Fraud in Montana is evolving rapidly—and state officials warn that artificial intelligence is making scams more convincing and harder to detect than ever before. On a recent episode of Voices of Montana, State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Jim Brown said fraud investigations and prosecutions have surged 80% during his fi...
A proposed ballot initiative in Oregon is drawing national concern from conservation leaders who say it could fundamentally change how wildlife is managed in the United States. During a recent episode of Voices of Montana, filmmaker Tom Opre joined policy leaders from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) to discuss Initiative Petitio...
High school sports in Montana — like much of the country — are facing a growing shortage of referees and game officials. The issue has developed over the past decade as longtime officials retire and fewer new recruits enter the profession. Officials say the shortage has become noticeable enough that schools sometimes adjust game schedules just...
A Montana third grader is being recognized statewide after writing a letter that inspired a new proclamation from the governor. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte recently declared March 3 as “Third Graders Day” in Montana, honoring the efforts of Blakely Wagner, an 8-year-old student at Bonner Elementary School who asked the governor to recogniz...
As tensions escalate between Iran, Israel and the United States, a University of Montana scholar says the most important questions may not be about military conflict but whether the Iranian people could ultimately overthrow their oppressive government. Mehrdad Kia, director of the Central and Southwest Asian Studies Center at the University of...
Montana emerging as potential hub for AI, cloud data centers Montana is emerging as a potential hub in the growing national race to build artificial intelligence and cloud computing data centers, but the projects are also prompting debate over water use, electricity demand and local economic impacts. Energy experts speaking on the “Voices of M...
by Ken Adelblue, Northern News Network BILLINGS – The prep basketball postseason in Montana kicks into high gear today, with district and divisional tournaments unfolding across the state. While Class AA teams will wait a bit longer, the remaining classifications are fully underway. Class C, which began district play last week, began tod...
Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen says the state’s public education system is undergoing a shift toward hands-on learning, stronger community partnerships, and a renewed focus on foundational academic skills. In a wide-ranging conversation with Tom Schultz, host of Voices of Montana, Hedalen described efforts to expand...
MONTANA HEADLINE NEWS, 09/18 The Montana Supreme Court denied the state Democratic Party’s request for an intervention in its case against the Secretary of State and the Green Party Tuesday. Earlier this summer it sued Christi Jacobsen and the Montana Green Party arguing the Greens could not field a candidate in the state’s U.S. Se...
MONTANA HEADLINE NEWS, 09/17 Governor Greg Gianforte and the Montana DNRC announced Monday a record-setting oil and gas lease sale on four tracts of state trust land in Pondera, Richland, and Toole counties. The lease will bring in $2.85 million, which ranks as the highest average bid price per acre and on a single tract in the history of oil ...
