In The News

The Amtrak stop in Shelby will get $953,954 from the Federal Railroad Administration for safety improvements, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced Wednesday. This project will upgrade two pedestrian and motor vehicle crossings in Shelby, by extending the existing Amtrak platform and installing fencing, signage, two quadrant gates and a wayside horn advance warning systems. The project is located along Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway’s east-west mainline with 45 to 50 BNSF freight trains and two Amtrak trains — the Empire Builder — operating through Shelby. “Improving the safety and reliability of Montana’s rail network is critical to connecting people

Seventeen community health centers in Montana will share $1,050,217 in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Tuesday. Those centers include: •Billings: Yellowstone City-County Health Department: $92,615. •Helena: Lewis & Clark County: $46,032. •Missoula: Missoula County: $120,395. •Great Falls: Cascade County: $53,788. •Billings: Montana Migrant & Seasonal Farm Workers Council Inc.: $95,456. •Livingston: Community Health Partners Clinic: $57,015. •Butte: Butte-Silver Bow Primary Health Care Clinic, Inc: $76,071. •Libby: Lincoln County Community Health Center: $72,755. •Chinook: Sweet Medical Center Inc.: $19,893. •Miles City: Custer County Community Health Center Inc.: $55,774. •Cut Bank: Glacier Community Health Center Inc.: $80,566. •Havre: Bullhook Community Health Center Inc.: $86,546.

APGAR – A couple hundred people – including an Instagram star, a United States senator and three fake mountain goats – gathered on the shores of Lake McDonald on Thursday evening while a perfect day in Glacier National Park transformed into a different sort of beauty. As a ceiling of storm-threatening clouds moved over the valley and the lake kicked into big-wave action, Jacob W. Frank readied his camera on the balcony of the Village Inn at Apgar. Frank did not request that the crowd below on the rocky shoreline say “cheese,” but he did ask them to say “Happy

HELENA –U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines are part of a bipartisan effort to overturn a recent rule change they say could cost Montana gunsmiths thousands of dollars. According to letters sent to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry by Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the concern is that anyone who modifies a firearm could be classified as a “manufacturer.” They would then have to register with the government as part of the International Traffic in Arms regulations and pay a $2,250 annual fee. Helena gunsmith Dennis Erhardt tells MTN News

Senator Steve Daines today announced $853,333 in funding for the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) for the next year and a half, which strengthens Montana small manufacturers through partnerships and guidance. “Manufacturing plays an integral role in supporting hardworking families across our state,” Daines stated. “Manufacturing jobs pay an average of 17 percent higher wages than non-manufacturing jobs and I’m proud to support funding to create more of these high-paying jobs.” In Montana, manufacturing plays a critical role in creating good-paying jobs:In 1996, there were 1,489 manufacturers in the state of Montana employing 22,500 people. In 2016, there are 2,841

As local business owners, organization leaders and local officials look to jumpstart the local economy, a group of commerce leaders got a chance to ask one of their two Senators in Congress for help bringing their issues to Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., hosted a roundtable discussion on Thursday at the Lincoln County commissioners meeting room that focused on the local economy and the hopeful future envisioned by the stakeholders in attendance. More than 20 people squeezed into the county commissioner’s meeting room on Thursday afternoon. “What we saw here today was a wonderful cross section of the

The Air Force has approved the Milestone A for the ground-based strategic deterrent, meaning the new weapon system meant to replace the Minuteman III, including those at Malmstrom Air Force Base, remains on track. To reach this point, an analysis of alternatives must be conducted, including cost estimates, concepts of operations, overall risks and comparative effectiveness, according to the Congressional Research Service. Now that the Air Force has reached Milestone A, the program is in the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction phase, according to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. At the end of July, the Air Force

KALISPELL, Mont. – The National Park Service celebrated its 100th anniversary Thursday with celebrations across the country. More than 1,000 people assembled on the national mall to hold brown, green, and white umbrellas to form the National Park Service’s iconic logo. Special events to celebrate the NPS milestone kicked off with free admission to all 412 national parks through Sunday. Parks in Montana are celebrating as well. No matter who you ask, anyone who comes to Glacier uses one word to describe it — beautiful. “Just the nature, beauty and the preservation by the local people and the wildlife and

(MTN News-MISSOULA) The National Park Service Centennial will celebrate the achievements of the past 100 years, but it is really about the future — it’s about kicking off the second century of stewardship for America’s national parks and communities across the nation. Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park continue to break visitor records, with people from all over the world coming to Montana to explore the vast beauty and wildlife. Senator Steve Daines says for the National Parks Service to succeed in the future, we must invest in infrastructure to allow visitors to enjoy Glacier and Yellowstone for another 100