Montana
High school students cook up 5-star meals at 2024 Montana ProStart invitational
BOZEMAN — Caeser salad, blackened shrimp, steak with root vegetables, and tanghulu—that’s what the Laurel High School team of culinary students cooked up for the ProStart culinary arts competition at Montana State University.
“We’re cooking a three-course meal in an hour. And we don’t have any electricity. So we only have camping stoves, water, and ice,” says Raylea Brown, a Junior at Laurel High School competing in the Montana ProStart competition.
The three-course meal is only the first challenge these competitors face. The 2024 Montana ProStart Invitational was held Thursday in Hannon Hall on the MSU campus. The Gallatin College Culinary Arts Program hosted eight high schools from across the state to show off their skills in various culinary and restaurateur challenges.
But what is ProStart and how does this program produce such talented chefs?
“ProStart is a two-year curriculum based in culinary arts and culinary management to give students some industry experience while they’re still in high school,” said Tracey Eatherton, the state director of Montana FCCLA and ProStart.
Being a part of the ProStart curriculum means these high-schoolers are cooking at the same level as some five-star restaurant chefs. But this competition is not only judged on cooking skills.
“The judging actually involves professionals from the field, and they’re in different areas. We have some looking at teamwork, some looking at safety and sanitation, there’s some over there looking at plating,” says Tracey.
The chefs also created a business pitch for a restaurant, which included everything from the menu to pricing to how they will market and operate the business.
“Everybody knows restaurant work can be hard. Culinary work can be hard; there’s a lot more avenues for people to find their niche in culinary. But it’s still a lot of hours, so these kids are making a conscious decision to want to be chefs,” Mike Dean, director of the culinary arts program for Gallatin College told me.
He expressed how excited he is by what these high-schoolers can do in the kitchen.
“It’s the next generation. It absolutely is,” said Dean.
And although Belgrade High came out on top and will be heading to the ProStart nationals in Baltimore, every student got the chance to show off their passion for being a Chef.
“It kinda runs in the family. My grandma cooks on both sides of the family. So it was an interest of mine,” said Hannah Lackman, a senior from the Laurel High team.
Montana
Half a million absentee ballots sent to Montana voters for primary election • Daily Montanan
Ballots for Montana’s June 2 primary began to hit voters’ mailboxes this weekend.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, 509,399 absentee ballots were mailed to voters. As of Monday morning, 358 voters had already returned their ballots.
“Montana’s 2026 Primary Election is well underway, and the Montana Election Team is honored to serve our voters,” Secretary of state Christi Jacobsen said in a press release. “As a reminder, Montanans can view their sample ballot, track their absentee ballot, confirm their voter registration information, and much more at VoteMT.gov.”
Voted ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, June 2nd.
The Montana Election Team reminds absentee voters to sign, date, and add their birth year when returning their absentee ballot. County election officials provide instructions in the ballot packet, and more information is also available online at https://votemt.gov/absentee-ballot/.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 10 drawing
06-22-28-31, Bonus: 08
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 10 drawing
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
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.
The Socorro Independent School District honored and celebrated its top two educators at the 2026 Teacher of the Year Gala on Friday, May 8 at the El Paso Convention Center.
Cristina Garcia, a fifth-grade teacher at Mission Ridge Elementary School, was recognized as the 2026 SISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Javier Esparza, an audio and video broadcast teacher at Socorro High School, was named the 2026 SISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
https://www.ktsm.com/news/socorro-isd-honors-top-2-teachers-at-gala-celebration/
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