Montana
Bozeman airport expansion to be largest in Montana history
BOZEMAN — July was Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport’s busiest month, so a four-and half-year plan is now in place to help with the growing pains.
Susan Sanders was visiting her family in Billings and said that Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) is her preferred place to travel.
“With the change, you have to expand and accommodate for that, whether it’s expanding the airport and the footprint or expanding the availability and the options for people to get in and out,” Sanders says.
The airport handled 1.5 million passengers in 2019 and expects to handle 2.6 million passengers this year.
Brian Sprenger, chief executive officer for BZN, says that with more travelers comes the need for the expansion.
“Overall, we expect this project to cost about 180 million dollars. It will be the largest airport project in Montana history,” Sprenger says.
They noticed challenges with parking, security checkpoints, and continual problems at baggage claim.
“As we continue to grow, we will continue to have challenges in the future if we don’t provide the infrastructure,” Sprenger says.
The airport plans to expand the baggage claim area with three high-capacity carousels, add a second security checkpoint on the east end, and build a third floor for airport administration offices.
“On the second level, the goal is to add three additional gates to take us to 15,” Sprenger says.
Also, with a plan to add more BZN markets, restaurants, and lounge areas, don’t expect to see a Chili’s or an Applebee’s anytime soon.
“A lot of what we focus on here at the airport is local branding, and we focus more on the airport rather than a national base,” Sprenger says.
As the plan unfolds for the next four and a half years, Sprenger says it won’t impact travelers too much.
“We don’t have to go put baggage claim outside like some airport projects have, so it will all be inside. But the biggest constraint will be at baggage claim, where it will have lost some of our space for queuing and circulation,” Sprenger says.
And what about gates?
“We will lose two gates during construction. But luckily, those are utilized only in the peaks,” Sprenger says.
Sanders is excited to keep catching flights at BZN airport amid the changes.
“I knew it way back in the day, and I’ve seen what it’s become, and I understand it’s expanding, so I am sure it’s going to be wonderful,” Sanders says.
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.
The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.
“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”
Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.
“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”
Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.
Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.
MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
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