Bullock's parks board nomination OK'd by Senate

The controversial sale of the Milk River Ranch in northern Hill Country resurfaced as a hot political issue in the closing days of the Montana Legislature's 2015 session.

Friday, the Senate confirmed on a 35-14 vote Gov. Steve Bullock's nomination of Mary Sexton of Choteau as a member of the state Parks and Recreation Board, despite concerns about her role in the state's purchase of the property on the Canadian border.

Sexton was the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation commissioner during the political melee.

In 2012, the state purchased the nearly 4,500-acre ranch despite a...