Montana

Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed ‘giant’ sheep for sale to hunting preserves – The Boston Globe

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed ‘giant’ sheep for sale to hunting preserves – The Boston Globe

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) â A Montana rancher illegally used tissue and testicles from wild sheep killed by hunters in central Asia and the U.S. to breed âgiantâ hybrid sheep for sale to private hunting preserves in Texas, according to court documents and federal prosecutors.

Arthur âJackâ Schubarth, 80, of Vaughn, Montana pleaded guilty to felony charges of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife during an appearance Tuesday before a federal judge in Great Falls. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Court documents describe a yearslong conspiracy, beginning in 2013, in which Schubarth and at least five other people sought to create “giant sheep hybrids” by cross-breeding different species. Their goal was to garner high prices from hunting preserves where people shoot captive trophy game animals for a fee.

Using biological tissue obtained from a hunter who killed a wild sheep in Kyrgyzstan belonging to the world’s largest species of the animals â Marco Polo argali sheep â Schubarth procured cloned embryos of the animal from a lab, according to court documents.

The embryos were later implanted in a ewe, resulting in a pure Marco Polo argali sheep that Schubert named âMontana Mountain King,â the documents show. Semen from Montana Mountain King was used to artificially impregnate other ewes to create a larger and more valuable species of sheep, including one offspring that he reached an agreement to sell to two people in Texas for $10,000, according to the documents.

Male argali sheep can top 300 pounds with horns up to 5 feet long, according to officials, making them prized among some hunters. They are protected under international convention as a threatened species and outlawed for import into Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridization.

A person who was not named in court documents shipped 74 ewes of a prohibited sheep species from Minnesota to Schubarthâs ranch to be artificially inseminated with Montana Mountain King semen, the documents show. Offspring that had only a portion of the central Asian sheepâs genetics sold for lesser amounts.

In 2019, Schubarth paid $400 to a hunting guide for testicles from a trophy-sized Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep killed in Montana. Schubarth extracted semen from bighorn sheep testicles and used it to breed large bighorn sheep and sheep crossbred with the argali species, the documents show.

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Todd Kim described Schubarth’s actions as âan audacious scheme to create massive hybrid sheep species to be sold and hunted as trophies.” Kim said the defendant violated the Lacey Act that restricts wildlife trafficking and prohibits the sale of falsely labeled wildlife.

Schubarth said when reached by telephone on Wednesday that his attorney had advised him not to talk about the case.

âI would love to talk about it but canât do it now,â he said. His attorney, Jason Holden, did not immediately respond to telephone messages seeking comment.

Authorities agreed under the terms of a plea deal not to pursue further charges against the defendant pending his cooperation in the governmentâs ongoing investigation in the wildlife trafficking case.

Montana Mountain King is in the custody of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to Department of Justice spokesperson Matthew Nies. As part of the plea deal, Schubert agreed to quarantine any other sheep containing Marco Polo argali genetics and any bighorn sheep that were harvested from the wild.

The deal also allows federal wildlife officials to inspect and, if needed, neuter the animals.

Captive animal facilities where game species can be raised and hunted were banned in Montana under a 2000 ballot initiative. But they remain legal in some other states.

Schubarth’s 215-acre ranch is state-licensed as an alternative livestock facility, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Greg Lemon. It was grandfathered in when the 2000 ballot initiative passed and has continued to operate, although hunting is prohibited, Lemon said.

Sentencing for Schubarth is set for July 11 before U.S. District Judge Brian Morris.

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Montana

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

Published

2 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

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

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

Winning Powerball numbers from April 4 drawing

03-06-13-41-65, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 4 drawing

06-31-35-36-40, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 4 drawing

02-10-23-29, Bonus: 09

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 4 drawing

20-38-45-58-63, Powerball: 05

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from April 4 drawing

04-07-13-17-29

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 4 drawing

20-30-31-38-49, 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.

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Montana

The Best Small Town In Montana For Seniors

Published

14 hours ago

April 4, 2026

Press Room

The Best Small Town In Montana For Seniors

With a growing number of seniors moving to Montana, Butte is an affordable town oriented around community and ideal for retirees. Montana is among the most culturally and artistically rich states in the nation, with 687 arts and recreation venues per 100,000 older adults. Combined with the tax-friendly economy, Butte remains a place with top dining options, such as Uptown Café, and reputable healthcare at St. James Hospital, which has earned recognition through awards. For these reasons and more, including a low cost of living, seniors are sure to find the perfect place to call home in the small Montana town of Butte.

Making Money Stretch in Butte

Aerial panorama of Butte, Montana, along Park Street.

By many metrics, life in Montana is one of the more affordable states, and Butte can be especially helpful for spreading out retirement savings. Using the Economic Research Institute’s cost of living data, Butte is 8% lower than the national average and 3% lower than the average in Montana.

Quaint winter residential neighborhood in Butte, Montana.

Where a senior decides to live plays a big role in their financial stability, and that choice is easier when living in Butte. Zillow’s Home Value Index indicates an average home value of $271,700, a tremendous value, far lower than similar mountain towns in Colorado and Idaho. Montana’s average typical home sells for $460,700, so a homebuyer in Butte is saving almost $180,000 compared to the state average.

Dining

Butte's Historic District. — Butte’s Historic District. Photo: Andrew Douglas

Dining here offers a range of cuisines and specialties, making options diverse and keeping things fresh for residents and visitors. To tour a couple of the community’s favorites, begin at Uptown Café on East Broadway. With a reputation for serving “civilized dining in the Wild West,” the restaurant offers upscale comfort food such as beef wellington, chicken piccata, and melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Just a short distance from the Uptown Café lies Casagranda’s Steakhouse inside the 1900 Bertoglio Warehouse on Utah Avenue. Here, premium Rocky Mountain steak cuts vie for the spotlight alongside Italian pasta dishes and fresh seafood. With the famous Guido’s Bar inside, the eatery has earned a place among the best dining experiences in Southwestern Montana, thanks to its food and historical location.

Things to Do

A street corner scene in the neighborhood of Uptown Butte. Editorial credit: JWCohen / Shutterstock.com

The mining history that formed and sustained Butte for decades was not forgotten here. The town pays homage to these days, and guests or locals can learn all about the copper mining through the World Museum of Mining. This historical center is located on the grounds of the original Orphan Girl Mine, a rare site built directly over an old mine yard. Walk through Hell Roarin’ Gulch, an authentic recreation of a 1890s mining town with original or reconstructed buildings, and then take a guided tour 100 feet underground to see one of the few publicly accessible exposed veins of minerals in North America.

At the World Museum of Mining. Editorial credit: JWCohen / Shutterstock.com

For those looking to see what sort of entertainment can be found in Butte, begin this search at Mother Lode Theatre. Originally a Masonic Temple, the renovated space now hosts the Butte Symphony, various concerts, touring productions, and Montana Repertory Theatre in a warm and lively acoustic environment. The schedule is full most of the year, making this a common place for seniors in the community to frequent for regular entertainment.

Accessible Healthcare

Intermountain Health St James Hospital sign with logo and directions. Editorial credit: Ian Dewar Photography / Shutterstock.com

At the heart of Butte’s appeal to seniors is Intermountain Health St. James Hospital, a full-service acute care facility on South Clark Street that is part of a prestigious nonprofit health system serving the American West. It offers a complete spectrum of specialty care services, including cancer care, emergency care, heart care, rehabilitation services, surgical care, and care for women’s health. Its goal is to see all patients within 30 minutes of their arrival. St. James has been honored as a recipient of the Chartis Center for Rural Health Performance Leadership Award for excellence in clinical outcomes in both 2022 and 2023. This is the highest level of performance for rural hospitals nationwide in quality, outcomes, and patient experience.

Nearby Towns to Explore

One of the advantages of living in such a prime position along Interstate 90 is how accessible nearby towns become when you settle in Butte. This region of Montana does a lot to preserve its history and heritage, so nearby communities have much to explore.

Anaconda

Twenty-five miles northwest of Butte on Interstate 90, Anaconda is another community that does a lot to preserve the memory of Montana’s copper era, with a downtown area still offering a glimpse of certain facades from days long gone. The thing most people come to see in Anaconda is the Washoe Theater, one of a small number of remaining Art Deco-era movie palaces in the United States, where ornate decoration and lighting envelop a constant schedule of movies and live acts. Golfers head to Old Works Golf Course, Montana’s only public Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, built on the site of Anaconda’s old copper smelter. It’s known for its spectacular black sand traps made from copper smelting waste and views of Anaconda’s famous Anaconda Stack.

Deer Lodge

About 35 miles northeast of Butte via Interstate 90, Deer Lodge offers the chance to dig deeper into the state’s frontier past. The main attraction is the Old Montana Prison Complex, one of the state’s most visited historic sites. Here, you can visit the original territorial prison built in 1871 as well as several satellite museums, including a collection of classic cars and a frontier town. Just outside the downtown area, the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site preserves one of the most important cattle empires of the West, with National Park Service-guided tours available at no charge anytime of the year. Back in the downtown area, Deer Lodge’s pedestrian-friendly historic main street makes exploration a breeze, with plenty of antiquing and dining to discover, the most popular of which is the Broken Arrow Steakhouse and Casino right on Main Street.

Montana’s wide swath of undeveloped farmland has helped keep costs affordable for seniors looking to retire somewhere new. Butte, Montana, especially has a lot to offer those wanting to stretch fixed incomes further, with a cost of living that is 8% lower than the national average. With Montana’s reputation as a cultural and artistic hub of the nation, the historic significance of Butte, and the natural wonder of the Continental Divide, this small town might be the best place for seniors.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Big Sky Bonus results for April 3, 2026

Published

1 day ago

April 4, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at April 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 3 drawing

31-45-62-63-68, Mega Ball: 15

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 3 drawing

02-07-18-20, Bonus: 08

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 3 drawing

08-16-37-45-53, 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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