All posts by Big Sky Headlines

Montana Rail Link releases new locomotives honoring veterans, essential workers

MISSOULA – Montana Rail Link (MRL) announced Wednesday they released a special locomotive last week honoring veterans for Veteran’s Day. Additionally, MRL is also releasing a locomotive showing appreciation for essential workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Essential workers have played a critical role in keeping our communities healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” MRL Read More…

Wyoming halts contact tracing; Teton County can continue

Teton County health officials have received permission from the state to continue issuing quarantine orders for close contacts of COVID-19-positive patients. Although much of Wyoming and the nation is too overwhelmed to contact trace cases, Teton County still aims to conduct contact tracing as staffing and caseloads allow. — Eds. (updated 1 p.m. Monday.)   Read More…

Whole Foods coming to Big Sky country

FRAMINGHAM — A Framingham development company is co-redeveloping a Montana mall and bringing the first Whole Foods Market to the western state. Framingham-based Grossman Development Group, LLC, is partnering with Boston Realty Advisors/The Broadway Company and the ownership of the Gallatin Valley Mall in Bozeman, Montana, to redevelop the shopping center that serves a five-county trade Read More…

Not a Republican, not a Democrat: Wyoming’s Marshall Burt wins Libertarian Party’s first statehouse seat since 2002

The Libertarian Party earned a historic victory Tuesday, clinching a statehouse seat for the first time in nearly two decades. Marshall Burt was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives in its 39th district, defeating Democrat incumbent Stan Blake, said Bob Johnston on the Libertarian National Committee. “This is only the fifth time in Libertarian Party history a candidate running only on Read More…

Montana’s New Governor Could Remake the State

MISSOULA, Mont. — This state is now red. Not the light red it used to be; not a red-and-blue checkerboard coaxing the eyes to see purple. Just a deep red. Every statewide race in Montana went Republican this week, with record voter turnout: president, Senate, House, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor. And both Read More…

Bernie Sanders endorses Sarah Iannarone in Portland mayoral race

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Bernie Sanders is the latest figure endorsing Portland mayoral candidate Sarah Iannarone. Sanders’ endorsement late Thursday endorsement came the same day Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty announced her backing of incumbent Ted Wheeler’s challenger. The former presidential hopeful and current U.S. senator from Vermont also endorsed Chloe Eudaly in her Portland City Read More…

CEOs of Google, Twitter and Facebook grilled in Senate hearing

New York (CNN Business)Ted Cruz yelled. His Democratic colleague Brian Schatz called the hearing in which he was speaking “a sham.” Committee chair Roger Wicker couldn’t pronounce the last name of Google’s CEO. Just another day on Capitol Hill for Big Tech.   In a contentious hearing on Wednesday, the CEOs of Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG) and Twitter (TWTR) were questioned by Senators Read More…

Looting, skirmishes follow peaceful protests over police abuse against Black people and killing of Walter Wallace Jr.

After an evening of peaceful protests in the wake of the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr., tensions flared between officers and demonstrators Tuesday evening, and scattered looting broke out in several areas of the city, prompting police to request that residents of West and North Philadelphia, Kensington, and other areas remain indoors. Police and demonstrators Read More…

New group challenges Montana’s COVID mandates and plans to defend affected businesses

HELENA — A new grassroots organization has been created to help individuals and businesses challenge COVID mandates in Montana for what they call government overreach. The Freedom Protection Project was created by the organizers of the “Let Freedom Ring” concert that was held at the beginning of October in the Helena Valley. “A lot of Read More…

2 lawsuits filed to stop Ninemile logging project over grizzly bears

Two environmental groups have filed separate lawsuits to stop the Soldier-Butler timber project in the Ninemile Valley after U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided there was no long-term harm to grizzly bears. On Monday, the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force sued the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Missoula federal court Read More…

BAUCUS A KEY PLAYER IN HUNTER BIDEN/ CHINA SCANDAL

“The Big Sky Buy-off.” That’s how they coined the effort by Democrats to get former Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) out of the Senate and into the post as US Ambassador to China. They had to buy-off Baucus, so the Democrats could have a head start on the 2014 US Senate race. Now, there are fresh allegations Read More…

Biden grilled on ‘transition’ away from oil and gas comment in Pennsylvania TV interviews

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is getting grilled in Pennsylvania ever since he said during last week’s debate that he plans to “transition” away from the oil industry. In three separate local news interviews in the key battleground state on Saturday, Biden responded to questions about his comment, as well as his mixed messages regarding fracking. “Look I’m from Read More…

Gordon Making More CARES Funds Available For Wyoming Businesses, Nonprofits Next Week

Gov. Mark Gordon is allocating remaining CARES Act funds to help Wyoming businesses and nonprofits with ongoing coronavirus-related losses and expenses. The Wyoming Business Council is finalizing two new funds for the COVID-19 Business Relief Program: the Agriculture Fund and the Endurance Fund. Applications for both funds will be accepted from Nov. 2 through Nov. Read More…

GOVERNOR: WYOMING FINANCIAL OUTLOOK REMAINS GRIM – MORE BUDGET CUTS LIKELY

A state financial report released Monday showed a General Fund shortfall of $451.1 million and a school funding shortfall of $300 million, according to a news release from Gov. Mark Gordon. The Consensus Estimating Revenue Group’s forecast is slightly better than projected in May, but the state’s revenue collections have experienced a significant decline. “I Read More…

High Demand and High Prices for Forest Products

As the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect every industry differently, sawlog prices in Montana are reaching record levels, said F.H. Stoltze Land and Resource Manager Paul McKenzie. “The product demand has increased dramatically in general forest products,” he said. According to the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research Read More…

Montana Army National Guard to assist with operations at Montana State Prison

Responding to a request from the Montana Department of Corrections, Governor Steve Bullock and Major General Matthew Quinn have activated the Montana Army National Guard to provide operational assistance at Montana State Prison, where staff and inmates have been impacted by COVID-19. The facility saw its first positive cases among staff and inmates earlier in Read More…

CCAGW PAC Endorses Montana Sen. Steve Daines for the Senate and Rep. Greg Gianforte for Governor

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste Political Action Committee (CCAGW PAC) announced its endorsement for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) for re-election to the Senate and Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) for governor. CCAGW PAC based its endorsements on the candidates’ lifetime score in CCAGW’s 2019 Congressional Ratings. Sen. Daines has a lifetime rating of Read More…