Saturday, Apr. 16th, 2022

FWP fixing error in drawing process for elk permits

HELENA – After deer and elk permits were drawn Thursday, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks uncovered an error in the drawing process affecting less than three percent of applications across the state in 10 hunting districts.

This year the Fish and Wildlife Commission changed several elk hunting districts to “first and only choice” for applications, meaning if hunters want to hunt any of these districts, they forfeit the option to list a second or third choice on their application.

Due to an error in the current licensing system regarding “first and only choice” hunting districts, hunters who applied for these districts were able to submit second and third choices. Hunters who did submit second and third choices on their applications for a “first and only choice” district were removed during the draw. The mistake affected 10 hunting districts and 2,482 applications out of the 83,017 total statewide. FWP is moving away from the current licensing system as part of the administration's effort to modernize state government.

“As soon as FWP became aware of the technical glitch, our licensing staff worked around-the-clock to fix it and make it right with hunters who were inadvertently removed from the draw,” said FWP Director Hank Worsech.

Impacted applicants initially didn’t see results for the elk draw in their MyFWP account. Until the situation is resolved, those individuals will see temporarily that they were unsuccessful in the draw. Any hunter who drew a permit in yesterday’s draw will not lose it.

Here’s what FWP is doing to address the problem:

  • Hunters who submitted applications and are eligible for districts 411-21, 447-21, and 595-21 and entered second and third choices will receive a permit because the number of permits unallocated after the draw is greater than the number of applicants who were removed from the draw. Similarly, the 270-45 permit is unlimited, so applicants will all receive a permit.
  • Hunters who submitted applications for districts 411-20, 417-20, 417-21, 426-20, 799-20, and 799-21 and were removed from the draw will be entered into a random drawing next week. Those who are unsuccessful in this second drawing will receive bonus points.

Under administrative rule, Director Worsech has the discretion to issue permits up to 10 percent above the quota. This 10 percent will be allocated in these second drawings.

“The fairest solution to this error is to use my discretion to give all impacted hunters the shot at a permit they’re owed,” Director Worsech said.

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Friday, Apr. 15th, 2022

Big Sky Country State Fair Announces 2022 Night Shows

Bozeman, MT—Big Sky Country State Fair is pleased to announce their 2022-night show line-up, a mix of celebrated multi-genre hip-hop and country artists! T.I. with special guest Willie Jones will kick out the week, RUSSELL DICKERSON with special guest Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry on Thursday, we will round off the week with BRANTLEY GILBERT with special guest Ashland Craft.

“After the success of last year's fair we were wondering how to continue to be “Back Better Than Ever” and decided to return with “Bigger Fun – Bigger Smiles” in 2022 with a line up which includes a multi-genre hip hop artist and country entertainers.” said Dennis Voeller, General Manager of the Gallatin County Fairgrounds, and home of the Big Sky Country State Fair. “ We also have expanded our programming in the kids ride area and on Sunday in the Motorsport Area. To catch all the changes we have made we invite you to come to the Big Sky Country State Fair and enjoy the best family entertainment value in the area. Thanks and see you there!”

T.I. with special guest Willie Jones performs Wednesday, July 20.
RUSSELL DICKERSON with special guest Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry performs Thursday, July 21.
BRANTLEY GILBERT with special guest Ashland Craft performs Friday, July 22.

T.I. An acclaimed innovator with millions of albums sold and more than 35 million singles, T.I. has been awarded 3 Grammy Awards, 11 Billboard Awards, 3 BET Awards, 2 American Music Awards and more through the years. Viewed as a seamless collaborator whose prolific musical pairings with seminal superstars include Drake, Beyoncé, Pharrell, Rihanna, Jay--Z, Lil Wayne, Robin Thicke, M.I.A., Lady Gaga, and others, his recent politically--charged collaboration with Kanye West on “Ye Vs. The People” is also garnering raves. T.I.’s decade--and--a--half stewardship of Grand Hustle Records has produced multiple breakout artists, including Iggy Azalea, Travis Scott, and others, and his purpose--driven 2016
EP Us or Else courageously addressed police brutality and racial inequality in America, hailed by Rolling Stone as another crucial ‘point on the timeline of the rapper’s growing social conscious.’ Having recently added art curator to his long list of creative credentials, T.I. is also the visionary and creatorfor the first ever pop--up Trap Music Museum, where he lends his visual and artistic wisdom along with his creative energy to chronicle and celebrate the contributions of Trap music. Since it’s opening, the Trap Music Museum has already become one of Atlanta’s most visited attractions. With a new, exciting film and television projects underway, the #1 podcast, as well as a string of creative and business ventures, the fearless game--changer is once again taking his ever--evolving artistic franchise to new heights.

Willie Jones is a Shreveport, LA native, SONY Nashville/The Penthouse recording artist and Warner Chappell songwriter. He seamlessly blends hip-hop and country music, paving the way for a genre-expanding sound that's truly signature to Jones himself. Armed with more than 1 million followers across social platforms, he recently debuted his own Apple Music show called "The Cross Roads Radio." Willie is slated for Stagecoach 2021 and C2C London, Berlin, Amsterdam and Glasgow (health regulations pending). Jones just released his debut album 'Right Now' (The Penthouse / EMPIRE), amassing a cumulative stream count of 27.5M to date on Spotify, featuring the poignant patriotic single "American Dream." The video clip of this anthem was jointly premiered on CMT and BET, a first for the networks. The rising artist has been covered by NPR All Things Considered, Forbes, Rolling Stone, E! News, PEOPLE, MTV and more.

RUSSELL DICKERSON Multiplatinum Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Russell Dickerson has established himself a prolific songwriter and powerhouse showman through good old-fashioned performances and eloquent songcraft spiked with spirit. In 2017, his gold-certified full-length debut, Yours, bowed at #5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #1 on the Emerging Artists Chart. Not to mention, it yielded three consecutive #1 smashes, including the double-platinum “Yours” (christened “One of the hottest wedding songs of the year” by The Knot), the platinum “Blue Tacoma,” and “Every Little Thing.” Nominations followed at the Academy of Country Music Awards, CMT Music Awards, and iHeartRadio Music Awards. Among many highlights in 2020, he received a nod in the category of “Best New Male Artist of the Year” at the ACM. Plus, he has electrified audiences on tour with the likes of Thomas Rhett, Florida Georgia Line, Darius, Lady A, and Kane Brown in addition to bringing the “RD Party” to sold out venues everywhere as a headliner. Attracting a fervent following on social media (fondly referred to as “RD Fam”), he launched his own YouTube show, “This Is Russ,” bringing viewers deeper into his world. In 2020, he transposes the little pleasures into hummable and heartfelt heartfelt country anthems uplifted by pop energy on his second full-length album, Southern Symphony [Triple Tigers], led by the singles “Love You Like I Used To,” “Home Sweet,” and “Never Gets Old.” The record reflects every side of his personality—from the loving husband, self-proclaimed “regular dude,” and now dad at home to the boisterous and bold presence beloved by millions on stage. Russell tells his story like never before through eloquent songcraft and airtight playing.

Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry Average Joes Entertainment’s Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry recently released "Outskirts," a seven-song EP. With 20 plus charted singles, the Kentucky native has earned CMA, ACM, and GRAMMY awards and nominations with undeniable blue collar anthems like “Hell Yeah,” “My Town,” and “Hillbilly Shoes." They’ve notched five No. 1 singles, "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," "Something To Be Proud Of," "Lucky Man," "Back When I Knew It All" and "Roll With Me." They were inducted as Grand Ole Opry members in 2009 and were inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

BRANTLEY GILBERT With back-to-back Platinum albums and a grassroots following millions strong, Brantley Gilbert’s music has been shared, covered and adopted as the soundtrack to Saturday night and Sunday morning by audiences around the world. The Georgia native who started as the defiant life-of-the-party can still go ‘til sunrise, but he’s also emerged as something far greater: the leader of a massive tribe of hard-working, fun-loving believers for whom electric guitar-shredding, rapping, and twang can go hand-in-hand-in-hand. They call themselves the BG Nation, and when the BG Nation watches Gilbert on a stage, they don’t just see a star. They see themselves. Seven No. 1 hits punctuate his career: “Country Must be Country Wide,” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” CMA Awards Song of the Year nominee “Dirt Road Anthem,” “My Kinda Party,” RIAA 5x Platinum-certified “Bottoms Up,” “One Hell of an Amen” and collaboration with Lindsay Ell “What Happens In A Small Town.” Gilbert’s landmark record Just As I Am clinched the 2014 American Music Award for Favorite Country Album. Earning praise from the New York Times, NPR, American Songwriter, and more, Gilbert has mined a rich vein of conflict between the party and the pew on all of his albums. Instead of toiling in limbo, unable to enjoy good times for fear of Judgment Day, Gilbert fully lives––rowdy friend, man of faith, devoted husband, smitten new father––just as he is. For additional information, visit BrantleyGilbert.com or follow him on
Instagram and Twitter @BrantleyGilbet and on Facebook @BrantleyGilbertMusic..

Ashland Craft: South Carolina native whose strong, personal songwriting is rapidly earning a dedicated fanbase with the release of her 2021 debut album, TRAVELIN’ KIND. “There’s a New Country Badass in Town, and Her Name is Ashland Craft,” hails American Songwriter, as her soulful country voice helped catapult her to the Top 10 on NBC’s The Voice, and the stages of Zac Brown Band, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, and currently Ashley McBryde. Craft has also notched major collaborations with Brothers Osborne on HIXTAPE: Vol. 2 and HARDY’s acclaimed project, A ROCK.

All shows are held in Anderson Arena with doors open at 6 p.m., opening acts at 7 p.m., and the headlining performance at 8 p.m. Wednesday night show tickets to T.I. with special guest Willie Jones are $39 for general admission and $44 for reserved grandstand seating. Thursday night show tickets to RUSSELL DICKERSON with special guest Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry at $33 for general admission and $38 for reserved grandstand seating. Friday night show tickets to BRANTLEY
GILBERT with special guest Ashland Craft are $50 for general admission and $55 for reserved seating.

All concert tickets come with gate admission and can be purchased at 406StateFair.com. Additional information may be found at 406StateFair.com.

Big Sky Country State Fair is held Wednesday, July 20 through Sunday, July 24 in Bozeman, MT. The Fair opens to the public Wednesday, July 20.

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Reach July 4th Race Raises Funds for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Lace up your running shoes, and join us for the 15th Annual Race for Independence. This 1k, 5k, and 10k is set for Monday, July 4, 2022 at the Reach Work Center. Our enjoyable, family-friendly experience is one of Reach’s major fundraising events and raises important funds and awareness to support our clients. We will maintain the virtual option for our out-of-state friends and locals who are away for the holiday weekend.


Reach serves adults with developmental disabilities to live, work, and get around our community. This amounts to 365 days a year services to 93 clients based on their goals and desires for independence and inclusion in their community.

Come together with Reach staff, clients, and hundreds of family and friends for a scenic walk, jog, or sprint through the Cherry River fishing access and Glen Lake Rotary Park. We will distribute medals to top finishers in all age groups, have raffle prizes, and lots of fun! This celebration directly impacts our clients’ ability to live, work, and travel independently in their community. Register at https://runsignup.com/Race/MT/Bozeman/ReachIncRaceforIndependence

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Thursday, Apr. 14th, 2022

HRDC Breaks Ground and Announces Capital Campaign to Raise Funds for New Campus


BOZEMAN, MT
– April 14, 2022 – HRDC, a community action agency serving Gallatin, Park, and Meagher Counties, broke ground on a new campus that will house essential community services including emergency shelter, food and nutrition services, energy assistance, and many other support programs designed to support and uplift neighbors in need. This event was followed by the announcement of a public-facing capital campaign that includes a million-dollar match on the first million dollars raised.

This morning HRDC’s Board, staff, and donors participated in a ground-breaking event on 5.6 acres of land located on Griffin Drive and officially announced plans to construct a new home for most of their programming. Two main buildings will occupy the land. The first building will house services that address hunger including HRDC’s Gallatin Valley Food Bank and Fork & Spoon Restaurant. The second building will be home to a year-round shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Additionally, both buildings will have space for community partners as well as HRDC staff. The new campus was thoughtfully designed in direct response to the growing needs of people living and working in Southwest Montana.

Philanthropy will play a significant role in the successful completion of this project. HRDC expressed gratitude for the help of volunteers and the generosity of donors who have been instrumental during the quiet phase of the capital campaign. $10.7 million has been raised toward a $15 million budget needed to complete the project.

A lead gift from the Kendeda Fund kicked off HRDC’s fundraising efforts. The Kendeda Fund invests in transformative leaders and ideas that work toward increasing equity, vibrancy, resourcefulness and resilience in a community. By firmly supporting HRDC’s mission and future through pledging a million-dollar match on the first million dollars raised during the public fundraising phase, strong momentum is in place to increase awareness and commitment within the broader community.

“Our entire organization is forever grateful to The Kendeda Fund for their support,” said Heather Grenier, HRDC Chief Executive Officer and President. “For quite a while, we’ve been working diligently behind the scenes on plans for our future, and this matching gift will enable us to bring our dreams to reality that much faster. With the support of generous community members, we will be able to provide necessities like year-round shelter, a food and nutrition resource center, and access to other critical services and programs.”

An online celebration to mark the exciting new chapter of HRDC’s future is taking place tonight, April 14, at 6:00 pm local time. Hosted by Last Best Comedy, the virtual event which will include several guest speakers, a video, and artist renderings of HRDC’s new campus and buildings. All interested community members can join the festivities by visiting www.thehrdc.org. Over the past 47 years, HRDC’s commitment to serving Bozeman has expanded across the greater Gallatin Valley and beyond to numerous communities throughout Southwest Montana. HRDC’s wide range of services include housing solutions from emergency shelter to homeownership, food and nutrition support, energy assistance, early childhood education, senior services, financial planning, and more. Annually, HRDC serves over 15,000 individuals as it continues its mission toward building a better community. All are welcome at HRDC, and anyone can join them on their journey toward their future.

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Ballots for School and Special District Elections To Be Mailed April 15

On Friday, April 15, ballots for the 2022 school and special districts election on May 3 in Gallatin County are being mailed to active voters in districts that are holding elections.

Those districts include the following:

  • Schools:
    • Belgrade
    • Big Sky
    • Bozeman
    • Gallatin Gateway
    • Lamotte
    • Manhattan
    • Monforton
    • Springhill
    • Three Forks
    • West Yellowstone
    • Willow Creek
  • Special districts:
    • Hebgen Basin Rural Fire District
    • Logan County Water and Sewer District

In total, more than 70,000 ballots will be mailed. Voters can expect to start seeing their ballots in the mail by this weekend or early next week.

For questions on specific school district ballot measures or candidates, please see this information provided by the Gallatin County Superintendent of Schools, or contact your school district directly.

As with all mail ballot elections, there is always an option to vote in-person at the Gallatin County Elections office, located in the Courthouse at 311 W. Main St., room 210 in Bozeman. In-person voting for this election begins Friday, April 15. If your ballot is destroyed, spoiled, lost, or not received, you may request a replacement ballot no later than 8 PM on Election Day.

Ballots must be received at the Gallatin County Elections office or a designated place of deposit by 8 PM on Election Day. Ballots may be returned by mail or in-person. If you’re mailing your ballot, mail it no later than Wednesday, April 27 to ensure it arrives at our office in time.

Places of deposit for this election are:

  • Gallatin County Elections Department (311 W. Main St., room 210 in Bozeman)
  • Monforton School District Office (6001 Monforton School Road, Bozeman).

Voters in any district can drop their ballots off at either location. Both locations are open during regular business hours Monday through Friday until May 2, and then from 7 AM to 8 PM on Election Day on May 3.

Voter registration

Gallatin County is currently in the late registration period for the May 3 election. In order to register to vote, you must appear in-person at the Gallatin County Elections office. Election Day voter registration is currently under legal review. The best way to ensure you’re able to vote in this election is to register by noon on Monday, May 2.

You can check your registration status at MyVoterPageMT.com.

If you have other questions, please contact our office at gallatin.elections@gallatin.mt.gov or 406-582-3060. For more information, you can also visit gallatinvotes.com.

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To better educate voters in upcoming school district elections, the Gallatin County Superintendent of Schools Office announced that it will serve as a clearinghouse for information on school district trustee candidates in the May 3 election.

Superintendent of Schools Matthew Henry sent a 10-question, voluntary questionnaire to all candidates running for seats on school boards in the 16 school districts across Gallatin County. The questionnaires collected from the trustee candidates will be posted on the Superintendent’s website.

“Residents of the county often contact my office seeking information about trustee candidates in their school districts,” Henry said. “My office devised this questionnaire to better serve the public and assist voters in making informed decisions.”

Responses from candidates were requested to be sent by April 14 to be posted on the Gallatin County website. Responses received after that will be posted when received up until Election Day on Tuesday, May 3.

Find candidate responses here.

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Three school districts selected for the first Montana Farm to School Institute

Three Montana school districts — Power Public Schools, Hamilton School District and St. Ignatius School District — have been chosen for the first offering of the Montana Farm to School Institute, hosted by Montana Team Nutrition Program at Montana State University, the Montana Office of Public Instruction and program partners. This yearlong program intends to ignite, grow and sustain farm to school action within Montana schools and communities by providing training and support and by facilitating team building and action planning.


“The Montana Farm to School Institute is a great opportunity for our Montana school districts to grow their farm to school programs,” said Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. “The continued partnership between MSU, my office and Montana school districts, with focus on our Montana agriculture producers, provides our students with a unique learning experience. Utilizing pathways to fresh locally grown foods benefits our Montana schools, students, farmers and ranchers.”


This program will kick off with a three-day Summer Retreat, where the three school district teams will develop one-year farm to school action plans to be implemented during the 2022-2023 school year. Action plans will encompass goals, activities, roles and timelines focused on the three core elements of farm to school: local procurement, education and school gardens/farms. Each team, ranging from four to eight members of the school community, will be assigned a Farm to School Coach who will support the team with development and implementation of the action plan.

For more information about the Montana Farm to School Institute, visit: https://www.montana.edu/mtfarmtoschool/institute.html

The Farm to School Institute model was developed by Vermont FEED using evidence-based best practices in professional learning. The Montana Farm to School Institute is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm to School Grant. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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Wednesday, Apr. 13th, 2022

MSU Extension study: Quality of life a top factor for people moving into and within Montana

BOZEMAN — Only about a third of people moving into and within Montana between 2016 and 2021 moved for work, according to a study released this week by Montana State University and MSU Extension. Better access to the outdoors, a less congested place to live and a slower pace of life were the most important reasons for moving, according to those surveyed. 

“This study shows that quality of life reasons, rather than financial reasons, were the most important factors for deciding where to move,” said Tara Mastel, principal investigator on the study and associate specialist for community development at MSU Extension.   

About a third of respondents said financial factors, such as finding a better or higher paying job or lower cost of living, were important to their decision to move, said Mastel.

Only about half of respondents moved to Montana communities from out of state. The other half moved from one community to another in Montana. For those who moved from another state, most came from California, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Idaho.

This study was first conducted in Minnesota in 2019 and was replicated in Montana in 2021 after participants in MSU Extension’s Reimagining Rural program asked if similar data about newcomers held true for Montana. The Reimagining Rural program shares positive data and stories about successful rural communities to inspire rural leaders.

“Rural communities have relied on newcomers for decades to sustain the population. They replace those who move away or die and are a key part of the workforce, school enrollment and community volunteers,” said Mastel. “We hope this survey data can help local leaders understand who these newcomers are and the value they bring to rural communities.”

The survey was sent to an equal number of people in Montana’s rural communities and larger cities who had moved between 2016 and 2021. Results for Montana’s study were similar to Minnesota’s with some exceptions. For example, Montana respondents expressed a significantly lower perceived availability of affordable housing in in the state, while Minnesota respondents cited a perception that schools in the region were high quality.

The researchers mailed the survey to 9,000 addresses and received 1,765 responses. The research was conducted by Mastel; Sarah Schmitt-Wilson in the MSU Department of Education; Sabre Moore, student researcher and executive director of the Carter County Museum; and Eric Austin in the MSU Department of Political Science.

Support for the study came from the Montana Community Foundation and the Montana Farm Bureau Foundation.

To read the report of the study findings, visit msuextension.org/communitydevelopment/newcomerresearch.html. For more information, contact Mastel at tara.mastel@montana.edu.

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Gallatin County Establishes C-PACE District to Assist Businesses With Energy-Efficient Projects

The Gallatin County Commission has established a C-PACE program in Gallatin County, which will provide financial help to small business owners who wish to invest in energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy projects.

On Tuesday, April 12, commissioners approved a resolution to establish Gallatin County as a Commercial Property Assessed Capital Enhancement (C-PACE) district.

Commercial building owners evaluate and select qualified projects that fall under the categories of energy conservation measures or renewable energy systems. The building owners then secure financing from a bank or other financial institution. Gallatin County would then add an assessment to the building owner’s property tax bill, allowing the assessment to pay off the loan over 20 years as the project realizes energy savings from the improvements.

This program uniquely allows commercial property owners to invest in energy efficiency projects and solar or renewable energy upgrades with no down payment.

Qualified projects require utility savings to exceed payment obligations, making investments cash positive for commercial property owners and tenants.

The program is administered statewide by the Montana Facility Finance Authority. The program is tax neutral with no financial exposure to the county or to taxpayers.

Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown praised the district as a benefit to the county’s business community. It will ultimately lower the cost of doing business in Gallatin County, while also driving down energy consumption, he said.

“I’m glad Montana is finally getting on board, following the many other states who already have a C-PACE program on the books. This will be a great financing program for Gallatin County businesses looking to invest in energy saving projects,” Brown said.

For more information on eligible projects, program guidelines, applications, and any other questions, visit the Montana C-PACE Financing website at lastbestpace.com.

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Montana State to expand collaborative health research as part of $63 million partnership

BOZEMAN — Montana State University will play a leading role in improving medical care and public health across the Northwest through collaborative research as part of a partnership with one of the nation’s top medical schools that is backed by a new $63 million grant.

The funding, from the National Institutes of Health, will support the Institute of Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington for an additional five years. Similar to the WWAMI Medical Education Program that allows students from Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho to pay in-state tuition at MSU while earning medical degrees from UW's top-ranking School of Medicine, ITHS runs cooperative programs that facilitate and apply medical research across the multi-state region.

"This is about building partnerships among scientists, clinicians and communities to tackle some of the most complex health issues of our time,” said Jason Carter, MSU's vice president of research, economic development and graduate education. “It's a big win for MSU students, faculty and ultimately the citizens of Montana and the whole region."

Although this is the fourth such grant supporting ITHS since its inception in 2007, this newest round of funding is designed to widen the institute's regional impact. In particular, six out of the 18 doctoral students funded by the grant will be at MSU, whereas previously all were at UW. Additionally, in a first among the WWAMI universities, MSU’s Carter will serve as co-leader on the grant and sit on the ITHS executive committee. 

“This is going to allow us to really accelerate the partnership with UW and expand our capabilities in this area of translational medical research, which includes anything from new drug development to public health research with our tribal partners," Carter said. “We’ve worked hard to build a level of trust and cooperation with UW that will take this to the next level.”

"We are truly excited to have Jason join our executive committee,” said Tong Sun, ITHS’s executive director. “His leadership is instrumental for us to continue to expand our collaborations in the WWAMI region."

As part of the ITHS initiative called the TL1 Training Program, the roughly $1.5 million designated for MSU doctoral students will fund those graduate student researchers completing their degrees in a wide range of fields, including microbiology, health and human development, psychology, chemistry and biological engineering. “One of the most exciting programs to come with this new funding period is the new cohort of doctoral students at MSU,” said Nora Disis, director of ITHS and associate dean for translational science at UW’s School of Medicine. “We can't wait to see the new research projects that will come out of this.”

“This program is designed to integrate students with very different expertise into groups that have a common interest in addressing the most pressing health care challenges," said Blake Wiedenheft, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology in MSU's College of Agriculture and a co-director of the MSU portion of the grant. "These are the future leaders who will discover new treatments, establish health care policy and bring improved care to our citizens."

The funded doctoral students, as well as other researchers across MSU, will be encouraged to tap into UW's resources and expertise — made available through the ITHS partnership — to enhance the quality and impact of their research, Carter said. MSU researchers will have access to valuable biostatistics databases as well as physicians, biostatisticians, epidemiologists and other medical experts. Liz Shanahan, MSU's associate vice president for research development, will help MSU researchers connect with the ITHS assets.

Besides the $1.5 million directly allotted to MSU for doctoral research, MSU and other WWAMI universities will be better positioned because of Carter's role on the executive committee to tap into a variety of existing and new programs funded with portions of the remainder of the $63 million grant. "As we strengthen this relationship, these resources will become a more prominent part of how we approach the whole research process," Carter said.

Rather than simply develop a new medical diagnostic technology in a laboratory, for instance, MSU researchers could partner with UW medical staff to clinically test and refine the tool, cutting down the time it takes to help patients. Across a wide range of fields, integrating MSU's research enterprise with applications in medicine and public health is the kind of multidisciplinary approach necessary to meet the four "grand challenges" outlined in MSU's strategic plan, Choosing Promise, according to Carter. One of those goals is promoting community wellness, which includes access and equity in education and health outcomes, community-based participatory research, and biomedical sciences and entrepreneurship.

“The long-term impact will be stronger science and stronger partnerships that can better improve health and wellness in our communities," Carter said. “We think this can become a model for how university consortia can expand their reach and impact, not just in the medical field but in other areas as well."

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MT Highway 64 Rural Commuter Corridor TIGER Grant Project Update


Thanks to many valuable local partnerships, Gallatin County is in the process of awarding the MT Highway 64 TIGER Grant project to the low bidder. Pending approval from the Federal Highway Administration, the project is likely to begin in 2022.

In 2017, the community of Big Sky was awarded a TIGER grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the amount of $10.2 million dollars for major infrastructure improvements along the Lone Mountain Trail/MT Highway 64 corridor. Once the agreement was signed in June 2019 between Gallatin County and FHWA, Sanderson Stewart was awarded the contract to oversee design and construction for the improvements in September 2019. In partnership with Stahly Engineering, the team has worked diligently with Gallatin County, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and FHWA to work through the design, acquisition of land (right-of-way) for the expanded roadway, and the required permitting for the project.

After multiple rounds of bidding and amendments to the TIGER agreement with FHWA, Gallatin County has made a recommendation to award the project to the current low bidder. This was made possible by contributions from MDT, Gallatin County, Madison County, and Big Sky Resort Area District (Resort Tax) to close the funding gap and allow the project to move forward.  FHWA is currently reviewing the award recommendation and it is anticipated that we will receive their approval in time to start construction in 2022.

The amount of work to be completed in 2022 will be somewhat dependent on the timing of the notice to proceed, but public notice will be issued once the start date and sequence of projects have been determined.  MDT will be donating the time of one of the public involvement firms to the project in order to provide regular updates to the Big Sky community.  In the meantime, construction on the Powder Light turn lanes will continue this spring, as will the utility relocations that are needed ahead of the TIGER grant project.

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News Comments

This is so typical of a sign in, which we should not have to do to check if we or some one in our party got a permit. I have been working or "creating an account" for 30 minutes and just get the same ...

Smith River permit drawing results available

Sunday, Mar. 10, 2024

Why not leave those cheerful, colorful garlands up longer? What’s the rush?

Main Street Closed Jan 2

Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023