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$1.28 million benefits eastern Montana economy in 2023 thanks to EPEDC help

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Under new leadership for part of 2023, the Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation continues to show itself successful in its efforts to work with businesses and government entities to secure funding for projects in five counties across eastern Montana.

EPEDC Executive Director Terra Burman provided a presentation to the organization’s Board of Directors during its annual meeting at Yellowstone River Inn in Glendive at the end of January.

Burman made it a point to introduce herself alongside Teresea Olson, a community development specialist for the EPEDC, as they are both relatively new to their positions; less than one year.

Former executive director Beth Epley resigned from her position in June, leaving it to Burman who worked under her for about six months.

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Olson joined the organization in December, succeeding Lizzy Robinson of Terry. There remains two open positions within the EPEDC, including a second community development specialist and the food and agriculture development specialist.

“Teresea brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and healthcare with her in her new role, so I think that she has such a commitment to our communities and I know that she’ll align seemlessly with (EPEDC),” Burman said.

The EPEDC was renewed as a Certified Regional Development Corporation through the Montana Department of Commerce for the next four years, a feat that furthers its mission to support businesses in the region and help them grow.

“It definitely underscores our commitment and recognition to keep delivering on our promises of economic development in our area,” Burman said.

Throughout 2023, the EPEDC had a hand in administering $1,289,000 in grant funding to businesses, government entities and individuals and worked with a total of 36 clients by the end of the year.

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Some of the grants secured include three Value Added Producer Grants totaling $549,999. The VAPG grants cover expenses such as shipping, freezer space rental and more, “things that really eat up the budgets of someone who is trying to start a small business,” according to Burman.

“That total … was put back into our communities,” she said. “They worked really hard to get those grants and it’s not a small feat to be able to do that.”

The EPEDC also hosted various trainings and presentations in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Development Center through the Great Northern Development Corporation, Small Business Development Center and childcare experts from across Montana, to name a few.

“We’ll continue those partnerships so that we can continue to see what we can do for our communities,” Burman said.

As Burman and Olson look ahead to 2024, they are excited to continue working on projects with area businesses and organizations, including Prairie County and its efforts to restore the Milwaukee Bridge; a strategic trail plan for the City of Glendive and the Badlands to Badlands Trail, to name a few.

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“There were a lot of lessons learned in 2023 in terms of just navigating the systems, understanding what grants can be used for what, how to leverage dollars and I think that we’ll continue to grow in that way and work on our partnerships with everyone,” Burman said.



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Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat

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Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat


Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is running for Montana’s Western Congressional District seat, entering the race a day after U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he would not seek reelection.

Jacobsen’s announcement sets up a new contest for the open seat after Zinke, a Republican, said he would seek reelection.

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“As your Secretary of State, I’ve stood up to Washington overreach, defended election integrity, and delivered real results for Montanans. In 2020, voters gave me a mandate to clean up our elections, grow Montana business, and push back against radical liberal special interests. I delivered. Now it’s time to take that same results-driven, America First leadership to Congress.”



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Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 2, 2026

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 2 drawing

06-12-19-29, Bonus: 11

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

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Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

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.

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Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate

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Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate


Everyone makes mistakes, even experienced professionals; a good reminder for the rest of us to learn from those mistakes. The motion in State v. Stroup starts off well in its initial pages (no case law hallucinations), but is then followed by several pages of two other motions, which I don’t think the lawyer was planning to file, and which appear to have been AI-generated: It begins with the “Below is concise motion language you can drop into …” language quoted above.

Griffen Smith (Missoulian) reported on the story, and included the prosecutor’s motion to strike that filing, on the grounds that it violates a local rule (3(G)) requiring disclosure of the use of generative AI:

The document does not include a generative artificial intelligence disclosure as required. However, page 7 begins as follows: “Below is concise motion language you can drop into a ‘Motion to Admit Mental-Disease Evidence and for Related Instructions’ keyed to 45-6-204, 45-6-201, and 4614-102. Adjust headings/captions to your local practice.” Page 10 states “Below is a full motion you can paste into your pleading, then adjust names, dates, and styles to fit local practice.” These pages also include several apparent hyperlinks to “ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws,” “ppl-ai-fileupload.s3.amazonaws+1,” and others. The document includes what appears to be an attempt at a second case caption on page 12. It is not plausible on its face that any source other than generative AI would have created such language for a filed version of a brief….

There’s more in that filing, but here’s one passage:

While generative AI can be a useful tool for some purposes and may have greater application in the future, when used improperly, and without meaningful review, it can ultimately damage both the perception and the reality of the profession. One assumes that Mr. Stroup has had, or will at some point have, an opportunity to review the filing made on his behalf. What impression could a review of pgs. 12-19 leave upon a defendant who struggles with paranoia and delusional thinking? While AI could theoretically one day become a replacement for portions of staff of experienced attorneys, it is readily apparent that this day has not yet arrived.

The Missoulan article includes this response:

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In a Wednesday interview, Office of Public Defender Division Administrator Brian Smith told the Missoulian the AI-generated language was inadvertently included in an unrelated filing. And he criticized the county attorney’s office for filing a “four-page diatribe about the dangers of AI” instead of working with the defense to correct her mistake.

“That’s not helping the client or the case,” Smith said, “and all you are doing is trying to throw a professional colleague under the bus.”

As I mentioned, the lawyer involved seems quite experienced, and ran for the Montana Public Service Commission in 2020 (getting nearly 48% of the vote) and for the House of Representatives in Montana’s first district in 2022 (getting over 46% of the vote) and in 2024 (getting over 44%). “Его пример другим наука,” Pushkin wrote in Eugene Onegin—”May his example profit others,” in the Falen translation.

Thanks to Matthew Monforton for the pointer.



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