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4/06/2026
The Sentinel missile deployment still lacks timeline, details
Military representatives offered few updates last week about when Great Falls residents should start to see an impact from Malmstrom Air Force Base replacing its arsenal of nuclear weapons.
About 150 people attended a U.S. Air Force town hall at West Elementary School last Thursday about the long-promised missile installations in north-central Montana, which currently hosts one-third of the country’s nuclear-armed missiles. It’s still unclear when Malmstrom will receive its first Sentinel missile.
The Air Force announced that F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming will get the new missile in the early 2030s. Malmstrom is scheduled to deploy one “a little after that, but not much,” according to Lt. Col. John Mayer, who is in charge of the Sentinel Task Force. Mayer declined to offer a more specific timeline.
The first construction for the project, a new gate, is expected to begin this summer, Mayer said.
The major construction and installation work, the kind Mayer says will attract temporary workers, won’t begin until the early 2030s.
So far, the project has brought a limited number of people to Great Falls.
“The actual number of people that are going to be moving here with kids, renting or buying houses, that number is pretty low actually,” Mayer told MTFP. “My [task force] is the only new organization on base; we’re 20 people now. We might be more than 100 at some point.”
The next town hall about the Sentinel project will happen in roughly six months, according to Pete Sturdivant, who is in charge of the new missile infrastructure.
Donna Williams, who wants nuclear-armed countries to dismantle their warheads, joined a small crowd outside the school protesting the event. She argued that, at the very least, the American nuclear arsenal far exceeds the amount of warheads necessary for deterrence. She also said the investment in upgraded weapons was an inefficient way to spur local development.
Another protestor, Carol Bellin, told MTFP that she appreciated Malmstrom’s contribution to the city’s growth, but that this project isn’t the way it should go about it.
“We have to find a way to convert this economy and move it away from nuclear weapons,” Bellin said.
Bus company for Great Falls students short on drivers
Barbie Stucker, the general manager of Big Sky Bus Lines, got a call at 5:30 a.m. on April 1. A school bus driver for Great Falls Public Schools couldn’t make it to work.
“He was supposed to be here at 6:10 a.m. So we had 40 minutes to fill a spot that we don’t have drivers for,” Stucker said.
The company is operating with only 80% of the drivers it says it needs, which means more frequent delays and more kids packed onto each bus. Stucker said someone calls out every day, exacerbating those problems.
“Kids will get home a little later than they normally would or get picked up a little bit later than they normally would,” Stucker said.
Almost every day, Stucker said, at least one driver will finish their usual route and then start another. And Big Sky Bus Lines’ office workers, like a dispatcher or a school bus manager, often end up driving.
“So, just working our fingers to the bone,” Stucker said.
Luke Diekhans, director of business operations for Great Falls Public Schools, acknowledged the shortage and commended Big Sky Bus Lines in an email to MTFP Thursday for minimizing the impact on students and schools. The school district indirectly pays for Big Sky Bus Lines’ drivers, but Stucker didn’t bemoan the contract.
“There’s a crunch for school districts, too,” Stucker said.
But without being able to offer higher wages, Stucker said attracting drivers is a challenge. She admits that bus driving is a niche occupation. It’s only part-time, and high standards shrink the number of eligible workers.
Big Sky Bus Lines pays $20.50 an hour, but drivers don’t come close to 40 hours a week. And with limited opportunity to work over school breaks, Stucker conceded that “anybody who’s trying to do this for a living can’t make enough money.”
“Hourly speaking, $20.50 an hour is not that bad, but if you’re trying to put that together over time, it’s not enough to pay your rent,” Stucker said.
She said about 70% of her current employees are mostly retired.
“For retired people, they have an income coming in,” Stucker said. “So this is the perfect gig if they like kids and like working part-time.”
To apply, call Big Sky Bus Lines at (406) 454-1283.
St. Patrick’s Academy East Campus is trying to stay afloat
Weeks after announcing St. Patrick’s Academy East Campus would close, Priest of Holy Spirit Catholic Parish Doug Krings said that the future of the Catholic K-8 school remains in question. Laura O’Neill, the school’s director, is on a mission to keep the institution open.
“This is a great place,” O’Neill told Montana Free Press. “I can’t say enough good about what Catholic education can give to children.”
Krings announced March 18 that the east campus would close, citing “long-term financial instability.” But Krings told MTFP last week that the decision was not final.
Doug Nicholson, a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Parish’s finance council and whose four kids attended the school, is drafting a proposal outlining how the school could remain open. He hopes to present it to other parish officials in the coming weeks.
The pushback continues a saga of debated changes to Great Falls’ Catholic schools. Bishop Jeff Fleming consolidated the three schools, two K-8 schools and one high school, under the name St. Patrick’s Academy in the spring of 2025. Some alumni pushed back against the change over concerns about retaining each institution’s identity.
St. Patrick’s Academy East Campus went through other changes during the most recent school year, including reducing the school week to four days and mandating that students wear uniforms every day. O’Neill said those new policies contributed to a large drop in students — about a third switched to another school.
O’Neill said that the school will need to increase enrollment and raise about $300,000. She hopes Nicholson will present a plan that pencils out.
But it’s a tight timeline. The school’s 30 teachers and staff will need to start looking for jobs, so O’Neill is hoping for answers by May. Until then, it’s about staying positive and keeping the students happy.
“We’re not going to mope around or be angry,” O’Neill said. “We are going to teach with the light of Christ in our hearts.”
Rocky Boy Health Center opens new wellness facility
The Rocky Boy Health Center last week opened the Miyo Pimatisiwinkamik Youth Wellness Center, a new 30,000-square-foot facility that will offer preventive care services, serve as a hub for language and culture revitalization efforts and host a variety of recreational activities. (“Miyo Pimatisiwinkamik” is Cree for “Good Life Lodge.”)
“I’ve been calling it a prevention facility,” said Melody Henry, who will oversee the wellness center. “We wanted a safe place for our children. We wanted a place where they could learn their strengths and be supported.”
Henry said the plan for the center was informed by community surveys, in which many young people reported wanting more things to do for fun on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. She said the facility will host a variety of activities, including recreational football, golf, rodeo, dance and art classes, among other things.
“These are things that a lot of our people are not necessarily exposed to because of our rural location,” she said. “We want to bring that here, so the kids can learn about and enjoy new things.”
Rocky Boy Health Center CEO Joel Rosette said the youth wellness center was funded primarily through tax credits and third-party revenue from billing private insurance companies and Medicaid. The center will rely on insurance payments for its medical services, along with private donations, to help sustain its other programming, Rosette said. Investing in youth, he hopes, will build a strong foundation for the community.
“These are our future leaders,” he said. “We get a chance to shape and grow them in a place that’s safe.”
— Nora Mabie
5 things to know about Great Falls
Great Falls has hired Toby Hazelbaker as its new parks and recreation director. Jessica Compton has run the organization in the interim since the spring of 2025, when former Director Steve Herrig resigned. Hazelbaker was the parks director for Salt Lake City from December 2022 to February 2026.
Great Falls Public School Board selected Empire Roofing to repair the damage to Lincoln Elementary School from March 8, when a windstorm blew the roof off. Empire Roofing bid about $399,000, making it the least expensive choice by nearly $100,000. Luke Diekhans, director of business operations for Great Falls Public Schools, told MTFP that he expects insurance to cover most of that cost.
Great Falls has had more reported fires in the first months of 2026 than it did at the beginning of last year. The fire department responded to 30 fire-related incidents from January through March in 2026, compared to only 20 during that window in 2025.
The Havre Weekly Chronicle announced in an article last week that it was closing. The move comes about a year after the newspaper’s owner, Jesse Mullen, purchased the paper and only a few months after he merged the weekly with his publication in the Hi-Line that comprises a handful formerly independent newspapers.
Great Falls Parks and Recreation announced March 27 that River’s Edge Trail has updated trail markings. The new paint is the result of a donation from the River’s Edge Trail Foundation.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
