All posts by Big Sky Headlines

Cory Swanson, Broadwater County Attorney announces for Supreme Court

Cory Swanson, the Broadwater County Attorney and Army veteran, officially declared his candidacy for the Montana Supreme Court this week, initiating a competition with former magistrate judge and liberal trial lawyer Jerry Lynch for the position of chief justice. In a campaign announcement on the Montana Talks radio show, Swanson emphasized the importance of fairness Read More…

Online auction supporting Montana 4-H

BOZEMAN — An online auction to support Montana 4-H will be available through Dec. 4, according to the Montana 4-H Foundation. More than 50 lots are up for bid in the Montana 4-H Emerald Auction. Items donated by supporters and county councils include a collection of 4-H clover emblems, woodworking, jewelry, leatherwork and vacation getaways, according to Read More…

Montana PBS wins national awards

Montana PBS received recognition from the National Educational Telecommunications Association for its outstanding contributions to public media during the 55th Annual Public Media Awards Gala. The event took place earlier this fall at the 2023 NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum. The accolades were bestowed upon Montana PBS Director of Education, Nikki Read More…

Legislative special session proposed to address property taxes

HELENA — Montana legislators are poised to make a pivotal decision regarding the convening of a special session early next year to address tax-related matters, notably the resolution of a property tax dispute by the state Supreme Court. The Montana Freedom Caucus, comprising fervently conservative Republican lawmakers, formally requested a special session on January 15, Read More…

Montana’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Grew 14% in 2022

In a report released last week, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) confirmed that Montana’s outdoor recreation industry continues to play a significant role in the state’s economy. According to the 2022 report detailing the industry’s economic impact, outdoor recreation contributed to 4.3% of Montana’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year. While this represents Read More…

Hunter Biden offers to testify amid impeachment inquiry into father

WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden extended an offer on Tuesday to testify publicly before Congress in response to a subpoena from Republicans delving into various aspects of his business dealings amid their pursuit of an impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden. Characterizing the investigation as a “fishing expedition,” the son of the Democratic president Read More…

Biden Won’t Directly Address the Age Issue

The most pressing political challenge confronting President Joe Biden as he drifts uncontested toward renomination is that which he can do the least about: voters’ profound misgivings about his age and fitness to serve another full term. Yet what’s striking, and to his allies increasingly unnerving, is Biden’s unwillingness even to try to fully address Read More…

TikTok v. Knudsen sees court Thursday, October 12

TikTok’s lawsuit against Montana over the state’s recent ban will be in court starting Thursday, October 12, 2023. The lawsuit argues the law banning the social media app violates the First Amendment, violates the U.S. Constitution in several other regards and is preempted by federal law. Governor Greg Gianforte signed the TikTok ban May 17 and Read More…

‘Extremely unacceptable:’ Billings residents upset about property damages from TDS Fiber construction

Residents from a neighborhood in the Billings Heights are upset about damages caused in their yards due to construction contracted by TDS Fiber. The construction leaves massive holes in front lawns of many in the area. These holes are where the Wisconsin-based company will lay brand new fiber optic internet cables underground. Heights resident Kristi Read More…

Judge blocks abortion clinic license bill

Helena, MT – Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Christopher Abbott has issued a temporary restraining order that temporarily blocks a law scheduled to take effect on October 1st. This law would have mandated that abortion clinics in Montana obtain licenses to operate. The restraining order stems from the fact that the state has Read More…

Alpha Loading Systems Expansion

Governor Greg Gianforte made a visit to the newly expanded Alpha Loading Systems Facility in Stevensville, Montana. The governor’s visit came in response to the recent expansion of the company’s operations, driven by the increased demand for its American-made machinery and ammunition. This development underscores the vital role that small businesses play in Montana’s economy, Read More…

Romney urges Biden to retire

As Mitt Romney‘s cell phone started ringing incessantly in the minutes following his Wednesday retirement announcement, he silenced it and lamented during an interview that President Joe Biden shouldn’t run for reelection. Just five minutes after Romney said that, he got a phone call that he couldn’t ignore: It was Biden. “There are certain calls you Read More…

Municipal primary election results in Billings

As of now, the top three candidates for Billings City Council Ward 3 are: Danny Choriki with 1,091 votes (26.83%) Charles W. Loveridge with 1,294 votes (31.82%) Bill Kennedy with 1,331 votes (32.73%) The top two candidates will progress to the general election on November 7th.  Current voter numbers are as follows: -Registered Voters – Total 14,180 Read More…

The Bluster and Demise of Sanctuary Cities

There is a huge difference between true caring and indignant self-righteousness, a fact that the mayors of many sanctuary cities are now learning. It’s one thing to climb up on your soap box and declare that immigration makes communities stronger when you have no idea what you’re talking about. The truth is that these cities Read More…

The Politics of the Paxton Impeachment

Of course, we all hope that the outcome of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial will turn on the merits of the case. But even as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said, this is a political trial and the jurors are politicians, so there can be no illusion that the political calculus will not Read More…

Social Media: The Moral Panic

A recent study found that using social media was unrelated to long-term mental health problems in Norwegian youth. One well-intentioned scholar suggested that doomsayers proclaiming that social media is causing suicide and other mental health problems in youth would need to “reckon” with this new study. To which I replied, in effect, they would do no such thing. As Read More…

Could Ted Cruz Lose Reelection?

The early conventional wisdom appears to be that Sen. Ted Cruz is in solid shape for reelection in 2024. Cook’s Political Report rates the race as “Likely R,” as does Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Inside Elections is more circumspect, labeling the race as a “battleground,” although Inside Elections currently only labels races as “safe” or Read More…

No Harmful Levels of PCBs Found at Wyoming Nuclear Missile Base as Air Force Investigates Cancers

No harmful levels of carcinogenic PCBs were found inside the missile launch facilities at F.E. Warren Air Force base in Wyoming, the service said Tuesday, as it looks for possible causes for cancers being reported among its nuclear missile community. F.E. Warren is among three nuclear bases the Air Force is investigating. Earlier this month the Air Read More…

Montana Tech rolls out new construction management degree program

Montana Technological University is starting off the school year by introducing a new degree program: construction management.  The new program will be under the School of Mines and Engineering and will take a multifaceted approach to construction management. Students will take courses in many different subject areas, including operational safety and health, mining, civil engineering, business communication and Read More…

$2.2M cleanup project announced for Superfund site in Black Eagle

Atlantic Richfield Company and ARCO Environmental Remediation (collectively known as Atlantic Richfield) have agreed to the cleanup of community soils – including both residential and non-residential yards and soil affected by the refinery’s operations – at the ACM Smelter and Refinery Superfund Site in Black Eagle, Montana. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in Read More…

Gianforte urges Arizona governor to help Montanans caught in sober-living home scam

Many Crow tribal members have been caught up in Arizona’s sober-living home scam, but when they return back to Montana, many often need treatment and recovery. The problem has caught the attention of Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, who recently reached out to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs for assistance. “This situation is very troubling because these crooks Read More…