All posts by Big Sky Headlines

A woman has passed the grueling SEAL officer test for the first time, but she won’t join their ranks

The Navy marked a first earlier this year when a woman completed Navy SEAL officer assessment and selection, Military.com has learned. At the quarterly meeting of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services in December, a Navy official disclosed that the woman had reached the end of the physically and mentally demanding two-week SOAS process in September. Read More…

Will The Little Shell Land Base Include Hill 57?

The U.S. House passed the National Defense Authorization Act today. That means the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Montana is halfway to federal recognition. But will the tribe’s land base include Hill 57? Montana Republican Greg Gianforte voted yea on the defense bill, passing a version of Little Shell recognition bill he’s introduced in the Read More…

Republican Raul Ruiz drops planned 2020 challenge to Democratic congressman with same name

The race to represent California’s 36th District in the U.S. House of Representatives just became much less confusing: Republican challenger Raul Ruiz announced Wednesday he was dropping his challenge against Raul Ruiz, the incumbent Democratic congressman with the same name. “It is with sincere heartfelt sentiment that I announce my inability to continue moving forward in Read More…

UM, state partnership garners $16M to provide health care for Montana families

MISSOULA — A University of Montana partnership with the state has proved doubly lucrative, supporting Montana families’ health needs while garnering nearly $16 million in grants to fund health-related programs. The state-UM partnership has received 12 competitive federal grants that help small rural hospitals, mental health therapists, doctors and clinics – and even public schools Read More…

U.S. Senate confirms Lawrence VanDyke to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KOLO) – The U.S. Senate has confirmed Lawrence VanDyke to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The final vote was 51 to 44 in favor of confirmation. VanDyke previously served as Solicitor General of Nevada and Montana. Nevada’s two Senators, Jackie Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, both Democrats, opposed VanDyke’s nomination. Sen. Cortez Masto Read More…

Here’s What Senator Blumenthal Did Not Tell You

On Dec. 10, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) argued against confirming Lawrence VanDyke to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Doing so, he said, would depart from “bedrock principles that once guided the exercise of the Senate’s constitutional duty to advise and consent” on the president’s nominations. Blumenthal neglected to mention some important information that puts Read More…

Daines, Tester announce bipartisan support for CSKT water settlement

MISSOULA, Mont. — Senator Steve Daines announced he reached a new agreement to settle water disputes with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) that “protect the water rights for all Montanans.” Senator Jon Tester said he is pleased with the bipartisan support for the introduction of the CSKT Water Compact. Daines will introduce the “Montana Read More…

Pierce Bush announces bid for suburban Houston congressional seat

The grandson of the late President George H.W. Bush, nonprofit executive Pierce Bush, announced Monday morning that he is running for Texas’ 22nd Congressional District. Bush enters a crowded GOP primary to replace U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, whose seat was a national Democratic target even before Olson announced his retirement earlier this year. Bush made Read More…

Kemp taps Kelly Loeffler, financial exec, to US Senate seat

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed financial executive Kelly Loeffler to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, selecting the co-owner of Atlanta’s WNBA franchise over a congressman that President Donald Trump repeatedly urged the Republican to pick. During remarks in Kemp’s ceremonial office, Loeffler presented herself as a lifelong conservative who is “pro-Second Amendment, pro-military, pro-wall and pro-Trump” Read More…

Is There Any Rationale For a Bloomberg Candidacy?

The case against Michael Bloomberg’s presidential run seems strong. He’s a political chameleon, who went from Democrat to Republican (in order to find a place on the New York City ballot in 2001) to Independent to Democrat (again). He spent a lot of money in politics. Some of it helping Republicans, such as Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Read More…

Helena teacher, and husband of OPI candidate, faces felony drug charge

HELENA — A former Helena elementary school teacher – who also is married to Democratic state superintendent of public instruction candidate Melissa Romano — was charged Tuesday with felony drug possession, including cocaine, LSD and methamphetamine. The charges against Eric Lehman, who resigned his teaching post at Hawthorne Elementary School as of Nov. 1, said Read More…

China Spares Trade in First Retaliation to U.S.’s Hong Kong Law

China avoided measures related to trade in its first actions retaliating against the U.S. over a law supporting Hong Kong’s protesters, instead vowing to sanction some rights organizations and halt warship visits to the city. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing Monday that U.S. groups targeted for sanctions included the National Endowment Read More…

Too much power? Too much money?

GRAND FORKS — State Sen. Ray Holmberg remembers when the relationship between the North Dakota University System and the Legislature was more tenuous.   Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, a longtime member of the Legislature and leader of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says that around 2013, the relationship was especially fractured.   “The relationship was, shall we Read More…

Montana clothing company sues over use of copyrighted camouflage design

BILLINGS — Montana clothing company All Season All Terrain (ASAT) Outdoors is suing New York-based fashion company Supreme for copyright infringement after Supreme sold clothing printed with a copyrighted camouflage design, according to court documents. Stevensville based ASAT Outdoors filed the suit on Nov. 11 in New York District Court. The Montana company claims to Read More…

MSU seeks to train dentists for rural Montana

People living in many of Montana’s rural communities and on Native American reservations have no dentists, a problem Montana State University is working to solve.   MSU is working with the University of Washington’s Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program to bring dental students from the Spokane-based program to train in Montana’s rural and Read More…

Bullock subject of attack ad even though he hasn’t declared candidacy for Senate race

A Republican-aligned super PAC is taking aim at Montana Gov. Steve Bullock — not because of the Democrat’s presidential bid, but because of a prospective Senate bid. The Senate Leadership Fund, an ally of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, bought a five-figure digital ad campaign attacking Mr. Bullock for spending time outside the state on the presidential campaign trail. Read More…

Snowstorm to hit Montana during holiday travel rush

HELENA, Mont. — Forecasters say a snowstorm is expected bring more than a foot of snow to parts of Montana and create difficult driving conditions for people traveling for Thanksgiving. National Weather Service officials say near-blizzard conditions are expected along the Rocky Mountain Front and near Monida Pass at Montana-Idaho border starting Tuesday night through Thursday. Read More…