All posts by Big Sky Headlines

50% of fatalities on Montana highways this year involve driving under the influence

BILLINGS, Mont.- Montana Highway Patrol Captain Keith Edgell said 50% of the deaths on Montana highways this year have involved people driving under the influence. There have been 17 deaths on Montana Highways so far in 2021. There were 209  deaths on Montana Highways in 2020. Ninety-one of those were linked to DUI. “You know, over the Read More…

Biden State Department spokeswoman once called police ‘largest threat to U.S. national security’

Jalina Porter, who has been named deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State Department under President Biden, once wrote that the largest threat to U.S. national security may be a domestic one. In a 2016 Facebook post, Porter wrote that U.S. cops posed the largest national security threat, greater than that of both Russian hackers and ISIS, because of killings Read More…

Rep. Jim Kasper Seeks to Bring Online Poker to North Dakota

With the Wolverine State going live last week, five states now offer licensed and regulated online poker – Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. If State Rep. Jim Kasper has anything to say about it, North Dakota will be added to the list. Earlier this month, Kasper, a Republican who has represented District 46 (Fargo) since 2001, has introduced House Read More…

George W. Bush Wades Into GOP Civil War as Matt Gaetz Stirs Wyoming Revolt

Former Republican President George W. Bush waded into the escalating GOP civil war over Donald Trump‘s impeachment on Friday, after Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz rallied to defeat Congresswoman Liz Cheney in her home state of Wyoming. As the Republican party grapples with its future under President Joe Biden, the civil war has intensified after 10 House members voted in favor of Read More…

Billings representative selected for bigger role in national legislature group

A three-term Montana House representative from Billings has a bigger role in a nationwide legislative organization. The National Conference of State Legislatures selected Rep. Barry Usher, R-Billings, to serve on its executive committee. Every legislator is automatically part of the organization and Usher has been the vice-chair of the law and justice committee. He says Read More…

Report: Ex-Titans coach Jeff Fisher interested in Montana State head coaching position

Longtime Titans coach Jeff Fisher is reportedly a candidate for the Montana State head coaching position. Fisher, 62, a Franklin resident, recently expressed interest in the Tennessee Vols vacancy. The Montana State position came open on Jan. 28 when Bobcats coach Jeff Choate became co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas. READ FULL STORY

Grow Great Falls Montana offering free online course for Montana businesses, valued at nearly $400

GREAT FALLS, Mont.- A free online course is geared toward boosting success, and it’s open to every business in Montana. The courses will help business owners increase revenue, sales, traffic, and profitability. “Destination Creation” by Grow Great Falls is normally priced at $399, but that fee has been lifted in an effort to help business Read More…

FOREWARN Partners with Montana Regional MLS

Montana’s largest MLS contracts to make FOREWARN services available for its 3,000+ REALTOR® members to promote proactive agent safety BOCA RATON, Fla., Feb. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FOREWARN, LLC, a red violet company (NASDAQ: RDVT) and the leading provider of real-time information solutions for real estate agents, today announced that the Montana Regional MLS (“MRMLS”) Read More…

Energy companies sue President for suspending oil and gas leases on federal land

A group of companies involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, is challenging President Biden’s executive order that would stop future land leases for those businesses. The Western Energy Alliance (WEA) filed a complaint against the Biden Administration in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Wednesday. The suit names the President, Acting Read More…

COVID-19 deaths in NY nursing homes were 50 percent higher than claimed: probe

New York’s nursing-home death toll from COVID-19 may be more than 50 percent higher than officials claim — because Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration hasn’t revealed how many of those residents died in hospitals, state Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday. In a damning, 76-page report, James also said that some unidentified nursing homes apparently underreported resident fatalities to the state Department of Read More…

Facebook is reportedly prepping an antitrust lawsuit against Apple focused on its App Store rules

Facebook is readying an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, according to a report from The Information. Facebook has been preparing the case for months alongside external legal experts, sources told the outlet. The lawsuit specifically alleges that Apple abused its market power by forcing third-party developers, including Facebook, to follow a different set of rules that Apple’s Read More…

Robinhood restricts trading in GameStop, other names involved in frenzy

Retail brokerages restricted trading on Thursday in GameStop and other stocks caught in a frenzy that has captivated Wall Street and caused big losses for hedge funds. Free-stock trading pioneer Robinhood and Interactive Brokers said that in some cases, investors would be able to sell only their positions and not open new ones. Both brokerages raised margin Read More…

AOC says Biden’s $2T climate push sounds just like her ‘Green New Deal’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took credit Wednesday for President Biden’s newly unveiled $2 trillion set of environmental policies, which include eliminating coal, oil and natural gas as electricity sources by 2035. “It’s almost as if we helped shape the platform,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote in a tweet, followed by a winking face emoji. The tweet was in response to Read More…

Biden Re-Examining U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, U.A.E.

The Biden administration has imposed a temporary freeze on U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and is scrutinizing purchases by the United Arab Emirates as it reviews billions of dollars in weapons transactions approved by former President Donald Trump, according to U.S. officials. The review, the officials said, includes the sale of precision-guided munitions to Riyadh, as Read More…

Is North Dakota nearing herd immunity?

About 13 percent of North Dakotans have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. But a study by Columbia University suggests a much higher percentage of the state may have already had the virus. So how close is North Dakota to herd immunity? Researchers at Columbia University say a computer model estimates 105 million Read More…

Legal marijuana amendment comes under fire in Pierre courtroom

PIERRE – South Dakota voters created an unconstitutional super agency that would be a fourth branch of government when they voted to legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana, a lawyer challenging the vote argued Wednesday. Amendment A conveyed broad powers to the South Dakota Department of Revenue to regulate and tax marijuana, lawyer Lisa Prostrollo told Circuit Read More…

South Dakota and Montana Teams that Convicted Former IHS Doctor for Serial Abuse of Native American Children Honored with Attorney General’s Award

(RAPID CITY, SD) – In a ceremony on January 25, 2021, United States Attorney Ron Parsons presented several federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials with the prestigious Attorney General’s Award, the highest honor given by the Department of Justice, for their exceptional efforts in the multi-district federal prosecution of Stanley Patrick Weber. A longtime pediatrician with Read More…

Commandments monument outside courthouse

KALISPELL — Anthony Weimer of Columbia Falls, who was found guilty of felony criminal mischief for removing a Ten Commandments monument outside of the Flathead County Courthouse in June, has been given a deferred three-year sentence. Court documents state that Weimer is ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,900 to reimburse insurance policies Read More…