Montana

Montana schools hit with swatting threats cause major disruptions and costs

Published

12 months ago

December 7, 2024

Montana schools hit with swatting threats cause major disruptions and costs

BILLINGS — Billings West High School was one of the many schools across the state that received swatting threats Thursday morning, and the disruption was significant to daily operations and the emotional and financial well-being of those involved.

Billings Public Schools received a call around 9:30 a.m. Thursday indicating there was an active shooter outside of West High. The call was later learned to have come from a VPN registered overseas from Sweden. Officers responded immediately and prompted an immediate lockdown.

“We had a high number of officers that came in just to sweep the school just to ensure not only was the exterior and the perimeter secure, but also inside bathrooms, common spaces, those sorts of things. While they were doing the sweep, it was clearly evident that the school had locked down and had locked down well,” said BPS school safety and emergency management coordinator Joe Halligan.

Not long after, Billings Skyview High School received a similar call from a VPN registered in the Middle East.

“There was no students and staff who exited the building in a running or there was no fighting. Nobody was injured, thankfully. But there were teachers who did lock and barricade,” said Halligan.

Mack Carmack/MTN News

Police officers at Billings West High School on Thursday morning.

Similar threats were reported at schools across the state, including in Kalispell, Butte, Helena, Great Falls, and Bozeman. Elementary schools were also placed under secure status as the situation unfolded, meaning learning continued as normal, but outdoor activities were discontinued and no one was allowed in or out of the building.

The swatting threats, in which a fake emergency is reported to trigger a large law enforcement response, were determined to be a hoax.

“While I hate when these things happen, it does take a lot of time and energy and really does have a cost associated with it,“ said Halligan. “This was the most significant one that has happened this year.”

Fake threats like these still take a very real toll.

“Yesterday started out as a situation that could have been very real,” said West High English teacher Lance Edward.

For Edward, who is also the president of the Billings Education Association, the swatting effort was just the latest in a seemingly never-ending stream of school threats.

“I can tell you that over the years, these things have happened all too regularly,” said Edward. “This is one of the difficulties of teaching in this kind of climate. It is a taxing thing on all the educators. It is something that they weigh every morning when they get up and get out of bed and decide whether to come to work.”

The disruption caused by such threats is not just physical but also psychological. For students, the trauma of lockdowns and the fear that a real threat might be looming is a heavy burden to bear. The anxiety felt by students and staff during these events can linger long after the situation is resolved.

“From an education perspective, it interrupts your classroom. It interrupts the thoughts and minds of your students and your fellow teachers, and it is something that is incredibly disruptive every single time that it happens,” said Edward. “When I came into school this morning, I had a conversation with a teacher who was quite distraught about yesterday and the impact that it had on her classes, and when you don’t know if something is actually happening or not, it can be quite a traumatic event.”

In addition to the emotional strain, these hoax threats come at a high cost to taxpayers. TDR Technology Solutions, a New York-based company that tracks how much money school swatting threats cost taxpayers and school districts, released a 2024 report that estimates the country has lost over one billion dollars in the past two years due to these false threats.

The company uses data from school districts and law enforcement in a database and uses their yearly budgets to make their calculations.

“It’s much easier to communicate with the public when you use a dollar amount,” said the CEO of TDR Technology Solutions Don Beeler.

In 2023, Montana saw 139 safety threats that impacted over 79,000 students and cost the state $4.3 million.

“The last two years, we’ve been averaging about $500 million a year in threat costs, and it’s again, it comes taxpayers are paying for the instruction, but then the students aren’t receiving the instruction,” said Beeler. “Montana is not alone. We’re seeing this across the board in every state.”

The lockdowns at Billings West and Skyview high schools only lasted a few hours, but the company estimates the financial cost to the entire district was significant, at nearly $378,421.91. That includes $34,576 in lost instructional time, $174,869 from student absentees, and $168,978 in mental health costs.

swatting1_1.11.1.jpg — According to TDR Technologies, in 2023, schools in Montana received 139 swatting threats.

“We track lost instructional hours, so in addition to the cost that we’re looking at here, all of the cost of the first responders like the police department, things of that nature are in addition to this cost,” said Beeler.

Statewide, Beeler said the costs of Thursday’s swatting threats adds up to more than $822,000, impacting schools in Billings, Kalispell, Butte, Helena, Great Falls and Bozeman.

“In one day, it went up just under a million dollars in the cost for Montana taxpayers,” said Beeler.

For Montana schools, the emotional and financial strain continues to mount.

“It’s hard to put a number on that, but I think it’s safe to say that it takes a toll on students. It takes a toll on staff,” said Halligan. “When we bring a large number of officers to a certain location, it certainly puts a burden on the rest of the city because we’ve taken resources, we’ve allocated officers that may otherwise be in different locations of the city.”

Billings schools staff said that while the response to Thursday’s incident was as quick and efficient as possible, thanking efforts from law enforcement and the training staff receives throughout the year, they are under no illusion that this will be the last time such an event occurs.

“It’s one of the parts of the job, and that’s the unfortunate reality of today’s climate,” said Edward.

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Montana

Is Montana’s Budget on Fire? – Flathead Beacon

Published

10 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a libertarian special interest group, would have you think so. And it is sending out postcards and online ads claiming that Republicans who worked with Governor Greg Gianforte to produce a balanced budget are “pouring gasoline on the fire.”

The problem is that the “accountability information” AFP is peddling is false.

Did the state budget “explode” by $16.5 billion? NO! That number is the two-year appropriation in the General Appropriations Act (HB 2). It is not how much the budget increased. The actual increase in the total state budget was $142 million over two years—a tiny fraction of the amount claimed by AFP—according to the official budget comparison as calculated per state law (17-7-151, MCA) and validated by analysts at the legislature’s nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Division. Was there a 13.5% increase in state spending? NO! AFP’s number comes from considering only part of the state budget. The total state budget grew by only 0.7%, according to the official budget comparison cited above.

Did the budget grow at “2x the rate of inflation and 7x the pace of population growth”? NO! Budget growth was 0.7%—obviously much less than what AFP claims.

Is Montana running “massive deficits”? NO! he state constitution requires a balanced budget, and the budget we passed is balanced. Montana does not engage in deficit spending. Furthermore, Montana is the only bond debt-free state in the nation because of legislative actions taken over the past two sessions.

Was this the “biggest budget in Montana’s history”? Yes. But that could be said about any year in at least the recent past (I looked back 10 years). Why is that? A big reason is that inflation drives up the cost of providing the services that most Montanans expect, e.g., law enforcement, a corrections system, mental health and drug treatment, an education system, and management of our public lands, to name only a few. Good government is about providing those services as cost effectively as possible. Governor Gianforte and his allies in the legislature have been doing just that.

Americans for Prosperity might be forgiven if they simply misunderstood a thing or two about state finance. But AFP got so much wrong that one can only conclude that it willfully distorted the truth in order to mislead Montana citizens. Where I come from in Montana that’s called lying.

David Bedey is a Republican state Representative from Hamilton.

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Montana

Showdown Montana offers discounts in exchange for canned food donations

Published

1 day ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Showdown Montana offers discounts in exchange for canned food donations

As ski season approaches and temps drop, Showdown Montana is once again turning the opening month into a chance to help the community while saving big.

Skiers can reduce the cost of a $70 lift ticket to $20 merely by contributing canned goods.

Katie Boedecker, President and General Manager of Showdown Montana, stated that the endeavor represents the company’s long-standing commitment to supporting local families.

Quentin Shores reports – watch the video:

Showdown Montana offers discounts in exchange for canned food donations

“It’s just a hard time of year for families and for people that need help. And we want to do everything we can to support this,” she explained. “We’ve been doing a food drive for at least 35 years up here.”

This year, the program is expanding. Rather than transporting donations up the mountain, visitors can now drop off 20 canned food items at participating food banks in Great Falls, Helena, Billings, Bozeman, and White Sulphur Springs.

In exchange, they will receive a certificate for a $20 lift ticket valid on any operational day in December.

“If you bring 20 cans of food to those food banks, you will get a voucher for a $20 lift ticket,” explained Avery Patrick, Showdown’s vice president and marketing director.

The new system also reduces the pressure on food banks. In earlier years, personnel had to drive trucks up the mountain to collect donations, which was a logistical nightmare during the winter. Donors can now go directly to the source.

Shaun Tatarka of the Great Falls Community Food Bank explained that bringing food to the food bank will result in a lift ticket. “There’s a limit of only ten per person.”

Donors may exchange up to 120 cans for reduced tickets while supplies last. The food bank is especially in need of cereal, canned chili, soups, and canned fruit, which help households get through the colder months.

“People really enjoy giving at this time of year,” Tatarka said. “We really rely on November and December for about 50 to 60% of our income and donations.”

Showdown plans to start on December 5, but vouchers can already be picked up during regular food bank hours.

Showdown Montana’s official opening date is December 12, though they may open on December 5 depending on conditions.

Showdown is about 65 miles southeast of Great Falls; click here to visit the website.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Lucky For Life, Big Sky Bonus results for Nov. 27, 2025

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 27, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

08-12-13-16-45, Lucky Ball: 13

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

05-14-15-21, Bonus: 15

Check Big Sky Bonus 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.

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