Montana
Montana receives federal grant to fight benefit fraud
Jonathan Ambarian
HELENA (KPAX) — Montana leaders have received a federal grant that they say will give them more tools for detecting fraud in applications for public benefits.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is receiving $424,388 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They’ll use it to set up a system that uses technology to identify potentially fraudulent online applications.
“All states across the U.S are reporting an uptick of online fraud, and this is going to give Montana the opportunity to review Montana’s standing with that,” said Heather Smith, DPHHS’ Program Compliance Bureau chief.
The federal grant is focused on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP – commonly known as “food stamps.” However, Montana has a single assistance application that covers SNAP, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF program, Medicaid eligibility and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, so the new system will also affect those programs.
DPHHS says some examples of fraud in these programs could include applicants not reporting all members of their household, not reporting their income has increased or continuing to receive benefits after moving out of state.
Smith said the new system will flag indicators that a case may have a high probability of fraud. For example, that would include applications from people living outside Montana and a high number of applications that come from the same computer or use the same phone number.
“Digital transactions are becoming so prevalent in everyday life – you know, everyone seems to have a cell phone, text message, email,” she said. “We’re submitting all sorts of applications and information online, purchasing online, and the digital information is going to be very important for us.”
Smith said the new technology will only tell DPHHS they may need to look further at a case, and they’ll investigate further before taking action. She acknowledged there could be false positives, like someone applying from a relative’s computer or many people using a computer at the library because they don’t have another way to access the internet.
DPHHS will spend the next few months putting together and testing the system, with hopes of implementing it by summer of 2025.
“It will not affect the user at all; they won’t see any different steps,” said Smith. “It’ll just be our ability to capture and utilize that data as it comes in.”
Smith said there is fraud in these programs, though she said she couldn’t give an estimate of how prevalent it is.
“For us, any amount is a high amount,” she said.
She said applying for this grant was part of DPHHS’ commitment to be good stewards of taxpayers’ money.
The department said in a statement announcing the grant that they received 1,528 referrals for potential fraud during the 2024 fiscal year, with the vast majority being for SNAP eligibility.
They said 241 people were disqualified from SNAP for program violations. DPHHS reported 1,625 referrals and 280 SNAP disqualifications in the 2023 fiscal year, and 2,035 referrals and 320 disqualifications in 2022.
Montana
Miley Cyrus on Marking 20th ‘Hannah Montana’ Anniversary: ‘I Want the Fans to Really Feel Seen’
Miley Cyrus has detailed how she came to write “Dream as One,” her Golden Globe-nominated ballad that appears during the end credits of her Disney “legend-in-law” James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, which opened this weekend. She also hinted at how she plans to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of her own Disney show’s Hannah Montana.
In a new interview with Variety conducted following the world premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in Los Angeles, Cyrus shared the story of how her song “Dream as One” ended up in Cameron’s film. She said that while she was backstage last summer at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, the director was ahead of her in line, along with Jamie Lee Curtis and Harrison Ford.
First, Curtis tapped Cyrus for the end credits to The Last Showgirl, which led to the Golden Globe-nominated “Beautiful That Way.” Then, Cyrus — a fan of the Avatar franchise — took a chance for a bucket-list opportunity and asked Cameron about how things were going on Fire and Ice. Turned out, Cameron had already discussed Cyrus with Avatar composer Simon Franglen and the idea of them working together.
Cameron came up with the song’s name, reflecting the film’s finale. Cyrus and collaborators Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt took it from there. “Coming in at the end was actually really helpful, because, when you’ve worked on something for like 20 years, you get so close to it that it’s hard to see it from that outside perspective,” Cyrus said. “I’m just writing it like someone who loves Avatar.”
As for what her plans are for marking the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana in spring 2026, she told the outlet she hopes to bring an element from Avatar into her approach to the occasion as she considers how she might commemorate it.
“Something that they always say in Avatar is ‘I see you’ — and that’s something really important that I want the fans to feel during the ‘Hannah-versary,’” Cyrus said. “Someone called it the ‘Hannah’ anniversary the other day, and I was like ‘No, no, no, it’s the ‘Hannah-versary,’” she said, adding, “I want the fans to really feel seen. They know that I appreciate them, but I also see like their growth. Because I have these moments all the time where people celebrate my evolution, but I see theirs as much as they see mine.”
When asked whether a celebration might involve in-person events or a concert tour, she teased, “TBD. That’s still in the works.” She added, “Everything takes time. I want to make something that’s meaningful, thoughtful, and really satisfying for the fans.”
Montana
Montana Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Dec. 20, 2025
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
08-21-30-41-47, Lucky Ball: 15
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
09-12-34-45-50, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
03-06-12-30, Bonus: 11
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
05-08-19-23-43, Powerball: 06
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
02-21-25-40-41
Check Montana Cash 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.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
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
Game Day Live Blog: Louisville vs. Montana | Game 12
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville men’s basketball program suffered a setback in their last time out on the floor, but the time has come to bounce back, as they return to the KFC Yum! Center to host Montana.
The Cardinals made the trek down to Rocky Top for a top-20 showdown at Tennessee, but they were punched in the mouth early and couldn’t recover. UofL wound up suffering a demoralizing 83-62 loss, falling to 0-2 in true road games so far this season.
Louisville was without star point guard Mikel Brown Jr. due to a lower back injury, but even with him on the floor, it’s unlikely they would have taken down UT. They shot just 37.9 percent from the floor, with Adrian Wooley and Ryan Conwell combining for 43 of their points. In fact, the Cards had twice as many turnovers (16) as they did assists (8), and let the Vols shoot 54.7 from the floor.
As for the Grizzlies, they are coming off a 2024-25 season in which they made the NCAA Tournament by way of winning the Big Sky Conference Tournament. However, year 12 under head coach Travis DeCuire has been up-and-down.
Montana is 1-1 against KenPom top-100 teams, losing 86-81 at Texas A&M but winning 102-93 at UNLV. Additionally, in their last time out, the Griz lost 82-75 to Montana Tech – an NAIA school – at home.
Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Montana Grizzlies
Here is where you will get all the latest updates from today’s contest in real time. Throughout the game, we will include any notes, injury updates and analysis in the game feed at the link below.
More Cardinals Stories
(Photo of KFC Yum! Center: Matt McGavic – Louisville Cardinals On SI)
You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:
Facebook – @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X – @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram – @louisvilleonsi
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky
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