Montana
Montana Morning Headlines: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
WESTERN MONTANA — Here’s a look at Western Montana’s top news stories for Wednesday.
Thompson falls residents are paying around 110 dollars a month for water and sewer services on vacant lots that aren’t even connected to utilities, an issue that was brought up at Monday night’s city council committee meeting. Now, community members are circulating recall petitions targeting the mayor and several city council members over the billing practice. (Read the full story)
Two Missoula restaurants, Pangea and the Stave & Hoop Speakeasy, announced temporary closures due to unexpected changes on Tuesday. Management said both will return with new concepts and ownership, calling it a “see you soon” rather than goodbye. (Read the full story)
Travelers’ Rest State park is celebrating 25 years as a state park, where both Salish ancestors and Lewis and Clark once camped near Lolo Creek. The historic site now draws about 80,000 visitors annually from around the world to learn about the area’s rich history. (Read the full story)
Montana
Rob McManus, Jenavieve Lynch win titles for Montana State at Big Sky Conference track and field championships
GRESHAM, Ore. — Montana State seniors Rob McManus and Jenavieve Lynch stood on the top step in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and hammer throw, respectively, in a strong Friday for the Bobcats at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships.
The Bobcat men tallied 44 points on Friday to increase their total to 49 through seven events, and the women collected 36 points after seven events. The men sit in second place after three days of competition, while the women are in fifth. In total, Montana State collected two individual titles, five All-Big Sky honors, 15 scoring performances and five program top-10 marks on Friday. Additionally, the Bobcat women collected 16 advancing times on the track, while the men added three.
The Bobcats tallied three scoring performances in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, led by McManus’ third straight Big Sky title with a time of 8:34.32. He earned the victory by 3.52 seconds to earn his fourth consecutive medal in the event, including a silver in 2023 and gold in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Ben Saelens earned a seventh-place result with a time of 8:59.29, finishing just three hundredths of a second shy of his own personal best. Eli Boppart claimed the eighth and final scoring position with a time of 9:07.42 as all three Bobcats entered in the event secured points for Montana State, which earned 13 points thanks to their efforts.
The women’s hammer throw trio of Lynch, Sydney Brewster and Sydney Mattfeldt all scored on Friday behind Lynch’s Big Sky title in the final field event of the day. Lynch recorded a mark of 55.67 meters/182 feet, 7 inches on her third attempt to sweep the 2026 Big Sky indoor and outdoor titles in the weight throw and hammer throw, respectively. She has earned All-Big Sky honors in those two events during each of the last two seasons.
Brewster placed fifth in the hammer on Friday with a mark of 53.31m/174-11, and Mattfeldt took eighth with a mark of 51.10m/167-8. Friday marked Mattfeldt’s second scoring performance in the hammer and Brewster’s first.
Tilde Bjerager earned Montana State’s first scoring performance of the weekend on the women’s side with a runner-up finish in the high jump to earn All-Big Sky honors. She cleared 1.74m/5-8.50 in her collegiate debut in the event to collect eight points for the Bobcats. The mark places her fifth in Montana State history in the outdoor high jump.
Bob Hartley and Jordan Lasher finished third and fourth, respectively in the pole vault to claim 11 points for the Bobcat men. Hartley vaulted to fifth in Montana State history with his personal-best mark of 5.24m/17-2.25 to take home bronze for the first time outdoors and the second time in his career following his third-place finish at the 2025 Big Sky Indoor Championships. Lasher posted a mark of 5.14m/16-10.25 to follow up his third-place finish indoors earlier this season with a fourth-place result in Gresham.
Matt Furdyk and Easton Hatleberg combined for 10 points in the hammer throw as Furdyk placed third for all-conference honors and Hatleberg took fifth place. Furdyk recorded a mark of 62.30m/204-4 on his final attempt for his second career All-Big Sky honor in the hammer throw. Hatleberg posted a mark of 59.92m/196-7 on his sixth and final attempt to earn four points for the Cats.
Claire Rutherford and Madi Siana clocked respective times of 34:25.66 and 34:38.35 in the women’s 10,000m to finish fourth and fifth. The duo combined for nine points for the Bobcat women, with Rutherford collecting her five points in her collegiate 10,000m debut.
Niamh Motley earned a fifth-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase thanks to a pass on Northern Arizona’s Tess Hannigan in the final 100 meters of the race. She clocked a time of 10:15.52 to claim the No. 3 spot on Montana State’s all-time top-10 list, obliterating her own personal-best time by 26 seconds.
Trystin Chapel placed eighth in the long jump to claim one point for Montana State. He posted a mark of 6.87m/22-6.50 on his second attempt to score for the Bobcats.
Montana State advanced four runners to Saturday’s final in the women’s 200m. Caroline Hawkes clocked a 23.77 to post the fastest time in the prelims, Jaeden Wolff finished third with a 24.27, Brooke Reuter posted a 24.37 for sixth place and Peyton Garrison secured the eighth and final spot with a time of 24.57.
Three Bobcats will run in Saturday’s 400m hurdles final after clocking three of the five fastest times in the prelims on Friday. Bjerager led the pack with a time of 59.41, Olivia Lewis posted a 1:00.32 for the third-fastest time in the field and Giulia Gandolfi won her heat with a time of 1:00.74 to place fifth overall.
Bjerager and Millie Hubbell both earned qualifying times for Saturday’s 100m hurdles final, with Bjerager posting the fastest time in the prelims with a 13.59 and Hubbell clocking a 13.89 to finish second in her heat and sixth overall. Bjerager improved her own No. 3 time in program history by one hundredth of a second with her performance.
Hawkes clocked the fastest time in the 400m prelims to advance to Saturday’s final. She posted a time of 54.12 on Friday and will look to sweep the Big Sky indoor and outdoor 400m titles with a win on Saturday.
Harvey Cramb crossed the finish line first in the 800m prelims on Friday to punch his ticket to Saturday’s final. Cramb clocked a time of 1:48.84 to advance and provide a strong scoring opportunity for the Bobcats.
Jett Grundy advanced to the final in the 400m on the men’s side, winning his heat with a time of 47.19 to place second overall in the prelims.
Nash Coley finished third overall and first in his heat the 400m hurdles prelims with a time of 52.28 and will run in Saturday’s final.
Two Bobcats advanced to the final in the women’s 1,500m as Kalei Moravitz placed fifth and Annie Kaul took eighth in the prelims. Moravitz clocked a time of 4:34.00 to finish fifth in her heat and qualify based on time, and Kaul crossed the finish line in 4:40.28 to win her heat and earn an automatic qualification to Saturday’s final.
Later in the day, Kaul and Moravitz also clocked top-eight times in the 800m to advance to Saturday’s final. Kaul was the second overall finisher in the prelims with a time of 2:07.53, while Moravitz finished second in her heat and eighth overall with a 2:11.68.
Wolff and Reuter claimed the final two spots in the 100m final with their performances in the prelims on Friday. Both runners crossed the finish line in 11.88, with Wolff finishing seventh and Reuter taking eighth thanks to a tiebreaker that found them just one thousandth of a second apart. Reuter improved her No. 8 time in Montana State history with the result.
Full results from the Big Sky Outdoor Championships are available here.
Montana State will open its fourth and final day of competition in Oregon on Saturday at 11 a.m. MT. The men’s discus featuring Matt Furdyk and Talon Holmquist will kick off the field events, while running events will get underway at 12:30 p.m. with the women’s 4x100m relay, in which Garrison, Hawkes, Reuter and Wolff are expected to compete.
Montana
Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Big Sky Bonus results for May 15, 2026
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 15, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 15 drawing
17-23-25-52-61, Mega Ball: 03
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 15 drawing
01-06-21-22, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 15 drawing
07-08-27-29-30, Bonus: 02
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.
Montana
Montana 250th Commission awards $100,000 to fund 40 events for America’s 250th in 2026
MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana organizations are getting a financial boost to help communities mark America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
The Montana 250th Commission announced the recipients of its Event Sponsorship Program, awarding $100,000 to 40 organizations across the state.
The funding is intended to support community celebrations recognizing the Semiquincentennial.
The commission said the sponsorships will fund events, activities and programs that honor the anniversary while engaging communities throughout Montana.
“From parades and fairs to concerts and historical reenactments, these events will bring Montanans together to celebrate our shared heritage and the freedoms we cherish,” said Commission Chair Chris Averill. “We’re thrilled to support community organizations across the state as they create memorable experiences that connect Montana’s story to America’s 250-year journey, on July 4th and beyond.”
“The Commission is grateful to the Legislature for the funding, and to Governor Gianforte for signing HB 2 into law,” said Averill. “We continue to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely on activities that recognize the tremendous history of America, Montana, and our Tribal Nations; that bring Montanans together in celebration of America’s founding; and that educate Montana students and the general public on U.S., Montana, and Tribal history and government and our shared civic responsibility.”
Event Sponsorship Recipients:
- Cascade County Historical Society (Great Falls) – Cottonwood Festival – $5,000
- Belt Performing Arts Center (Belt) – The Belt Performing Arts Center Presents Oh, That Dreadful Tea! A Musical about the Boston Tea Party: A Community Celebration for the 250th Anniversary of the United States – $5,000
- Livingston Area Chamber (Livingston) – Historic Livingston Roundup Parade – $5,000
- Blaine County (Chinook) – Blaine County Fair – Veterans and Elders Tribute Exhibit – $5,000
- Helena Symphony (Helena) – Helena Symphony Season 72 Opening Night ~ America 250 – $5,000
- Flathead County Fairgrounds (Kalispell) – Honoring Veterans at Rodeo – $5,000
- Town of Denton (Denton) – Pies, Parades & Pyrotechnics – $5,000
- American Legion Auxiliary Border Unit 73 (Kevin) – North Toole County 250 Celebration Mural Project – $5,000
- Town of Plentywood (Plentywood) – Various July 4 community programs and activities for America 250 — $5,000
- Friends of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula (Missoula) – 1776 Speaker Series AND 4th at the Fort on 4th of July – $4,000
- Special Olympics Montana (Great Falls) – Special Olympics Montana’s Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary! – $4,375
- Department of Montana Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4042 (Bigfork) – Celebration of Independence 1776-2026 – 250 Years of Military Service and Freedom – $3,608.93
- The Judith Mountain Players (Lewistown) – The History of the Declaration of Independence – $3,500
- Southeast Montana Area Revitalization Team (Baker) – Fallon County’s Fourth of July Celebrations – $3,500
- Townsend American Legion Post 42 (Townsend) – American Legion Semiquincentennial Flag/Banner and Independence Day Event – $3,000
- Fergus County Fairgrounds (Lewistown) – Central Montana Fair – $3,109.07
- Miracle of America Museum (Polson) – From Minutemen to Desert Sands, 250 Years of Heroes – $2,950
- Montana Veterans Memorial Association (Great Falls) – Memorial Day Ceremony – $2,500
- Powder River Historical Society (Broadus) – Battle of Powder River Commemoration – $2,500
- Augusta Area Historical Society (Augusta) – South Fork Roundup of Cowboy Poetry and Music – $2,400
- Museums Association of Montana (Great Falls) – Montana’s Museums: Revolutionary New Beginnings Conference – $2,300
- Quality of Life Corporation (Colstrip) – Colstrip Days – $2,000
- Mission Valley Choral Society (Polson) – Mission Valley Choral Society’s Spring Concert Weekend – Theme: “Let Freedom Sing” – $1,500
- Mineral County Fair (Superior) – Mineral County Fair – $1,500
- Virginia City Preservation Alliance (Virginia City) – Forgotten Heroes – $1,500
- Town of Plains (Plains) – Fire Hydrant Painting – $1,300
- Old Glory Landmark Committee (Helena) – Children’s Activities – $1,000
- City of Boulder (Boulder) – Fourth of July Celebration in Veterans’ Park – $1,000
- Crazy Peak Cattle Women Inc. (Big Timber) – Big Timber 250 Celebration – $1,000
- Shields Valley Schools (Wilsall) – Red, White, & BBQ: Celebrate the 250th Independence Day in Shields Valley – $1,000
- Western Legacy Center, Incorporated (Whitehall) – 250 Year Birthday Celebration – $1,000
- City of Three Forks (Three Forks) – Community Cookout and Flag Giveaway – $1,000
- The Extreme History Project (Bozeman) – A Commonplace for Independence: Making Meaning at America’s 250th – $800
- Lewis & Clark Lodge Post No 3831 Veterans of Foreign Wars (Pony) – VFW Community Picnic – $750
- Kalispell Lions Club (Kalispell) – Distribute Miniature US Flags to Kalispell Area First Graders “Flags for First Graders” – $700
- Butte Silver Bow Quilt Guild (Butte) – Butte Silver Bow Quilt Guild Biennial Quilt Show “Quilting through Time 1776-2026” – $700
- Wheatland County (Harlowton) – “Happy Birthday, America!” 4th of July Parade – $507
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