All posts by Big Sky Headlines

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s coronavirus task force includes high-value donors, records show

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who is running as a Democratic Senate candidate in a tight race rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report, filled his 25-member coronavirus task force with several high-dollar donors who then informed his administration how to distribute more than $1 billion in federal stimulus aid, records reviewed by Fox News show. The task force, known Read More…

In gov race, Gianforte outpaces Cooney almost 4-to-1 on campaign money

HELENA — As the 2020 general-election race for Montana governor gets under way, Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s campaign has accumulated almost four times the money of his Democratic competitor, Mike Cooney – but that total includes $1.5 million of Gianforte’s own money. Gianforte reported Monday that his campaign has raised about $3.83 million through June Read More…

Two schools honoring Washington and Jefferson to be renamed in ‘support of Black Lives Matter’

Two public schools in Berkeley, California, will remove their names commemorating Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson amid renewed and widespread calls from the Black Lives Matter movement for racial equality. The Berkeley Unified School District approved a “Resolution in Support of Black Lives Matter” last week, following weeks of nationwide protests and riots denouncing systemic racism Read More…

The SEC told bankrupt Hertz it has issues with its plan to sell stock, Chairman Jay Clayton says

The Securities and Exchange Commission told Hertz, which filed for bankruptcy during the coronavirus pandemic, that the regulator has issues with the rental car company’s plan to sell stock. “In this particular situation we have let the company know that we have comments on their disclosure,” SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” “In Read More…

Senate GOP unveils bill on policing changes, Democrats push for more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans unveiled proposed changes to police procedures and accountability Wednesday including an enhanced use-of-force database, restrictions on chokeholds and new commissions to study law enforcement and race, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press. The “Justice Act” is the most ambitious GOP policing proposal in years, a direct response Read More…

Pelosi asks House committees to require masks, setting up clash with GOP holdouts

Masks have become the norm inside the House of Representatives, where some politicians now embrace the novel coronavirus precaution with colorful odes to their home districts. But there are holdouts: A small group of Republican representatives who have consistently declined to wear face coverings in Congress. Now, as nine states hit record highs for infections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is Read More…

AOC plans to skip in-person debate with Democratic primary challengers

AOC is going AWOL for the city’s only in-person debate ahead of next week’s Democratic Party primary. First-term Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens/Bronx) plans to skip out on a face-to-face showdown with three challengers Wednesday, her office told The Post. Ironically, the Parkchester Times-sponsored debate is the same one the previous incumbent, 10-term Rep. Joseph Crowley, shirked Read More…

Justices won’t reexamine legal doctrine that shields law enforcement

The Supreme Court decided on Monday that they will not reexamine a doctrine that protects law enforcement and government officials from being sued over their actions while on the job. The doctrine, which the justices created nearly 50 years ago, gives “qualified immunity” for law enforcement officers, which protects them from frivolous lawsuits CNN reported. READ FULL STORY

More services reopening at Glacier National Park

There are some additional openings and services available at Glacier National Park. The west entrance gate will no longer close at 4:30 p.m. and Going-to-the-Sun Road is open to Avalanche and the campground is available for day-use parking. The restroom at the shuttle stop is also now available. Camas Road is now open and the Read More…

USDA SECRETARY SONNY PERDUE IN MISSOULA TO SIGN STEWARDSHIP MEMO

The United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was at the Forest Service Smokejumper Center on Friday to sign a stewardship memorandum that contained a blueprint to modernize the U.S. Forest Service. Perdue outlines aspects of the agreement officially signed on Friday. “It increases productivity,” said Secretary Perdue. “These are renewable resources. We are Read More…

Kristi Noem: The Governor Who Stayed the Course

‘The people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety.’ Pierre, South Dakota — The coronavirus crisis hasn’t been kind to the reputations of many governors. New York’s Andrew Cuomo held effective news conferences that at first burnished his image, but he’s now ducking responsibility for sending virus patients back into nursing homes where the disease promptly Read More…

More Covid-19 Restrictions Eased in Wyoming

Updated public health orders that take effect June 15 will continue to ease restrictions on public gatherings in Wyoming, Governor Mark Gordon announced today. The updated orders allow indoor gatherings of up to 250 people with restrictions, permit parades to occur (with appropriate social distancing), and allow K-12 schools, community colleges, the University, and other Read More…

Whitefish Mountain Resort to open for season

KALISPELL, Mont. — Summer officially begins at Whitefish Mountain Resort this Saturday. The resort will be opening nearly all its outdoor activities, including over 30 miles of mountain bike trails. As snow continues to melt, more trails will open throughout the season. The resort will also be opening three brand-new trails expected to be completed by Read More…

Senate committee authorizes subpoenas in GOP investigation into origins of Mueller probe

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to authorize 53 subpoenas in connection with an investigation into the origins of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The afternoon vote along party lines grants the committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the authority to issue the subpoenas, Read More…

The Fed cancels its famous in-person Jackson Hole gathering due to pandemic, will hold virtual event instead

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City announced on Thursday that its popular annual economic policy symposium will not be held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the first time in nearly 40 years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the bank said that this year’s symposium, titled “Navigating the Decade Ahead: Implications for Monetary Policy,” will be Read More…

New coronavirus spread isn’t the feared ‘second wave’ – it’s still the first, researchers say

The rise in coronavirus cases seen in about half a dozen states across the U.S. isn’t the feared “second wave” — it’s still the first, scientists and infectious disease specialists say. To be defined as a second wave the virus would need to retreat and reappear, or a new variant would have to emerge, said Ian Lipkin, a professor Read More…

‘They are blatantly snubbing us’: Protesters feel at risk as some NYPD officers don’t follow guidelines to wear masks

While covered head to toe in protective equipment, New York City officers appear to be neglecting one necessary item of protective gear: masks. And protesters feel it’s a snub to their safety in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. According to TIME, officers have been seen not donning the protective face coverings in the midst of Read More…

Minneapolis City Council members intend to defund and dismantle the city’s police department

Minneapolis (CNN)Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council on Sunday announced they intend to defund and dismantle the city’s police department following the police killing of George Floyd. “We committed to dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually Read More…

MT Supreme Court overturns ruling which blocked permit for Creston water plant

There’s another twist in the years-long legal battle over the operation of a Creston bottled water plant, with the Montana Supreme Court overturning a lower court ruling which had blocked permits. Local residents and conservation groups have been fighting the plans of Montana Artesian Water Company to pump enough water to fill more than 1-billion Read More…

Plows Push Past Rim Rock on Sun Road

When COVID-19 forced the temporary closure of Glacier National Park in late March, many residents of Northwest Montana assumed the pandemic would stall one of the region’s most prominent rites of spring — the plowing of the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road. Turns out, not even a global pandemic could halt the rumbling fleet of safety-yellow snowplows Read More…

Montana receives 30,000 surgical masks from Taiwan

HELENA, Mont. – Montana Department of Commerce Director Tara Rice announced the state received a shipment of 30,000 surgical masks as a gift from Taiwan. The Export Montana team at the Montana Department of Commerce coordinated the shipment from Taiwan to the state’s warehouse.   “The Montana Department of Commerce has long valued our state’s Read More…