Category: News Article

The Christmas tree at the Billings MET Transit station is going to have make room underneath for two new buses.  The city learned last week it has received a $840,000 federal transportation grant, which will be used to buy two new buses and install several of tech upgrades for its bus fleet to make riding easier for passengers with disabilities.  The federal Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program is competitive, and Kevin Ploehn, director of transportation for the city, said it was awarded at just the right time.   “We are just about ready to order new buses so this

NASA’s newest senior adviser will tell anyone who’ll listen that he grew up in Poplar, Montana.  The way Mike Gold sees it, if he can start in rural Eastern Montana, graduate from Senior High and make it all the way to Washington, D.C., then other kids growing up in equally underserved or overlooked communities can do it too.  “It’s so important that we not leave rural America behind,” he said.   Gold was sworn in earlier this week by Sen. Steve Daines to serve as NASA’s senior adviser for oversight and direction of internal and international affairs. His passion is the

KALISPELL — U.S. Senator Steve Daines hosted U.S. Attorney General William Barr in Kalispell Friday to discuss Montana’s meth crisis.  Local law enforcement voiced concerns to the Attorney General including Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino and Kalispell Police Chief Doug Overman. Research from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services shows 23 deaths were attributed to methamphetamine in Montana in 2017. The study shows more than 1,800 criminal violations involved meth in Montana that same year. Senator Daines said the numbers jump off the page. “The stats are staggering with what’s happening right now with methamphetamines right now

The three members of Montana’s congressional delegation on Friday praised the passage of a bill this week renaming the Missoula post office in honor of the nation’s first congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin. The U.S. House passed the measure in mid-October and the U.S. Senate followed suit on Thursday, drawing praise from Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines. The bill is going to President Donald Trump for signature. “Jeannette Rankin was a trailblazer for women’s rights and a leader for all Montanans,” Daines said in a statement. “I’m glad to see our bipartisan bill honoring her legacy head to President Trump’s desk

The U.S. Senate passed a bill this week to rename Bozeman’s Department of Veterans Affairs clinic after local Medal of Honor recipient Travis Atkins. The House must also approve the bill before the facility at 300 N. Willson Ave., becomes the Travis W. Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic. The clinic is one of 14 in the state that provides outpatient services to veterans. “I’m hopeful this bill will be quickly signed into law, so that folks in Bozeman and across this grateful nation may properly honor Sgt. Atkins’ courage — and legacy — for generations to come,” said Sen.

PABLO — U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced a new federal strategy to address missing and murdered Indigenous people Friday during a visit to the Flathead Indian Reservation. On his visit, Barr also discussed methamphetamine-related problems with Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, expressed support for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai water compact, and visited an overlook of the National Bison Range, where he heard the tribes’ goals for the area. A report released last year by the Urban Indian Health Institute said there were 5,712 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous girls in 2016, but only 116 of those cases

Two pieces of major conservation legislation reached a “milestone” Tuesday, Republican Sen. Steve Daines told the Montana media after a Senate committee advanced legislation that would fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and address the maintenance backlog at national parks. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing Tuesday morning to consider the two bills and offer amendments.  Tuesday’s action follows the passage of a lands package earlier this year. That package was pushed by Montana’s delegation and included permanent reauthorization of LWCF. If it receives the president’s signature, Senate Bill 1081 considered Tuesday would

With the help of Sen. Steve Daines, the U.S. Senate has the chance to finally consider full funding for a public land and parks grant program and some funding for overdue national park maintenance. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, of which Daines is a member, passed more than a dozen bills out of committee, but two may be of particular interest to Montanans.  The first would require Congress to allocate $900 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund every year, the full amount allowed by law. That would provide more matching funds for states and

Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, of Helena, has secured $15.5 million in federal funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester both provided aid to the organization in securing this competitive funding over the next five years. However, according to Sara Medley, CEO of Mountain-Pacific, this is about half of the funding the organization received in 2014.  Medley described the funding as “insanely competitive” and noted that there are comprehensive evaluation metrics at play in this “value-based contract.” Medley explained this means the organization “has to perform well” in its efforts to promote better health

Google should explain why it’s collecting mass amounts of health care data on U.S. citizens and ensure the information isn’t being taken without permission, said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., in a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai Thursday.  In a letter obtained by Fox News, Daines highlights Google’s “Project Nightingale,” which has the company collecting health data on millions of Americans without sharing the goals of the project.  “While I recognize the value of partnerships that are aimed to personalize medical treatment, reduce health care costs, and improve patient outcomes, one of my top priorities in Congress is upholding the privacy rights of Montanans, and