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Dear Friend,

This July, Montana Free Press handily surpassed 1,000 current donors for the year. Though we've been reaching out individually to express our gratitude all along the way, we've decided it's time to start making regular public acknowledgments of the individuals who reach into their pockets to support independent, nonpartisan journalism in Montana. As you scroll to the bottom of today's newsletter, you'll find this new weekly addition — a list of the people who have begun supporting us since last Friday's newsletter.

Many of you, of course, have already pitched in before those listed this week. Thank you, as well, again, for making this work possible.

And read on for another week's worth of examples of that work. We couldn't do it without you.

Thanks for reading, and let us know what you're thinking.

—Brad Tyer, editor

It's been 20 weeks since the state’s first reported coronavirus cases launched a flood of confusing data into your news feed. Here’s what the numbers really say about the pandemic’s progression. By Eric Dietrich

Recent advertising by the National Republican Senatorial Committee leads voters to believe the governor and Senate candidate improperly directed state contracts to a company co-founded by his brother. By Chris Aadland

The U.S.-Canada border has been closed since March. Communities that rely on Canadian visitors are feeling the pinch. By Justin Franz
 

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As of Friday, July 31, Montana reports a cumulative total of 3,965 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 153 new cases since yesterday, 1,574 active cases, and 60 deaths from the disease. State officials also report that 230 of the cases have resulted in hospitalizations, with 71 patients currently hospitalized, and 2,331 patients considered recovered.

The tourism-dependent businesses say their location on a reservation that has closed the east entrances to Glacier National Park makes them uniquely vulnerable. By Chris Aadland

Contractors took steps to limit the spread after an earlier outbreak at the site. It didn’t work. By Johnathan Hettinger

If the act passes, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will relinquish claims to off-reservation water rights and regain control of the National Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation, ending a contentious years-long debate. By Chris Aadland

Wallace Stegner called national parks America’s “best idea,” describing them as "Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." But that hasn't always been true in Yellowstone. By Johnathan Hettinger

Montana candidates in the news

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines closed out last week with a June 24 trip to Kalispell alongside EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. As NBC Montana’s Maria Diss reported, the duo toured several brownfield sites where federal grant funding has resulted in reclamation and redevelopment, giving Daines the opportunity to talk about the economic issues that have become central to his re-election campaign.

Daines’ Democratic challenger, Gov. Steve Bullock, went on the offensive this week against what he said were false and defamatory claims made by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in a recent attack ad. MTN News’ Mike Dennison dug into the details of the ad’s allegations and the method Bullock is using to fight back. Days later, Bullock formally accepted an invitation from Daines to three Senate debates over the next three months. And news broke late Thursday that Bullock’s campaign had fired a staffer after discovering a history of inappropriate tweets.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Cooney has a busy week on the campaign trail, starting with a Friday trip to the Glacier Hops Ranch. The Whitefish Pilot’s Daniel McKay was on hand to document Cooney’s comments about the approach he’s taken to helping Montana small businesses throughout his political career. That same day, he also checked in with the local organizers spearheading rails-to-trails initiatives in the Flathead Valley. And on Tuesday, Cooney joined a roundtable in Bozeman to hear how one health care facility is looking to expand access for rural Montanans. Cooney punctuated the week by rolling out a detailed plan to bolster employment and economic development statewide.

Cooney’s Republican rival, Greg Gianforte, has been spreading an economic message of his own. On July 28, the Valley Journal published a piece on Gianforte’s mid-July campaign stop in Polson, where he talked to a small crowd about how he plans to balance job creation with the health concerns raised by the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats, meanwhile, took aim at Gianforte this week with a campaign finance complaint alleging he illegally coordinated with a political action committee. Iris Samuels at the Associated Press had the specifics on the Montana Democratic Party’s claims, and what the Gianforte campaign thinks of the complaint.

And finally, with Democrat Kathleen Williams and Republican Matt Rosendale duking it out for Montana’s open U.S. House seat, the state is fast becoming a hotspot for congressional contention. Tom Lutey at the Billings Gazette penned a weekend story exploring how fundraising by both candidates stacks up against other congressional office-seekers across the country in 2020. Even so, the Senate race continues to dominate the nation’s appetite for Montana political news, with the New York Times running yet another article on July 27, this time examining the broader political implications of the Battle of the Steves.

Free news is more important than ever

If you value Montana Free Press, please donate to our nonprofit newsroom today. We need your support to keep our reporting accessible to all.

SUPPORTERS

Amy—Hamilton, MT 

Andrea—Big Sky, MT

Andreas—Heggedal, Norway

Beth—Helena, MT

Brent—Monticello, IL

Cori—Helena, MT

Paul—Helena, MT

BENEFACTORS

C. Lee—Helena, MT

Eleanor—Melville, MT

Gerry and Chuck—Great Falls, MT

Iris—Bozeman, MT

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Joseph—Missoula, MT

Karen—Pacific Palisades, CA

Thomas—Lolo, MT






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