Montana
High Turnkey Design In The Montana Pines Defines This $7.5 Million Modern Chalet
44 Elk Highlands Drive, completed in 2023, sits among the majestic pines standing guard over Whitefish Lake, Montana.
National Parks Realty
What happens when a property’s designer is also its owner? For starters, that property is created as a home, not an investment to be flipped, not one of many projects developed to meet clients’ briefs. The result is instead a deeply personal manifestation of that designer’s tastes, wants, needs, emotions. A space to love and to live in.
Such is the case with Florida-based designer Lori Faison, who first visited Whitefish, Montana in the early ’90s while on a cross-country tour with her husband and some friends. The area’s “charm, natural beauty and endless recreational opportunities left an indelible impression,” she says. Returning in 2017, Faison was again nudged by a feeling she just couldn’t shake—that she and her husband should “plant roots in this gorgeous spot.”
The serene shores of Whitefish Lake can be reached in under 10 minutes by car from 44 Elk Highlands Drive. ©2021 Danita Delimont/Shutterstock
That spot is the Whitefish neighborhood surrounding pine-lined Elk Highlands Drive. During the pandemic, Faison worked with Sonja Burgard of National Parks Realty to find the ideal lot to build 44 Elk Highlands Drive. “This is her baby,” says Burgard of the turnkey property, completed in 2023. “And [Faison’s vision] is so evident the moment you walk inside,” she adds, commenting that during showings, “jaws are dropping… and the words ‘serene’ and ‘calming’ are overheard a lot.”
Wrapped in cedar, corral board and Montana moss rock, this home’s exterior exudes warmth—a first impression that makes it seem established and settled into, not the turnkey new build it is. “My vision for this home was guided by both early homestead cabins of Montana’s past and the newer, more modern vernacular that’s becoming more prevalent in new builds,” Faison reflects. “I wanted to honor both styles and partnered with Jill Lawrence of Montana Creative to create a design that had an intentional crossover of modern and traditional mountain architectural elements, with the aim of seamlessly blurring the line between each style and creating a modern-day chalet.”
Douglas fir and European white pine warm the interiors, while floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors invite the light year-round.
National Parks Realty
Inside, 4,200 square feet (390 sqm) of living space flow effortlessly throughout an intentionally neutral palette and a natural yet sophisticated aesthetic—as if this home just rose up ready-made from the mountains. Floor-to-ceiling glass enfolds you in forest, sky and mountain views so vivid that you need to remind yourself they’re not 3D photo murals but a pine-scented vignette of right here, right now.
“The design intention was to create a home with walls of windows for an abundance of natural light to stream in during the long Montana winters, and of course to capitalize on the beautiful view corridors,” says Faison. Warmth is maintained, she adds, by using wood like Douglas fir on the walls and reclaimed European white pine floors.
A custom tunnel-style fireplace connects dining room to great room.
National Parks Realty
Tactile material natural materials tempt you to give in to the pleasure of running a hand along a waney-edged timber table, the easy glide of buttery leather, the coziness of tweedy upholstery. The great room’s custom-designed tunnel fireplace is shared with the dining room, adding comfort and atmosphere to both zones. A bi-fold door system opens wide from the indoor living spaces to a heated outdoor deck that seems to float amongst soaring pine trees. Downstairs, a games room is set up to shoot pool or hunker down with Texas Hold’em, and a bunk room for guests means hosting and entertaining is always relaxed and easy.
If you know you know… the singular pleasure of a moonlit dip in an open-air hot tub on a cool evening with the forest as your neighbor.
National Parks Realty
Whitefish, with 10,000 residents, has the charms of a small town with a not-to-be-underestimated sophistication as well. During the pandemic, celebrities took notice and visited or purchased homes, and in 2024 Chef Todd English, four-time James Beard Award winner and Aspen Food & Wine Classic pioneer, co-founded the Whitefish Food and Wine Festival, which celebrates the culinary scene in the Flathead Valley. Lovers of live music will want to catch the Under The Big Sky Festival at Big Mountain in July set on a 350-acre ranch over three days with Tyler Childers, Mumford & Sons and The Red Clay Strays headlining.
44 Elk Highlands Drive is listed at $7,500,000 and represented by Sonja Burgard of National Parks Realty, a member of Forbes Global Properties—the invitation-only network of top-tier brokerages worldwide and the exclusive real estate partner of Forbes.
Montana
Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 2, 2026
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.
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
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.
Montana
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:
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.
Montana
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