Montana

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

Published

1 year 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

Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter

Published

2 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter

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Montana

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

Published

14 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

A band of moderate snow has formed from the Cut Bank area, extending southeast across Chouteau, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties. Be alert for low visibility and slick road conditions. Icy conditions continue in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties, where snow fell on top of ice after some freezing rain overnight. Up to a 1/4″ of ice has been reported on cars and sidewalks. Freezing rain may mix in again this morning as milder air begins to move back in.

Today’s Forecast:

Frigid Friday, several inches of snowfall in parts of the area-Friday, December 12

It will be a frigid today, with high temperatures in the 0s and lower 10s across central and eastern Montana, and mid to upper 30s in Helena.

The snow band will continue throughout the day, bringing several inches of snow to areas east of I-15. The band of snow will gradually push east tonight, impacting Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties overnight. Snow showers taper off by Saturday morning.

MTN News

Expect difficult driving conditions through Saturday morning, especially east of I-15 and into the mountains.

Arctic air slowly retreats north on Saturday. Temperatures start off in the -10s to near 0 on the Hi-Line and in the 0s for central Montana, then climb to the 0s and 10s for the Hi-Line and 10s to 20s in central Montana by Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, it will be a pleasant weekend in Helena with temperatures in the low 40s. A gusty breeze develops on Sunday, as temperatures warm nicely into the low to mid 40s in central Montana and into the 30s in northeast Montana.

Looking ahead to next week, mild and windy conditions kick off the workweek, followed by active weather returning midweek.

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Montana

Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Warm temperatures and an “atmospheric river” of precipitation that flowed into northwestern Montana this week have generated a state of emergency in Montana’s northwesternmost county, Lincoln, as local waterways run unseasonably high.

Around 12 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service started issuing flooding watches as area snowpack sites reported 24-hour precipitation totals that were approaching record levels. NWS meteorologist Dan Borsum told Montana Free Press Thursday that the “rain-on-snow” nature of the recent precipitation has led to widespread flooding.

Borsum called the weather pattern “unusual” for mid-December, instead likening it to a warm April.

Zach Sherbo, the public health manager for the Lincoln County Health Department, said in a Thursday afternoon phone call that additional precipitation is expected through Thursday evening, so rivers could continue rising into Friday.

The Lincoln County communities of Libby and Troy have been hit the hardest by the deluge, which prompted emergency services personnel to issue a state of emergency Thursday afternoon. Residents are cautioned against unnecessary travel and those served by the Libby city water supply are under a boil-water order as a precaution in the event of water supply contamination. School has also been canceled for students in Libby and Troy, Sherbo said.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has identified a handful of bridges that have been compromised or are washed out as a result of flooding. It suggests residents looking for information on road closures and bridge conditions review an interactive map that is available online and linked in a press release posted to the Lincoln County Health Department’s Facebook page.

“It’s going to take a long time to recoup from this, just structurally, just with the bridges we’ve lost already and the condition that they’re in and going toward,” Sherbo said. “It’s a pretty big combined local effort right now.”

Justun Juelfs, the Kalispell-area maintenance chief with the Montana Department of Transportation said three stretches of state-managed roadways were closed or under monitoring status as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

An approximately 80-foot section of the Farm to Market Road south of Libby has washed out as Libby Creek carved a new channel. MDT is also monitoring erosion that is occurring along a U.S. Highway 2 bridge southeast of Libby and along a section of Highway 56 near Bull Lake. Juelfs encouraged motorists to review MDT’s road conditions report for up-to-date information on impacts to state highways.

The Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with sandbag-filling and distributing efforts and the Red Cross has set up a shelter for those in need at the Assembly of God Church in Libby, according to Sherbo.

The Montana Disaster and Emergency Services agency is also lending a hand with the flood response. In an email to MTFP, Anette Ordahl with DES wrote that a district field officer and a recovery coordinator are on the ground in Libby to offer assistance.

In a Thursday afternoon press release, Gov. Greg Gianforte noted that Sanders and Flathead counties have also recognized the flooding by issuing emergency or disaster declarations. Up to four inches of additional rainfall are expected across western and south-central Montana, according to a disaster declaration Gianforte’s office included in a 3 p.m. press release.

The National Weather Service reported Thursday morning that the Bear Mountain snowpack monitoring site, located just across the border in Idaho, received 6.5 inches of precipitation as of this morning, making it the third-wettest 24-hour period for the site in its 44-year monitoring history. The six-day precipitation total for Dec. 6-11 is 13 inches.

Borsum, with the National Weather Service, said the recent, unseasonable warm spell in western Montana combined with the “super strong” atmospheric river to melt early season snowpack and drive flooding. A similar rain-on-snow event in early June of 2022 led to widespread flooding in parts of south-central Montana that required extensive repairs to roadways and bridges.

Thursday, the Yaak River near Troy surpassed its official flood stage, running at more than 7,500 cubic feet per second. Its usual volume for this time of the year is about 200 cfs.

The Fisher River near Libby was also nearing flood stage. As of Thursday afternoon, it was running at nearly 4,000 cfs, more than 20 times its usual volume for mid-December.

Zeke Lloyd and Jacob Olness contributed to this reporting.

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