Daines, Tester say U.S. Postal Service must be preserved
HELENA — Montana’s two U.S. senators say Congress must act to salvage the Postal Service, which is bleeding cash and says it needs a $75 billion infusion. “Montanans rely on the U.S. Postal Service for everything from prescription-drug delivery to absentee voting,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Friday. “To say it is a crucial lifeline, especially for folks living in rural communities, would be an understatement.” Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines also called the USPS “vital for a rural state like Montana,” as it delivers drugs and other necessities to areas not served by for-profit delivery companies. “This is
It’s kind of a scary time’: Glacier-area businesses await reopening
WEST GLACIER – Normally, Montana House is the only business in Glacier National Park’s Apgar Village that is open year-round. But these are not normal times. “This would be, for the early season, a very busy weekend,” said Monica Jungster, owner of the craft shop. Friday brought temperatures in the 70s, plenty of sunshine and just a wisp of breeze to Glacier National Park’s western gateway. But with Glacier still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the only ones there to enjoy it were a handful of maintenance staff and Jungster, whose parents founded Montana House in 1960. “This is
West Glacier businesses meet with Daines to discuss GNP opening date
A handful of West Glacier businesses met with Montana Sen. Steve Daines on Friday to express frustration and concern over an opening date for Glacier National Park. MTN spoke with Gary Hamilton who is the CEO of Hamilton Group Limited, a souvenir manufacturing company that relies on Glacier Park tourism. “With respect to the park we’re in a very difficult situation,” he said. “The park is not open and they’re hopeful for some time of reopening in June. A lot of the customers we deal with in and around Glacier are either putting their business with us on hold or
Senators: Trump reverses on Guard COVID active duty
Montana’s U.S. senators have said the Trump administration has reversed course on plans to limit the length of service for National Guard members during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving them access to additional federal benefits. To assist local and state governments in their response to the national health emergency, troops from the Army and Air National Guards across 54 states and territories, including Montana, have been put on state active duty or mobilized under Title 32 orders. Title 32 orders give federal authorization for in-country full-time National Guard service. The administration had planned to put a “hard stop” on deployment of Army
Daines Successfully Protects Benefits for the National Guard During the Coronavirus Pandemic
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that he successfully secured extended orders for National Guard members to protect their benefits while serving during the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement follows Daines’ request to President Trump to extend the orders. “Our brave guardsmen and women working on the frontlines of this pandemic every day to protect the health and safety of our communities need the assurance their benefits will be protected as they serve,” Daines said. “I’m glad the President acted swiftly on my request to ensure our National Guard service members are put on orders long enough to
MT conservation groups throw support behind permanent outdoor funding
LOLO — Montana conservation groups are throwing their support behind a bill that would provide permanent financial support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The groups say the Great American Outdoors Act would resolve the uncertainty that’s existed for the important pot of money for the past several years. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is a co-sponsor of the measure which has bi-partisan support in the Senate as a means to permanently pay for the LCWF. That money, which is generated from offshore oil leases, has been in question for the past few years, jeopardizing a fund critical to help to pay for
Daines, Lewis & Clark Brewing highlight value of Paycheck Protection funding
HELENA — Max Pigman, owner of Helena’s Lewis and Clark Brewing Company, says the COVID-19 pandemic hit at a difficult time for his business. “We were in a mode where our business was really growing well and we were just moving into new markets and just expanded into Las Vegas – and then all of a sudden the faucet got turned off,” he said. Pigman estimates Lewis and Clark lost at least 12% to 15% of its expected revenue from brewing, and the company is seeing smaller profit margins because it has shifted more of its beer into cans instead
Helena brewery tells Daines he’d like longer PPP terms in future aid
About $82,000 from the federal Paycheck Protection Program allowed Helena brewery owner Max Pigman to keep all 13 of his production employees at work through the novel coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, Pigman told U.S. Sen. Steve Daines during a tour of Lewis and Clark Brewing Co. that he’d like to see another round of funding on an extended timetable as the state moves toward what’s expected to be a slow economic recovery. “The worst thing that you fear as a business owner, as you grow a team, is you’re not only responsible for your own income and being able to
“Holy Grail” of conservation bills would fund LWCF, Lolo Trails Landmark Project
FORT FIZZLE – Gathered near the banks of Lolo Creek in the warming summer sun, members of the conservation community on Wednesday celebrated news that the Land and Water Conservation Fund is moving closer to full and permanent funding in the U.S. Senate. If the measure passes, it would help complete the Lolo Trails Landmark Project south of Missoula – an ambitious effort to acquire a block of former timber land prized for its habitat, historic values and promise of public access. Sen. Steve Daines, one of the bill’s sponsors, said passage of LWCF could be weeks away, marking what