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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

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

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

MISSOULA, Mont. — Sen. Steve Daines is one of more than 50 senators hoping to see the Great American Outdoors Act pass in the U.S. Senate next month. He calls it one of the greatest conservation acts in decades and on Wednesday visited one of the Montana sites it would fund. The Lolo Phase II Trail LWCF Project is a priority project for fiscal year 2021. It would add about 8,000 acres to the existing site near Lolo. It’s just one that would be funded by the LWCF if the act gets through the Senate, House and then signed by

While the CARES Act approved by Congress during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a broad shot of financial help for individuals up to large businesses, there have still been reports of some small businesses that continue to struggle. Montana Senator Steve Daines is hoping a bill he’s co-sponsoring with New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker will help fill some of those gaps. The Small Business Local Relief Fund would target $50 billion in economic relief to “seed and scale” relief funds for small businesses at the city or county level. This time around, dollars are for businesses

A little bit of Montana will be heading skyward soon as part of historic SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station, a U.S. senator said. The mission, known as DM-2, will include single-use lockers built in part by students from Billings and Helena, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said in a news release. This was done through NASA’s High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware program. Wednesday’s launch was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown because of thunderclouds and the danger of lightning. Liftoff was rescheduled for Saturday afternoon. It will also mark the first attempt

Sen. Steve Daines R-Mont., held a town hall Friday to answer questions or concerns Montanans have about COVID-19. He said he is doing everything he can as a senator to help all Montanans and people in need get through this tough time. Four hundred and seventy-nine Montanans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, he said, Friday, adding that 16 have died and currently there are three active hospitalizations. Gov. Steve Bullock offered his condolences this morning on the 17th death from COVID-19, which he said was confirmed by the Yellowstone County public health department. Friday, Daines said the effort of Montanans

Montana Sen. Steve Daines spoke with One America’s Stephanie Myers about holding China accountable for the coronavirus pandemic, the HEROES Act and the importance of liability protections once businesses reopen. Click HERE to watch the video. 

BOZEMAN — On Monday, Bozeman honored its fallen veterans at Sunset Hills Cemetery for Memorial Day. “This is our special moment, that we can remember those, pray for those and love those that went before us and gave the ultimate sacrifice,” said American Legion Post # 14 Commander Len Albright. There was also a silent march that went down Main Street. Gabriel Martin, an Army veteran, was one of the participants in the march. “I remember all the friends I don’t have here and we honor them,” he said. During the ceremony at Sunset Hills Cemetery, there were a few