All posts by Big Sky Headlines

Commissioner Brown announces preliminary hows slight decline in Marketplace enrollment

4 weeks ago   Featured, Montana News, News

Montana State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown announced that preliminary federal data indicates a slight decline in enrollment in Montana’s Health Insurance Marketplace for the 2026 coverage year. According to the early figures released by federal officials, overall Marketplace participation dipped modestly compared to the prior enrollment period. Brown emphasized that Read More…

Armstrong launches statewide soil health and habitat initiative

4 weeks ago   Featured, Politics, Regional Politics

Gov. Kelly Armstrong has rolled out a new statewide effort aimed at improving soil health and expanding wildlife habitat across North Dakota’s rural landscape, announcing the Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program at a Capitol press conference. The voluntary, working-lands program is designed to help farmers strengthen cropland productivity and resilience by establishing perennial Read More…

Space Forces Southern Officially Activated During Ceremony in Arizona

1 month ago   National News, News

The Space Force and U.S. Southern Command officially marked the activation of U.S. Space Forces Southern during a ceremony yesterday at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, formalizing the command’s role in integrating space capabilities across the Western Hemisphere. Although the command became operationally effective Dec. 1, 2025, the ceremony formally recognized the activation with the Read More…

ABA can’t end anti-white scholarship discrimination lawsuit

1 month ago   National News, News

The American Bar Association can’t escape a lawsuit accusing the group, tasked with setting national ethical and professional standards for lawyers and judges, of discriminating against white law school students in doling out certain scholarships. In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Joan B. Gotschall said the lawsuit could continue because the plaintiffs had done enough Read More…

Border Czar Homan Highlights Ongoing Immigration Enforcement Efforts

1 month ago   Featured, National News, News

White House Border Czar Tom Homan held a press conference in Minneapolis to update the public on ongoing immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, emphasizing the removal of dangerous criminal aliens and reaffirming the Trump administration’s commitment to public safety. “These targeted operations continue to remove the worst of the worst illegal alien killers, rapists, gang Read More…

Zinke Secures Over $8 Million for Western Montana

1 month ago   Featured, Home Featured, Montana Politics, Politics

Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced that President Trump has signed H.R. 6938, the 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, which includes more than $8 million in federal funding for critical water infrastructure and law enforcement projects across Western Montana. “These projects come directly from county commissioners Read More…

Sen. Daines Highlights Tribal Public Safety Needs

1 month ago   Featured, Montana Politics, Politics

U.S. Senator Steve Daines called for increased public safety resources for Montana tribes and commended tribal efforts to protect youth and families during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing featuring Harlem Councilwoman Joan Johnson. Daines emphasized the Trump administration’s support for Indian Country, including enhanced law enforcement presence and the opening of a new FBI Read More…

Commerce Awards $600,000 in Grants to 11 Montana Main Street Communities

1 month ago   Montana News, News

leven Montana communities will share $600,000 in grant funding through the Montana Main Street (MMS) Program to support revitalization projects aimed at strengthening downtowns and local businesses. “The MMS Program focuses on empowering communities to reinvigorate downtowns through locally led planning and implementation projects,” said Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio. “Competitive grant funding and additional resources Read More…

Gov. Gianforte, Lt. Gov. Juras Honor Broadcasting Pioneer Norma Smith with Spirit of Montana Award

1 month ago   Montana News, News

Governor Greg Gianforte and Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras presented Norma Smith with the Spirit of Montana Award in a ceremony at the Great Falls Rescue Mission, recognizing her decades-long contributions to Montana’s communities and her trailblazing career in broadcast journalism. “Service, resilience, and community are at the heart of who we are as Montanans,” Governor Read More…

Montana Unemployment Holds at 3.4%

1 month ago   Business, Featured, Montana Business News

Montana’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.4 percent in December, extending the state’s streak of over four consecutive years with unemployment at or below that level, according to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. The state’s jobless rate remains well below the national average of 4.4 percent, keeping Montana among the top ten states Read More…

Kootenai County Woman Sentenced for Medicaid Fraud

1 month ago   News, Regional News

Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced that Tracy Hofius, 49, was sentenced on January 21, 2026, for Public Assistance Provider Fraud stemming from her time as Executive Director of the North Star Child Development Center, a non-profit serving Idaho Medicaid participants with developmental disabilities. Public Assistance Provider Fraud is a felony that carries a potential sentence Read More…

Governor Gordon Launches “Essential Budget” Tour Across Wyoming

1 month ago   Featured, News, Regional News

Governor Mark Gordon will kick off a statewide tour, The Essential Budget: Protecting and Powering Wyoming’s Future, to outline the priorities and key decisions of the upcoming legislative budget session. The series will highlight issues including protecting core industries, supporting economic and business growth, the importance of state savings, property tax reform, and other topics Read More…

North Dakota to Join Federal Tax Credit Program Supporting K-12 Scholarships

1 month ago   Featured, News, Regional News

North Dakota will participate in a new federal program offering tax credits for donations to organizations that provide K-12 education scholarships, Governor Kelly Armstrong announced Wednesday. The program allows taxpayers to claim federal tax credits for cash contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), nonprofit groups that award scholarships to help students pay for elementary and Read More…

Gov. Little, VA Secretary Doug Collins Highlight Federal-State Partnership for Idaho Veterans

1 month ago   Featured, News, Regional News

Governor Brad Little and U.S. Senator Jim Risch welcomed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to Boise, spotlighting Idaho’s strengthened partnership with the federal government in serving the state’s veterans. “Idaho is honored to host Secretary Collins and celebrate our support for Idaho veterans,” Governor Little said. “Unlike the previous administration, we Read More…

Three South Dakota Teachers and One School Counselor Earn National Board Certification in 2025

1 month ago   Featured, News, Regional News

Four South Dakota education professionals were recognized in 2025 for achieving National Board Certification, one of the most prestigious credentials in the teaching and school counseling professions. The South Dakota Department of Education announced that three teachers and one school counselor demonstrated advanced knowledge, skills, and professional excellence through the rigorous national certification process. National Read More…

Governor Rhoden Signs First Bill of Session, Funding Major Rural Health Initiative

1 month ago   Featured, Politics, Regional Politics

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has signed House Bill 1044 into law, appropriating funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program — marking the first piece of legislation he has approved during the current legislative session. State officials described the move as a historic investment in rural healthcare, aimed at strengthening medical services across South Dakota’s Read More…

Working Families Tax Cuts Bring Larger Refunds, Higher Paycheck

1 month ago   Featured, National Politics, Politics

As the 2026 tax filing season begins, millions of Americans are seeing larger refunds, increased take-home pay, and new opportunities to build long-term financial security under the Working Families Tax Cuts, a sweeping tax law passed by President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans. Administration officials say the legislation is delivering immediate relief for parents while Read More…

Treasury Department Cancels Booz Allen Hamilton Contracts Over Data Security Concerns

1 month ago   National News, News

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the department has canceled all existing contracts with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, citing concerns over wasteful spending and failures to protect sensitive taxpayer information. According to the Treasury Department, the agency currently held 31 separate contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton totaling approximately $4.8 million in annual spending Read More…

New Program Aims to Turn Every American Into a Shareholder

1 month ago   Featured, Home Featured, National News, News

A new federal investment initiative dubbed “Trump Accounts” was unveiled this week as a signature economic policy aimed at expanding private ownership and long-term wealth building for American families, with supporters calling it a transformative step toward a nationwide “shareholder society.” In a wide-ranging speech, administration officials and allies framed the program as one of Read More…

State Insurance Commissioner Holds Listening Session in Libby After Historic Flooding

1 month ago   Montana News, News

One month after historic wind and flooding events battered communities across Northwest Montana, state insurance officials returned to the region this week to hear directly from residents and provide guidance on recovery and future preparedness. Insurance Commissioner James Brown and staff from the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (CSI) held a community forum and Read More…

Antitrust Suit Targets Union Pacific Over Rural Rail Access

1 month ago   Business, Featured, National Business News

Thirteen farmers from Kansas and Colorado, along with Weskan Grain and Colorado Pacific Railroad (CXR), filed an antitrust lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas alleging that Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (K&O) and Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) conspired to block competition and inflate grain transportation costs across the region. Read More…

U.S. Army, Polish Land Forces Conduct Operation Winter Falcon 2026

1 month ago   National News, News

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, conducted an armored live-fire exercise and technology demonstrations during Operation Winter Falcon 26 at the Drawsko Combat Training Center in Oleszno, Poland, Jan. 13. The event demonstrated how modern military operations rely on integrating multiple systems, including unmanned aerial systems and Read More…

Defending Ed targets Seattle schools with federal privacy complaint over gender policies

1 month ago   News, Regional News

(The Center Square) – Defending Education’s federal privacy complaint filed last month alleges that Seattle Public Schools is violating two federal laws – the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment – with its gender identity policies. The civil rights complaint claims the district’s policies, specifically those that keep Read More…

Idaho joins the nation’s first federal education choice tax credit scholarship program

1 month ago   Opinion

Idaho has taken a significant step forward in expanding educational opportunity by joining the nation’s first federal education choice tax credit scholarship program. Last week, Gov. Brad Little reinforced the state’s commitment to education choice by announcing Idaho’s participation, placing the state alongside Virginia, Nebraska, Arkansas and Alabama as early adopters of this landmark federal initiative. Read More…

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Lt. Col. Harold Fritz

1 month ago   Montana News, News

When his platoon was faced with impossible odds during an ambush in Vietnam, Army Lt. Col. Harold Arthur Fritz didn’t hesitate to do everything he could to save his fellow soldiers and stave off the enemy. He miraculously survived the fight. His bravery and actions that day earned him the Medal of Honor.     Read More…

Montana State physics professor Yves Idzerda to give Feb. 17 provost’s lecture on second quantum revolution

1 month ago   Montana News, News

As a new graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with degrees in engineering and physics, Yves Idzerda considered himself an electrical engineer first. While interviewing for his first post-baccalaureate engineering job, however, he met the author of a classic book about an element of electronics that relies on quantum mechanics to work. Their discussion Read More…

Will “election reformers” learn from their failures?

1 month ago   Opinion

Americans are frustrated with politics, and one group claims to have the answer. Self-appointed election reformers promise that if we enact their plans, things will get better. One problem is that they have a lot of different, conflicting proposals. Worse, many of them would double-down on past reform mistakes. A recent string of losses on Read More…

Alaska Army National Guardsmen Conduct a Nighttime Medical Evacuation

1 month ago   Montana News, News

Alaska Army National Guardsmen assigned to the 207th Aviation Troop Command medically evacuated an individual Jan. 21 from Southwest Alaska. In response to a request for assistance from medical staff at Kanakanak Hospital, Dillingham, Alaska, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened a medevac mission for an individual experiencing a medical emergency. Daylight restrictions prevented local Read More…

President Signs Veterans Support and Accountability Legislation Into Law

1 month ago   National Politics, Politics

President Donald Trump has signed three pieces of legislation aimed at improving services, support, and accountability for veterans. The new laws address housing, funding transparency, and vocational training for those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act (H.R. 224) amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 Read More…