All posts by Big Sky Headlines

Poll: Majority of voters concerned about socialists running for office

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll (The Center Square) – A majority of American voters are concerned with socialist candidates running and possibly winning political office, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll found that 55% of American voters are concerned about Democratic Socialist candidates running for and winning elected office Read More…

Everyday Economics: Higher rates have winners. The price squeeze leaves most households worse off.

(The Center Square) – Higher interest rates divide households. Savers holding cash or buying new bonds can earn more interest. Borrowers taking out new loans or carrying variable-rate debt pay more. Existing bondholders can suffer losses as inflation and yields rise, while stock-market gains cushion households with substantial portfolios. Those without financial assets have fewer Read More…

Federal Court Rejects Challenge to Idaho Sex Offender Registry Law

BOISE, Idaho—A federal district court has rejected a constitutional challenge to Idaho’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, dismissing claims brought by individuals convicted of sex offenses and granting summary judgment in favor of the state. Attorney General Raúl Labrador said the ruling preserves a law that requires qualifying offenders to register and makes certain Read More…

Trump Returning to Montana for Kalispell Campaign Rally

KALISPELL—President Donald Trump is returning to Montana next week for a campaign rally in Kalispell as Republicans look to boost congressional candidate Aaron Flint in the race for Montana’s Western Congressional District. Trump is scheduled to appear Wednesday at the Majestic Valley Arena, where he will campaign alongside Flint, the Republican nominee seeking to succeed Read More…

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Sgt. Alvin York

Army Sgt. Alvin C. York, an infantryman, received the Medal of Honor for valor due to his heroic actions during a World War I operation in France, actions that would be immortalized in the 1941 film “Sergeant York.”     York was born Dec. 13, 1887, in Pall Mall, Tennessee. His father, William Uriah York, Read More…

TSMC Earnings Put AI Chip Demand in Focus This Week

TAIPEI—Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. will report third-quarter earnings Thursday, giving investors another look at whether booming artificial-intelligence spending is continuing to drive demand for the world’s largest contract chipmaker. TSMC has already reported record third-quarter revenue of about $46.7 billion, up roughly 50% from a year earlier and above market expectations. The result also exceeded Read More…

Griz drop ranked shootout at NAU

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The No. 2 Montana Grizzlies traded blows with No. 13 Northern Arizona throughout the afternoon but fell to the Lumberjacks 49-44 in a ranked shootout at the Walkup Skydome on Saturday. The loss drops Montana to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big Sky Conference play, while Northern Arizona improves to 5-2 overall Read More…

Nearly 70 Million Kids Get Trump Accounts

WASHINGTON—Nearly 70 million Trump Accounts have been created for American children, including more than 60 million through automatic enrollment, as the administration expands the tax-advantaged investment program nationwide. The accounts are available to children under 18 with a valid Social Security number. Parents and guardians must claim the accounts before they can manage them, receive Read More…

Kellen Willert Appointed Judge in South Dakota’s Fourth Judicial Circuit

PIERRE, S.D.—Gov. Larry Rhoden has appointed Kellen B. Willert to serve as a circuit judge in South Dakota’s Fourth Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the departure of Judge John Fitzgerald. Willert brings experience in private practice, municipal law, estate planning, complex litigation and military law. He graduated cum laude from South Dakota State Read More…

Flint Launches Public Safety Ad

KALISPELL—Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint has released a new general-election advertisement focused on public safety, fentanyl and border security, featuring Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer. In the ad, Springer endorses Flint and says the Republican candidate would support stronger enforcement against fentanyl trafficking and tighter border security. “Lieutenant Colonel Flint will crack down on fentanyl Read More…

Why the Paramount‑Warner merger is a problem for democracy

Seth Ashley, Colorado State University Media critic Ben Bagdikian warned in 2004 that five corporations had accumulated “more communications power than was exercised by any despot or dictatorship in history.” More than 20 years later, a major media merger is bringing his warning back into focus. Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in October 2026 Read More…

Nancy Vehr Named Interim Director of Wyoming DEQ

CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Gov. Mark Gordon has appointed Nancy Vehr as interim director of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality following the retirement of longtime director Todd Parfitt. Vehr, who has been serving as the department’s deputy director, took over the role effective Oct. 2. She previously led DEQ’s Air Quality Division for nearly a decade and Read More…

Gianforte, Chamber Announce Tech-Focused Economic Summit

BOZEMAN—Gov. Greg Gianforte and the Montana Chamber of Commerce will host the third annual Big Sky, Bright Future Economic Summit on Oct. 15 in Bozeman, with this year’s event focused on technology and innovation in Montana. The summit will bring together business leaders, policymakers and technology executives to discuss artificial intelligence, national security, precision agriculture, Read More…

DOJ Finds UCLA Law Discriminated Against White and Asian Applicants

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department said UCLA School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in admissions for its 2023, 2024 and 2025 incoming classes, finding that the school continued to consider race after the Supreme Court restricted race-conscious college admissions. The department’s Civil Rights Division said its investigation found UCLA Law violated Title VI of Read More…

Washington Man Charged With Attempting to Aid Houthis

RICHLAND, Wash.—A Department of Energy employee has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to the Houthis, a designated foreign terrorist organization, after federal investigators said he purchased materials associated with explosives and drones and traveled to Yemen. Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was taken into custody following an FBI Read More…

Report: Taxpayers lose $500B annually to fraud as states resist oversight

(The Center Square) – Fraud could cost federal taxpayers as much as $521 billion annually, according to a Foundation for Government Accountability report citing a federal estimate. The report estimates that improper payments by the federal government have totaled about $3 trillion since 2003. Liesel Crocker, the report’s author and senior research fellow at FGA, spoke with Read More…

Treasury Completes Automatic Enrollment for Trump Accounts

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of the Treasury said it has completed automatic enrollment for Trump Accounts, extending access to tax-advantaged investment accounts for eligible American children under age 18. Treasury said more than 60 million additional children now have accounts ready to be claimed following the completion of automatic enrollment. “Millions of children have already enrolled Read More…

Longtime MDT Official Larry Flynn Named Department Director

HELENA—Gov. Greg Gianforte has named Larry Flynn director oAll Postsf the Montana Department of Transportation, elevating a longtime agency official who has spent more than three decades working for the department. Flynn replaces outgoing Director Chris Dorrington and takes over one of Montana’s largest state agencies, with more than 2,000 employees and an annual budget Read More…

Vedder Named Assistant Vice President at Minneapolis Fed

MINNEAPOLIS—Laura Vedder has been appointed assistant vice president in Treasury Services at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, expanding her leadership role at the bank less than two years after joining the organization. In the new position, Vedder is responsible for Treasury Services’ compliance and risk program, including vendor management and Treasury-specific compliance efforts. She Read More…

Montana-Based DeliverFund Expands Human Trafficking Intelligence Partnership

A Montana-based nonprofit is expanding partnerships with data and investigative-technology companies in an effort to make human trafficking intelligence more accessible to law enforcement agencies across the country. DeliverFund said it is working with technology partners to integrate its trafficking intelligence into investigative platforms already used by police and other agencies. The goal is to Read More…

NSF grant to fund low-income graduate, undergraduate students at Montana State and University of Montana

For some students, earning an undergraduate degree can create financial pressure to enter the workforce immediately, putting graduate school – and the specialized knowledge, research experience and expanded career opportunities an advanced degree can provide – seemingly out of reach. In this MSU file photo, a student works in a lab in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson Read More…

Flint Targets Forstag’s Immigration Record at Whitefish Rally

WHITEFISH—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint and Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino joined local residents in Whitefish on Friday for a rally supporting Border Patrol and local law enforcement, while Flint used the event to criticize Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s lobbying record on immigration and criminal-justice issues. The gathering drew roughly 40 people near the Whitefish Read More…

Treasury Unveils 2026 Financial Literacy Strategy Focused on Youth, Investing and Fraud

WASHINGTON—The federal government is putting greater emphasis on investing, digital finance and fraud prevention as part of an updated national strategy aimed at improving Americans’ financial knowledge and decision-making. The Financial Literacy and Education Commission released its 2026 update to the U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy, establishing four priority areas: youth financial capability, saving Read More…

Sheehy Calls for Jack Smith Accountability After Arctic Frost Probe

WASHINGTON—Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy is calling for greater congressional scrutiny of former special counsel Jack Smith as lawmakers consider changes to the rules governing secret government demands for private records. Sheehy’s comments follow disclosures from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation of Arctic Frost, the federal inquiry that ultimately became part of Smith’s investigation of President Read More…

Amazon Pledges $1 Billion to Data Center Communities Amid Growing Backlash

Amazon plans to invest more than $1 billion over the next five years in communities where it operates data centers, as the company responds to growing political and public concern over the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence infrastructure. The money will support education, workforce training, water and energy conservation projects and other local priorities in areas Read More…

Ten Foreign Nationals Indicted in Minnesota Voter Fraud Cases

MINNEAPOLIS—A federal grand jury has indicted 10 foreign nationals in separate voter-fraud cases involving Minnesota elections in 2022, 2024 and 2026, the Justice Department said. The defendants were indicted Sept. 24 and have since made initial appearances in federal court. Prosecutors allege the cases involve unlawful voting by noncitizens and false claims of U.S. citizenship Read More…

Fort Peck, UM Create New Pathway to Business Degree

Students at Fort Peck Community College can now transfer directly into a bachelor’s degree program at the University of Montana College of Business under a new agreement between the two schools. The articulation agreement creates a 2+2 pathway for students who earn either an administration associate degree or a technology associate of applied science degree Read More…

Minot Attorney Christene Reierson Appointed to North Central Judicial District

MINOT, N.D.—Gov. Kelly Armstrong has appointed Minot attorney Christene Reierson to an open judgeship in North Dakota’s North Central Judicial District, effective Nov. 16. Reierson has operated Reierson Law Office P.C. in Minot as a solo practitioner since 2015, handling matters including family law, criminal law, probate, civil litigation, business formation, real estate transactions, estate Read More…

Flint Unveils Tax Plan, Targets Forstag’s Lobbying Record

MISSOULA—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint unveiled a tax-relief proposal in Missoula this week while seeking to make Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s past lobbying work a central issue in Montana’s 1st Congressional District race. Flint’s proposal calls for making permanent federal tax breaks on tips and overtime, eliminating federal taxes on military pensions, ending the estate Read More…

Tony Romo, CBS Sports Part Ways After Nine Seasons

Tony Romo is leaving CBS Sports after nine seasons as one of the network’s most prominent NFL analysts, ending a broadcasting run that began shortly after his retirement from professional football. CBS Sports said Friday that it and Romo had “mutually agreed to part ways,” roughly two months after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was Read More…

Idaho Youth Pheasant Season Opens Oct. 8

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s youth pheasant hunting season opens Oct. 8, giving young hunters a weeklong opportunity to take to the field before the statewide general season begins. The youth season runs through Oct. 14 and is open statewide to licensed hunters age 17 and younger, including at locations where Idaho Fish and Game releases Read More…

Billings Man Charged With Insurance Fraud

BILLINGS, Mont. — A Billings man has been charged with felony criminal insurance fraud after state investigators alleged he filed a false claim involving several lawnmowers he reported stolen. Adam Walker told authorities in July 2023 that his truck, trailer and four lawnmowers had been stolen from outside his residence. Police later recovered the truck, Read More…