Funding back in for Northern

The head of Montana State University-Northern's technology programs said this morning that, for the moment, funding for the Havre institution seems to be back in the state budget.

Greg Kegel, dean of the College of Technology at Northern, said that $7.9 million for a new building to house the university's automotive and diesel programs was put back in a state bonding bill.

The money for Northern had been left out of the bill, and north-central Montana legislators had been scrambling to get it put back in.

Chancellor Frank Trocki emailed the Havre Daily News Monday night to say the auto-diesel building money was back in the bill.

Kegel said Sen. Rowlie Hutton, R-Havre, sent him an email saying money for Northern's biodiesel research program had been put back in the budget through Senate action. The money had been cut in the House, with an amendment by Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, to restore funding narrowly defeated in a bipartisan vote.

Local legislators could not be reached for comments about the biodiesel funding this morning.