Thanks to help from state and local health and disaster officials, Billings Clinic has secured federal resources in the efforts to care of COVIC-19 patients. Through the efforts of Yellowstone County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator KC Williams and the State of Montana, the hospital has been given 15 new GE Healthcare CARESCAPE R860 ventilators, which aid critically ill patients in breathing. The government agencies, including the county health department, helped to  connect Billings Clinic with the U.S. Department of Health and Human (HHS), which provided the ventilators.

Billings Clinic has also received a $150,000 grant through the Montana Coronavirus Relief Grants Program, which provides federal CARES Act funding to businesses and organizations throughout the state. Billings Clinic will use these funds to help build a permanent Viral Triage Unit (VTU), which provides COVID-19 and respiratory illness testing. The permanent VTU will allow for continued testing in a convenient location next to Billings Clinic’s SameDay Care on the downtown Billings campus. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020.

Also, a seven-person care team arrived in Billings to assist the hospital, thanks to the efforts of the federal HHS and the State of Montana and DPHHS. The team includes four nurses, a physician and support staff.  They are one of five such teams deployed this week to hospitals across Montana.

* The Institute for Supply Management® reported that the manufacturing sector expanded in October at the fastest pace since September 2018, with the sector continuing to rebound from COVID-19-related weaknesses in the spring. The data were buoyed by robust growth in new orders, which rose at rates not seen since January 2004. With that said, there are also hints at lingering supply chain disruptions in the ISM despite solid progress since April in these data.

* New orders for manufactured goods rose 1.1% in September, increasing for the fifth straight month. Despite recent progress, new factory orders have fallen 3.9% year-over-year, due largely to severe COVID-19 disruptions in March and April. More encouragingly, core capital goods spending—a proxy for capital spending in the U.S. economy—rose 1.0% in September, with 4.5% growth over the past 12 months.

* Manufacturing added 38,000 workers in October, rising for the sixth straight month. Despite recent gains, the labor market for the sector remains well below its pre-COVID-19 pace, with manufacturing employment down by 621,000 in October relative to the level in February. The current outlook is for 12,300,000 employees in the manufacturing sector at year’s end, with continued growth next year, up from 12,231,000 in October.

* Overall, nonfarm payroll employment in the United States increased by 638,000 in October, also expanding for the sixth consecutive month but down by 10,090,000 since February. The unemployment rate fell from 7.9% in September to 6.9% in October.

* Private manufacturing construction spending fell 2.1% in September, with a 10.0% decrease year-over-year. Total private nonresidential spending declined 1.5% in September and 6.0% over the past 12 months. Private residential construction was a bright spot in the September data, once again boosted by historically low mortgage rates (which hit another record low last week).

* The U.S. trade deficit pulled back from the highest level since August 2006, decreasing from $67.04 billion in August to $63.86 billion in September, with growth in goods exports outpacing the increase in goods imports for the month.

* According to the latest update from TradeStats Express, U.S.-manufactured goods exports totaled $857.65 billion through the first three quarters of 2020, using seasonally adjusted data, dropping 16.32% from $1,024.86 billion year to date in 2019 and the slowest pace since 2010.

* The Federal Open Market Committee left interest rates unchanged, as expected, and will continue to have a highly accommodative monetary policy to support more economic growth. The Federal Reserve notes progress in the economy since the spring but acknowledges uncertainties in the outlook will persist as long as COVID-19 is an ongoing challenge.

The Department of the Interior announced it has removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list, signaling a successful recovery under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The gray wolf spent more than four decades on the endangered species list. The population is now thriving in the lower 48 states.

“This should be heralded as a success story of the Endangered Species Act,” noted Montana Farm Bureau Executive Vice President John Youngberg. “The gray wolf in Montana has already been delisted and state and tribal management is working well. When the numbers required by a scientific study are reached, it’s time to delist that species. In the case of the gray wolf, those states where they have already been delisted are managing the species well, limiting conflict with livestock and keeping a check on the reduction of wildlife numbers—yet still have the species thrive.”

State and tribal wildlife management agencies will now be responsible for the management and protection of the gray wolf.

“This is an Endangered Species Act success story,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “The gray wolf joins more than 50 other animals, including the bald eagle, as an example of how careful management and partnerships between federal and state agencies can result in the successful recovery of a once-threatened species. The gray wolf population is now thriving so it is appropriate to turn management over to the states, which can oversee the species in a way that is most appropriate for each region.”

Over 1,600 species remain on the federal threatened and endangered list. Delisting the gray wolf allows the Department of the Interior to focus resources on other species in need of recovery.

The Billings Chamber has announced its “Keep the Cheer Here” campaign to encourage shopping locally. The campaign extends from Nov. 16 through Dec. 21. Shop Small Saturday is Nov. 28. The event features a board game for shoppers and many local small businesses will have special sales and prizes on Shop Small Saturday.

Have you heard of Plaid Friday?

Wearing plaid on Friday after Thanksgiving is another way to show support for our local economy. Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses. “It’s a fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store ‘Black Friday’ consumer frenzy,” say its founders in Oakland, California, who created the concept “to bring back the times when shopping for friends and family was a pleasurable leisurely activity.”

Plaid Friday is celebrated throughout the nation as part of the Shop Indie Local Campaign. They encourage stores owners to participate by wearing plaid and taking pictures of customers who wear plaid and posting them, by making plaid –themed displays, and using plaid ribbon and wrapping paper or bags.

Rimrock Mall will host curbside pickup. “Curbside pick-up options for retail and dining is a great way to shop/order from your favorite locations and we want to make it easier and more comfortable for shoppers to enjoy their favorite stores and restaurants,” said Devin Hartley, General Manager of Rimrock Mall.  Also at Rimrock Mall, Nov. 29 is “Merry Little Kick Off Event” featuring the awarding of a free gift bag loaded with goodies to the first 250 guests that spend $50 or more at mall stores.

From Northern Ag Network

Montana Farmers Union has received a $150,000 Montana Meat Processing Infrastructure Grant (MMPIG) from federal CARES Act relief funds to purchase a mobile harvest unit. Montana FU, in partnership with FU groups in four other states who will also contribute to the purchase, will operate the facility as a cooperative to expand meat processing capacity. The other states include North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Wisconsin and Farmers Union Enterprise (FUE).

The cooperative will benefit Montana producers and butchers by providing the ability to harvest livestock that will be USDA inspected and for sale. Montana livestock harvest facilities are being over-run and are booked well into 2021, forcing producers to hold onto livestock or ship out-of-state to a corporate monopoly. The bottleneck in the production process became evident during the Coronavirus shut down when consumers discovered meat shortages in grocery stores and consumers started seeking other sources.

Montana Farmers Union is also working with Montana State University-Northern to develop a meat processing curriculum utilizing the Mobile Harvest Unit. The program will be the first ever meat processing curriculum in the country that teaches meat processing from harvest to retail. MSU Northern students who enroll in the program will earn anywhere from a one-year certificate to a bachelor’s degree with a focus on business management and marketing.

These courses will provide opportunities for students to join the meat processing industry as butchers, managers or inspectors. MFU hopes to have the MHU operational by early next spring. MSUN plans to have a curriculum in place by fall semester 2021.

Mountain States Legal Foundation announced the creation of a new center of legal excellence within the firm focused exclusively on fighting for Americans’ besieged Second Amendment protected rights. 

On October 14, MSLF announced a fundraising drive to help establish the new Center to Keep and Bear Arms, buoyed by an anonymous California benefactor who promised to match every donation, dollar-for-dollar, up to $75,000. The announcement of officially launching the center,  signaled success of the fundraiser.  

“The grassroots response to the challenge has been so strong that we’re prepared to announce the Center’s launch today, even though donations continue to arrive on a daily basis,” said MSLF Attorney Cody J. Wisniewski, who will spearhead the effort. “This was all planned long before Election Day, given the unprecedented threats to gun rights emerging at the state and local level. But there’s no question that the prospect of a Biden-Harris administration has heightened the sense of urgency among gun owners, given the Democratic Party platform’s clear and avowed hostility toward gun rights.” 

MSLF has a history of taking major gun rights cases, in keeping with its longstanding mission in support of constitutionally protected rights and individual freedoms. The creation of the Center to Keep and Bear Arms signals an increased commitment to protecting the rights of firearms owners. 

“This will be the only in-house, litigation-only Second Amendment operation in the United States,” explained Wisniewski. It will build on current cases like Caldara v. Boulder and past MSLF successes, including in Nesbitt v. Army Corp of Engineers. and Aragon v. Grisham.“As the name makes explicit, the Center will focus on challenging unconstitutional gun laws on behalf of Americans on three fronts: your right to keep firearms, your right to bear them on your person, and your right to choose which arms you need in order to defend yourself.” 

MSLF President and CEO Cristen Wohlgemuth remarked that the founding of the Center is in response to the recognition that gun rights today face unprecedented threats.  “The threat to the Second Amendment has never been more palpable than it is today,” said Wohlgemuth. “Attacks that used to be incremental and implicit now have become brazenly explicit, making it clear that gun confiscation and not just ‘gun control is part of the progressive-left’s agenda.That makes this the right time to create a specialty litigation Center, under the MSLF umbrella, in order to focus the in-house expertise we have on this issue.”

Commercial

Billings Heights Post #6774/Lennick Bros. Roofing & Sheetm, 637 Anchor St, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $8,600

Seahorse Gaming Llc/Yellowstone Basin Construction, 1918 Grand Ave,     Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $95,000

1116 Grand Ave Llc/Perfect 10 Roofing & Construction, 1116 Grand Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, 70,000

Winchell Real Estate Holdings/Cooper Construction, 1807 Grand Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $9,000

Roland & Michelle Wright, 3839 Grand Ave, Com Remodel, $1,200

Family Services/Cis Cornerstone Inspection Services, 3931 1st Ave S, Com Remodel, $70,000

T.W. Clark Construction Llc/1127 Alderson Llc, 1127 Alderson Ave,  Com Remodel – Change In Use , $1,300,000

Kairos Properties Llc, 221 N 15th St, Com Remodel, $128,045

Kairos Properties Llc, 321 N 15th St, Com Remodel, $110,000

Kairos Properties Llc, 421 N 15th St, Com Remodel, $110,000

Kairos Properties Llc, 521 N 15th St, Com Remodel, $122,485

Kairos Properties Llc, 621 N 15th St, Com Remodel, $116,039

Horizon Retail Construction/ Future Equity Partners, 2450 King Ave W, Com Remodel, $11,500

VTR Properties Llc , 615 S 27th St, Com Remodel, $80,600

Ross Alger Holdings Llc /Van Arsdale, Duane Constr Inc, 2147 Poly Dr, Com Remodel,   $10,000

Hays, Christoper J, 1148 Blair Ln, Com Remodel,  $0.00

Et Properties Llc/Wagenhals Enterprises Inc, 10 N 35th St, Com Remodel, $40,000

Noraca Llc/Laughlin Construction Inc., 100 N 27th St, Com Remodel, $200,000

City Of Billings (Airport)/ Yellowstone Electric Co., 501 North View Dr, Com Remodel, $0.00

Elevation Church Billings, Inc /Snowy River Construction, 711 4th Ave N, Com Remodel,  $8,300

Tanner Bennion/Jorden Construction, 848 Main St, Com Remodel, $6,000

The Billings Gazette /Lennick Bros. Roofing & Sheetm, 501 N22nd St,  Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $8,600

JTA Ventures  Llc/Sprague  Construction Roofing  Division, 1246 Central Ave, Com Fence/Roof/Siding, $60,000   

Veeder Homestead Llc, 2225 Overland Ave, Com New Hotel/Motel, $12,000,000

Stockland  Properties Inc, 15 Avanta Way, Com Remodel  $500,000

Sisters Of Charith of Leavenwo/Saunders  Construction Inc, Com  Remodel, 1233 N30th St, $200,000

Sisters Of Charith of Leavenwo /Saunders Construction Inc, 1233 N30th St  Com Remodel $1,000,000

McDonald Land Holdings Llc /Huppert  Construction Company, 1310 Main St, Demolition Permit Commercial $5,000

Fagg  Family Properties Llc/Huppert Construction Company, 205 N32nd St,

Demolition Permit Commercial, $5,000

Residential

Ryan W & Kristina D Morton /Northwest Construction, 2160 Skyview Dr, Res New Accessory Structure,  $36,864

Mccall Development Inc/Mccall Development, 1820 Annas Garden Ln, Res New Single Family, $197,525

Mccall Development Inc/Mccall Development, 6033 Norma Jean Ln, Res New Single Family, $221,434

Wells Built Inc /Wells Built Inc., 4205 Snowywoods Dr, Res New Single Family, $398,227

Magnus Land Development Llc/Brown Builders Inc.,  6319 Absaloka Ln, Res New Two Family, $327,260

Magnus Land Development Llc/ Brown Builders Inc., 6313 Absaloka Ln, Res New Two Family, $327,260

Pelzel, Bruce K & Yvette M/CMW Construction, 627 Valle Vista Ave, Res New Accessory Structure, $45,000

Taylor, Zachary J/Buscher Construction Ltd, 3116 Falcon Cir, Res New Single Family, $211,609

Taylor, Zachary J/Buscher Construction Ltd, 3118 Falcon Cir, Res New Single Family, $211,609

Infinity Home Llc/Infinity Home, 5134 Chapel Hill Dr, Res New Single Family, $198,600

Shriners Hospitals For Children/Dirk Arnold Construction, 1555 Tania Cir, , Res New Single Family, $221,018

Pierson Jensen Construction Co/ Wagner, Garret & Stephanie, 1017 Vineyard Way, Res New Single Family, $410,082

Joshua & Karen Graber/Hill Builders, 1880 Gleneagles Blvd, Res New Single Family     $288,000

Billings Best Builders Llc/Starks R.E.Group, 917 Mission Oaks Dr, Res New Two Family, $442,320

Larry Wagoner,4183vaughn Ln, Res New Accessory Structure, $246,800

Nielsen,Rod&Juleen/Steve Gountanis Homes Inc, 933 Vineyard Cir, Res New Accessory Structure, $19,200

Uednyquist,Sverre & Saran/B & W Builders, 736 Ave N, Res New Accessory Structure, $32,256.00

Big Time Construction/Big Time Construction, 1407 Tania Cir, Res New Single Family,  $216,544

David Mutch Yellowstone Property Solutions Llc 5211clemson Dr Res New Single Family $246,800.00

Res New Single Family Habitat For Humanity Newsfr1212  Spring Cir Habitat For Humanity,Midyell$201,072.00

Res New Single Family 6113 Norma Jean Ln McCall Development Inc $230,680.00

Res New Single Family McCall Development 6033farmstead Ave McCall Development Inc $224,174

McCall Development Inc/McCall Development, 6009 Farmstead Ave,  Res New Single Family, $140,650

McCall Development Inc/McCall Development, 6039 Farmstead Ave, Res New Single Family, $222,024

Hanser Capital Holdings Llc/Hg Designs, 2706 Cornell Cir, Res New  Single Family, $350,000

McCall Development Inc/McCall  Development, 6015 Farmstead Ave, Res New Single Family, $140,650

Wagenhals Land And Livestock/Wagenhals Enterprises Inc, 1118 Daylight Ln, Res New Single Family, $260,000.00

Regal Land Development Inc/Teske Construction Inc, 4217 Bell Ave, Res New Two Family, $408,076

Wells,Daniel & Julane/Teske Construction Inc, 4223 Bell Ave, Res New Two Family, $435,340

NOAA predicts that Montana can expect a cool, wet winter that could lead to heavy runoff next spring.

The forecast was made by the Corps’ Missouri River Water Management Division. Despite cold, snowy weather in October, precipitation was well below normal in much of the upper basin. The 2020 calendar year runoff forecast is 30.2 million acre-feet, 117% of average. This winter is setting up for a La Nina pattern, which typically means colder weather across Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. Looking through January, the outlook is also for above normal precipitation in those states. February through April forecast is trending toward below-normal temperatures and above-average precipitation.

TC Energy Corporation has awarded more than $1.6 billion worth of contracts to six major American union contractors to execute pipeline construction across 800 miles in three states in the U.S. on the Keystone XL Pipeline in 2021. A Bozeman company is among the contractors.

The six contractors will be directly responsible for hiring more than 7,000 union workers in 2021, with special emphasis placed on hiring locally first and giving priority to qualified local and Indigenous-owned businesses. When combined with additional 2021 contracts to be announced later, the total number of American union workers constructing Keystone XL in 2021 will exceed 8,000 and $900 million in gross wages. In total, Keystone XL is expected to employ more than 11,000 Americans in 2021, creating more than $1.6 billion in gross wages.

The companies awarded contracts include:

* Barnard Pipeline (Bozeman, MT)

* Associated Pipeline (Houston, TX)

* Michels (Brownsville, WI)

* Precision Pipeline (Eau Claire, WI)

* Price Gregory International (Katy, TX)

* U.S. Pipeline (Houston, TX)

“Barnard Pipeline is very excited and honored to receive the official award on Keystone XL. As a Montana contractor, we are proud to build this important project in our great state and to help ensure energy independence for our nation. We believe our reputation for integrity, safety and quality will meet the expectations of the property owners, communities and TC Energy,” said Marty Jorgensen, President, Barnard Pipeline.

“The awarding of 2021 U.S. construction contracts shows the continued momentum behind Keystone XL. The dedicated members of the Operating Engineers are eager and ready to build this critical piece of modern North American energy infrastructure to the highest quality standards,” said James T. Callahan, General President of the International Union of Operating Engineers. “The 8,000 American union jobs that come with 2021 construction is welcome news and irreplaceable as the U.S. continues our economic recovery.”

“With construction activities well underway in both the U.S. and Canada, Keystone XL is already playing a critical role in contributing to North America’s economic recovery,” said Richard Prior, President, Keystone XL Pipeline. “The selection of our U.S. construction contractors for 2021 is an important next step in employing thousands more American union workers and delivering tangible benefits to local communities and businesses.”

These contractors have extensive experience constructing pipeline and major infrastructure projects in the U.S. and around the world. The contractors were chosen based on TC Energy’s core principles of safety, environmental stewardship and stakeholder engagement along with their financial strength, technical design expertise and contract competitiveness.

Keystone XL remains as critical as ever to meeting today’s economic and energy security needs. The project has announced several significant developments in recent months, including commencing construction and signing the government of Alberta as an equity partner, signing a Project Labor Agreement with four major American unions and creating a US$10 million Green Jobs Training Fund, and offering equity ownership to Indigenous communities across North America. This is in addition to more than $90 million being recorded in the U.S. to date in local and Indigenous spend through TC Energy and the company’s various contractors and suppliers.

It’s been reported before that the economic impacts on Montana of the COVID-19 crisis has been greater than the Great Recession, by Dr. Pat Barkey, Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, UM, but a most recent published report in the Montana Business Quarterly, starkly emphasizes the contrast.

According to Barkey, “The economy was barreling along in January and February of 2020, with record low unemployment and respectable growth. Then the world stopped in mid-March. When it resumed, it was on a different course. Much of the economic data, which is released annually or perhaps quarterly, simply can’t describe recent events.”

Total U.S. nonfarm employment declined by more than 22 million jobs from February to April, a decline of about 14.5%.  “… such a decrease has to be among the greatest month-to-month declines in recent history. There is no question that the U.S. economy went into a free fall in the spring of 2020,” writes Barkey in the Montana Business Quarterly.

Using Current Employment Survey date from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals:

—The U.S., Montana and three of the state’s urban areas experienced sharp declines from February to April 2020 and increases from April to August, with moderating growth in July and August. Current employment levels remain mostly below peak values.

—The employment declines in the U.S., Montana and the urban areas were much greater than were experienced during the Great Recession. These decreases were probably larger than at any time in recent history.

—The changes in employment in the U.S., Montana and the MSAs were concentrated in a few industries. Leisure, health care and retail trade accounted for most of the declines and subsequent increases during 2020.

According to Barkey, “The concentration of 2020 impacts in a few industries suggests that they may mostly reflect the lockdowns and subsequent (partial) re-openings associated with the pandemic. Recessions, on the other hand, usually involve simultaneous trends in a wide variety of industries. If the events identified here spread to the rest of the economy, the COVID-19 recession may have a long way to go. If the impacts are confined to several industries (perhaps due to government fiscal and monetary policies), the recession may be shorter.”

Seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment in Montana declined sharply during the spring on 2020. The number of workers decreased from 489,400 in February to about 425,100 in April, down about 13.1%. The corresponding drop in U.S. employment was 14.5%. As with the nation, Montana experienced sizable increases in the April to August period, but the latest employment figures were still slightly more than 5% below the February peak, and the July and August growth was modest.