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Driscoll robs Eastern Montana of a real political race • Daily Montanan

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Driscoll robs Eastern Montana of a real political race • Daily Montanan


Isn’t it just swell that John Driscoll, the no-show Democratic candidate in Montana’s Second Congressional District election, took the time to inform voters that if elected he would work to ensure U.S. nuclear weapons would not be used in a first-strike manner unless approved by Congress.

What’s puzzling is that the Sept. 11 Billings Gazette opted to print his nothing-burger musings when every inch of newsprint is increasingly valuable as we near the Nov. 5 election.

You see, it is not an issue Driscoll will face anytime for the rest of his life because he essentially folded his congressional-campaign tent the day he filed to run, planning not to spend more than $5,000 to promote his candidacy.

In a very real sense, veteran politician Driscoll robbed Eastern Montana.

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His vanity won over common sense in choosing a low-budget campaign in the apparent belief that he is well-enough known and admired that he would win. But as the song by Taj Mahal goes, Republican Troy Downing has secured “A Cake Walk into Town.” 

Holly Michels, chief of the Lee State Bureau in Helena, correctly wrote on Sept. 1 that the election is effectively over.

Voters in Eastern Montana were robbed of the opportunity to witness a vigorous contest with a focus on issues affecting our part of the state. We got only crickets.

True, any Democrat faced a huge obstacle in opposing the Trump-endorsed, well-financed (including his own money), Afghanistan veteran and incumbent state government officer Troy Downing. 

Driscoll gained 13,317 votes in the Democrat primary election, closely followed by Broadus rancher Steve Held with 10,583 and Billings resident Ming Cabrera with 8,341 – Cabrera with perhaps the most-germane qualifications and experience for the position.

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Downing, replicating Matt Rosendale’s opportunistic moves to state Insurance Commissioner and then the U.S. House, trounced his eight competitors in the Republican primary. Several factors favored Downing– an endorsement from Donald Trump whom he once opposed and support from Republicans Gov. Greg Gianforte, First District Rep. Ryan Zinke and junior U.S. Sen. Steve Daines.

Downing’s dominant campaign ad recited his credentials as an Air Force veteran who enlisted after 9/11 and served in Afghanistan. But his role wasn’t exactly clear: The ad projected an image of an Air Force pilot in a flight suit wearing Tom Cruise sunglasses with a jet in the background. 

A closer look reveals private-pilot Downing wearing his civilian Nomex flight suit sporting a patch advertising YAHOO, which in 1998 purchased his technology company. Behind him is his personal Czech L39 jet trainer. Just slightly deceptive — he was never an Air Force pilot.

Instead, Downing enlisted as an airman basic in the California Air National Guard’s 129th Air Rescue Squadron, not the Air Force per se. Nonetheless, he is an Air Force veteran since the ANG is a component of the active Air Force and deserves commendation for his patriotism and honorable service. He went on two combat deployments to Afghanistan with his Air Guard unit as a helicopter flight engineer. Back in the States as a “traditional Guardsman,” Downing had time to build a commercial real estate company and a securities company, he recently told the Explore the Big Sky publication. 

Facts also were a little blurry in 2018 when he was fined $2,110 and lost hunting privileges for illegally securing a resident hunting license as a non-resident. Downing argued that the case was based on mistakes made by accountants who prepared his income tax returns. 

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Downing, a native Californian, likely would have faced direct questioning about his biography as he would have fairly inquired of Driscoll who has been politically active since 1972.

However, it looks like Downing will get a pass on tougher questions from a would-be feisty opponent. To date, he has been successfully vague: National abortion ban? Raising tariffs? An immigration policy beyond building a wall? Aid to Ukraine? Concern with Russian aggression? Eliminate the federal departments of Education and Homeland Security? Repeal of the Affordable Care Act? Investment in alternative energy? And the list goes on.

Downing is to become one of only four people in Washington working for and representing Montanans. He should have to work for that responsibility and honor beyond simple self-promotion.

Instead, Driscoll gave him a cake walk into Congress.

Peter D. Fox of Big Timber spent 25 years as daily newspaper editor and journalist in Wisconsin and Montana including the Billings Gazette. He later served as a Wisconsin cabinet secretary, an officer with the University of Wisconsin System, and as a non-profit executive. After four years active duty in the U.S. Army Security Agency 1967-1971, and went on to serve 25 years in the Army National Guard. He retired as a colonel in 2004.

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Montana Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Dec. 20, 2025

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

08-21-30-41-47, Lucky Ball: 15

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

09-12-34-45-50, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

03-06-12-30, Bonus: 11

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

05-08-19-23-43, Powerball: 06

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

02-21-25-40-41

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
  • Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Game Day Live Blog: Louisville vs. Montana | Game 12

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Game Day Live Blog: Louisville vs. Montana | Game 12


LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville men’s basketball program suffered a setback in their last time out on the floor, but the time has come to bounce back, as they return to the KFC Yum! Center to host Montana.

The Cardinals made the trek down to Rocky Top for a top-20 showdown at Tennessee, but they were punched in the mouth early and couldn’t recover. UofL wound up suffering a demoralizing 83-62 loss, falling to 0-2 in true road games so far this season.

Louisville was without star point guard Mikel Brown Jr. due to a lower back injury, but even with him on the floor, it’s unlikely they would have taken down UT. They shot just 37.9 percent from the floor, with Adrian Wooley and Ryan Conwell combining for 43 of their points. In fact, the Cards had twice as many turnovers (16) as they did assists (8), and let the Vols shoot 54.7 from the floor.

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As for the Grizzlies, they are coming off a 2024-25 season in which they made the NCAA Tournament by way of winning the Big Sky Conference Tournament. However, year 12 under head coach Travis DeCuire has been up-and-down.

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Montana is 1-1 against KenPom top-100 teams, losing 86-81 at Texas A&M but winning 102-93 at UNLV. Additionally, in their last time out, the Griz lost 82-75 to Montana Tech – an NAIA school – at home.

 Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Montana Grizzlies

Here is where you will get all the latest updates from today’s contest in real time. Throughout the game, we will include any notes, injury updates and analysis in the game feed at the link below.

More Cardinals Stories

(Photo of KFC Yum! Center: Matt McGavic – Louisville Cardinals On SI)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook – @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X – @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram – @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky





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Broadband access is expanding in Montana, but rural areas still lag behind

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Broadband access is expanding in Montana, but rural areas still lag behind


In the southeastern Montana town of Belfry, 65-year-old resident Mary Boyer reflects on her relationship with technology.

“I’m a green-ledger girl,” Boyer said. “I can handwrite. I don’t like calculators. I never owned a television, I have a crank Victrola for music.”

Boyer’s home is about an hour south of Billings. The Beartooth and Pryor Mountains flank Belfry, as the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River meanders through it.

Belfry, MT is flanked by the Beartooth and Pryor Mountains. This terrain is challenging and expensive when it comes to installing fiber optic cable, which in some parts of the state can cost up to $300,000 to reach one home or business, according to ConnectMT Director Misty Ann Giles.

She said technology has always been slow to come to their town.

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“We had a heck of a time getting songs – because we have to do it over the internet – for the karaoke machine,” she said. “And all of a sudden halfway through a song there’s no words or there’s no karaoke whatsoever.”

Boyer knows connectivity goes beyond a karaoke machine.

Before this year, she said their internet service couldn’t meet the community’s needs. Her neighbors rely on it for telehealth appointments, education and commerce.

“I think it’s all about the community and keeping them in touch with the outside world,” she said.

Montana ranks among the lowest in the country when it comes to internet access. And rural places disproportionately lack access to high speed connectivity compared to urban.

Montana ranks among the lowest in the country when it comes to internet access. Broadband Now, an independent research organization, ranked Montana second to last in the nation for internet speeds and affordability. And rural places disproportionately lack access to high speed connectivity compared to urban; this is known as the digital divide.

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State officials and telecommunications companies have been trying to change that. Over the last few years, just shy of a billion dollars in federal funding aimed at tackling this issue came into the state. The goal is to use it to close the digital divide for good.

In the southern end of Belfry, Jay Velez stands in front of his restaurant, the Silvertip, admiring the scenery.

“What a view, man!” he said, looking toward the Beartooth Mountains. “It doesn’t suck here.”

His restaurant serves as a local watering hole. It offers the karaoke night coveted by Boyer. And this summer, the Silvertip’s internet got better.

The Silvertip Restaurant in Belfry, MT. The restaurant’s internet speeds got an upgrade after Nemont Communications finished building fiber optic lines to the town. That work was funded through a federal program aimed at closing the digital divide.
The Silvertip Restaurant in Belfry, MT. The restaurant’s internet speeds got an upgrade after Nemont Communications finished building fiber optic lines to the town. That work was funded through a federal program aimed at closing the digital divide.

“We just rely on it for our point of sale systems, and so far, it’s been working great,” he said.

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His improved internet is due to newly installed fixed fiber optic lines. These are thick cables laid in the ground. They’re considered the “gold standard” for broadband connectivity.

But this technology is expensive to install, and it’s been slow to reach towns like Belfry.

“We’re way behind, in looking at the grander sphere of the problem,” said Misty Ann Giles, the head of the state’s broadband office ConnectMT. “We are farther behind our sister states. Montana does have a lot of challenges when it comes to thinking about internet access.”

Government-led efforts to close the digital divide have been underway for decades. The federal government established the Universal Service Fund in 1996, prescribing that “all Americans” should have access to basic connectivity. The fund subsidizes fiber installation and maintenance in remote areas.

But it wasn’t enough. So, another project emerged in 2018. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect program offers federal funds and loans to expand internet access.

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Giles helped stand-up the program as former Chief of Staff at the agency’s Rural Development office.

“A lot of the work we did when we were at USDA when we first came into office was trying to look at the bigger Rubik’s Cube of, why are rural communities lacking some core services when it comes to education, telehealth, things like that in their communities,” Giles said. “And what it all came down to was connectivity.”

This connectivity became even more imperative during the pandemic. Business, community, health care and education all required a stable internet.

Belfry is flanked by the Beartooth and Pryor Mountains. This terrain is challenging and expensive when it comes to installing fiber optic cable, which in some parts of the state can cost up to $300,000 to reach one home or business, according to ConnectMT Director Misty Ann Giles.
Belfry is flanked by the Beartooth and Pryor Mountains. This terrain is challenging and expensive when it comes to installing fiber optic cable, which in some parts of the state can cost up to $300,000 to reach one home or business, according to ConnectMT Director Misty Ann Giles.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, broadband expansion timelines considered reasonable pre-COVID-19 became “unworkable,” and the Commission pushed to get rural communities connected faster. So the federal government launched several new programs.

Since 2019, around $900 million from four federal programs for rural broadband expansion has flowed into the state.

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Since 2019, around $900 million from four federal programs for rural broadband expansion has flowed into the state.

The main sources include funds from the ReConnect Program, which go to telecom companies through grants and loans. Those total around $144 million for Montana-focused projects. Then there’s the American Rescue Plan Act, which provided $310 million; The Broadband Equity Access and Development program, which allotted around $308 million; Lastly, there’s the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which provided Montana $126 million for a 10-year period during its Phase I auction.

And it’s through these programs that Belfry’s internet just got a little better.

Back in southeastern Montana, Nemont Communications Chief Operating Officer Scott Paul drives through the 250-resident town on a sunny October afternoon.

“You probably didn’t see it, but look for an orange capped plastic pole,” he said, pointing out markers of their recent efforts. “Beneath that orange-capped plastic pole, there is gonna be a handhole. And then between those plastic poles, there’s fiber that’s buried underground.”

White poles with orange caps mark places Nemont Communications recently installed fiber optic to bring better internet speeds to Belfry, MT. The work was funded in part by the USDA’s ReConnect program, which funds broadband buildout in rural areas.
White poles with orange caps mark places Nemont Communications recently installed fiber optic to bring better internet speeds to Belfry, MT. The work was funded in part by the USDA’s ReConnect program, which funds broadband buildout in rural areas.

Nemont just replaced Belfry’s copper wire laid around the 1970s. Paul said copper was great for dial-up internet, but fails at providing the internet speeds we expect today. But installing fiber in Montana is expensive. It can cost up to $300,000 to reach a single home or business, according to Giles.

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“If you’re trying to put all of this fiber into an area that’s all rock, then it becomes a lot more expensive because rock’s a lot harder to get through than the dirt,” he said.

For Belfry’s project, Nemont received $10 million ReConnect dollars to build fiber for around 1,000 households in 500 square miles. That’s an area the size of Los Angeles. Paul said they installed 80 miles of fiber just to reach Belfry.

Most companies rely on their customer base to cover the costs of installing internet infrastructure. But in low population states like Montana, that model does not always work. Paul said that’s why these funds are so important.

“It’s allowing us to escalate the speed of doing that,” he said. “We’re doing a little bit more now than we have done in the past, for that reason.”

Dozens of companies like Nemont have leveraged these federal programs to try and reach more residents. Sometimes the costs still exceed what they can afford, and they default.

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According to the FCC, Montana’s broadband coverage increased 10 percent between 2023 and 2024. But there’s more work to be done. 70,000 homes and businesses across Montana still need better internet.

Some progress has been made. According to the FCC, Montana’s broadband coverage increased 10 percent between 2023 and 2024. But there’s more work to be done. 70,000 homes and businesses across Montana still need better internet.

And rural residents like Mary Boyer know how necessary it is to be connected.

“If we didn’t have the access to the good communications, we could be in a world of horse pucky,” she said.

State officials hope to bridge the digital divide by the end of the decade.

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