Great Falls' Independent News Source
Montana State Parks is accepting applications for $200 field trip travel grants. The applications will be accepting through Oct. 22 and grants can be used for field trips to federal and state public lands taking place between Jan. 2 and Aug. 30, 2019. The grant money is aimed at covering transportation-related costs with an emphasis on assisting Montana elementary students
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The Air Force has awarded the first portion of a $2.38 billion firm-fixed-price contract to Boeing for the UH-1N replacement helicopter. The Huey helicopters being replaced includes those at Malmstrom Air Force Base, which are used to support missile field security. “Strong competition drove down costs for the program, resulting in $1.7 billion in savings to the taxpayer,” Secretary of
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The History Museum is hosting a premier viewing of their new documentary, “Thunder under the Big Sky” on Sept. 27. The 58-minute film chronicles military history in northcentral Montana including the ferrying of warplanes from Gore Hill and what is now Malmstrom Air Force Base to Fairbanks, Alaska where they were then handed off to Russian pilots to use in
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Local food is the focus of a new partnership between the Montana Departments of Agriculture and Commerce. In the vein of the Made in Montana brand, Taste Our Place launched this summer to promote eating and drinking establishments that source Montana ingredients for their menu items. The program got started over the summer and included a booth at the Montana State
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The Air Force continued its effort to train with local, state and federal agencies during an exercise in Chouteau County this week. This year’s Local Integrated Response Plan exercise involved about 500 people, 19 agencies and a scenario involving an attack on a nuclear convoy. This year, 50 agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation were participating in the scenario.
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Cordillera Communications is looking to sell 11 of its television stations, including five in Montana. According to TVNewsCheck.com, a broadcast industry trade publication, Cordillera has hired Methuselah Advisors of New York City to sell those stations in small markets. Those stations are: KRTV in Great Falls, KPAX in Missoula; KTVQ in Billings, KXLF in Butte and KTVH in Helena. The company
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Watching a film crew re-enact the events of April 4, 1951 in downtown Great Falls on Tuesday was an odd feeling for Clem Pellett. “This is just so poignant,” he said. “I’ve just got this feeling inside of me. It’s happy, it’s sad, it’s reenacting the day my grandfather was murdered.” Pellet’s grandfather, Clarence Pellett, was murdered by Frank Dryman
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Cascade County is migrating to the cloud for property records. A contract with Tyler Technologies is on Tuesday’s commission agenda with a one time $25,340 fee for transitioning from the county server to Tyler’s system. The recurring annual fee $17,500. The upgrade is for the Clerk and Recorder’s Office and was included in last year’s budget, according to county officials.
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State legislators considered three draft bills related to tax increment financing during a Wednesday morning committee meeting. None of the bills made it out of committee yet and there was wide opposition to two of the three bills during public comment. The effort on TIF related bills will likely continue in the 2019 legislative session. One of the bill was
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President Trump’s visit last week cost the county $17,585.35. The rally at Expo Park cost the county $39,319 in expenses for staffing, operations, and other costs, mostly for the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, public works and Expo Park. The county made $21,734 in revenue from the visit through concessions and facility rental at Expo Park. Trump rally in Great Falls
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