Author: Press Room

Editorial: The Real Threat

6 September 2019
Press Room
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By Evelyn Pyburn

Why does the slogan “Make America Great Again” cause such angst for so many? Some say it is a threat!

I know the twisting of reason and words by those who supposedly feel threatened by it. So bizarre is the reasoning though, it’s hard to believe that they even believe what they say. That some might feel threatened there is no doubt – but, the reasons are not those given.

There is threat in the real meaning of the statement to anyone who wants power over others, who strive for the unearned, who (for whatever demented reasons) hates seeing people succeed, live life happily on their own terms, and stand independent of government.

“Make America Great Again” addresses the deeply entrenched, uniquely, American concept that the citizen is supreme to the state. The phrase boldly asserts that it has been that political philosophy that has allowed the emergence of the most productive, creative, wealthy, and happy of citizens, and in so doing, incidentally, built the most powerful and competitive nation that has ever existed. “Make America Great Again,” also recognizes that the decades- long trend toward socialism is the derailing of all those things, and declares the course must be changed.

“Make America Great Again” is indeed a powerful statement.

And, it gives statists – the world around — many reasons to feel threatened, because nothing could be more threatening to their goals, than such “ideas”. So, not only must they twist the meaning of the words, they must silence everyone who would attempt to explain otherwise, because even they understand that nothing is more potent than ideas, and in a free-wheeling discussion of ideas, they lose. So to advance socialism there can be no public discourse, no open debate, no unsanctioned speeches, no discussion of ideas. Even legislative processes that would craft public policies become too dangerous to pursue, because it would invoke the uncontrolled discussion of ideas.

The name calling – ever time it commences – is a concession by the antagonists that within the realm of ideas they are bankrupt, and the only chance they have of prevailing is through the name calling which is to shout “shut up.”

It must be the successful squelching of public debate and the discussion of ideas that has persuaded so many people – those who sincerely seek the wellbeing of the greatest number of people — to conclude that socialism is the means to do so, and that principles of freedom are not. It is otherwise incomprehensible to understand how so many people could otherwise reject what the very existence and status of this country has proven to be true – that no other system of government has ever done so much for so many.

As Dr. Milton Friedman stated, ““The record of history is absolutely crystal clear—that there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activity that is unleashed by a free enterprise system.”

When you look around any American city. Glance up and down the street of any American neighborhood. Contemplate the scope and breadth of all that is accomplished in this country every single day by individuals living free lives and pursuing dreams of self-fulfillment and creative challenge. When you can daily see the miracle of it all, and not be awed by the mechanisms that induces it, it is so astounding as to leave one speechless – and yet, as erroneous as it is, that is the  pervailing perception throughout, not just this country, but the world.

It is understandable why power -mongers of any sort who have subjugated their own populations – it is understandable why they would be threatened by anything that directs attention to the reasons the US is the country it is. They should — and are — quaking in their boots, at the attention President Trump has brought to the “ideas” behind that citizen empowerment. Tyrants everywhere should be concerned because nothing stands in the way of any, or every other country, of pursuing the same path – nothing but their people deciding that it what they want – and nothing will invoke those “ideas” more so than widespread discussion about them. The likelihood is that the smallest and poorest country in the world could quickly become an economic powerhouse in the world, should they but grant its population the same freedoms and unleash the pent-up potential of its people.

“Make America Great Again,” is a throwing down of the gauntlet – a proclamation to the world that if anyone wants to do well, economically, they must do so on the merits of production and creativity and competitiveness. The vehemence against the statement speaks loudly as to its truth and unveils completely the deceit of all those who claim otherwise. How could they not be threatened?

“Make America Great Again” is no threat to the world – it is an invitation.

ROI Solutions Lands Large National Contract

6 September 2019
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ROI Solutions, located on 24th Street West in Billings, has gained a contract with Hello Fresh to serve as its customer service call center, which will require adding 150 to 200 jobs by the end of the year. HelloFresh, is one of the leading food delivery companies in the country.

ROI Solutions, a Utah based company, added their first Montana location earlier this year.  Jesse Ross, local ROI Solutions manager said, “I know finding talent is a challenge for all companies, but we have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of employees we have been able to attract at our new Billings, Montana location.  We are a company that values our employees and works to provide a culture that is family friendly, fun, focused on customer service, providing a complete package for every employee.”

ROI Solutions is growing and having a call center up and running, was a deciding factor for HelloFresh to award us their business, said Ross.

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Residential Taxable Property Values Increase 12.5%

4 September 2019
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Montana’s residential property values increased an average of 12.5 percent over the past year, according to the Department of Revenue in its biennial reappraisal. The average increase for businesses was almost 10 percent.

Many communities saw property value increases in the double digits, with Gallatin County (Bozeman) having the highest of 23 percent for residential and 20 percent for commercial property. Yellowstone County had an increase of 7 percent.

Madison County had the biggest average increase of any county for residential property, at nearly 29 percent. Park County had the largest average increase for commercial property at 27 percent.

Property values in Ravalli County increased 12.3 percent, followed by those in Missoula at 12.1 percent, Flathead County at 11 percent, Lewis and Clark at 9.5 percent, and then Silver Bow County and Cascade at 9 percent.

Property value increases do not necessarily mean increases in taxes. Taxes are determined by the number of mills set by governing bodies such as counties and/or cities. State law limits tax increases, levied by taxing jurisdictions, to no more than half the rate of inflation, without a vote of the people.

Pipeline Company Plans Expansion

4 September 2019
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From the Oil Patch Hotline

Because of the critical shortage of outbound crude oil pipelines in Canada, Enbridge Inc. is proposing an expansion of its older Express Pipeline.

The current pipeline runs 731 miles from Hardisty, Alberta (through Montana) to Casper, WY, and then connects to the Platte Pipeline.

The open season will end Aug. 7.

Built in 1997, the pipeline now carries 193,000 BOPD, and has enough capacity to increase shipments to 280,000 BOPD.

“Given the shortage of pipeline capacity out of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, Enbridge has been exploring options to provide industry with incremental near-term capacity,” said Guy Jarvis, executive vice president of the company’s liquids pipelines division. “The efficient expansion capacity on the Express Pipeline being offered in this open season will provide additional takeaway capacity, which we believe will be well received by the shipping community.”

NWE Begins Upgrade of 109-year-old Turbine

4 September 2019
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In the fall of 2019 NorthWestern Energy will begin upgrading the 109-year-old turbines and generators in the Madison Powerhouse downstream of Ennis Lake. The original powerhouse building will remain in place, largely unaltered, while four new turbine-generator units are installed within it.  No alterations to the dam or flow conveyance structures are required by the project.

As a result of the highly efficient and modern equipment the peak capacity of the powerhouse will increase from 8 Megawatts to 12 Megawatts.  The new turbines will efficiently harness 95% of the power available from the water at the same flows used under the existing license, and that will result in almost 15,000 additional megawatt-hours for an average water year.

Construction work is scheduled to begin this fall at which time the powerhouse will be shut down and water usually conveyed through the powerhouse will be passed through the bypass channel. During some of the construction project, flows in the bypass channel between Madison Dam and Powerhouse will be increased significantly, but flows downstream of the plant will be unaffected during the project

The four generating units will be updated to a modern design, moving from two turbines per unit to just one. In addition to increased energy capacity and efficiency compared to the present generators, the new units will also be more fish friendly.

Montana Highlights August 1 2019

2 September 2019
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Two new restaurants have opened in the Marriott Hotel in downtown Missoula. The hotel complex is at the corner of Higgins and Front. Basal offers salads like smoked salmon.. The other new restaurant, 1889 is a steak and seafood bar and restaurant. Two clothing stores, Olive and Iron and The Montana Scene occupy space on the ground floor.

Butte-Silver Bow commissioners have verbally agreed to let a media production venture, with operations near Hamilton, take ownership of the NorthWestern Energy complex in Uptown Butte. Bitterroot Gateway Development LLC of Missoula plans to turn the complex into the headquarters for Montana Studios. All five buildings would be used for production sound stages, and interior filming. The project will cost $10 million to $12 million.

Two new restaurants have opened in the Marriott Hotel in downtown Missoula. The hotel complex is at the corner of Higgins and Front. Basal offers salads like smoked salmon.. The other new restaurant, 1889 is a steak and seafood bar and restaurant. Two clothing stores, Olive and Iron and The Montana Scene occupy space on the ground floor.

Butte-Silver Bow commissioners have verbally agreed to let a media production venture, with operations near Hamilton, take ownership of the NorthWestern Energy complex in Uptown Butte. Bitterroot Gateway Development LLC of Missoula plans to turn the complex into the headquarters for Montana Studios. All five buildings would be used for production sound stages, and interior filming. The project will cost $10 million to $12 million.

A new technology was used last week on a Navy ship in the Middle East to thwart an Iranian drone. It was designed by Belgrade-based Ascent Vision Technologies. The technology destroyed an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of a Navy warship in the Strait of Hormuz. The counter-drone technology from Ascent Vision Technologies uses a radar system to detect a drone within a 5-kilometer radius. A camera system tracks the drone and can identify if it’s hostile or not. Then a “jammer” disrupts the signal between the drone and its operator.

 Blink Rides, an electric scooter company, opened recently in Bozeman. The business plans to offer about 100 scooters to the public across town.

ONEOK has announced that it will expand gas processing capacity by 200 million cubic feet per day at its existing Bear Creek facility in Dunn County. The expansion will cost an estimated $405 million. It’s expected to be completed by first quarter 2021. The Bear Creek expansion was one of three new projects announced recently by ONEOK. The company is also expanding its Mid-Continent NGL fractionation facility by 65,000 barrels per day. It is also adding 40,000 barrels per day in NGLs to the West Texas LPG pipeline in the Permian.

North Dakota has asked the federal government to step in amid a dispute with Washington State over a new law there that places restrictions on shipments of oil by rail. A petition has been submitted to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration requesting that the agency overturn Washington’s law, which places a cap on the vapor pressure allowed in oil unloaded from trains. More than 160,000 barrels of oil make their way from North Dakota to refineries in Washington by rail each day. That equates to about 11% of North Dakota’s daily oil production. Washington’s Legislature passed the law requiring oil unloaded from trains to have a vapor pressure less than 9 pounds per square inch earlier this year.

The historic Rainbow Powerhouse in Great Falls may have found a new purpose. NorthWestern Energy submitted a plan to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that calls for the Rainbow Powerhouse to be leased to Susteen Inc. for a blockchain model data center. If the plan is approved, the California-based company will lease the facility. The Rainbow Powerhouse was constructed in 1910 to house power generation and transmission equipment.

The appointment of William Perry Pendley as director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, has caused an uproar among members of the Blackfeet tribe plus US?Senator Jon Tester. They argue he supports the sale of federal public lands and oil and gas interests. Pendley is former president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF), a not-for-profit public-interest legal foundation  that defends clients in litigation in defense of constitutional liberties and the rule of law.

Montana hospitals lead the state in wages and jobs, according to a study released recently. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research study showed Montana hospitals employed more than 24,500 people in 2017. Those jobs came with larger paychecks than what’s typical in Montana. The average private sector wage in Montana is $40,981. For hospitals, that number is $61,444.

One of the oldest working ranches in the Missoula Valley is going up for sale. A large portion of the historic, 147-year-old Deschamps Ranch is for sale. Charlie Deschamps and his wife Nancy recently decided to sell 279 acres of the ranch. The acres for sale are the irrigated portions, he said, meaning they are technically in the floodplain of the Clark Fork River and can’t be developed. The ranch was first homesteaded in 1872 by his great-grandfather Gaspard Deschamps.

The Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and Richland Economic Development Corp is conducting a survey of area consumers to gauge the needs and resources available in Sidney’s retail market. As retailers including J.C. Penney’s and Shopko have closed in Sidney during the past few years, local consumers and businesses have faced challenges. Stated Leslie Messer, REDC executive director, “There is economic opportunity here, and this research will help provide data for Sidney area retailers.”

 A Montana State University doctoral student has received a $100,000 fellowship from a honey bee-focused nonprofit to advance his work studying antiviral defense mechanisms in bees. Alex McMenamin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Biosciences Program. The fellowship will provide funding for the next two years of McMenamin’s research, which focuses on key proteins involved in honey bee antiviral defense, including a class of proteins called “heat shock proteins.”

FEMA funding has been approved to help fight the North Hills Fire in Lewis & Clark County by covering 75 percent of the firefighting costs.  At the time of the request, 600 homes were immediately threatened. Mandatory evacuations have occurred for approximately 500 people. The 5000 acre fire was zero-percent contained.

The Montana State University College of Nursing, supported by a four-year, nearly $2.8 million federal grant, is expanding and enhancing its Doctor of Nursing Practice program to help address shortages and create nurse practitioners ready to hit the ground running in rural areas of the state. The Advanced Nursing Education Workforce Training grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will support a new College of Nursing program known as the Rural Ready Nurse Practitioner Program.

National parks are working to “sniff out” a solution to aquatic invasive species. Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks are using dogs to assist in boat inspections for invasive species. Zebra and quagga mussels are the primary known threats to the natural ecosystem.

The Montana Cable Telecommunications Association is calling it quits after 60 years of advocating for the industry. The association, which formed in 1959, cited cable “cord cutters” and programming rate pressure as reasons for disbanding.

The city of Helena says it’s refining parking downtown and rolling out educational materials after several businesses voiced concerns over new parking meters and kiosks. The Business Improvement District requested a change in parking due to employees taking up customer parking spots. In 2016, the city decided to go forward with electronic kiosks and meters like Missoula and Billings at the cost of $500,000. The new devices offer the ability to pay with a credit card as well as a new smartphone app, downtown customers seem unimpressed.

Montana’s unemployment was reported at 3.5 percent in June – the lowest unemployment rate in ten years. The national unemployment rate in June was 3.7 percent.

During the first half of 2019, North Dakota’s commercial service airports provided a total of 580,343 passenger boardings.  This is a growth of 53,240 passengers or a 10% increase from this same time period in 2018.  The increased number of passengers throughout the state has allowed communities to attract, retain, and grow additional air service opportunities, including 9 non-stop destinations.

In North Dakota, the Williams County Commission gave a Montana brewery an extension on the time it has to complete the purchase of a county-owned building. In February, the commission accepted a $700,000 bid from Glasgow brewery, Busted Knuckles Brewery to buy the old county highway building, located at 213 11th St. W in Williston. The owners asked for an extension on the closing deadline to Aug. 31, since getting an appraisal and environmental report has taken longer than expected.

Cape Air officials plan to continue air service to northeastern Montana. The Essential Air Service contract is up for renewal. On July 12 the company submitted a proposal to add new twin engine Tecnam P2012 Traveller airplanes to their fleet. Cape Air will take delivery of the first eight planes by the end of 2019, then one per month in 2020. The planes will be phased in to the market once pilots have completed training at their headquarters in Hyannis, MA.

Oil production in North Dakota held steady this spring, and state officials say they expect challenges related to the transportation of both oil and natural gas to persist. May’s numbers show that North Dakota wells produced 1.39 million barrels of crude per day, just 800 per day more than in April. Natural gas production dropped slightly to 2.82 billion cubic feet per day.

Median home sale prices in Gallatin County increased in June compared to last year, while the inventory of available single-family homes remains tight, according to the Gallatin Association of Realtors.  The number of new single-family listings last month was nearly identical to June of 2018, rising from 260 to 261. Pending sales increased by 25.5%, jumping from 141 to 177, while the number of closed sales decreased slightly from 181 to 170, a 6.1%, drop. The median sales price increased by 12.7%, going from $379,950 to $428,350. The number of days a home spends on the market rose by one from 55 to 56, a 1.8% increase. The inventory of homes for sale dropped 17.9% from last year, going from 537 to 441, and the months supply of inventory decreased 19.5%, from 4.1 to 3.3. Sellers received 99.1% of their list price in June, up from 98.9% last year.

The University of Montana has made a new website called Wilderness Institute  which makes it easier for backcountry visitors to plan backpacking, rafting and hiking trips. Wilderness.net provides interactive maps of all the federally designated wilderness areas in Montana, including the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat and Selway-Bitterroot. The maps also cover the rest of the United States,.

A $200-an-acre bonus paid for a 640-acre tract in Richland County accounted for more than half of the total revenues from the June 4 Montana state oil and gas lease sale. Kraken Oil & Gas, LLC of Houston, the most active driller in that county, paid a total of $128,000 for a lease. With bids averaging $43.80/acre for a total of $241,534, tracts in Fallon and Toole counties netted bids for leases on 5,514 acres. Northwestern Energy of Sioux Falls, SD posted the two highest bids, paying $45/acre in Toole County for 160 acres  and $30/acre for 320 acres. The remaining tract of 320 acres went to high bidder Farleigh Oil Properties of Casper, which paid $12/acre.  Primary Fuels LLC of Tulsa dominated the high bidding for all eight tracts in Fallon County with the highest bid of $34/acre for two 640-acre tracts. It also paid $28/acre for 320 acres .

The goal is within reach for Montana State University’s planned Bobcat Athletic Complex and Academic Excellence Center, but ground can’t be broken on the 40,000-square-foot student-centered facility until fundraising is complete. Over $16.5 million has been raised and another $1.5 million is needed before construction can begin. The Bobcat Athletic Complex will be a two-story building constructed at the north end zone of Bobcat Stadium. It will provide student-athletes with study spaces, locker rooms and team meeting rooms, as well as training, health and rehabilitation facilities. It will also house the football program, including offices for coaches and staff. In addition, the project will transform the office space vacated by the football coaches in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse into a 3,400-square-foot tutoring, advising and study area.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, $17.6 million grant to the Montana INBRE program to continue its work growing the state’s biomedical research capacity and training new scientists in fields related to human health. INBRE is a network of Montana universities, community colleges and tribal colleges that invests in biomedical research capacity and workforce development . This grant renewal brings the NIH’s total commitment in Montana INBRE to more than $75 million.

A new technology was used last week on a Navy ship in the Middle East to thwart an Iranian drone. It was designed by Belgrade-based Ascent Vision Technologies. The technology destroyed an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of a Navy warship in the Strait of Hormuz. The counter-drone technology from Ascent Vision Technologies uses a radar system to detect a drone within a 5-kilometer radius. A camera system tracks the drone and can identify if it’s hostile or not. Then a “jammer” disrupts the signal between the drone and its operator.

 Blink Rides, an electric scooter company, opened recently in Bozeman. The business plans to offer about 100 scooters to the public across town.

ONEOK has announced that it will expand gas processing capacity by 200 million cubic feet per day at its existing Bear Creek facility in Dunn County. The expansion will cost an estimated $405 million. It’s expected to be completed by first quarter 2021. The Bear Creek expansion was one of three new projects announced recently by ONEOK. The company is also expanding its Mid-Continent NGL fractionation facility by 65,000 barrels per day. It is also adding 40,000 barrels per day in NGLs to the West Texas LPG pipeline in the Permian.

North Dakota has asked the federal government to step in amid a dispute with Washington State over a new law there that places restrictions on shipments of oil by rail. A petition has been submitted to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration requesting that the agency overturn Washington’s law, which places a cap on the vapor pressure allowed in oil unloaded from trains. More than 160,000 barrels of oil make their way from North Dakota to refineries in Washington by rail each day. That equates to about 11% of North Dakota’s daily oil production. Washington’s Legislature passed the law requiring oil unloaded from trains to have a vapor pressure less than 9 pounds per square inch earlier this year.

The historic Rainbow Powerhouse in Great Falls may have found a new purpose. NorthWestern Energy submitted a plan to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that calls for the Rainbow Powerhouse to be leased to Susteen Inc. for a blockchain model data center. If the plan is approved, the California-based company will lease the facility. The Rainbow Powerhouse was constructed in 1910 to house power generation and transmission equipment.

The appointment of William Perry Pendley as director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, has caused an uproar among members of the Blackfeet tribe plus US?Senator Jon Tester. They argue he supports the sale of federal public lands and oil and gas interests. Pendley is former president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF), a not-for-profit public-interest legal foundation  that defends clients in litigation in defense of constitutional liberties and the rule of law.

Montana hospitals lead the state in wages and jobs, according to a study released recently. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research study showed Montana hospitals employed more than 24,500 people in 2017. Those jobs came with larger paychecks than what’s typical in Montana. The average private sector wage in Montana is $40,981. For hospitals, that number is $61,444.

One of the oldest working ranches in the Missoula Valley is going up for sale. A large portion of the historic, 147-year-old Deschamps Ranch is for sale. Charlie Deschamps and his wife Nancy recently decided to sell 279 acres of the ranch. The acres for sale are the irrigated portions, he said, meaning they are technically in the floodplain of the Clark Fork River and can’t be developed. The ranch was first homesteaded in 1872 by his great-grandfather Gaspard Deschamps.

The Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and Richland Economic Development Corp is conducting a survey of area consumers to gauge the needs and resources available in Sidney’s retail market. As retailers including J.C. Penney’s and Shopko have closed in Sidney during the past few years, local consumers and businesses have faced challenges. Stated Leslie Messer, REDC executive director, “There is economic opportunity here, and this research will help provide data for Sidney area retailers.”

 A Montana State University doctoral student has received a $100,000 fellowship from a honey bee-focused nonprofit to advance his work studying antiviral defense mechanisms in bees. Alex McMenamin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Biosciences Program. The fellowship will provide funding for the next two years of McMenamin’s research, which focuses on key proteins involved in honey bee antiviral defense, including a class of proteins called “heat shock proteins.”

FEMA funding has been approved to help fight the North Hills Fire in Lewis & Clark County by covering 75 percent of the firefighting costs.  At the time of the request, 600 homes were immediately threatened. Mandatory evacuations have occurred for approximately 500 people. The 5000 acre fire was zero-percent contained.

The Montana State University College of Nursing, supported by a four-year, nearly $2.8 million federal grant, is expanding and enhancing its Doctor of Nursing Practice program to help address shortages and create nurse practitioners ready to hit the ground running in rural areas of the state. The Advanced Nursing Education Workforce Training grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will support a new College of Nursing program known as the Rural Ready Nurse Practitioner Program.

National parks are working to “sniff out” a solution to aquatic invasive species. Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks are using dogs to assist in boat inspections for invasive species. Zebra and quagga mussels are the primary known threats to the natural ecosystem.

The Montana Cable Telecommunications Association is calling it quits after 60 years of advocating for the industry. The association, which formed in 1959, cited cable “cord cutters” and programming rate pressure as reasons for disbanding.

The city of Helena says it’s refining parking downtown and rolling out educational materials after several businesses voiced concerns over new parking meters and kiosks. The Business Improvement District requested a change in parking due to employees taking up customer parking spots. In 2016, the city decided to go forward with electronic kiosks and meters like Missoula and Billings at the cost of $500,000. The new devices offer the ability to pay with a credit card as well as a new smartphone app, downtown customers seem unimpressed.

Montana’s unemployment was reported at 3.5 percent in June – the lowest unemployment rate in ten years. The national unemployment rate in June was 3.7 percent.

During the first half of 2019, North Dakota’s commercial service airports provided a total of 580,343 passenger boardings.  This is a growth of 53,240 passengers or a 10% increase from this same time period in 2018.  The increased number of passengers throughout the state has allowed communities to attract, retain, and grow additional air service opportunities, including 9 non-stop destinations.

In North Dakota, the Williams County Commission gave a Montana brewery an extension on the time it has to complete the purchase of a county-owned building. In February, the commission accepted a $700,000 bid from Glasgow brewery, Busted Knuckles Brewery to buy the old county highway building, located at 213 11th St. W in Williston. The owners asked for an extension on the closing deadline to Aug. 31, since getting an appraisal and environmental report has taken longer than expected.

Cape Air officials plan to continue air service to northeastern Montana. The Essential Air Service contract is up for renewal. On July 12 the company submitted a proposal to add new twin engine Tecnam P2012 Traveller airplanes to their fleet. Cape Air will take delivery of the first eight planes by the end of 2019, then one per month in 2020. The planes will be phased in to the market once pilots have completed training at their headquarters in Hyannis, MA.

Oil production in North Dakota held steady this spring, and state officials say they expect challenges related to the transportation of both oil and natural gas to persist. May’s numbers show that North Dakota wells produced 1.39 million barrels of crude per day, just 800 per day more than in April. Natural gas production dropped slightly to 2.82 billion cubic feet per day.

Median home sale prices in Gallatin County increased in June compared to last year, while the inventory of available single-family homes remains tight, according to the Gallatin Association of Realtors.  The number of new single-family listings last month was nearly identical to June of 2018, rising from 260 to 261. Pending sales increased by 25.5%, jumping from 141 to 177, while the number of closed sales decreased slightly from 181 to 170, a 6.1%, drop. The median sales price increased by 12.7%, going from $379,950 to $428,350. The number of days a home spends on the market rose by one from 55 to 56, a 1.8% increase. The inventory of homes for sale dropped 17.9% from last year, going from 537 to 441, and the months supply of inventory decreased 19.5%, from 4.1 to 3.3. Sellers received 99.1% of their list price in June, up from 98.9% last year.

The University of Montana has made a new website called Wilderness Institute  which makes it easier for backcountry visitors to plan backpacking, rafting and hiking trips. Wilderness.net provides interactive maps of all the federally designated wilderness areas in Montana, including the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat and Selway-Bitterroot. The maps also cover the rest of the United States,.

A $200-an-acre bonus paid for a 640-acre tract in Richland County accounted for more than half of the total revenues from the June 4 Montana state oil and gas lease sale. Kraken Oil & Gas, LLC of Houston, the most active driller in that county, paid a total of $128,000 for a lease. With bids averaging $43.80/acre for a total of $241,534, tracts in Fallon and Toole counties netted bids for leases on 5,514 acres. Northwestern Energy of Sioux Falls, SD posted the two highest bids, paying $45/acre in Toole County for 160 acres  and $30/acre for 320 acres. The remaining tract of 320 acres went to high bidder Farleigh Oil Properties of Casper, which paid $12/acre.  Primary Fuels LLC of Tulsa dominated the high bidding for all eight tracts in Fallon County with the highest bid of $34/acre for two 640-acre tracts. It also paid $28/acre for 320 acres .

The goal is within reach for Montana State University’s planned Bobcat Athletic Complex and Academic Excellence Center, but ground can’t be broken on the 40,000-square-foot student-centered facility until fundraising is complete. Over $16.5 million has been raised and another $1.5 million is needed before construction can begin. The Bobcat Athletic Complex will be a two-story building constructed at the north end zone of Bobcat Stadium. It will provide student-athletes with study spaces, locker rooms and team meeting rooms, as well as training, health and rehabilitation facilities. It will also house the football program, including offices for coaches and staff. In addition, the project will transform the office space vacated by the football coaches in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse into a 3,400-square-foot tutoring, advising and study area.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, $17.6 million grant to the Montana INBRE program to continue its work growing the state’s biomedical research capacity and training new scientists in fields related to human health. INBRE is a network of Montana universities, community colleges and tribal colleges that invests in biomedical research capacity and workforce development . This grant renewal brings the NIH’s total commitment in Montana INBRE to more than $75 million.

Manufacturers Look At US Economy

2 September 2019
Press Room
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The U.S. economy grew 2.1 percent at the annual rate in the second quarter, slowing from 3.1 percent growth in the first quarter. Consumer and government spending buoyed growth for the quarter, but drags from business spending and net exports counterbalanced this somewhat. Slowing global growth and trade uncertainties served as a drag on activity, with businesses hesitant to increase spending. Along those lines, nonresidential fixed investment declined 0.6 percent in the second quarter, the first decline since the first quarter of 2016.

The current forecast is for 2.4 percent growth for 2019, down from 2.9 percent in 2018.

The data on manufacturing activity provided mixed results last week. On the positive side, new durable goods orders increased 2.0 percent in June, bouncing back somewhat after declining in three of the prior four months. With that said, the overall data for new durable goods continues to highlight weaknesses in the broader sector, with sales down 1.6 percent over the past 12 months. Excluding transportation, new orders increased a softer-than-desired 0.9 percent.

Kirk’s Grocery Serves as New Venue for Art & Entertainment

28 August 2019
Press Room
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Anyone wanting to mix it up a bit when it comes to seeking entertainment in Billings has a new opportunity. Spend an evening at Kirk’s Grocery.

Even the name conveys the originality of this new venue. Kirk’s Grocery has nothing to do with groceries; it’s all about the off-beat of culture, art, music and theater in Billings. It’s called Kirk’s Grocery because that is the name imbued in brick above the doorway, and founder, Shane de Leon, says he couldn’t afford a new sign to give it a new name. But, somehow, Kirk’s Grocery works.

Even the location of Kirk’s Grocery at 2920 Minnesota Avenue seems to fit, situated as it is in one of the oldest and most historic parts of the city. Back in about 1907, Kirk’s Grocery was truly a grocery store serving citizens in the heart of early-day downtown Billings. Today it serves a completely different purpose but it is still reaching out to serve what Shane sees as a vital sector of Billings  — artists and performers who don’t fit into the traditional niches.

Kirk’s Grocery is, in part, an art gallery with its turn-of-the –century high-ceiling walls sporting paintings and drawings by mostly local artists, but there are works from as far away as Germany and Italy. The art is eclectic and surprising. The open space within is also a venue for singers, musicians, song writers, story tellers, comedians, and other artists who want an opportunity to perform their unique work but don’t quite fit in with the more standard venues.

The artists have followers but not enough to fill up Pub Station or some of the other stages in the area.

Kirk’s Grocery gives the performers and their audiences a place to enjoy the talent, improvise, and to hang out and talk, Tuesday through Friday from 2 – 9 pm.  It’s the kind of place that de Leon wishes were in Billings when he was a high school student seeking music that was out of the main stream and wanting to have an opportunity to play his own music.

de Leon left Billings to find that kind of opportunity and he has traveled the world since. After 40 years he returned to Billings with no intention of doing anything like this, but in discovering that there is still a lack of opportunity for young people who have different ideas and talents, de Leon decided it is a venture worth pursuing. Maybe some of the high school age kids won’t find it necessary to leave Billings to find what they seek. “If just four or five decide to stay, it will be worthwhile,” he said.

Kirk Grocery already has a following of high school kids who have discovered that here is a place where they can fit in. It’s a place to express themselves, display their art and talent, and be part of a creative community.

There is little structure to what might transpire, one event from another, one evening to the next. A schedule regarding the entertainment is posted at the door and on facebook. The admission is $5 or $10 or whatever the patron can afford – some can’t afford to pay anything and they are still welcome, said de Leon. But, it is only through admissions and the sale of art which includes items other than paintings, that support Kirk’s Grocery.

Kirk’s Grocery can be a theater, a place to hold meetings and gatherings of all kinds. deLeon said that he sees potential for catered events and will be focused on exploring possibilities as awareness and demand grows.

de Leon sees his venture fitting in with the “Better Off in Billings” program aimed at retaining and attracting young people to the community. He hopes it will help bring creative people to Billings who can help foster greater creativity, entertainment and enrichment.

Idaho Reduces Regs To Reduce Burden

28 August 2019
Press Room
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When it comes to competing with other states, Idaho is upping the anti.

Idaho’s new governor, Brad Little, is on a mission to reduce red tape on businesses in Idaho. His first two executive orders were the Licensing Freedom Act and the Red Tape Reduction Act.

Both are aimed at reducing regulatory burdens on residents and businesses. The licensing order calls for an overhaul of the state’s occupational licensing laws and the red tape order requires state agencies to propose two rules for simplification or elimination for each new rule it brings forth.

The reduction was somewhat happenstance – the turning of what at first seemed to be a negative into a positive. At first, Gov. Little was not happy that the Idaho state legislature failed to re-authorize all administrative rules for another year. Their failure meant that all existing rules would expire on July 1, 2019.

Gov. Little and his administration rallied and on June 19, after holding 40 public hearings on all rules to be removed, changed or re-authorized, the governor announced all rules set to expire July 1 due to legislative inaction had been republished and the state was back on track. And in the process, they had cut or simplified 40 percent of Idaho’s administrative rules.

Now Idaho and its rapid regulatory reform are the talk of the nation among government regulatory wonks. Bolstered by the rapid, albeit labor-intensive, results, Little said he wants to cut even more. By the end of the year, he hopes to see a total reduction of 55% to 60% all state regulations, including significant streamlining of Idaho occupational licensing rules.

High Tech Cars Miss the Mark

26 August 2019
Press Room
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Tech execs and auto company leaders are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future of AVs—and they are far less sanguine about electric vehicles (EVs) as well—because the raft of rosy projections in recent years have not even remotely come true.

They have been nothing more than “hypothetical scenarios,” said Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, about that company’s predictions that it would manufacture up to 75,000 autonomous vehicles by 2019 and that in 2022, tens of thousands of fully self-driving Uber taxis would be in 13 of the largest cities.

Executives of big and small auto manufacturers are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future of AVs—and they are far less sanguine about electric vehicles (EVs), reports FastCompany.

In 2010, J.D. Power and Associates predicted that within a decade, global hybrid and EV annual sales would top five million units. The EV segment is nowhere near that goal and, if anything, is retrenching. In the first quarter of this year, about 92,000 plug-in cars were sold in the U.S., down from over 100,000 in the prior quarter. Tesla, the number-one player in the EV market, saw its global unit sales fall more than 30 percent, and the company is rapidly burning through cash, drowning in debt, laying off workers, and struggling to survive.

Sales of plug-in hybrid market leader Toyota Prius Prime were a lowly 4,026 in the first quarter, dropping 40 percent from the prior quarter. And GM’s once ballyhooed Chevrolet Volt went out of production.

Fully battery operated and hybrid EVs are barely a niche market, accounting for about 2 percent of vehicle sales in the U.S.—and that’s with government-backed incentives to encourage buyers.