The Big Why

Railroads helped build the state we know today. Now, rail travel has all but disappeared in Montana, and many unused lines are going dormant or being abandoned. What happens to them next?

An oil company comes in, drills a hole and a well is born. But what if the well stops producing or the company in charge goes bankrupt, leaving behind holes that can be thousands of feet deep, spout toxic gasses and muck things up on the surface? These so-called 'orphan wells' are all over Montana.

"How's life? Are you liking life okay? Are you aware that you're living a really unusual life for a deer? I just got really curious because you can’t ask a deer how it’s feeling. So I thought I’d ask you guys and see if you had some insights."

The Ringing Rocks is a roadside attraction people have been visiting for a long time. It's a big heap of boulders that give off a resonant bell-like ringing sound when struck with metal; at least theoretically. A listener wants to know what makes these rocks ring.

Two proposals Montanans will vote on this year would change how the state runs its future elections. Supporters say they’ll combat political polarization and extremism. Opponents say they may muck up our elections.

Billions of dollars in federal funds have been set aside for electric vehicle charging stations across the country. What does that look like in Montana?

This week we're looking at the most annoying aspect of any election year: political ads. A listener wants to know if there's any kind of fact checking done before these ads air.

As summer heats up in Montana, so does wildfire season. This raises the question, does winter snowpack really correlate to the severity of the wildfire season? And what does a 'normal' fire season mean?

This time around, we’re unpacking an answer to a tricky education question: "Why is Montana ranked one of the last in the nation for teacher salary, and how might this be changing in the next legislative session?"

In the third and final episode of our Big Why climate series, we travel across the state to meet Montanans banding together to combat climate change.