Montana

Montana Viewpoint: Turkeys & Tourists

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2024

I don’t know when the Merriam turkey was introduced to Western Montana, but it was and they have prospered. I can vouch for it.

In the 1980s and ’90s I broke out about 65 acres of timberland into cropland and I planted a lot of oats to “tame the soil.” I put up a lot of the oats as hay and word spread fast in turkey-dom. In short-order my haystacks began to look like the rear end of a threshing machine because the turkeys scratched the bales to get at the oat kernels and popped all the strings. This meant that I had to use a pitchfork to load the hay onto a wagon.

I shall be forever grateful to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, whose staff netted some 400 of them and relocated them to the Flathead where I am sure they were welcomed. To me, it was “good riddance.”

So, when a neighbor of mine asked me, years later, “Jim, how do you get rid of these turkeys?” my advice was simple and straightforward. “Stop feeding them.”

Which leads me from turkeys to tourists.

Two Montana County Commissioners, Josh Slotnick, a Democrat from Missoula County, and Joe Briggs, a Republican from Cascade County, have been working together to come up with a way to mitigate the hardships imposed on Montanans by the historic increase in residential property taxes.

One of the first considerations in collecting taxes is what are the political repercussions going to be. And the best way to avoid repercussions in that regard is to tax people who can’t vote for you. Enter the tourist, like the turkey, ripe for the plucking.

To tax the tourists and use the receipts to offset residential property tax increases is not a terribly new idea and has been used successfully in several small taxing jurisdictions in Montana.

A tourist economy is not entirely beneficial. There are costs associated with tourism that residents, not tourists, have to bear, and the argument is that tourists should pay their share of those costs. There are such things as the need for water and septic infrastructure improvements to address the increased use brought on by tourism.

Places like West Yellowstone and the St Regis Resort Area did not have the tax base to make improvements on the shoulders of residents alone, and the “Resort Tax”, first put into use by West Yellowstone in 1987, I believe, has helped the town immensely.

Almost every town in the Mountain West has seen its economy change from one of industry to what the local governments see as their last best chance, tourism. So, we now have tourism as a major industry in Montana.

One of the reasons that that has occurred is due to the implementation in 1987 of the Lodging Facility Use Tax which was expressly designed to market Montana to out-of-state tourists.

In the last fiscal year (2023) the 4% tax brought in $59 million dollars of which 82.8% ($48.8 million) went to promote tourism in Montana. Some 60.3% went to the Brand Montana program administered by the Department of Commerce and 22.5% to regional tourism bureaus (see https://brand.mt.gov/Programs/Office-Of-Tourism/Lodging-Facility-Use-Tax).

At one time I suggested to the Legislature that it would be simpler to tax tourists at the border. Years ago, there used to be actual gates on the highways leading into Montana which, except when snow closed the roads, were kept symbolically in the open position with a sign nearby which said, “Welcome to Montana, the gate is open.”

An effort to revive them in the 1989 Legislature failed, but today it might be tempting to re-invent the quaint and simple wooden bars with a tollgate and a sign that says “Welcome to Montana, insert credit card to open gate.”

Conservatives who are not in favor of government subsidies might ask why the State of Montana is subsidizing a particular industry. Surely an industry which brings in an estimated $5.4 billion in income revenue to Montana should be, by now, big enough to stand on its own.

Could that $48 million in tourism promotion be used to lower property taxes? Sure, but it won’t be because the industry is too vested in the subsidy to permit it to be diverted.

Still, at some point you’ve got to stop feeding the turkeys.

Montana Viewpoint has appeared in weekly and online newspapers across Montana for over 25 years. Jim Elliott served 16 years in the Montana Legislature as a state representative and state senator. He lives on his ranch in Trout Creek.

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Montana

Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition

Published

7 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition

GREAT FALLS — For Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, service does not only happen in uniform.

Outside the gates of the base, she works at Benefis as a nurse, Great Falls Public Schools as a school nurse, and comes home as a wife and mom of four. For the Montana Air National Guard, she serves as a command post controller with the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls.

(WATCH: Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition)

Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition

This year, St. Lawrence-Brody was named the U.S. Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airman of the Year in the Non-Commissioned Officer category.

She said the recognition came as a surprise, especially because her path into the Guard started later than others.

“I joined very late in life,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I joined the Guard right before I turned 40. So for me, every opportunity that’s presented, I want to take the bull by the horns and just run with it and do the best of my ability.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined the Guard after finishing nursing school. She said she went straight from nursing school into helping open a COVID unit, while also working at Benefis.

She said that experience was the start of one journey, but not the whole of what she wanted to accomplish.

St. Lawrence-Brody joined the Guard for the opportunities, the challenge and to help build a future for her four children.

“It’s a little bit of a competition for myself,” she said. “Like, if I can do it, why not try my best to achieve it?”

120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

As a command post controller, she assists in helping move information during emergencies and major events.

“Outside, obviously, I’m a nurse. Inside the Guard, I have nothing to do with the medical field, which is kind of amazing,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “It keeps me on my toes.”

She explained balancing the Guard, two civilian jobs and four children takes support from her family, her employers and her unit. She said Benefis and GFPS have been supportive of her military service.

Her nomination included her deployment experience, training work overseas and involvement across the wing. St. Lawrence-Brody said she deployed to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she worked with an operations center supporting entities connected to Africa.

But, she says this recognition is not the finish line.

“This award, it’s not necessarily a landing pad for me,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I want to use it as a springboard.”

St. Lawrence-Brody hopes her story encourages others to keep taking on new opportunities, even when they feel uncertain.

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be okay with doing things afraid,” she said. “I think when you get to be okay with doing things afraid, that’s where you’re going to find the growth.”

She has already won at the Air National Guard level, but she recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the broader Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year process, which includes nominees from the Guard, Reserve and major commands across the Air Force.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for June 27, 2026

Published

17 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at June 27, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from June 27 drawing

03-16-28-30-59, Powerball: 11, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from June 27 drawing

03-08-18-22-39, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 27 drawing

05-16-19-27, Bonus: 08

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 27 drawing

02-26-34-43-45, Powerball: 15

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 27 drawing

05-09-10-15-35

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 27 drawing

26-32-38-51-52, Bonus: 05

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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Montana

Iron (MN) HS ATH Isaiah Asuma Commits to Montana State

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Iron (MN) HS ATH Isaiah Asuma Commits to Montana State

Iron (MN) Cherry High School athlete Isaiah Asuma announced his commitment to Montana State on Monday, adding to an already impressive recruiting class for the reigning FCS national champions.

“I committed to Montana State because I love what the football program has been and has to offer,” Asuma said. “I love Bozeman, and I really fell in love with the coaching staff and what they had for future plans for me. I really think they can develop me for the next level.”

The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder, who is also a standout basketball player for the Tigers, received an offer from the Bobcats on April 17, after speaking with head coach Brent Vigen when he was in Bozeman for a Junior Day.

“My family and I had a conversation with Coach Vigen in his office, and he was just telling me that he really liked my game and really thought I could make an impact for them! That was when he offered me. Being around him a couple of times now, we have developed a good relationship, and I love who he is as a person and a coach. He’s always gonna shoot you straight, and he’s never gonna lie to you.”

Let’s do it, Cat Nation. 💙💛🤍#AGTG #COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/20f54Xvmrz
— isaiahasuma (@AsumaIsaiah) June 22, 2026
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Asuma has yet to take his official visit with the Bobcats, but even after just a few visits to Bozeman, he saw enough and decided to announce his commitment.

“I have not taken my official visit yet, but I have been out there two times, and I love Bozeman. The first time I went out there, I fell in love with it. I come from a small town in Minnesota, so that’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before out there. It is pretty amazing!”

Last season, the Tigers finished 4-5, but Asuma had a great season, finishing with 1,233 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, 1,044 rushing yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns, while adding 58 tackles and four interceptions.

“Last season was solid, but we were a .500 team. I had a good individual year, and since I go to a smaller school, I played both quarterback and free safety.”

This season, he is hoping to lead the Tigers to a winning record, as well as have another big season, which could be a challenge as they will have a young squad.

“The offseason has been good. I just started summer practice and weights again with the team, in addition to training with my trainer, Dre Sherril, with explosive agility stuff and weightlifting. My goals for this upcoming season are to try to rush for 1,000 yards again and be a .500 team. Our team is super young this year, so I’m just hoping to have a solid year again.”

Asuma adds to a Bobcats recruiting class that includes three-star wide receiver Kase Betz, defensive lineman Dax Yeager, offensive lineman Kade Leibrand, EDGE Dominick Webb, defensive back Kei’Dryn Edmond, offensive lineman Maciah Keene, tight end Carter Zollar, running back DaKari Releford, among others.