Montana
Montana Senate honors Vietnam soldier from Libby in midst of political dispute • Daily Montanan
In the midst of a political battle at the start of the 2025 Montana Legislature, Sen. Mike Cuffe said Wednesday he wanted to present a bill to honor a fallen Vietnam war soldier from Libby.
Cuffe, R-Eureka, said it’s his eighth and last session, and he wanted to offer a bill to pay tribute to the late Staff Sgt. Arthur J. Rambo, who, he said, was nothing like the aggressive movie character.
“Rambo’s personality was 100% the opposite of the man in the movie,” Cuffe said. “There’s a very caring, giving man.”
The bill describes Rambo as a family man who was active in his community, in baseball and talent shows, and in college, sang in the Carroll College Carrolleers, where he met his wife, Helen Ryan.
After he started working with the family, Cuffe mulled the “wrangling,” “elbowing,” and “negotiating about one thing or another” that might be needed to get the bill passed.
But the political dispute in the Senate, over the makeup of committees, slowed its work, and it opened a window for the bill, one Cuffe believes has become even more necessary.
“This is a feel-good kind of a bill,” he said. “This is a very honorable kind of a bill. This is a bill, I believe, that is urgently needed.”
Rambo was drafted into service and didn’t seek an exemption for which he was eligible, the bill said, and Cuffe said some lawmakers were part of the draft too. In 1969, Rambo arrived in Vietnam, and a few months later, his unit came under attack.
“Staff Sgt. Arthur J. Rambo worked heroically under fire to save his crew members and their military assets,” said the bill. “He sustained fatal injuries and was awarded the Silver Star.
“ … He was survived by his wife, Helen, his daughter, Kerry Lynn, his newborn daughter, Amy Denise, and his extended family.”
Wednesday, after senators in a committee took another split vote related to how they would manage committees, they approved the measure to create a memorial bridge in Libby for Rambo on a 50-to-0 vote.
Cuffe said it would name the Highway 37 bridge that enters Libby from the north, and the sign would have language that honored Rambo along with other fallen veterans.
“In spite of all of our differences, our factions, our personalities,” Cuffe said, the bill “would help unite us, help us all feel human compassion.”
He also said he believes Rambo would appreciate it.
On the first day of the session, Monday, the Senate took a vote that upset a plan Republican leadership had planned for how committees would work, and some senators have canceled committee meetings or are holding “organizational” and “educational” meetings instead.
In its rules committee Wednesday, senators took another vote, this one to upend Monday’s proposal. Thursday, the full Senate will take up the matter, which affects the way minority Democrats are distributed among committees.
The Senate is currently under temporary rules, which distribute Democrats in a way the minority party wants, and with support, at least for the time being, from a small group of Republicans.
The Senate could make a change Thursday by adopting permanent rules, supported by Republican leadership, or it could operate under its temporary rules for the session, as it has in the past.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing
03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing
06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
08-16-17-22-27
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
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.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
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.
HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.
This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.
Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.
The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.
NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.
“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.
According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.
“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.
The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.
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