In The News

Montana’s Senate delegation co-signed a letter to President Barack Obama asking for continued pressure to get a new Softwood Lumber Agreement with Canada. “We are disappointed that Canada appears reluctant to follow through on this commitment, which has significantly undermined (the U.S. Trade Representative’s) efforts to reach a final agreement,” Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester wrote on Friday, in a bipartisan message joined by 24 fellow senators. The Softwood Lumber Agreement was originally signed in 2006 and set limits for Canadian lumber imports to the United States. It expired in 2015, but had a one-year “stand-still” clause allowing time

A constitutional initiative that will appear on the Montana ballots hits home for one Laurel woman, whose son was the victim of a brutal assault on the Billings Rims last spring. “My son was in an assault,” said Kristen Dawes, the victim’s mother. “He was the victim of an unprovoked assault in which he thought he was going to die. Throughout this whole process, I’ve really felt like I didn’t have a voice.” Since the arrest of the two men who allegedly assaulted her son Zach, Dawes said she has felt helpless. “The offender has priority over the victim, because every

A bill to support Native children was signed into law, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Tuesday. The bipartisan Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act, which was signed Friday, creates a panel that will do a comprehensive study on the programs, grants and support available for Native children, both at government agencies and in Native communities. The goal is to develop a sustainable system that delivers wrap-around services to Native children, Daines said. “This bill is an important step in improving the quality of life for Native children so that they can in turn strengthen the

The three most recent graduates from Lewis & Clark County’s Treatment Court earned congratulations from a special guest Monday afternoon. Kyle Tisher, Jacob Siewert, and Alvin Grant went through the treatment court as an alternative to traditional sentencing. Some participate in the program for more than a year and a half. Treatment court is specifically designed for non-violent drug offenders, and also to hold them accountable for their actions while helping them become positive members of the community. Among friends and family in the courtroom was Senator Steve Daines to recognize them for their hard work. Daines tells MTN that

A court order to do more work on protecting Canadian lynx in Rocky Mountain forests could become a late-season battleground for congressional action this winter. Last week, the Supreme Court let stand a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the U.S. Forest Service has to take a big-picture look at how it protects critical lynx habitat across 12 million acres touching 11 national forests. While wildlife advocates claimed a major win for the Endangered Species Act, timber industry supporters vowed to rewrite laws to speed up logging projects. “It’s now known as the Cottonwood decision, and it affects pretty

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, United States Senator Steve Daines, along with his press secretary Katie Waldman and field representative Nate Williams, arrived in Culbertson to tour the United Grain Company facility. This was one of the many stops on Daines’ 648-mile trip around Montana. Daines greeted several of United Grain’s managers after arrival and discussed the new construction at the facility and the presidential election. Construction on United Grain’s new grain bins began on July 5, 2015, and they will be put to use in the near future.  United Grain managers explained that the best they’ve done is get 200

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., will seek legislative text during the next session to ensure farmers served by the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project do not pay the increased costs of making the Glendive Intake Diversion dam more fish friendly.  Daines is on the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, among several others. The diversion dam in Glendive serves 58,000 acres of cropland in the MonDak, including 18,500 acres on the North Dakota side. It is seen by many in the area as critical to the future of farmers

Eastern Montana was the focus for Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., last week as he toured 13 towns within the region, including Baker, as part of his latest tour to talk jobs, agricultural and economic opportunities and specific concerns in each community. Eastern Montana was the focus for Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., last week as he toured 13 towns within the region, including Baker, as part of his latest tour to talk jobs, agricultural and economic opportunities and specific concerns in each community. Baker was the final stop on the last leg of Daines’s tour as elected officials, community leaders and

Lumber producers in Montana don’t expect big changes after midnight Wednesday, when the U.S.-Canadian Softwood Lumber Agreement expires without a replacement. But that doesn’t mean little ripples won’t turn into waves later on as loggers on both sides of the border try to meet American housing market demand for 2x4s. A weak Canadian dollar, increased pace of construction, shifting Asian export demands and a U.S. presidential campaign targeting international trade deals all stir a pot previously covered by the softwood treaty. “If there’s less lumber coming from Canada, that’s good news for the American sawmills,” said Hakan Ekstrom, president of