BUTTE, Mont. — The city of Belgrade has earned some serious bragging rights.

The city of Belgrade’s tap water won a blind taste test on Thursday morning at a joint conference of the Montana Section of the American Water Works Association (MSAWWA) and the Montana Water Environment Association (MWEA).

Belgrade now moves onto the national AWWA annual conference in Washington D.C. in June, where they will compete for the People’s Choice and Best of The Best Awards.

Montana tap water has scored well at the national conference in the past. In 2015, the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District won the Best of the Best award. In 2019, Bozeman won third place in the Best of the Best competition.

Water is judged based on taste, clarity, aftertaste, and odor.

“It is definitely a point of pride and a little bit competitive between communities around Montana. It’s pretty fun to see the operators that work so hard on their water sources and bringing that into their communities to be able to take that to even the state level and the national level, and take home a prize for that,” said Carrie Gardner, national director for the Montana section of the AWWA and a water/wastewater regional team manager for Great West Engineering. “So, it’s truly important to everyone here just to deliver clean, safe, water. But that’s also a fun aspect, to be able to have some bragging rights, too.”

Belgrade was one of only three cities that provided samples of their water to the conference this year, joining Missoula and Kalispell.

Thursday’s taste test was part of the final day of the conference, where operators, engineers, consultants, and regulators from across the state work together to protect Montana’s water resources.

This year’s conference theme was Resiliency and Risk.

“All of us are here because we care about the communities we live in in Montana and being able to have drought resistant systems,” said Gardner. “Water is a critical resource. So our focus is delivering clean water, public health, and safety. Making sure we have sources available, and, that we’re cleaning that water going back so we can have less environmental impacts and be able to reduce the issues that drought causes.”

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

Here’s a look at April 29, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 29 drawing

03-19-35-51-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 29 drawing

06-19-24-30-48, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 29 drawing

16-18-27-28, Bonus: 05

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 29 drawing

07-52-56-67-69, Powerball: 03

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from April 29 drawing

11-14-24-29-45

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 29 drawing

05-10-17-21-42, 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.

Bruce Gillespie

Spring is typically a season of optimism. Entrepreneurs are opening new businesses, family farms and ranches are calving and planning for the next season, and existing small business owners are reviewing their finances and planning for growth.

However, at precisely this moment, Congress is considering legislation that would make those plans harder and riskier for Montana’s small businesses and agricultural producers. The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), also known as the Durbin-Marshall bill, may be marketed as pro-competition, but its real-world consequences would fall squarely on local businesses, farmers, ranchers, and the community banks they rely on.

We have seen before what happens when Washington underestimates the importance of these institutions. After the 2010 Durbin Amendment regulated debit card interchange fees, small banks were forced to roll back services or merge with larger institutions. The result was a steady erosion of community banking, particularly in rural states like Montana where alternatives are limited.

The Credit Card Competition Act threatens to repeat that mistake on an even larger scale.

Montana’s economy depends on relationship banking. In rural towns and small cities alike, smaller, community banks are often the only institutions willing to take the time to understand a seasonal business, a start-up operation, or a multigenerational farm. These lenders don’t just process transactions — they provide the credit that allows businesses to hire workers, buy equipment, and survive lean months. By decreasing the revenue small banks receive from credit card transactions, the Credit Card Competition Act does the exact opposite of what its name implies—it consolidates financial resources with larger banks and forces smaller, more local, lenders to limit credit access and cut services.

Research indicates that legislation like the CCCA would cost community banks billions of dollars annually in lost revenue. For Montana banks, that lost revenue would translate directly into fewer small business loans, tighter credit standards, and less flexibility for agricultural producers who depend on operating loans to get through the year.

Community banks are not a niche player in small business finance — they are the backbone. Nationwide, they provide the majority of small business credit and the vast majority of farm loans. In Montana, where agriculture, tourism, construction, and energy drive local economies, weakening community banks means weakening the businesses that sustain our state as a whole.

Analysts have warned that the CCCA would also make unsecured credit harder to access as banks respond by tightening eligibility requirements. For a new Montana business owner trying to finance inventory or payroll in January, or for a rancher seeking seasonal credit, that tightening could have catastrophic consequences. This comes at a time when Montana businesses are already navigating higher input costs, workforce challenges, and economic uncertainty.

Supporters of the CCCA promise savings by claiming that credit card fees would decrease, but what they don’t mention is that small businesses in rural states like Montana will get left in the dust with less available credit, and fewer choices.

As a state legislator, I believe that decisions made in Washington should strengthen — not undermine — the small businesses and farms that form the backbone of Montana’s economy. As we begin a new year defined by planning, investment, and opportunity, Congress should learn from past mistakes and reject the Credit Card Competition Act.

Senator Gillespie represents Senate District 9 in the Montana State Legislature.