitted in the city, they will be limited to Read More…

Montana company taps into new farming techniques to meet growing food demand

HAMILTON — It’s fall in Montana, with windswept mountain ranges and morning temperatures hovering in the 30s, and it’s not the ideal growing season. That is unless you’re inside Local Bounti. “This new type of growing is really exciting,” said Meaghan McGrath, director of product development. Local Bounti is a company specializing in growing facilities that Read More…

SPECIAL SESSION OF WYOMING LEGISLATURE FORMALLY ANNOUNCED

The leaders of the Wyoming House and Senate have formally announced a special session of the Wyoming Legislature to deal with President Biden’s vaccine mandate. The session is scheduled for Oct. 26-28, according to Senate President Dan Dockstader and House Speaker Eric Barlow. According to a release from the pair on Tuesday afternoon: READ FULL STORY

Why the Super-Rich Are Flocking to South Dakota

For the past 30 years, South Dakota has been a bastion of extreme wealth, a place for multimillionaires and billionaires around the world to stash their money in vehicles known as trusts. As the explosive Pandora Papers investigation has exposed, the world’s wealthy employ complex schemes in order to avoid taxation, and the use of trusts is Read More…

Fully vaccinated Idaho mom loses battle with Covid: ‘It’s so lonely without her’

STAR, Idaho (CBS2) — A fully-vaccinated mother from Star lost her battle with COVID-19 on Thursday. Susan Ward’s death was felt throughout the community. Ward was just 58-years-old. Despite being fully vaccinated, she contracted the coronavirus and was admitted to the ICU at St. Luke’s Meridian. “I miss her, I’ve missed her, it’s so lonely here Read More…

With Recreation on the Rise, FWP Proposes New Rules on Flathead Lake Islands

As visitation to Flathead Lake’s state-managed islands continues to increase, so do the negative consequences on wildlife habitat, including an uptick in instances involving human waste, garbage, vandalism, and unattended campfires. To that end, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) has released a draft environmental assessment on a suite of proposed rule changes, which the agency crafted Read More…