Fargo North High School’s Law and Justice students took a trip to Bismarck on Thursday, November 20th, for a firsthand look at the judicial process. Led by Social Studies teacher Melissa Evensen, the students attended a live oral argument at the state Supreme Court and had the opportunity to meet with the justices. https://bigskyheadlines.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DOJ-Scam1.mp4 During Read More…
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that only 776 air traffic controllers and technicians will receive $10,000 bonuses for maintaining perfect attendance during the recent government shutdown — leaving nearly 20,000 other employees without the incentive despite having worked through the same period of financial strain. The month-long shutdown pushed thousands of FAA personnel into Read More…
During a strategic trade mission to Japan, Governor Greg Gianforte signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to explore potential investments in data center and energy infrastructure projects in Montana. “Montana offers affordable, reliable energy, a skilled workforce, and a welcoming environment for innovation,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This agreement with Mitsubishi Read More…
The Montana Historical Society is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the second wave of its History and Civics Travel Grant program. Thanks to generous support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, the Society has already awarded funding to 46 schools across 23 Montana counties—from Eureka to Hardin—making hands-on history accessible Read More…
Montana State University (MSU) will celebrate its 142nd spring commencement on Friday, May 9, awarding 2,465 degrees during two ceremonies at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The events, scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., will mark a milestone for students across undergraduate, graduate, and associate programs. According to the Office of the Registrar, MSU will Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, according to a social media post from FBI Director Kash Patel. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi wrote that the arrest was “for allegedly helping an illegal alien avoid arrest by @ICEgov.” “We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal Read More…
A Billings woman is facing felony charges after allegedly embezzling more than $100,000 from a local nonprofit trade organization. Valary Nichole Obert, 35, has been charged with felony embezzlement exceeding $10,000 in Yellowstone County District Court. According to investigators, Obert is accused of stealing approximately $124,200 from the Billings Home Builders Association (BHBA) by falsifying Read More…
Gov. Mark Gordon is piling up the frequent flier miles, traveling around the world on behalf of the state. The cross-continental trip is based around promoting Wyoming, visiting with the state’s members of the military stationed overseas and building international trade alliances. After visiting the Middle East, Gordon will continue on to East Asia where he’ll visit Read More…
In celebration of Purple Up Day for Military Kids, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder joined students, families, and community leaders at Freedom Elementary on Friday to recognize the important role military children and their families play in supporting the nation’s security. Purple Up Day, observed in April during the Month of the Military Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is joining forces with a bipartisan coalition of 51 Attorneys General to issue a warning to nine major voice service providers, alerting them that they may be violating both state and federal laws by continuing to route allegedly unlawful robocalls through their networks. “These companies are allowing harmful scams Read More…
Shaina Eagleson, a science teacher at West Fargo’s Sheyenne High School, has been named a state finalist for the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), North Dakota’s Department of Public Instruction announced Thursday. The award, considered the highest national recognition for K-12 STEM educators, honors outstanding teaching in science, technology, Read More…
The U.S. Interior Department announced Friday that it is opening the public comment process for a new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, potentially paving the way for expanded drilling in the Arctic and other previously restricted areas. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to boost domestic energy production. The Read More…
Jared Landin’s first few axe throws were far from bullseyes. Last fall, Landin spent weeks practicing axe throwing, often landing hits everywhere except the target. Over time his persistence paid off, earning him the chance to represent the University of Montana’s Woodsman Team at timber sports competitions around the country. On Friday and Saturday, April Read More…
The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) is excited to announce the addition of three new team members who bring a shared passion for Wyoming’s communities, businesses, and future growth. These individuals are eager to help foster innovation and support local enterprises as the state continues to prosper. Emma Gregg – Accounting Solutions Coordinator Emma Gregg joins Read More…
Hank’s Reno Junction Travel Plaza sits at the busy intersection of Wyoming Highways 387 and 59, making it a strategic stop for travelers, truckers and coal miners working at the nearby North Antelope Rochelle Mine. When Peabody Energy announced Tuesday it planned to ramp up production at the mine, Hank Pridgeon — the namesake of Read More…
Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center is home to semi-arid scrubland, prairie grass, and conifer cover, all of which can be primed for fire during hot, dry conditions, especially when troops shoot round after round of heavy artillery at the camp’s vast impact area. Due to this heightened risk, the firefighters in the camp’s Army National Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) Colonel Kurt Sager visited the MHP Communications Center today to recognize the vital work of dispatchers in honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, observed from April 13 to 19. The dispatchers at the MHP Communications Center are trained in emergency medical dispatch and work around Read More…
NorthWestern Energy has reached key settlement agreements with several major stakeholders in its ongoing regulatory rate review for electric and natural gas services in Montana. The agreements, if approved by the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC), would result in modest increases in residential utility bills, helping to fund continued investment in safe and reliable energy Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte announced that Montana’s unemployment rate has remained at a low 2.7% for the month of March, marking the sixth consecutive month the state has kept its unemployment rate below 3%. This continues a streak of 45 months with Montana’s unemployment rate at or below 3.4%. “For six months, Montana’s unemployment rate has Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) for a review of a Montana Supreme Court decision concerning parental rights in abortion cases has gained significant support. Five amicus briefs were filed urging SCOTUS to reverse a decision that, according to Knudsen, puts the health and safety of children at risk Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that more than $400,000 in grant funding has been awarded to three communities in coal-impacted areas to support essential public safety and development initiatives. The grants, allocated by the Montana Coal Board, will aid in infrastructure improvements, public safety enhancements, and community development in regions Read More…
University of Montana students interested in entrepreneurship and starting their own businesses have a space to gather and work together on their new ventures. Each Tuesday afternoon this spring semester students meet in UM’s Startup Studio, a room on the third floor of the University Center where students of all majors explore their business ideas Read More…
A U.S. immigration judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration can move forward with its deportation case against Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and prominent pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested in New York City last month. Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Louisiana stated she did not have the authority Read More…
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday the termination of $5.1 billion worth of Pentagon IT and consulting contracts, targeting major firms such as Accenture, Deloitte, and Booz Allen Hamilton. The move, he said, is aimed at eliminating “wasteful spending” and redirecting funds toward core defense priorities. In a Department of Defense memo, Hegseth ordered the Read More…
The U.S. Senate confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a 60-25 vote on Friday, officially filling the nation’s top military post nearly two months after President Donald Trump ousted the previous chairman. The confirmation vote came just before lawmakers departed Washington Read More…
Scholars from across the U.S. recently joined Montana State University faculty, students, staff and members of the public for a two-day symposium focusing on “The Future of Research in the Age of AI.” The event held March 27-28 was one of three major symposia in 2025 sponsored by the American Historical Association on topics pertaining Read More…
A national organization recently named the University of Montana the No. 1 “Military Friendly” college in the United States. The ranking is for top “tier-1 research institutions.” The Military Friendly Schools list is compiled each year from data collected from 8,800 schools nationwide. Input is provided by student veterans and a Military Friendly survey by Read More…
Montana State University and local partners are on track to meet their goal of training 40 sexual assault nurse examiners in the first year of a new grant program aimed at increasing support for victims of sexual assault in Montana. The three-year, $1.5 million grant was awarded in July 2024 to MSU’s Mark and Robyn Read More…
In a powerful show of support for American energy, Governor Greg Gianforte joined President Donald J. Trump at the White House on Thursday to celebrate the signing of executive orders aimed at revitalizing the U.S. coal industry and unleashing American-made energy. The orders, which directly counter the energy policies of the Biden administration, are designed Read More…
Governor Kelly Armstrong and Lieutenant Governor Michelle Strinden participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Heart River Correctional Center (HRCC) in Mandan, marking a historic milestone in North Dakota’s prison system. The state’s first facility designed specifically for women will focus on rehabilitation, safety, and family reintegration. The 191,500-square-foot facility, scheduled to open in Read More…
(The Center Square) – Billionaire Alex Meruelo is looking to use nearly $100 million in Reno city redevelopment funding for a new multi-use stadium at the University of Nevada, Reno. The public funds would come from a property tax cut, called Tax Increment Financing, which would take off a significant portion of Meruelo’s $1 billion Read More…
Montana has officially been named the best state in the nation for launching a new business, according to a new report highlighted by Governor Greg Gianforte on Friday. Topping the list compiled by Entrepreneur Media and Booking.com for Business, Montana scored highest among all 50 states in key metrics including the number of startups, startup Read More…
The Center Square) – The U.S. added 228,000 jobs in March, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday, nearly double what was forecast. Employment gains occurred in the health care, transportation, warehousing and retail trade industries, according to the Labor department. The overall gains come despite significant layoffs in the federal government under the Trump Read More…
A 20-year-old Kalispell man has been sentenced to 50 years at the Montana State Prison, with 10 years suspended, for the brutal killing of a homeless man in 2023, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced Friday. Kaleb Elijah Fleck pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of deliberate homicide in the death of Scott Read More…
A Missoula judge appointed by former Democratic Governor Steve Bullock has temporarily blocked a newly enacted law that protects women’s bathrooms and locker rooms from being accessed by biological males. District Court Judge Shane Vannatta, who openly identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community, issued a ruling Wednesday putting the law on hold just Read More…
(The Center Square) – California did not materially comply with the requirements for seven of the 22 federal programs the state auditor examined, including “pervasive” noncompliance in its unemployment benefits program, which could put essential federal funding at risk. “This report concludes that the State did not materially comply with certain requirements for seven of the Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that Lonna Carroll, a former employee of the state Department of Social Services (DSS), was found guilty on Thursday of stealing an estimated $1.8 million from Child Protection Services. Carroll, 68, of Algona, Iowa, was convicted by a Hughes County jury on two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Read More…
The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) has released the results of its biennial Customer Satisfaction Survey, showing that approximately 70 percent of respondents are satisfied with the department’s services. The 12th edition of the survey, conducted by the University of Wyoming’s Survey and Analysis Center, collected 997 responses from Nov. 6 to Dec. 17, 2024. Read More…
Los Angeles County has reached a record-setting $4 billion tentative settlement to resolve more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims, marking the largest financial settlement in the county’s history. Announced Friday, the agreement would settle decades of lawsuits from individuals who allege they were sexually abused or mistreated while in the county’s foster care system or Read More…
nna Erickson, a junior from Dalton, Minnesota, majoring in psychology and cell biology and neuroscience, and Derek Jollie, a junior from Butte majoring in mathematical sciences and physics, are Montana State University’s two newest winners of the scholarship given by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The foundation announced Friday that 441 students Read More…
In a strong stand for parental rights and the rule of law, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to overturn a controversial ruling by the Montana Supreme Court that struck down a common-sense law requiring parental involvement in a minor’s decision to get an abortion. Read More…
Governor Kelly Armstrong has announced the appointment of Zachary Greenberg as North Dakota’s permanent Labor Commissioner. Greenberg had been serving as interim commissioner since January and has been recognized for his leadership in enforcing the state’s labor and human rights laws. “Zach has proven himself to be a capable leader these past few months, ensuring Read More…
The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has officially opened the application process for Education Service Providers (ESPs) for the state’s newly established Education Savings Account (ESA) program. The application portal will be accessible starting at 1 p.m. MDT on April 1, 2025, on the ESA website. Organizations interested in offering educational goods or services through Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined a coalition of 25 state attorneys general in calling on the Trump Administration to take action against a little-known import program that they say is being exploited by drug traffickers and foreign adversaries to smuggle deadly fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States. In a letter sent Read More…