February 2021

Montana power grid report

Washington, D.C., Feb. 16 -- Today, Rep. Matt Rosendale released the following statement on reports of rolling blackouts in Montana:

Montana Legislature entertaining bad bill

To the editor,

The Montana Legislature is currently entertaining a bad bill, SB 320, which raises again the specter of transferring federal public lands to other entities. Most Montanans have loudly, repeatedly opposed the notion of land transfer, a discredited, defeated idea first raised back in 2015.

Safe and unsafe

As the pandemic enters its second year, we’re approaching an inevitable bifurcation of our society: “Presumed Safe” (those who have been vaccinated or exposed to the virus), and “Presumed Unsafe” (those who have not been vaccinated or have not been exposed to the virus). Two distinct groups that are going to test us in ways we’ve only read about in history books.

The case for coal

For over 20 years, I’ve worked with many key industry leaders, stakeholders, state officials, and the past two presidential administrations on developing energy policy. Montana has always been a resource-rich, energy-blessed state.

UMW Dawgs downed swinging by Diggers in Frontier volleyball

The University of Montana Western volleyball team staged a big comeback, but fell just a little short Saturday in a five-set loss in Butte to Montana Tech.

Pushed to the brink after losing the match’s first two sets, 23-25 and 15-25, the Bulldogs rallied to take the third and fourth sets, 25-17 and 25-22, before falling 7-15 in the fifth and final.

Emmah Peterson led the Bulldogs’ frontline attack and defense with 11 kills along with 13 blocks (5 solo and 8 block assists)—a category in which she ranks second in the Frontier Conference.

Dawgs head to league playoffs at Havre Thursday, 7 p.m.

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The University of Montana Western men’s basketball team spent its final week of the season getting a long, hard look at the especially difficult tasks that lay ahead for it in the postseason.

Or it at least hopes lay ahead.

First, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs (6-12) will have to try to complete a merely difficult task— travelling to Havre and beating fourth seed Montana State University-Northern (6-11) in the first round of the Frontier Conference playoffs set to start at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25.

Defending national champion UMW women slump into postseason

If nothing else, Montana Western women’s basketball team’s three losses last week over the final five days of the regular season clarified the Bulldogs’ status in relation to the Frontier Conference playoffs.

Heading into the final week with a 12-5 record, standing in second place in the league and just outside the Top 25 in the NAIA, the Bulldogs left the week at 12-8, lapsing to third place in the Frontier and well out of the national rankings. The defending national champion Bulldogs need to win the

Dillon’s Haverfield brothers excelling for UMW hoop team

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Tanner Haverfield swishes a 3-pointer from the left wing to give his University of Montana Western men’s basketball team a six-point, second-half advantage in a Feb. 7 game against Rocky Mountain College on UMW’s home court, Straugh Gymnasium, in Dillon.

Tanner’s bulls-eyed bomb gets launched from just about the same spot—just in front of his team’s bench—that his younger brother Michael buried a trey from just over a minute before off an assist from Tanner to give UMW the lead for good in the key victory.

Lady Beavs grab #2 seed

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Dillon Lady Beaver coach John Hansen stated a primary team goal before the team ever stepped onto the court for an official game this season. He wanted his team to finish in the top two in the conference standings to avoid the Monday night divisional tournament playin game. The single elimination format, particularly on the road, puts any team in the situation in a precarious postseason situation, before the postseason officially begins.

Dillon matmen end season as road warriors

With a hit and miss regular season out of the way, the Dillon Beaver wrestling team will put up frequent highway miles as they will travel almost 1,600 miles the next two weeks. This week Dillon visits northern Montana with a trip to Libby for the Western A Divisonal Tournament, a round trip of 720 miles. For those wrestlers that qualify for state, they will drive a round trip of 800 miles to eastern Montana to visit Miles City.

“I really enjoyed this young team,” said Dillon coach T.J. Nelson. “We have one senior, Forrest Wagoner, who has a good opportunity to make it to state.”