Category: News Article

Nine blows of the original Granite Mountain whistle sounded Thursday night to break a moment of silence for the lives lost in the 1917 fire at the Granite Mountain and Speculator mines. Nine whistles meant that an uncontrollable fire was burning in the mine. Some in the crowd at the memorial site wore T-shirts commemorating the anniversary of the Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine fire of June 8, 1917, which remains the worst disaster in hard-rock mining history 100 years later. Hard-rock miners Larry Hoffman and Matt Krattiger wore helmets with carbide lamps, their open flames jumping and flickering in the breeze.

Montana’s U.S. senators both honored the victims and survivors of the Granite Mountain-Speculator mine disaster with statements on the Senate floor and in the Congressional Record. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines read a Senate proclamation “meant to recognize the strength of those Montanans who sacrificed their lives in support our nation’s military work in World War I, as well as those who jumped to help a fallen brother without question.” He added, “One hundred years after this tragedy, we are also reminded of how far we have come in hard rock mining. Jobs that were once seen as high

The U.S. Forest Service’s proposed 2018 budget presents its public and private observers with lots of rebuilding work to do. On Wednesday, Montana’s Democratic and Republican senators both challenged Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell to replace or re-energize programs slashed in President Donald Trump’s preliminary budget plan. And more locally, Forest Service partners have started bracing for dramatic losses of funding. “This budget is a wreck,” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana told Tidwell during a hearing before the Senate Interior Appropriations Committee. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, pressed Tidwell for stronger efforts to get national forest timber into local sawmills and maintain

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) railed against bullying and sexual harassment in the National Park system—specifically in Yellowstone National Park. Earlier this year, investigators from the U.S. Department of the Interior released a report alleging “credible evidence” of sexual harassment in the Yellowstone workforce, especially in the maintenance division. The report came after allegations surfaced across the National Park system. Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk has promised broad changes to how the park handles harassment, acknowledging that problems are “not limited to one unit of Yellowstone National Park.” According to the Billings Gazette, Daines voiced his comments during a subcommittee hearing about workplace problems in the National Park Service. “As a son, husband and father of

U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced 20 Montana airports, including those in Cut Bank, Shelby and Conrad, have received $8,989,592.00 in funding for critical upgrades and maintenance. “Montana’s community airports play a critical role in connecting our state,” Daines stated. “Every single dollar makes a huge difference to keeping our rural airports reliable and ready to use.” Daines secured the following provisions in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization: Airport Improvement Program (AIP) dollars which build and maintain Montana’s critical aviation infrastructure such as runways. Daines has also engaged the FAA to expedite grants to northern states with short construction seasons. The funding

In a press release issued by Senator Steve Daines, he challenged the head of the U.S. Forest Service, Tom Tidwell this week to reverse a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that negatively impacts forest health, recreation and wildlife habitat. “We can’t get logs to the mills – it’s a sad, sad state of affairs and it is because of these extreme environmental groups who are litigating many of our sales that we have right now in Montana,” Daines stated. “We aren’t taking care of the forest – then we see them burn. We can reduce the wildfire risk,

House Speaker Paul Ryan said that when it comes to negotiating legislation to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is in charge. Internal White House divisions have raised questions about how and when President Donald Trump’s administration expects Congress to authorize more borrowing to keep from defaulting on U.S. debts. Politico reportedTuesday that Trump also stands behind Mnuchin. “The Treasury secretary is and should always be the person in charge of debt-limit negotiations, debt-limit legislation,” Ryan of Wisconsin told reporters Wednesday. “That’s the natural thing.” Mnuchin has said he prefers a clean bill without other conditions attached, while

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) on Wednesday kept his promise on paying out a bet made over Montana’s recent House special election. Sean McElwee, a policy analyst at Demos Action, and Daines originally made a bet on May 8 over how many points then-GOP candidate Greg Gianforte would win in the Montana race for it’s lone House seat.  The bet was made in a series of tweets, so when Daines lost he made sure to tweet at McElwee asking for his Venmo account — a smartphone app that lets users charge and transfer money to friends. Shortly after, McElwee tweeted “OMG” alongside a screenshot of a

No one is turned away at the Sapphire Community Health clinic in Hamilton for inability to pay and, thanks to a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), our local Community Health Center will continue to offer its valuable services to Bitterroot community members for another three years. Community Health Centers are funded through a combination of federal and local grants and payments from patients and insurance companies and must compete once every three years for federal grant funding. The latest grant to Sapphire Community Health will provide $704,000 annually over the next three years to assist patients

Scammers are constantly figuring out new ways to take your money. It’s a problem the Montana Attorney General’s Office and AARP are trying to get ahead of. “The scams are going up, they’re more sophisticated because of data breaches. They can look and seem more legitimate because they have some personal information,” Montana Attorney General Tim Fox said. During a statewide teleconference on Monday, state officials — including Fox and Senator Steve Daines — took questions from callers about scammers. Fox said the number of scams being reported is going up, “the scams are getting more convincing as criminals use stolen