Montana

'Here we are again': Death row Canadian waits as Montana looks at resuming executions

Published

1 year ago

February 2, 2025

'Here we are again': Death row Canadian waits as Montana looks at resuming executions

CALGARY — The fate of a Canadian who has been on death row in Montana for the past 42 years has been thrown into more uncertainty as state legislators try again to remove obstacles to resuming executions.

Ronald Smith, 67, is originally from Red Deer, Alta., and has been on death row since 1983, a year after he and another man, high on LSD and alcohol, shot and killed two young Indigenous cousins near East Glacier, Mont.

Time moves slowly at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, Mont. where Smith has been described as a model prisoner for four decades. But almost like clockwork every two years, another attempt to allow the state to resume executions begins in the Montana legislature.

All executions have been stayed in Montana since 2015 because the state requires the use of an “ultra-fast-acting barbiturate” that is no longer available.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock ruled that pentobarbital — the drug the state was planning to use — didn’t qualify as “ultra-fast-acting” and blocked the state from using it. There hasn’t been an execution in Montana since 2006.

But a new bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Shannon Maness, would remove the “ultra-fast-acting” language and instead allow the state to use “an intravenous injection of a substance or substances in a lethal quantity sufficient to cause death.”

Maness did not respond to a request for an interview.

Alex Rate, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the proposed legislation is frustrating.

“They’re going to keep trying and do everything they can to dehumanize people and put people to death, so here we are again. What they’re trying to do is loosen the requirements regarding which substances can be used for lethal injection,” said Rate.

Rate said pentobarbital is still not available and administering something like antifreeze, rat poison or cyanide in a sufficient quantity to cause death is the definition of cruel and unusual punishment.

“I testified in the committee of the House Judiciary Committee and reminded them if they wanted to see the death penalty be rendered unconstitutional, adopting a bill like this would be the right way to do it because it permits just about any substance to be used.”

Going back almost 20 years, bills both to reinstate executions and abolish the death penalty have come close to passing, but have ultimately failed.

Rate said, this time, he’s worried.

“We are living in a new sort of world order here in Montana where the executive and legislative branches of government are dominated by one ideology and the death penalty fits neatly within that ideology,” he said.

“I feel like everybody is marching to the same playbook.”

Smith’s longtime lawyer, Greg Jackson, didn’t expect this issue to arise again so soon.

“This was kind of a shot out of the blue after the last many sessions we’ve had in the legislature where things went untampered with, so to speak,” he said.

“After this many years it is frustrating. This appears to be a bill, that at least on the face of it, attempts to modify a protocol that they could utilize.”

In an interview in 2021, after a similar bill was defeated, Smith was far from ecstatic.

“A lot of people look at it and say, ‘Well at least you’re alive,’ but I’m really not. I’m just sitting around like a bump on a log is all I’m doing, and after almost 40 years of this, anything is preferable,” Smith told The Canadian Press.

“I’ve hit that point where I’ve done enough of this. If they’re (legislators) not going to cut me a break, then go ahead and do away with me.”

Jackson said his client’s mood has since improved after he was granted more digital access to his family.

“It’s something that really has made life behind bars in the U.S., away from his family, at least more tolerable.”

Smith and Rodney Munro admitted to marching Harvey Mad Man, 23, and Thomas Running Rabbit, 20, into the woods by a highway. They shot each man in the head with a sawed-off .22-calibre rifle.

Smith was initially offered a plea deal that would have taken the death penalty off the table, but he rejected it. He pleaded guilty and asked to be put to death but later changed his mind. He has had five execution dates set over the years. Each has been overturned.

Munro took the plea bargain, was eventually transferred to a prison in Canada and has been free since 1998.

Rate said even if the new legislation passes, the matter is far from over.

“There’s all sorts of procedural protections and constitutional requirements that accompany putting anybody to death,” he said.

“Even assuming that the state is able to jump over those hurdles, they would have to acquire a substance that they could use and then no doubt they will be sued.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2025.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 4, 2026

Published

6 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 4 drawing

01-07-08-27, Bonus: 12

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 4 drawing

05-10-26-53-59, Powerball: 06

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

03-04-06-08-10

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Montana

University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan

Published

18 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan

The search for a new University of Montana president has drawn more than 60 applicants, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

“We do not have an exact count at this time, as several applications are still being completed and additional submissions are expected,” said spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Galen Hollenbaugh in an email earlier this week.

In January, then-UM-President Seth Bodnar announced his resignation to pursue other public service. Wednesday, the final day of filing, he announced he was running as an independent for the U.S. Senate to try to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Daines.

Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian earlier said that with the advice of AGB Search, a firm that’s helped the Montana University System conduct other executive searches, he would undertake an expedited process to appoint a new president.

Christian has been providing brief updates on a website dedicated to the search. Last week, he said he and AGB Search are reviewing applications, and the pool of candidates was “strong and diverse.”

The commissioner also announced he was convening a small working group to assist in the search, members who “represent a variety of perspectives to assist in vetting and narrowing this field of exceptional candidates.”

In an email this week, Hollenbaugh identified the members of the working group who are assisting Christian with application review as:

Community member and former Regent Joyce Dombrouski
Faculty Senate Chairperson Valerie Moody
Staff Senate President Dominic Beccari
Administration Representative John DeBoer (Vice President of Academic Affairs)
ASUM (Associated Students of the University of Montana) President Buddy Wilson

Hollenbaugh declined to comment on the way the rest of the process would unfold or the role the working group members would play.

Christian earlier said he anticipated an appointment within one to three months, or as soon as early this month.

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Montana

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a proposed ballot measure intended to simplify the process for introducing ballot measures in the future.

Justices ruled 5-2 that the measure, currently called Ballot Issue #8, did not violate state requirements that a single constitutional amendment can’t make multiple separate changes to the Montana Constitution.

“We’re very grateful to the Montana Supreme Court for agreeing with us that the attorney general’s finding of legal insufficiency for Ballot Issue #8 was incorrect,” said SK Rossi, a spokesperson for Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring the measure.

Montanans Decide argues the Montana Legislature has passed laws making it harder for the public to propose and pass ballot issues. The Montana Constitution already guarantees the people the right to pass laws and amendments through ballot measures, but Ballot Issue #8 would expand that to include a right to “impartial, predictable, transparent, and expeditious processes” for proposing those measures. It would seek to prevent “interference from the government or the use of government resources to support or oppose the ballot issue.”

Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office argued the measure “implicitly amended” multiple provisions in the state constitution, including by limiting the “power and authority of public officials to speak officially on ballot issues that affect those officials’ public duties” and by putting restrictions on judges and on the Legislature. Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring Ballot Issue #8, disagreed – and the majority of justices sided with them.

“Its provisions operate together to define and protect a single constitutional right—the people’s exercise of initiative and referendum,” wrote Justice Katherine Bidegaray in the majority opinion. “They are closely related components of one constitutional design.”

Bidegaray’s majority opinion was joined by Justices Jim Shea, Laurie McKinnon, Beth Baker and Ingrid Gustafson.

Chief Justice Cory Swanson and Justice Jim Rice each wrote dissenting opinions, saying they would have upheld Knudsen’s decision to disallow Ballot Issue #8. Rice said the language restricting government interference with a ballot issue was not closely related and should have been a separate vote. Swanson agreed with Rice and said the measure’s attempt to fix a timeline for legal cases surrounding ballot measures was also a separate substantial change.

In a statement, Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Knudsen’s office, reacted to the decision.

“This decision only further muddies the courts’ jurisprudence on ballot issue questions,” he said. “This initiative would violate the separate vote requirement by amending multiple parts of the Montana Constitution, but the court contradicted its prior rulings. Attorney General Knudsen will continue to neutrally apply the separate vote requirement in his review of ballot initiatives.”

The court’s decision means that Knudsen’s office will now need to approve ballot language for Ballot Issue #8. Once that language is finalized, Montanans Decide could begin gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

However, last year, sponsors of another initiative went to the Supreme Court to argue that the ballot statements Knudsen prepared were misleading. If Montanans Decide object to their ballot statements, that could further delay signature gathering while the case plays out in court.

“Regardless, we’re going to push as hard as we can to get those petitions into the hands of voters and let them sign and support if they so choose,” said Rossi.

Rossi said the legal battle this measure has gone through – and the possibility of more to come – shows why Ballot Issue #8 is needed.

“The state Legislature, and also statewide elected officials, have taken every opportunity to create burdens and hurdles and rigamarole for campaigns to get through in order to just get to the signature gathering phase, and then to get through the signature gathering phase onto the ballot, and then get through the election phase,” said Rossi. “The reason we filed this initiative is just to make sure that the process is simple, that the timeline is clear, and that Montanans can have their will heard when they want to propose and pass laws that they deem worthy.”

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