In The News

A high-tech company in Bozeman is expanding into a new 62,000-square-foot facility off East Valley Center Road, where it will develop equipment that will be used in hundreds of military and civilian applications. FLIR Systems has three smaller facilities in the Bozeman area and is planning to consolidate them into a single building that is now under construction on Jamboree Way near Taco Bell and Comfort Suites. The new building, which will be finished next year, will let the company grow, said Randy Equall, the company’s vice president of laser operations. “We’re bursting at the seams in our current plant,

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 — Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release on Sept. 2: U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that Montana’s assisted living facilities may now apply for funding under the Provider Relief Fund to protect their patients and continue providing care throughout the pandemic. This follows Daines’ direct request to the Administration to ensure assisted living facilities receive support under the Provider Relief Fund to care for and protect Montana’s most vulnerable. “Expanding the Provider Relief Fund to assisted living facilities will ensure that Montana’s frontline providers are equipped to care for and keep Montana’s most

BOZEMAN, Mont. — FLIR, a Bozeman sensory technology company, gave Congressman Greg Gianforte and Sen. Steve Daines a tour of its new facility, which is under construction. The company is well-known for infrared and thermal imaging. FLIR designs and manufactures cameras and sensors using heat technology. The company grows crystals, which are used in their laser products. Multiple agencies benefit from the technology, including firefighters, law enforcement, search and rescue and border patrol. FLIR Vice President Randy Equall says the new facility location allows them to bring their three sites together into a single site and give them the capability

BILLINGS — It’s crunch time for Minor League Baseball in its effort to negotiate a new Professional Baseball Agreement with Major League Baseball, but answers are few and far between about the future of the Pioneer League and other MiLB clubs in limbo. The 30-year PBA is set to expire at the end of September — 27 days, officially — and the Pioneer League, which has been in operation in Montana and surrounding states for more than 80 years, is among those short-season coalitions in danger of losing their major league development contracts as MLB and MiLB haggle over a

U.S. Senator Steve Daines has announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund approved $7,816,794 for the State of Montana to provide financial assistance to Montanans who have lost wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the $6,779,366distributed to the State of Montana last week. “This critical funding will help the thousands of Montanans who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and give them the support they need to get through these tough times,” Daines said. “I will continue working alongside the Administration to ensure struggling Montanans have access to additional unemployment funds.” Daines announced last

U.S. Senator Steve Daines has announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) distributed $9,797,300 to 70 nursing homes in Montana to support increased testing for COVID-19, staffing, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needs. “This critical funding will support COVID-19 testing, staffing, and PPE needs for our nursing homes across Montana,” Daines said. “I’m committed to ensuring that Montana’s most vulnerable and those who care for them are protected throughout the pandemic.” Daines worked to secure this allocation as a distribution under the Provider Relief program funded through the bipartisan CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is asking Gov. Steve Bullock’s office to release more information on COVID-19 cases and deaths within Montana’s senior care facilities. Daines announced Friday that he had sent a letter to Bullock, saying the state’s data was giving “an incomplete picture of the impact of COVID-19 on Montana’s senior communities.” “In order to help mitigate the number of lives lost moving forward, I encourage you to make public cases and deaths due to COVID-19 in long-term care facilities by licensure category without further delay,” he said in the letter. The letter pointed to an online report from

Earlier this week, Columbus Police Officer Jason Ferguson and Stillwater County Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Waltner got a thank you that neither is likely to forget. While on duty at the Columbus Town Pump, the two men found themselves eye to eye with United States Sen. Steve Daines, who approached them to offer his thanks for their service. Daines was on his way back to Bozeman at the time and made an impression. “What a cool guy. Senator Daines came up and thanked Clay Waltner and I for the job we do. The feeling is mutual,” Ferguson wrote in a Facebook

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines has weighed in on whether Montana schools should allow fans at sporting events. In a recent Facebook post, Daines said parents should be allowed to watch their children play fall sports. Daines called on Gov. Steve Bullock, who is challenging him for his Senate seat in the upcoming election, to develop a statewide plan for allowing parents to participate from the bleachers. “As a dad of 4, I can’t imagine missing out on watching my kids play sports,” Daines states. “I’ve heard from parents across Montana and they want leadership on this issue NOW. It’s time