Montana
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
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.
MTN News
“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.
GREAT FALLS — Blowing dust is becoming a major issue again on the Hi-Line as winds gust to 60–70+ mph, especially from Phillips County eastward.
Visibility has dropped to very low to near zero at times, and there have already been several crashes east of Glasgow near Nashua and Frazer. People are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in these areas if possible.
This is a very dangerous situation for travelers across northeast Montana. Blowing dust is causing near-zero visibility in many locations.
WATCH:
Hazardous driving along the Hi-Line
Highway 2 from Dodson to Wolf Point is closed until further notice, with only emergency travel allowed in these areas.
All red- and black-shaded roads and highways are experiencing severe driving conditions because of the low visibility.
MDT
Click here to visit the MDT 511 site.
(WEDNESDAY, MAY 13) A fast-moving front rolled through north-central Montana on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The powerful winds gusted to more than 80 miles per hour in some areas.
Shaylan Verploegen shared video from north of Havre, showing a huge “wall” of dirt and dust in a unique weather phenomenon known as a haboob; watch the video and see other viewer photos here:
Fast-moving front kicks up walls of dust
The strong winds caused some damage. There were trees blown over in Havre, Great Falls, and Helena. Part of a roof was blown off in Box Elder, and there were several carports that were destroyed in Havre. There were also numerous power outages reported across the area, some of which lasted for several hours.
Check out more photos and videos shared by KRTV viewers:
Use the form below to share your photos and/or videos with KRTV
By submitting any photo(s) and/or video(s) (collectively referred to as the “Content”), I attest that I am the creator and owner of the Content, including all copyright and other rights in the Content. I authorize Scripps Media, Inc. (“Scripps”) to use, edit, reproduce, distribute, publicly display, share, and/or transmit the Content worldwide, in perpetuity, and without restriction, including without limitation television broadcasts, digital/websites, social media, printed publication, promotions, commercial uses, and by or on any other media source or platform whether now existing or later devised, whether owned or operated by Scripps, Scripps’ parents, subsidiaries or affiliated companies, or third parties (collectively, the “Scripps Parties”) for their further use, distribution, public display, and transmission. I understand that I will not be compensated under any circumstance for providing Content to Scripps or for any use of the Content by the Scripps Parties. I waive any right to inspect and/or approve such use of the Content. I have received written permission to submit the Content for use by the Scripps Parties from any recognizable individuals that may appear in the Content. I attest that the Scripps Parties’ use of the Content will not infringe on any third party’s intellectual property rights. I release, discharge, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Scripps Parties from any and all liability, loss, damage (including consequential damages), costs, loss of services, claims, including without limitation attorney’s fees, arising from or related to the Scripps Parties’ use of the Content. I understand and agree that Scripps is under no obligation to use the Content. I represent that I am at least 18 years of age and am fully competent to provide this permission and to make these representations.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 13 drawing
22-31-52-56-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 13 drawing
17-18-28-37-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 13 drawing
02-06-10-16, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 13 drawing
08-13-39-63-66, Powerball: 02
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from May 13 drawing
02-04-13-17-32
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 13 drawing
21-24-29-42-49, Bonus: 01
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
Public Meeting at Hub on Smith Concerning Montana Water Call Prompting Priority Administration in Tongue Basin
Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart announced that on May 5, 2026, the State of Montana placed a call under Article V(A) of the Yellowstone River Compact to fill Tongue River Reservoir in Montana. As a result, priority administration is in effect on post-1950 water rights in Wyoming that divert water from the Tongue River and its tributaries and are not excluded from the compact.
A public meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 18, in the dining room of The Hub on Smith. Attendees are asked to enter on the north side of the building.
The Tongue River Basin has been experiencing drought conditions over the past year with historically low winter snowpack and streamflow conditions. According to the release, those conditions led to Montana’s interstate call and prompted the administration of the Tongue River Basin in Wyoming.
The priority administration will affect post-1950 water rights within the Tongue River Basin, including reservoir storage, stream diversions and groundwater withdrawals, all of which affect river flows. Post-1950 water rights will be regulated off or prevented from turning on. Wyoming hydrographer-commissioners will continue to administer reservoir storage and post-1950 diversions throughout the spring and work with affected water users until the administration is lifted.
As provided in the compact, domestic uses less than one-half acre in area and livestock uses, including stock reservoirs less than 20 acre-feet in capacity, are excluded from this administration. The release noted these excluded rights could be subject to future regulation to satisfy priority calls by senior Wyoming water rights.
Beginning May 5, 2026, Wyoming hydrographer-commissioners have worked to record the current storage levels of reservoirs with post-1950 water rights. Going forward, those reservoirs can continue to accrue storage so long as post-1950 storage gained after the interstate call on May 5 remains in storage until either the water is released to satisfy the Montana call or Montana lifts the call because Tongue River Reservoir will fill.
Reservoirs with unfulfilled pre-1950 water rights can continue to store water and that storage will not be subject to release to satisfy Montana’s call. However, that storage and other direct flow rights could be subject to regulation to satisfy priority calls by senior Wyoming water rights.
The priority administration will be carried out pursuant to state law by hydrographer-commissioners assigned to various portions of the Tongue River Basin, working under the direction of Division II Superintendent David Schroeder.
The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office can be contacted at:
Jack Morey, deputy state engineer, 307-777-5032, jack.morey2@wyo.gov
David Schroeder, Division II superintendent, 307-674-7012, d.schroeder@wyo.gov
Jeff Cowley, interstate streams administrator, 307-777-1942, jeff.cowley@wyo.gov
-
Iowa10 seconds agoOne injured, suspect dead after stabbing in northeastern Iowa
-
Kansas6 minutes agoAt least seven grass fires burning in southwest Kansas; highway shut down
-
Kentucky12 minutes agoFormer Kentucky FOP spokesperson pleads guilty to wire fraud
-
Louisiana18 minutes agoLouisiana receives $18.9 million in FEMA grants for hurricane recovery
-
Maine24 minutes agoMaine Trash Kings turns clutter into cash across Searsport
-
Maryland30 minutes agoSee which baby names were the most popular in DC, Maryland, and Virginia in 2025
-
Michigan36 minutes agoMan curses Arab candidate after allegedly tossing brick at office
-
Massachusetts42 minutes agoTrauma foam developed by Massachusetts company used to stop internal bleeding in first patient