Montana
O.J. Simpson Had Unusual & Surprising Montana Crime Connection
By all accounts, football star O.J. Simpson never had a direct connection with Montana.
Simpson, who passed away this week from cancer at the age of 76, was certainly celebrated by Montana football fans during his award-winning collegiate football career, and his time in the NFL. We enjoyed his movies, and along with the rest of the world, we watched transfixed during his infamous double murder trial in the 1990s.
There was also one specific connection made by the Montana Legislature within the past decade. And it’s a connection once seen as important to crime victims in the Treasure State.
O.J. Simpson Succumbed to Cancer at Age 76
Simpson’s celebrated trial left a lasting impact
Simpson’s 1995 trial, and subsequent acquittal for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and friend Ron Goldman, kept everyone glued to the TV for weeks. It was one of the true national viral moments in the early days of the Internet, at the height of cable television’s influence and long before social media.
It also had a long-reaching impact on criminal law, specifically involving domestic violence.
It took a while for Montana to react
While other states used the case to adjust laws, it wasn’t until 2015 that a law change was proposed that was spurred by evidence in the Simpson case.
That year, Bozeman Republican Matthew Monforton introduced a bill that would have allowed past accusations of domestic violence to be entered into evidence at a subsequent proceeding, similar to how evidentiary law was changed in California.
Rep. Matthew Monforton, 2015; MT Legislature photo
The proposal sparked concern from lawmakers
Monforton argued that he trusted juries to be “capable of sifting through evidence” and “finding the truth”.
The bill did pass the House 55 to 45 but was criticized by other Republicans and Democrats for being too broad, allowing cases to expand beyond specific accusations to a defendant’s character. It moved over to the Senate but died in committee.
10 Years of Data: Montana’s Alcohol Consumption
Montanans are known for drinking alcohol but what does the data say? These results come from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaire and include 10 years of responses.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health. BRFSS Prevalence & Trends Data [online]. 2015.
Gallery Credit: Ashley
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing
03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing
06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
08-16-17-22-27
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, 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.
HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.
This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.
Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.
The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.
NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.
“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.
According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.
“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.
The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.
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