In The News

Mike Nelson had a problem. People without reservations at his posh Northern Hotel kept showing up at the front desk insisting they had booked a room online. They were furious when they were told there was no booking, even more so on the occasions when the downtown Billings hotel had no vacancy. The problem was online booking agencies, with no affiliation whatsoever with the Northern, wrongfully charging customers and never booking rooms. The booking sites used the details scraped from the Northern’s website to make it appear like they represented the hotel. There were so many third party booking sites,

Barring last-minute deal, U.S. timber industry poised to initiate trade cases against Canada in court The U.S. and Canadian governments are approaching the end of a one-year standstill that could erupt into a trade dispute over timber imports that industry officials and federal lawmakers say are hurting Montana mills. Trade representatives from both countries have until midnight, Oct. 12 to reach a new deal before industry leaders can file complaints in court against Canada. The U.S. timber industry says Canadian producers are benefiting from an unfair cost advantage by exporting subsidized softwood products that are undercutting U.S. producers. Canada is one

HELENA — A Vietnam veteran upset with the federal Veteran’s Choice program in his quest to get a hearing aid has threatened to burn the card that registers him in the program, reflecting frustration with all parties involved to say they are looking for ways to fix the system for all veterans. Helena resident Dave Dube’s complaint reflects a deeper problem with the program, officials said, as many local audiologists and optometrists decline to participate, saying payments are late or come up short. Dave Dube said Tuesday that after several months of frustration, something had been worked out between Montana

Senator Steve Daines was in Sidney Oct. 5th; he met with local beet growers at Sidney Sugars, toured the Intake Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project Diversion Dam, and held a roundtable discussion focused on the needs of law enforcement, specifically the continuing drug issues in the Bakken region, as well as the need for the temporary Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent presence in Sidney to be made permanent. Federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies were in attendance. Members and leaders of the community were invited to the open session of the discussion. Sheriff John Dynneson, the County Attorney’s Office, County Commissioners, and Mayor Rick Norby were just a

When Steve Wahrlich, the owner of the Clock Tower Inn, went to check in at his room at a Bozeman hotel, he discovered that his reservation was never actually made. It may sound like a minor nuisance, Wahrlich, like many other hotel guests pre-paid for his room using a third-party booking site. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana) visited with leaders of the Montana tourism industry in Billings on Tuesday to talk about his newly proposed legislation to tackle phony hotel reservation websites. Thousands of online hotel reservations are made every day in the U.S., according to Warlich, which accounts for about

Senator visits with law enforcement, local officials during time in Sidney  After hearing about the importance of having a FBI office in Sidney, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., has written a request to the FBI director to stress why a FBI presence is needed.  The letter included, “Removal of the physical presence of FBI agents from the region is ill-advised and would be detrimental to the ongoing work of law enforcement in the region. Area law enforcement officials have conveyed their concerns over high rates of ongoing crime, despite the ebb and flow of commerce, and shared the critical need

The ball is already on the ground and rolling for the 2018 farm bill, and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., had his ear to the ground for those issues most on farmers’ minds during a visit to Sidney Sugars Wednesday, where growers talked about the increasing difficulties they face getting to a profitable harvest.  Daines made a swing through eastern Montana, starting off with breakfast in Malta and ending at the Wibaux County Courthouse. Prior to arriving in Sidney, he had visited United Grain in Culbertson. Margins are getting tighter and tighter for the sugar beet farmer, and it’s making

If you ever find yourself on the other side of the Pacific homesick for Montana beef, you may soon be able to indulge at a local restaurant or supermarket in China. In a game-changing move, China recently announced that it would end the ban on United States beef imports for the first time since 2003. This long-overdue decision signals a tremendous boon to Montana’s economy and a milestone decision in a vigorous campaign. China is the second-largest beef import market in the world. This May, I led a congressional delegation to China determined to break down China’s trade barrier on

Senator Steve Daines made a stop in Glasgow while on his tour of eastern Montana. Glasgow marked the Senator’s second stop on a 650 mile long tour that will undertake in three days. After flying into Malta on Oct. 4 to begin his tour, Glasgow was the second stop out of the 15 planned destinations.  The Senator took time to address a crowd of 20 local leaders, business owners, ranchers and members of the press at the event hosted by Farm Equipment Sales. The Senator addressed local concerns on issues as well as national ones.  The Senator met with city