Montana
Zinke seeks $50 million for infrastructure projects in western Montana
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke asked the House Appropriations Committee on Friday to approve nearly $50 million for 15 infrastructure projects in western Montana, including one in Flathead County, one in Lake County, and two in Lincoln County.
The goal of the projects, according to Zinke’s office, is to support transportation and infrastructure, water systems and law enforcement equipment. The projects extend to 10 counties.
“Rural Montana’s infrastructure and public service needs are different than those of Miami or Phoenix, and taking advantage of my position on the Appropriations Committee allows me to make sure our tax dollars are spent on projects that support our taxpayers,” said Zinke in a statement.
Zinke, a Republican, is asking for $1,936,170 to add or replace guardrails on North Fork Road in Flathead County. Zinke’s office described the road as providing crucial access to year-round recreational activities and timber industry operations as well as to Glacier National Park. The road’s existing guardrail has surpassed its service life, according to Zinke’s office.
The project, if approved, would update 3.71 miles of roadway.
In Lake County, the congressman is requesting $1,604,500 for the creation of a new invasive species inspection station in place of a current station in Ravalli. The existing station, under the management of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, is the only station to operate 24 hours, 7 days a week during boating season, and yet lacks permanent infrastructure and weather protection, according to Zinke.
Officials in Lincoln County are hoping to expand and update the Troy Airport, with $820,319 requested to repair the runway. Zinke also requested $1,500,000 to turn the Troy branch of the Lincoln County Library into the Troy Library and Opportunity Center, with facility upgrades.
Lake and Lincoln Counties also were two of five counties awarded money for enhancing local law enforcement. The first grouped request, including Beaverhead, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral and Sanders counties, asks for just over $2 million to promote equipment continuity, including patrol vehicles, body scanners, radios and vests.
The second portion, totalling $322,000, would give law enforcement capabilities to those same five counties, if awarded.
The requests were made through the U.S. House of Representatives Community Funding requests, which allows Congress to direct appropriations from specific grant accounts to eligible projects. Projects must be approved by the House Appropriations Committee, the full House of Representatives and be included in the joint funding package signed by the president.
Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing
03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing
06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
08-16-17-22-27
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01
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.
HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.
This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.
Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.
The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.
NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.
“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.
According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.
“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.
The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.
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