Author: Press Room

Gov. Gianforte visits with apprentice for Dick Anderson Construction.

21 May 2024
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“Promoting and increasing access to apprenticeship opportunities and trades education empowers Montanans and ensures employers have a highly-skilled workforce,” said Governor Greg Gianforte as he highlight apprenticeship opportunities in Montana.

He made his statements while visiting with Dick Anderson Construction apprentices in Helena and at the Highlands College pre-apprenticeship program in Butte. He thanked Montana employers and educators for the important role they play in supporting apprenticeship opportunities and trades education. “We thank them for their investment,” he said.

The governor declared the week of May 5-11 as Youth Apprenticeship Week in Montana to emphasize the advantages of apprenticeships in enabling Montana workers and ensuring employers have access to a workforce with in-demand skills.

Since 2020, Montana’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, administered by the Department of Labor & Industry (DLI), has seen a 20 percent increase in active apprenticeship enrollment in over 100 different fields where workers receive paid, supervised, on-the-job training.

Dick Anderson Construction is one of more than 600 businesses that have partnered with the program that employ more than 3,000 apprentices statewide.

Highlighting apprenticeship opportunities within the company, the governor visited a Dick Anderson worksite in Helena to hear from apprentices on the impact of the program.

“When I came on the job, I knew nothing about construction. It’s been great to get a textbook instruction through first-hand experiences,” said Quinn, a Dick Anderson employee and former apprentice.

Dick Anderson’s Education Coordinator, Bill Ryan, added, “When our apprentices finish the four-year program, they gain a certificate of completion from DLI to be a carpenter and they have a job with us waiting for them.”

In 2022, Montana added more apprenticeships to the Registered Apprenticeship Program than ever before. Many of these were added following a rule change supported by the governor that went into effect that year.

While maintaining workplace safety and training standards, the revised rule changed the journeyman-to-apprentice ratio from 2:1 to 1:2. Now, one journeyman can supervise two apprentices.

And, to improve the skills of hardworking Montanans and address employers’ needs, the governor proposed and implemented the Montana Trades Education Credit (MTEC) in 2021. This credit offers employers credit for employee education and training, and it has nearly doubled MTEC in 2023.

Rounding out the day in Butte, the governor visited the Highlands College pre-apprenticeship line program to learn more about the opportunities available to students interested in becoming a line worker.

The one-semester, pre-apprentice line certificate program prepares students for groundman and apprentice positions within the line trade. Upon completion of the course, students also are provided the pathway to obtain a Class A Commercial Driver’s License before entering the workforce.

Partnering with local employers, the program helps to connect students to jobs in the construction and utilities industry after graduation.

Visiting with students in the program and watching a demonstration, the governor learned more about the course that instructs on how to assist with the installation, construction, maintenance, and repair of electrical power line systems.

From “Innovation that Matters

21 May 2024
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Market analysts expect continued urbanization and increased infrastructure development to contribute to the predicted growth of the concrete materials market to $364 billion by 2028. Rather than try to eliminate use of the material, a collaboration between Kajima, The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Denka, and Landes Co. has created a world-first carbon-capturing concrete.

Called CO2-SUICOM, the new concrete uses heavy industry waste materials in place of traditional cement. Each mix reduces the amount of regular cement used by more than half, thereby significantly cutting emissions from the production process. Best of all, CO2-SUICOM uses carbon dioxide instead of water as the mixing agent required to make concrete harden and captures CO2 until the mixture is completely cured.

The new material can be made directly on-site at industry locations, with carbon dioxide and other exhaust emissions from manufacturing directed straight into a mixing chamber rather than into the air. As the materials in the mixer react to the carbon dioxide, the concrete hardens, trapping the emissions and exhaust inside. 

Customary manufacturing processes produce around 288 kilogrammes of carbon emissions per cubic metre of concrete created. CO2-SUICOM, on the other hand, traps 18 kilogrammes of carbon emissions per cubic metre of concrete – above and beyond net zero. The Japanese government has included CO2-SUICOM in its roadmap to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Five National Register Nominations in Montana To be Forwarded to National Register

21 May 2024
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Two ranger stations, a significant tribal site, a shopping center, and an expanded hospital district all are nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Zortman and Main Boulder ranger stations include clusters of buildings constructed in the early 1900s by some of the first U.S. Forest Service employees.

The Main Boulder Ranger Station, located southwest of Big Timber, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continually operated USFS administrative facilities in the Northern Region 1, according to the nomination form. Starting in 1908, Harry Kaufman constructed the ranger station, outbuildings, and a home with a hand-crafted bay window, which today serves as a museum filled with his personal effects and original furnishings.

“The property captures the story of the life and duties of one of the earliest Rangers in the U.S. Forest Service and his attempts to establish government influence in the vast reaches of what is now the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness area,” the form states, adding that Kaufman’s diaries “gives a vivid picture of life for an early forest ranger.”

The Zortman Ranger Station buildings predate the log buildings commonly associated with Forest Service facilities presenting a simpler wood frame style that lack ornamentation, architecturally resembling the buildings that populate the community of Zortman.

It includes “functional buildings that reflect the rustic character promoted by the Forest Service in its early years,” the nomination form states. It served as a station for forest guards to monitor and fight forest fires and “timber predation” in what then was the Jefferson National Forest in central Montana. The property was transferred to the Bureau of Land Management in 1966.

The Head Chief-Young Mule Charge Site is just east of Lame Deer in Rosebud County on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. It was the site of a deadly confrontation between two young Northern Cheyenne men, Head Chief and Young Mule, and the U.S. Army cavalry on Sept. 13, 1890.

The property retains deep cultural significance to the Northern Cheyenne in many ways, notes the nomination form. The incident is recalled in a tribal warrior song, handed down through generations.

Head Chief fatally shot a young man who had stumbled across the Northern Cheyenne as they butchered a milk cow belonging to the young man’s uncle.

“Head Chief and Young Mule refused to submit to the military, and instead met their fate in a traditional manner, culminating in a dramatic mounted charge by Head Chief and Young Mule at army lines in full view of gathered Northern Cheyenne bands; the charge resulted in the deaths of both young men,” the nomination form states.

In Bozeman, the Westgate Village Shopping Center was built in 1957 and represents the first small neighborhood multi-unit retail shopping center in the city.

“Although a simple design, the building is characteristic of the mid-20th century Modern Movement style,” the nomination report states. It was designed by Hugo Eck, a locally famous architect and Montana State University professor.

The final nomination includes expanding the boundaries for the Lewis and Clark County Hospital District to include the Poor Farm Cemetery. The cemetery was used from 1890 to 1916. None of the burials are marked.

The nominations will be forwarded to the National Park Service’s for a final determination.

Feds Aim to Electrify Homes in Tribal Communities

21 May 2024
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The Department of the Interior announced a grant of $71 million to help Tribal communities electrify their homes with clean energy sources. This is the second round of funding from the Office of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Electrification Program, part of an overall $150 million grant from the Inflation Reduction Act. Secretary Haaland announced $72 million in awards from the first round of funding earlier this year.

“As the Interior Department implements this new program, we will continue to support Tribes as they work to develop their electricity infrastructure and help meet our shared clean energy goals,” said Secretary Haaland. “Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we’re providing reliable, resilient energy that Tribes can rely on, and advancing our work to tackle the climate crisis and build a clean energy future.”

A key pillar of Bidenomics, the President’s Investing in America agenda is deploying record investments to provide affordable high-speed internet, safer roads and bridges, modern wastewater and sanitations systems, clean drinking water, reliable and affordable electricity, and good paying jobs in every Tribal community.

A press release claims that the tax funded effort is to bring electricity to homes in Tribal communities that have never had electricity. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland reports that Tribal Nations have their own unique energy and electrification-related needs and implementation capacity.

In 2000, the Energy Information Administration reported estimated that 14 percent of households on Native American reservations had no access to electricity, which was 10 times higher than the national average. In 2022, the Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy reported that 16,805 Tribal homes were unelectrified, with most being in the Southwest region and Alaska.

Through this funding, the program will provide financial and technical assistance to Tribes to connect homes to transmission and distribution that is powered by clean energy; provide electricity to unelectrified Tribal homes through zero-emissions energy systems; transition electrified Tribal homes to zero-emissions energy systems; and support associated home repairs and retrofitting necessary to install the zero-emissions energy systems. The program is also intended to support clean energy workforce development opportunities in Indian Country.

The Tribal Electrification Program also advances the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which was established by President Biden as part of his January 2021 Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The goal recognizes the importance of electricity to sustaining a higher standard of living and in curbing pollution. It set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that have been marginalized by “underinvestment.”

Changes Continue in How America Gets News

21 May 2024
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The local news landscape in America is going through profound changes as both news consumers and producers continue to adapt to a more digital news environment. PEW Research Center recently asked U.S. adults about the ways they access local news, as well as their attitudes toward local journalism, finding that:

* A growing share of Americans prefer to get local news online, while fewer are getting news on TV or in print. And newspapers are no longer primarily consumed as a print product – the majority of readers of local daily newspapers now access them digitally.

* The share of U.S. adults who say they are paying close attention to local news has dropped since the last major survey  in 2018, mirroring declining attention to national news.

* Americans still see value in local news and local journalists. A large majority say local news outlets are at least somewhat important to the well-being of their local community. Most people also say local journalists are in touch with their communities and that their local news media perform well at several aspects of their jobs, such as reporting the news accurately.

* At the same time, a relatively small share of Americans (15%) say they have paid for local news in the last year. And many seem unaware of the major financial challenges facing local news: A 63% majority (albeit a smaller majority than in 2018) say they think their local news outlets are doing very or somewhat well financially.

* Majorities of both major parties say local media in their area are doing their jobs well. While Republicans and GOP-leaning independents are slightly less positive than Democrats and Democratic leaners in their opinions of local media, views of local news don’t have the same stark political divides that exist within Americans’ opinions about national media.

* Most Americans say local journalists should remain neutral on issues in their community, but a substantial minority say local journalists should take a more active role. About three-in-ten say local journalists should advocate for change in their communities, a view that’s especially common among Democrats and younger adults.

At a time when most local news outlets are struggling and Americans’ trust in the news media has waned, the vast majority of U.S. adults (85%) say local news outlets are at least somewhat important to the well-being of their local community. 44% say local journalism is extremely or very important to their community

About seven-in-ten U.S. adults (69%) say that local journalists in their area are mostly in touch with their community, up from 63% who said this in 2018. And most Americans also say their local news organizations are doing well at four key roles:

* Reporting news accurately (71%)

* Covering the most important stories (68%)

* Being transparent (63%)

* Keeping an eye on local political leaders (61%).

These are relatively positive views compared with how Americans see news organizations more broadly.

What’s more, views toward local news are not as politically polarized as Americans’ opinions about the news media overall. While Republicans and GOP-leaning independents are not quite as positive as Democrats and Democratic leaners in some of their assessments of local journalists, most Republicans still say the local media in their area are doing their jobs well.

Despite these positive views toward local news organizations, there are signs that Americans are engaging less with local journalism than they used to.

The share of Americans who say they follow local news very closely has fallen by 15 percentage points since 2016 (from 37% to 22%). Most U.S. adults still say they follow local news at least somewhat closely (66%), but this figure also has dropped in recent years.

This trend is not unique to local news – Americans’ attention to national and international news also has declined.

The ways in which Americans access local news are changing, reflecting an increasingly digital landscape – and matching patterns in overall news consumption habits.

* Fewer people now say they prefer to get local news through a television set (32%, down from 41% who said the same in 2018).

* Americans are now more likely to say they prefer to get local news online, either through news websites (26%) or social media (23%). Both of these numbers have increased in recent years.

* Smaller shares prefer getting their local news from a print newspaper or on the radio (9% each).

The types of sources Americans are turning to are changing as well:

* While local television stations are still the most common source of local news beyond friends, family and neighbors, the share who often or sometimes get news there has declined from 70% to 64% in recent years.

* Online forums, such as Facebook groups or the Nextdoor app, have become a more common destination for local news: 52% of U.S. adults say they at least sometimes get local news from these types of forums, up 14 percentage points from 2018. This is on par with the percentage who get local news at least sometimes from local radio stations.

* Meanwhile, a third of Americans say they at least sometimes get local news from a daily newspaper, regardless of whether it is accessed via print, online or through a social media website – down 10 points from 2018. The share of Americans who get local news from newspapers is now roughly on par with the share who get local news from local government agencies (35%) or local newsletters or Listservs (31%).

Not only are fewer Americans getting local news from newspapers, but local daily newspapers are now more likely to be accessed online than in print.

 31% of those who get news from daily newspapers do so via print, while far more (66%) do so digitally, whether through websites, apps, emails or social media posts that include content from the paper.

* In 2018, just over half of those who got news from local daily newspapers (54%) did so from print, and 43% did so via a website, app, email or social media site.

There is a similar move toward digital access for local TV stations, though local TV news is still mostly consumed through a TV set.

* In 2024, 62% of those getting news from local TV stations do so through a television, compared with 37% who do so through one of the digital pathways.

* An even bigger majority of local TV news consumers (76%) got that news through a TV set in 2018.

The turmoil for the local news industry in recent years has come with major financial challenges. Circulation and advertising revenue for newspapers have seen sharp declines in the last decade, according to the PEW analysis of industry data, and other researchers have documented that thousands of newspapers have stopped publishing in the last two decades. There also is evidence of audience decline for local TV news stations, although advertising revenue on local TV has been more stable.

When asked about the financial state of the news outlets in their community, a majority of Americans (63%) say they think their local news outlets are doing very or somewhat well, with a third saying that they’re not doing too well or not doing well at all. This is a slightly more pessimistic view than in 2018, when 71% said their local outlets were doing well, though it is still a relatively positive assessment of the financial state of the industry.

Just 15% of Americans say they have paid or given money to any local news source in the past year – a number that has not changed much since 2018. The survey also asked Americans who did not pay for news in the past year the main reason why not. The most common explanation is that people don’t pay because they can find plenty of free local news, although young adults are more inclined to say they just aren’t interested enough in local news to pay for it.

Billings Building Permits 5-15-24

21 May 2024
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Commercial

Crash Champions /Wovek Inc, 15 N 15th St, Com Remodel, $120,000

Crash Champions /Wovek Inc, 302 N 15th St, Com Remodel,  $120,000

Eric & Amanda Harmala/ Com Remodel – Change In Use, 1211 24th St W, Remodel Change In Use, $15,000

Cross Development/ MCP Development Inc, 1815 Main St, Com New Other, $2,200,000

Hayden Properties Llc|Beartooth Holdings & Construction Inc/ 2631 St Johns Ave, Com New Office/Bank, $1,400,000

Canyon Creek Industrial Complex Llc- Sean Kirby |EEC Inc, 1474 S 30th St W, Com New Other, 1,428,000

Billings Lodging West Llc |TCK Hospitality Llc, 1732 Spring Creek Ln, Com New Hotel/Motel, $8,000,000

Elevation Church Billings Inc|Ralph Dupea Contracting,  711 4th Ave N, Com Remodel, $100,000

Stock Properties |Stock Land Properties ,149 Shiloh Rd, Inc Com Remodel,  $60,000

Grayson Larry & Rhonda|ABC Seamless Of Billings Inc/ 838 Mullowney Ln, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $16,000

SSI Big Sky Llc|Studer Construction Company, 1100 6th Ave N, Demolition Permit Commercial, $36,000

Christina Duray |J And B Contracting Services Inc, 2711 1st Ave N, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $2,825  r

School District No 2|Wegner Homes, 1315 Lewis Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $305,415

M & S Businesses LLC|Advanced Protection Systems Inc, 1241 S 31st St W, Com Fire Systems, $9,500

Treasure State Land Co LLC |Langlas & Assoc. Inc., 900 S 24th St W, Com Remodel, $60,000

BHCC II Inc|KE Construction LLC, 1223 Mullowney Ln, Com Addition, $2,757,600

WWT Enterprises LLC|Yellow Ball Roofing & Solar LLC,  1460 17th St W, Com Remodel, $25,830

US Bank NA|John Houghtaling, 1645 Grand Ave, Siding, $80,000

State Of Mt Department Of Administration|Wegner Homes Roofing, 701 S 27th St, Roofing, $680,549

Single Family

Billings Best Builders |Billings Best Builders Llc,  5336 S Iron Mountain Rd, Res New Single Family, $250,000

J&S Development Co|Billings Best Builders Llc, 5330 S Iron Mountain Rd, Res New Single Family, $250,000

Mccall Development Inc|Mccall Development, 6207 Eva Marie Ln, Res New Single Family, $253,687

Hammond Sean, 2570 Keel Dr, Res New Single Family $360,000

South Pine Design |South Pine Design, S Iron Mountain Rd, Res New Single Family, $450,000

Michael Christensen |Michael Christensen Homes, 4944 Silver Creek Trl, Res New Single Family, $450,000

McCall Development Inc|McCall Development, 1822 St Paul Ln, Res New Single Family, $164,480

McCall Development Inc|McCall Development, 1857 St Paul Ln, Res New Single Family, $197,601

AGs Investigate Investment Company Over anti-Israel Policies

21 May 2024
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By Bethany Blankley, The Center Square

A coalition of Republican attorneys general has launched an investigation into MSCI, a New York-based investment company managing roughly more than $5 billion in assets, after allegations surfaced of its boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) policies against Israel.

The coalition, led by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, gave MSCI chairman and CEO Henry Fernandez until April 18 to respond.

They contacted Fernandez after the Jewish News Syndicate reported that MSCI’s ESG policies appear to downgrade dozens of companies “that it said committed ‘human rights violations’ simply for conducting business in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.”

JNS reported that it found “that MSCI has tagged nine companies that generated ESG controversy ratings at Morningstar for doing business in Judea and Samaria with its own such ratings” and contacted Florida officials.

In a letter to Fernandez, the AGs express “great concern” over the report saying, “the states we represent unequivocally support Israel’s right to exist and oppose the BDS movement.”

The coalition represents the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

“While the BDS movement ‘markets itself as a nonviolent movement’ designed to pressure Israel to ‘withdraw to its pre-1967 borders,’ its leadership in reality ‘seeks nothing less than the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state,’” they said. “According to a cofounder of the BDS movement, it is ‘but the first stage on the road to fulfilling the vision of the dismantling of Israel.’ The movement often focuses on pressuring large investment portfolios – such as those run by municipality or university – to divest from companies that ‘aid Israel’s occupation.’”

They also said the BDS movement has two goals: “to economically cripple Israel and create a false narrative of Israel’s occupation and colonization.”

Businesses Seek Tax Abatements

18 April 2024
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Several local businesses are requesting tax abatements from Yellowstone County on their investment in new equipment. The abatements are for qualifying Class 8 Property – primarily manufacturing concerns that generate economic growth. A recent change in state law (SB 530) requires that county commissioners grant the abatement requests, with the only options available to them being whether to apply the abatement at the 80 percent, 90 percent or 100 percent.  The abatement is phased out over the next five years at which time the company pays the full property tax.

The County Commissioners approved a supplemental application for a tax abatement request from CHS. In January, the County Commissioners approved, at 80 percent, an initial property tax abatement request from CHS for manufacturing equipment totaling in value $38,872,419.88.

They have also approved, at 80 percent, an abatement request of Class 8 property from Phillips 66 on the investment of $7,459,311 of equipment.

The Commissioners also approved a tax abatement for Signal Peak Energy and Coca Cola are requesting abatements on new investments in their businesses.

Signal Peak Mine will receive a 80% abatement n $36,841,583 of manufacturing equipment located in Yellowstone County.

Coca Cola received an 80% tax abatement on $47,150,873 involving the construction of their new manufacturing plant.

Stockman Bank Ranked as One of Top 50 Community Banks in US

18 April 2024
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Stockman Bank has been recognized by S&P Global Market Intelligence as one of the top 50 best-performing U.S. community banks of 2023, among banks with $3 billion to $10 billion in assets.

S&P Global Market Intelligence ranks institutions based on returns, growth and funding but places a premium on the strength and risk profile of balance sheets. The rankings were launched in 2011 to assess the performance of community banks.

“This recognition reflects not only our exemplary financial performance, but the dedication and expertise of our staff, who put the needs of our customers and communities first,” stated Bill Coffee, CEO of Stockman Bank. “For more than 70 years, as a family-owned, privately held community bank, we have not wavered from our focus on serving the financial needs of all Montanans through outstanding service based on western values, local management and prompt decision making.”

Par Montana Gets Safety Award

18 April 2024
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Par Montana, a subsidiary of Par Pacific Holdings, Inc., was recently honored for its 2023 safety performance by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufactures (AFPM).  The award is part of the refining and petrochemical industry’s ongoing commitment to enhance and recognize outstanding workplace safety.

The awards are considered the premier recognition of the industry and are part of a comprehensive program developed by the AFPM Safety and Health Committee to promote safe operations in the refining and petrochemical industries.

The Par Montana refinery in Billings was elected for an Elite Silver Award, recognizing sites that have attained top industry safety performance in 2023 while demonstrating excellent program innovation and leadership over time. Elite Silver status represents the top 10 percent of industry safety performance.

The past year also represented a year of change for the Billings refinery employees as they prepared for ownership transition from ExxonMobil to Par Pacific Holdings. George Graham, the Health, Safety, Security and Environment manager at Par Montana, said being recognized for a year of safety excellence shows that leaders, frontline workers and contractors all prioritized personal and process safety when it was need most.

Kim Jakub, Senior vice President of Rocky Mountain Refining for Par Pacific and former refinery manager in Billings, said the award demonstrates a continuing commitment to safety by everyone at the site. “It is a well-deserved recognition for the Billings team,” she said.

As an example of new initiatives in 2023, the refinery completed the rollout of a new homegrown, safety program as a result of the transition to Par Pacific. This initial rollout was only the first step in a series of new leadership growth and development initiatives, as a component of a sustainable program. The refinery has also implemented new technologies to help monitor for potentially dangerous gases and improved personal protection for planned maintenance activities.