All posts by Big Sky Headlines

9 Montana hospitals to see reduced Medicare payments

MISSOULA, Mont. — Medicare is reducing payments to nine Montana hospitals under a program that penalizes costly readmissions within a month of treatment for heart and lung diseases as well as knee and hip replacement surgery. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program evaluated 14 Montana hospitals and will reduce Medicare payments by Read More…

Judge approves new sale of 2 Wyoming coal mines

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – A federal bankruptcy judge in West Virginia has approved a new plan to sell two Wyoming coal mines. Under the deal approved Wednesday, Milton, West Virginia-based Blackjewel would sell the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines to Eagle Specialty Materials, a subsidiary of Jasper, Alabama-based FM Coal. Blackjewel halted almost all Wyoming Read More…

Bidding open for 7 Montana alcohol beverage licenses

HELENA — Bidding is open for seven alcohol licenses in Montana, including Bozeman and Belgrade. According to a press release from the Montana Department of Revenue, on-premises beer licenses are available in Helena, Bozeman, Hamilton, Belgrade, and Polson. All-beverage floater licenses are available in Bozeman and Missoula. A “floater” license allows the applicant to purchase, Read More…

Montana receives five-year, $50 million federal literacy grant

The Office of Public Instruction announced Wednesday that Montana has received a five-year, $50 million Striving Readers Comprehensive State Development Program literacy grant through the U.S. Department of Education. The Montana Comprehensive Literacy State Development Project (MCLSDP) will award competitive subgrants to eligible districts to advance literacy skills using evidence-based practices, strategies, and interventions for Read More…

Warren Backs AOC’s Illegal Immigrant Welfare Plan

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren endorsed a Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) policy proposal that includes taxpayer-funded welfare benefits for illegal immigrants. Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal, dubbed “A Just Society,” calls for nationwide rent control and bans the federal government from denying welfare benefits based on an individual’s immigration status and previous criminal convictions. Warren became the first Read More…

AOC Demands We Bail Out NYC Cab Drivers

Last week, freshman Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortz (a.k.a. AOC) decided to jump into the issue of New York City taxi drivers and the financial problems they’ve been facing in the era of the gig economy. Even though she’s a federal elected official, I don’t knock her for entering the debate since many of her constituents are Read More…

First lady Melania Trump to visit Wyoming this week

First lady Melania Trump will be visiting Wyoming this week, the White House announced Tuesday morning.   Trump will fly into Jackson Hole for a two-day visit starting Thursday, visiting both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks to promote her anti-bullying #BeBest campaign.   According to an itinerary provided by the White House, she will be Read More…

Two Bozeman Democrats enter U.S. Senate race

Two Bozeman Democrats are running for U.S. Senate with the hope of unseating Republican Steve Daines in 2020.   Cora Neumann, 44, launched her campaign Tuesday, saying she will focus on affordable, high-quality health care, increasing wages and protecting public lands.   Michael Knoles, 32, has filed with the Federal Election Commission but said he Read More…

Gov. Noem disappointed in South Dakota test scores

Gov. Kristi Noem has expressed disappointment in recent standardized test scores among South Dakota students. South Dakota News Watch reports 54% of students tested in grades three through eight and in 11th grade showed proficiency in reading and writing. Only about 47% of those same students were proficient in math for their respective grade levels, Read More…

Bismarck senator wants to look at companies buying up North Dakota mobile home parks

BISMARCK, N.D. – Sen. Dick Dever, R-Bismarck, is asking Legislative Management, which handles the interim committee work for legislators, to consider a new study this interim over concerns about mobile home parks around the state being bought by capital investment firms. Utah-based Havenpark Capital purchased two Bismarck parks- Colonial Estates and Holiday Park, in July. Dever Read More…

Wyoming #2 most affordable state to live, work in

JACKSON, Wyo. — We’ve all heard the saying, “Time is money.” But what if you’re putting in hard work and time, and your paycheck still isn’t cutting it? It may have something to do with where you live. A new study by Joblist.com used the most recent US Current Population Survey, which surveyed Americans to find out the amount Read More…

Montana Congressional Delegation Reacts To Impeachment Inquiry

Montana’s congressional delegation is reacting in the wake of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement this Tuesday that the House will move forward with an official impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. On Tuesday morning, Republican Senator Steve Daines Tweeted “Impeachment. Obsession.” over a GIF of a character from the popular TV show “The Office” rolling Read More…

County commissioners from across Montana attending annual meeting

GREAT FALLS — The annual Montana Association of Counties conference in Great Falls this week is connecting county commissioners from across the Treasure State. “It travels around, so to speak, in each of our major towns: Missoula, Great Falls, Helena, Billings, Kalispell,” said Jim Hart, MACo president and Madison County Commissioner. The 110th annual event Read More…

Wave of Montana primary providers increase mental health care

Roughly three years into a new initiative, 55 Montana providers have woven more mental health services into their regular care.   Montana Healthcare Foundation CEO Aaron Wernham announced the number Tuesday during the organization’s Integrated Behavioral Health Summit at Montana State University. “That is a fantastic rate of transformation,” Wernham said. The idea behind integrated Read More…

Darrell Issa expected to announce congressional challenge of former colleague Duncan Hunter

After months of publicly considering mounting a return to Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa appears to be on the verge of formally announcing his candidacy for East County’s 50th Congressional District seat. Issa has scheduled a press conference for Thursday morning at Centennial Plaza in El Cajon. In the news release he says several well known Read More…

Americans’ Trust in Mass Media Edges Down to 41%

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans remain largely mistrustful of the mass media as 41% currently have “a great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” This latest reading represents a four-percentage-point dip since last year and marks the end of improvements in back-to-back years after hitting an Read More…

The North Dakota Chief Justice is making history

Have you ever wondered who’s working hard inside the state capitol? I’m talking about the heavy hitters, those making decisions year-round. One of those people is Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle. VandeWalle is the longest-serving Supreme Court chief justice in the state’s history and the longest-serving of all the active justices in the United States. “I Read More…

Court documents allege that Billings teacher touched students inappropriately in class

A Billings teacher accused of sexual assault allegedly exchanged “inappropriate” text messages with two female students, ages 11 and 12, and touched them under their underwear in class, according to charging documents released Friday. Brent Skelton, who resigned from his job teaching fifth grade at Orchard Elementary School, faces between four years and life in Read More…

Montana Judge Will Hear Keystone Lawsuit Oct. 9

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris scheduled a hearing for Oct. 9 from environmental organizations suing to stop construction of the $7 billion Keystone XL Pipeline authorized under a new permit from the Trump administration. “Specifically, this permit reinforces, as should have been clear all along, that the Presidential permit is indeed an exercise of Presidential Read More…

Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against Goguen

A California judge has dismissed a high-profile case alleging sexual abuse against Michael Goguen, a prominent venture capitalist and philanthropist whose local contributions include The Whitefish Trail and the Two Bear Air search and rescue program. In a lengthy Sept. 12 order terminating the case, retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Read Ambler, who is Read More…

Path to defeat Trump ‘doesn’t flow through the coast,’ Bullock tells teachers group

Montana governor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Steve Bullock didn’t qualify for the debate stage in September, and he is polling near the bottom of the 20 remaining White House hopefuls. But at the American Federation of Teachers headquarters in Washington, D.C., Bullock said Thursday he can win back Trump voters from the American heartland while retaining support in traditional liberal strongholds. Read More…

Gianforte Says Democrats Have “Impeachment Fever” and Misplaced Priorities

At a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Greg Gianforte blasted committee Democrats for their focus on impeaching President Trump. He believes their priorities are misplaced. “The committee held its first hearing this week, and by all of observers, it was a circus,” said Gianforte. “There were clowns, tightrope walkers, firebreathers, and shell games. Read More…

Wyoming’s governor approached Mexico about coal export possibilities

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon contacted the Mexican government about the possibility of using the country’s ports to export the state’s coal to markets overseas, an official with the Mexican consulate’s office in Denver said Tuesday. At a forum hosted by the Wyoming Business Alliance in Casper, Consul General Berenice Rendón-Talavera told the audience that the Read More…