Author: Press Room

Bureaucratic Rule Change Threatens Ag

22 July 2024
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A lawsuit filed on June 12, by the American Farm Bureau Federation and 11 other groups, challenges the lawfulness of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, which threatens the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing on federal lands.

Gary Heibertshausen, a sheep rancher in Montana and Farm Bureau member, says access to public lands for livestock grazing is crucial to the success of his ranch. “If Willow Creek Partners could not graze its livestock on federal land, we would be forced to sell our sheep and cease operating as a ranch.”

Heibertshausen and his partners hold six grazing permits covering several thousand acres of federal lands. He is supporting the case, saying the BLM rule creates substantial risk and uncertainty for ranchers, adding, “Under the rule, we can no longer be certain that the public lands on which we currently rely for grazing will remain available for grazing over the coming years.”

BLM issued the final rule in May with a stated goal of increasing the health and resilience of public lands, but a lack of clarity in the rule and changes in policy that are not authorized by law make it unacceptable. The rule also makes it more difficult for ranchers to play an important role in the stewardship of public lands.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “Further restricting grazing on public lands takes us backward not forward because ranchers are delivering a return on the trust placed in them to care for public lands. They are clearing brush that could fuel wildfires, controlling invasive species, and bringing overall health benefits to the land.”

The benefits of grazing range from reducing wildfire risk and slowing the spread of invasive weeds to building robust root systems and spurring forage growth for native species. The misguided Public Lands Rule threatens the important balance our country has achieved on public lands, as well as the future stability of the many ranches that depend on grazing permits.

BLM oversees approximately 245 million acres of property in the West, which amounts to one-tenth of all U.S. land. For nearly a century, farmers and ranchers have worked with the federal government to ensure Western land can be used for both public enjoyment and agricultural use. So the rule changes to the management of public lands have broad implications for agriculture and the future for America’s ranchers.

Building Permits July 15, 2024

22 July 2024
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Commercial

Larson Family Properties LLC / Leaf Pediatrics, 985 Peachtree Rd, Com Remodel – Change In Use, $15,000

McDonalds Real Estate Company|Langlas & Assoc. Inc, 525 Wicks Ln, Com Remodel, $75,000

Beacon Air Group |Monarch Limited Of Montana, 2523 Altimeter Dr, Com New Warehouse/Storage , $800,000

Edie Best |Jones Construction Inc, 25 N 17th St, Billings Animal Family Clinic, Com New Office/Bank,  $1,909,325

School District #2|Earth Movers Excavation Inc, 1812 19th St W, Com Remodel, $45,000

Natalie Hilderman |Bullseye Electric Llc, 504 Bernard St, Com Remodel – Change In Use, $1,500

Homefront |TW Ridley Llc, 1024 St Johns Ave, Com Remodel, $35,400

Homefront |TW Ridley Llc 1028 St Johns Ave, Com Remodel, $35,400

Homefront |TW Ridley Llc, 1029 St Johns Ave, Com Remodel,  $35,400

Homefront |TW Ridley Llc, 1030 St Johns Ave, Com Remodel, $35,400

Homefront |TW Ridley Llc, 1026 St Johns Ave, Com Remodel, $35,400

Billings Clinic|Swanke Construction Bc Pet Ct, 801 N 29th St, Com Remodel, $75,000

State Of Mt Department Of Admistration|Bradford Roof Management Inc/ 701 S 27th St, Com Fence/Roof/Siding $270,850   R

Marks Janet & Marcel Rev Livi|T.O. Jones Construction Inc., 2204 Alderson Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $15,600

Family Beginnings LLC|Montana Freestone Construction LLC, 134 Grand Ave, Com Remodel – Change In Use, $35,000

Brandish Properties LLC|Valentine Remodeling, 304 Grand Ave, Com Remodel, $25,000

Homefront |Wovek Inc,  925 S 31st St, Com Remodel, $46,000

Homefront |Wovek Inc , 3007 9th Ave S, Com Remodel, $76,666

School District #2|Bauer Construction , 2201 St Johns Ave, Com Remodel, $500

Cta Building Llp|Centimark Corp, 13 N 23rd St, Com Fence/Roof/Siding,  $186,764

Rimrock Mall |Neumann Construction, 300 S 24th St W, Com Remodel, $50,000

Sasi Investments Llc|Sawtooth Contracting Inc , 2001 Rosebud Dr, Com Remodel – Change In Use, $5,000

Michelle Trudell |Bauer Construction , 2240 Grant Rd, Suite 1, Com Remodel, $200,000

Mayflower Congregational Churc|Wegner Homes , 2940 Poly Dr, Com Remodel, $113,850

Costco Wholesale|Lydig Construction Inc , 2290 King Ave W, Com Remodel, $197,000

First Congregational Church Of|Integrity Building And Development, 310 N 27th S, Com Remodel, $9,500

Jason Marble, 3485 A J Way, Marble Coffee Roaster, Com Remodel – Change In Use, $250

Amerco Real Estate Company|Commercial Roofing Montana LLC, 1515 Grand Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $586,360   r

Mike D Dimich Sons|Lennick Bros. Roofing & Sheetmetal,  344 Howard Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $8,000  r

Am Cbre 1st South Llc|Lennick Bros. Roofing & Sheetmetal, 3004 1st Ave S, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $7,000   r

St Lukes Episcopal Church|Absolute Construction, 119 N 33rd St, Com Remodel, $30,000

Brock Williams |Dimension Edge Inc Dba Big Sky Solarwind 1500 Poly Dr, Com Addition, $250,000

Beacon Air Group |Monarch Limited Of Montana , 2533 Altimeter Dr, Com New Warehouse/Storage, $800,000

School District 2|Bauer Construction , 425 Grand Ave, Com Remodel, $85,000

Fischer Technologies |Dynamic Construction Solutions LLC , 2404 6th Ave N, Com Remodel, $10,000

Brad Barker , 208 N 29th St, Com Remodel $7,500

School District #2|Empire Roofing Inc, 3723 Central Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $127,869  R

Yellowstone County|Hardy Construction Co, 2825 3rd Ave N, Com Remodel, $15,000

Single Family

Concepcion Construction|Concepcion Construction Llc, 131 Morocco Dr, Res New Single Family, $350,000

4 Mt Homes Inc |4 Mt Homes Inc, 996 Matador Ave, Res New Single Family, $303,397

Infinity Home LLC |Infinity Home LLC, 879 El Rancho Dr, Res New Single Family, $242,671

Infinity Home LLC |Infinity Home LLC, 2212 Modera Ave, Res New Single Family, $196,546

4 Mt Homes Inc |4 Mt Homes Inc, 2271 Lindero Blvd, Res New Single Family, $206,904

Hanser Capital Holdings Llc|Great States Construction, 4411 Dacha Dr, Res New Townhome, $850,000

South Pine Design |South Pine Design, 5326 N Iron Mountain Rd, Res New Single Family, $500,000

Rimrock Builders Inc|Rimrock Builders Inc, 1905 E Thunder Mountain Rd, Res New Single Family, $600,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 3635 Spring Wheat Ln, Res New Townhome, $1,250,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC , 1925 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome,  $1,025,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 3632 Avenue E, Amber Apartment Homes – 4-Plex New Construction Of (13) 4-Ple Res New Townhome $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 2024 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC,  2022 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 2005 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 2007 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 2012 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 2014 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC,  2015 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 2017 Charlotte Dr, Development LLC, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 2025 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC 2027 Charlotte Dr, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 3636 Harvest Time Ln, Res New Townhome, $900,000

WL Zimmerman LLC|Lees Construction & Development LLC, 3638 Harvest Time Ln, Res New Townhome, $900,000

Steve Gountanis Homes Inc |Steve Gountanis Homes Inc, 5345 Riesling Ln, Res New Single Family, $650,000

Hill Ron S Living Trust|Diverse Construction LLC, 2160 Greenbriar Rd, Res New Single Family, $294,590

McDonald Brian|Jorden Construction , 4610 Loma Vista Dr, Res New Single Family, $1,180,000

Mike Christensen |Michael Christensen Homes, 4704 Ravenwood Dr, Res New Two Family, $396,632

Montana Endeavors LLC, 2742 Palm Dr, Res New Single Family, $750,000

Habitat For Humanity Mid Yell|Habitat For Humanity, 1527 Ping Circle, Res New Single Family, $350,000

Christoferson David & Rebecca|Ketchum Construction & Woodworks Inc, 1951 Black Fig Ct, Res New Single Family, $980,000

Infinity Home LLC |Infinity Home LLC, 2224 Modera Ave, Res New Single Family, $211,636

Billings Best Builders |Billings Best Builders LLC, 5239 Amherst Dr, Res New Single Family, $250,000

Annual Petroleum Meet, Aug. 26-28

22 July 2024
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The Montana Petroleum Association will hold its Annual Meeting on August 26 thru 28 at the Doubletree Hotel in Billings. A barbeque dinner will be held at the Pryor Creek Golf Course in Huntley on Tuesday evening of August 27.

Leen Wiejers, Vice President of Engineering and Liberty Energy will be the guest speaker at the annual Petroleum Appreciation Luncheon on Wednesday, August 28, to which the public is invited. Leen has authored dozens of industry courses and publications. He also played a key role in the calibration of fracture growth models with various fracture diagnostics such as tiltmeter and micro-seismic fracture mapping technologies.

A number of presenters will be featured on the program on Wednesday forenoon, beginning at 7:30 am.

For more information contact bobbie@montanapetroleum.org.

Annual Energy Open, Aug. 8 and 9

22 July 2024
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The 21st Annual Energy Open Conference and Golf Tournament will be held on Aug.8  and 9  in Colstrip.

Southeastern Montana Development invites the public to participate in this event which “showcases the economic benefits of responsible energy development.” It  is an opportunity to tour unique energy facilities, network with energy leaders, decision makers, legislators, and if desired, golf on the second day. The Energy Open starts at 9 am on Thursday, August 8. Tours will be given of the Rosebud Mine and of the Rosebud Power Plant.

Contact SEMDC at (406) 748-2990 or email jatchision@semdc.org or ahert@semdc.org. Registration at www.semdc.org.

And Still it Booms!

22 July 2024
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There are almost 60% more new businesses being created each year in the US. Prior to COVID, with its forced closures and slowdowns of businesses, the rate of new business start-ups was declining and considered quite dismal.

It was “quite gloomy,” said Economist John Haltiwanger, an expert on new business growth. New businesses tend to be a sign of job creation, innovation and productivity growth. Researchers said that they were “gobsmacked” to see the trend reverse with the pandemic. The report was in Planet Money.

“Many people lost their jobs. Maybe a lot of them were creating new businesses in a desperate attempt to pay the bills. or just out of boredom,” he said. The real surprise has been that the boom has continued. Four years since it began — “and there’s still a bonanza of new business creation in the United States.” Remote working, suburban growth, tech startups seem to be driving the growth. “Productivity growth means we can make more stuff in less time, which causes products and services to be more abundant and cheaper.”

“I’d say we’re on a new plateau that started in 2021,” Haltiwanger said. Comparing the three years before the onset of the pandemic with the three years after it, the data suggests there are now, on average, almost 60% more new businesses being created each year.

The boom is real. It’s sustained. It’s visible in both businesses that are just a single person striking out on their own and, importantly, businesses that are likely to grow and employ people. It’s seen in traditionally underrepresented minority communities. And, Haltiwanger says, this boom could be a sign that something fantastic is about to happen to the American economy: a long-awaited boost in productivity growth, which is the magic sauce for making society richer.

Two big buckets of new businesses are being created.

New businesses in the first bucket are capitalizing on a huge post-pandemic population shift. Many office workers are now either fully remote or hybrid. “People are not spending five days a week at the office in major downtown areas,” Haltiwanger says. Where people spend their time, they spend their money. Bad news for businesses in downtown areas. Good news for businesses where office workers live.

That’s why one of the big areas for new business growth is in food and accommodations, particularly in the outskirts of cities.

The other big bucket of new businesses are tech startups, according to Haltiwanger. It s the most persistent. “I think we’re in a new tech wave,” Haltiwanger says.

The last time the United States saw a significant uptick in productivity growth was in the 1990s during the dot-com boom. Productivity growth means we can make more stuff in less time, which causes products and services to be more abundant and cheaper. It’s like fairy dust being sprinkled on the economy, lifting society’s standard of living.

Ziply Fiber Ready to Serve 19,000

11 July 2024
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With ultra-high-speed, 100 percent fiber-optic networks now ready for service, thousands of Billings residences and businesses have the opportunity to access fiber speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 50 Gig – service that is 500 times faster – the fastest home internet available.

The new service is a “bold expansion throughout major cities in Montana” by Ziply Fiber, a fiber-optic network provider, headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, which is rapidly expanding throughout the northwestern US.

People in the Billings area have probably seen crews installing the system throughout the community, and now some 19,000 homes and businesses in Billings, and nearly 10,000 addresses in Great Falls, can connect for better service at less price, according to Ryan Luckin, vice president of marketing.

“We are talking about a technology that is super reliable and more inexpensive,” said Luckin. The higher speeds will enable a lot of uses, but especially so for the increasing number of people who work at home. “You will be able to get reliable connection and down load very quickly.”

Most of Ziply Fiber’s executive team, which consists of former executives from AT&T, CenturyLink, and Wave Broadband, either grew up in the Northwest or have spent the better part of 30 years living here, according to Ryan Luckin, vice president of marketing.

That local ownership and market familiarity is an important part of the company mindset and culture, according to Luckin.

The company was founded by Harold Zeitz . The company also has major offices in Everett, Washington; Beaverton, Oregon; and Hayden, Idaho. “Expansion in Montana has been a long time coming and I’m so thankful that the day is finally here,” said Zeitz, “I can’t tell you the number of people and business owners who have reached out to us asking when we’re coming and telling us stories of the limited options they have and what fast, reliable fiber will mean to them. Today we help fulfill that wish.”

Billings and Great Falls are just the first two cities of at least five in the state with brand new, state-of-the-art fiber infrastructure being built by Ziply Fiber, which previously had only offered service in the communities of Libby and Troy. The plan is to be available throughout Montana except for very rural areas, said Luckin. “If you can’t see your neighbor the prospect of being able to provide service isn’t very good,” he explained, since having infrastructure such as telephone poles is usually necessary.

This means that as of today, both Billings and Great Falls now have the fastest household internet speeds in the nation. Customers at every speed tier can be confident they’re on the best and fastest network available, giving them great speed and reliable service for everything they want to do online today and into the future.

All Ziply Fiber plans offer symmetrical download/upload speeds and the company’s entry-level Fiber 100 plan exceeds the minimum residential broadband speed required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with no contracts or data caps.

Throughout the region, “since we started four years ago, we have brought fiber to more than a hundred markets,” said Luckin, “and not just to large metra areas but to rural  areas, too, who have never had high speed broad band and fiber.”

Residents and business owners can check for fiber availability at Ziplyfiber.com and sign up to be alerted when service is available at their location. Residential customers can switch to fiber internet for as little as $20 per month and receive a $50 bill credit for themselves and any new customer they refer.

The Many Benefits of Fiber Internet

Fiber internet, unlike other options like cable or satellite, provides the bandwidth and capacity to keep entire families streaming without interruption. Fiber provides symmetrical upload and download speeds and lower latency to easily power video conferencing and online gaming without lag and delivers the reliability to empower residents and businesses for decades.

Yellowstone County News Named Best Newspaper

11 July 2024
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1st time in Newspaper History

By Staff at Yellowstone County News

Yellowstone County News achieved the top spot in recognition last weekend at the Montana Newspaper Association’s Annual Meeting in Kalispell. It was recognized as the #1 Newspaper in Montana (Division 3 with circulations of 2,000 or above). Based in Huntley, the Yellowstone County News has been publishing 47 years, since 1977. It is published by Jonathan and Tana McNiven.

In Division 3, Yellowstone County News placed in 17 categories and took home the 1st place spot in nine of those categories. Amassing those 17 categories included nine staff members and contributors from David Crisp, Evelyn Pyburn, Krayton Kerns, Michael Marino, Tana McNiven, Chase Doak, Connor Waddingham, Elisa Schlosser and Jonathan McNiven.

Evelyn Pyburn has won the Best Editorial for the third year in a row. This year’s three submissions included “How To Get The Truth, A Bow to Those Who Make it All Happen, No One Has Right to Coerce”.  Michael Marino won the Best Investigative Journalism category with his story entitled, “Nightmare off Yellowstone Trail, More Details Emerge,” while YCN Sports Broadcaster Connor Waddingham won the top spot with the video he captured while broadcasting the last shot of the game, as “Shepherd Boys Won” right at the buzzer, in Big Timber. Jonathan McNiven won the Best Portrait Photo as he captured all but a couple legislators of the Yellowstone County Delegation in Helena, as they sat together in the House Chambers.  Tana McNiven won 1st place in her first-ever full-page ad, which she put together for Tree Mechanics LLC in Billings, entitled “We Are a Full-Service Tree Company,”

Other ads and graphics produced and published in YCN that won 1st place included Dig It Days Entry 2023 @ MontanaFair, Blue Body and Paint’s black and white ad entitled, “Honey,… Stop Hunting with the Car,” and YCN’s Marketing campaign called “Where is YCN Today,” in which readers take pictures with their paper and send them to YCN with a caption.

Owner and Publisher Jonathan McNiven stated, “Thank you to all those staff members and contributors who work so hard to help put out a great, informative and local product every week. We could not do it without their attention to detail, hard work and dedication. This honor of winning goes to our whole entire staff that includes our delivery drivers, proofreaders, production specialist, legal staff, reporters, as well as our readers, contributors and advertisers. It definitely takes a team effort and we did it together so thank you!”

The Yellowstone County News is among 80 newspapers that belong to the Montana Newspaper Association. The Yellowstone County News has produced the most statewide display ads for the last nine years consecutively to the Montana Newspaper Association.   

Jonathan and Tana McNiven are the fourth owners and publishers of the Yellowstone County News since its beginnings in 1977. Jonathan and Tana will mark 10 years in October 2024 in owning the hyper-local newspaper covering Yellowstone County.

Unemployment Remains High

11 July 2024
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Early summer brings work and a traditional decline in unemployment insurance (UI). In May, about 70,000 Ninth District workers received weekly UI benefits. That’s about half of January’s levels, but UI levels historically decline with warmer weather. Current levels are 17 percent higher than last year but still a 5 percent gap from 2019 levels. The gap would be much wider—closer to 20 percent—without last year’s change in Minnesota law allowing hourly school workers to claim unemployment benefits in the summer. For other recent trends, see the Minneapolis Fed’s Regional Economic Indicators.

Stockman Bank -“Best in State”

11 July 2024
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Stockman Bank has once again been awarded on the Forbes list of America’s Best-In-State Banks 2024. This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on June 18, 2024.

Financial institutions are the cornerstone of the financial world and play a central role in stabilizing global systems. America’s Best-In-State Banks 2024 ranking lists the institutions that stood out for fulfilling the unique financial needs and expectations of their local communities thereby being most valued by residents of each state.

This is the second award Stockman has received from Forbes in 2024. The Bank was recognized by Forbes as one the World’s Best Banks in April. “We are proud to once again be recognized on Forbes list of Best-In-State Banks. This award is particularly special to us since the recognition is coming directly from Montana consumers who participated in the independent survey,” stated Bill Coffee, CEO of Stockman Bank.  “The award is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our staff, who are committed to putting the needs of their customers and communities first.  I am proud of their outstanding service to our bank, our customers and our state.”

The ranking is based on two sources:

1. An Independent Survey: Approximately 26,000 U.S. residents were surveyed online. Participants were asked to name all banks where they have a checking/savings account and rate it in six different subdimensions: Trust, Terms & Conditions, Branch Services, Digital Services, Customer Services, and Financial Advice.

2. Publicly Available Reviews: For each bank, in each state, a sentiment analysis approach of publicly available online text reviews and ratings was applied.

In each state, the banks with the highest combined score from the analysis of survey results and publicly available reviews were awarded. The survey score was rated 80% and publicly available reviews 20%.

Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high-profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, relevant business data, and various market and consumer studies and surveys.

State Grants $2.6 million to Film Industry

11 July 2024
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Since the Montana State Legislature created a taxpayer funded program in the hopes of attracting Hollywood –style business to Montana, the Montana Department of Commerce recently announced $2.6 million in grants to 67 film creations statewide.

The program is called the Big Sky Film Grant program and this year there were 150 projects requesting $9 million in funding.

The Montana Department of Commerce announced that 67 film creations will share more than $2.6 million in subsidies to film on-location productions across the state.

Grants were made available from Feature Film and TV; Feature Film and TV – Resident Only; Short-Form Content; and Short-Form Content – Resident Only categories.

A sampling of some of the recipients include:

—  7030 Entertainment, LLC  – –  $50,000 for the production of “Cold Storage.”

— Attack Team Entertainment Inc.  – –  $50,000 for the production of “Where the Wild Horses Live.”

—  Eat Different, LLC will revive $100,000 for the production of “Inhuman.”

—  FMLY Films, Inc.  – –  $50,000 for the production of “Lunatic.”

—  Hold The Map Productions, LLC  – –  $50,000 for the production of “Breaking the Silence.”

—  Justin Olson, ETC FILM, LLC  – –  $150,000 for the production of “Earth to Charlie.”

—  Last Chance Pictures, LLC  – –  $50,000 for the production of “Good Kids.”

—  Michael Polish, There There, LLC  – –  $100,000 for the production of “There, There.”

—  MMM MT, LLC  – –  $50,000 for the production of “Swimming Hole.”

—  Nathan Norby, LLC  – –  $50,000 for the production of “The Price of Paradise.”

—  Paradise Valley Pictures  – –  $100,000 for the production of “The Gift of the Game.”

— Stillwater Historical Society, Museum of the Beartooths will receive $50,000 for the production of “Moccasins, Mining and Montana’s 34th County.”

“Commerce’s Film Office promotes Montana as a business destination for film production companies to expand production in our state, increase job opportunities, promote small business growth and to promote tourism,” said Paul Green, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “These 67 film projects are expected to spend an estimated $35 million in Montana and will bring in productions that will help boost the economies of many rural Montana communities, including Plentywood, Cohagen, Lame Deer, Poplar, Dillon, Clyde Park, Choteau, Pryor, Roberts, Virginia City and Pray.”

The richest in Montana…

Based upon the average net worth of its citizens, the richest city in Montana – not surprisingly —  is Bozeman followed by Whitefish. Belgrade comes in as the third richest – undoubtedly as spillover from Bozeman. Then its Columbia Falls, followed by Billings, Helena, Missoula, Laurel, Livingston, and Kalispell.