Montana

National parks, military dispute Sheehy's claim that he parachuted into Glacier • Daily Montanan

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2024

National parks, military dispute Sheehy's claim that he parachuted into Glacier • Daily Montanan

U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy recently said he parachuted into Glacier National Park as part of his military training in Montana — an activity a national park spokesperson said is not permitted.

Sheehy, a Republican and a former U.S. Navy SEAL, made the comment at a campaign event last month, according to a video posted on Facebook and shared multiple times. He used the story to tell the group about how he grew up in Minnesota, but got to know the Treasure State.

Sheehy did not respond to questions sent this week to two campaign staff members asking for details about the claim.

However, a Glacier National Park official said parachuting, hang gliding and base jumping are not allowed in the park.

Public Information Officer Gina Icenoggle said the park does not grant special permission for the U.S. military, and if the activity is taking place, it is illegal.

“There is no way to get permission,” Icenoggle said.

Sheehy is a decorated veteran. His awards include a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and other commendations.

He was commissioned into the military in 2008 and was on active duty until September 2014, according to records from the U.S. Navy. He was in the reserves until 2019.

The businessman based in Bozeman is campaigning to unseat incumbent Democrat and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a farmer seeking his fourth term in office.

Tester is the only Democrat elected to statewide office in Montana.

Republicans have put a target on his back, and Democrats are pouring money into the race to keep him in office. Political control of the U.S. Senate could hinge on the outcome of the race in Montana.

The Daily Montanan requested information from, the U.S. Navy about any parachute training it conducted in Glacier National Park. A Naval Special Warfare spokesperson said it trains in Montana but did not have any record of parachute training in the park.

In the video of Sheehy’s recent campaign stop, he talked about first coming to Montana after growing up in Minnesota and entering the military. He said he trained in the Limestone Hills.

Fort Harrison provides military training facilities at different sites in Montana including the Limestone Hills southeast of Helena. All branches of the military have access to the facilities overseen by the Montana National Guard.

Master Sgt. Michael Touchette said he is not aware of any arrangements with Glacier. However, he said the Guard does not have much visibility on the training Special Forces soldiers undertake.

“They’ll travel 20 miles through the mountains in the winter in the middle of the snow,” Touchette said.

A Naval Special Warfare spokesperson said its Special Forces conduct cold weather training in many states, including Montana. He said the following in response to the Daily Montanan’s questions about any parachute training in Glacier National Park or in any other parks:

“Naval Special Warfare utilizes many states across the country, including Montana, to conduct cold-weather research and development,” said the spokesperson. “Several years ago, we had service members attend a non-DOD (Department of Defense) hosted conference on the topic of emergency medicine at Glacier National Park.”

Sheehy earlier said he lied about a different Glacier National Park incident, according to reporting this spring from The Washington Post.

In 2015, Sheehy received a citation for illegally discharging a weapon in the park, and he paid a $525 fine for it, according to records from The Washington Post; the Daily Montanan cited the Post’s reporting in an earlier story.

However, Sheehy told The Post he had lied about the illegal discharge.

He said he fell while on a hike; feared the injury had dislodged an old, unreported bullet in his arm; and manufactured the story about the illegal discharge to dissuade any investigation into whether he had been shot by friendly fire while on duty overseas.

Sheehy did not release medical records from the incident.

Sheehy and Tester are running a close race. It is listed as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.

Tester, however, has far outraised Sheehy. In the most recent reporting period, Tester pulled in $6.4 million, and Sheehy raised $3.1 million, including a $400,000 loan he gave his campaign.

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Montana

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

Published

8 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

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.

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Montana

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

Published

20 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

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.

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