Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 6/22/2026 Removed posts referenced former cardiologist During an interview with Montana Free Press in May, Benefis administrator Dr. Greg Tierney heaped praise on Dr. Kimberly Atianzar, a cardiologist who had traveled from California to Great Falls to practice part-time for roughly two years. Tierney, who is Benefis’ executive vice president of system clinical operations, said Atianzar was “extraordinarily well-qualified.” And though Atianzar stopped practicing at Benefis at the end of 2025, Tierney indicated that Benefis would welcome her back if an opportunity arose. “She did a great job for us,” Tierney said in that May interview. But after MTFP published an investigation into Benefis’ TAVR program, a specialty procedure that Atianzar led, a marketing article and social media post about the cardiologist have disappeared from the health system’s pages. Credit: Benefis Health System/Facebook On Jan. 4, 2025, Benefis made a promotional post about its Heart and Vascular Institute. The post celebrated the “groundbreaking milestones” under the “leadership” of Atianzar. That post was recently removed from Benefis’ Facebook page. Benefis representatives didn’t respond to a question about why posts were removed. Other posts about heart care, TAVR and cardiology remain live on the hospital’s website and social media pages. The removed posts mentioned Atianzar by name. On Feb. 28, 2025, Benefis posted a story on its website applauding the hospital’s 100th TAVR procedure and the 73-year-old patient’s recovery. The post featured photos of Atianzar posing with the patient. That post has disappeared from Benefis’ website, though it was archived here via the Wayback Machine. A Facebook post linking to the 100th TAVR story was still visible on the hospital’s page as of June 17. Notably, the post’s text doesn’t mention Atianzar by name. The link leads to a removed page, previously for the website’s story. Two cardiologists and a former heart surgeon told MTFP that Atianzar aggressively pursued TAVR patients at Benefis and shut out concerns those former doctors raised about how those patients were selected. The doctors who spoke with MTFP said that Benefis administrators allowed Atianzar to push them out of participation in TAVR, a cutting-edge heart valve replacement procedure. Benefis was under financial pressure to perform a certain number of TAVR procedures each year to receive payment from Medicare for those cases. In addition, Benefis administrators told MTFP that the hospital’s specialty care programs, like TAVR, face stiff competition from similar programs in Missoula and Billings. Benefis previously stood by Atianzar’s performance and leadership of the TAVR program, which was paused at the end of 2025. Tierney said the pause was so the hospital could move toward more full-time local physicians. Tierney expressed no concerns about the program. Read the full story behind the Benefis TAVR program here. Calumet sues Great Falls over ‘trade secrets’ Calumet, which operates an oil refinery and the Montana Renewables biorefinery in Great Falls, has sued the city over a dispute over what the company called “trade secrets” related to its industrial wastewater. The refinery company alleged in a lawsuit filed May 28 that the city might have released confidential information in response to a public information request earlier this spring. In April, someone requested information from the city about the Great Falls wastewater treatment plant’s ability to process wastewater from the biorefinery. City officials had previously discussed the wastewater treatment plant’s capabilities with Calumet representatives, according to the lawsuit. As part of those discussions, Calumet provided the city with what it called a “confidential” engineering report that examined the plant’s ability to process Montana Renewables’ wastewater.  In response to the April public information request, Great Falls officials asked Calumet to review the “confidential” report, and Calumet provided a redacted version that protected the company’s “confidential business information/trade secrets,” according to court documents. The lawsuit went on to say that “the data contained in the redacted report qualifies for trade secret protection” under the city code. It’s unclear whether any part of the report was released in response to the April public information request. The lawsuit indicates that city officials didn’t agree that the information in the report was confidential. A statement from Meredith Dawson, a city representative, said that because Great Falls and Calumet disagreed on what constituted confidential information, it will be up to the courts to sort things out. “The city takes no position on the merits of Calumet’s confidentiality claims and will comply with the court’s final order regarding disclosure,” the city’s statement said in part. In its lawsuit, Calumet asked a judge to force the city to “only produce a redacted version of the report” in response to public information requests. Asked for comment, a company spokesperson said the lawsuit was necessary to protect confidential business information. “We value our relationship with the city,” spokesperson Lanni Klasner said in an email to MTFP. “It is our practice to be as transparent as possible with the community while protecting proprietary information that allows us to remain competitive in business.” Montana Renewables wastewater has been a point of contention. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permitted two unused oil wells in Pondera County to receive the biorefinery’s wastewater. Montana Renewables is the only intended user of the wells. The disposal plan received broad condemnation from local residents and public officials. After the EPA approved permits in May, Pondera County and environmental groups challenged the agency’s decision in court. 5 Things to Know in Great Falls The Great Falls City Commission voted unanimously to adopt a new growth policy, which will guide development priorities through 2045. Planning and Community Development Director Brock Cherry said that the plan has been in the works for three years. The growth policy and a public participation plan were required by the Montana Land Use Planning Act, a 2023 housing reform measure. The latest policy document can be found here on page 123. Great Falls Fire Rescue will move forward with a contract to construct a new training tower at the department’s training grounds on Seventh Avenue South. City commissioners last week approved a $1.3 million proposal from Missouri-based WHP Training Towers. The fire department is working from a $2.5 million loan that city officials approved in April 2025, and other updates are planned for the grounds and utilities. Great Falls Fire Rescue Chief Jeremy Virts said that the training center could be rebuilt and ready for use next year after years of deterioration and disuse. Great Falls city commissioners gave initial approval on the Good Medicine housing development proposed by the Little Shell Tribe. The proposal calls for the annexation of 18.4 acres into the city and a planned unit development that includes two apartment buildings, duplexes and single-family homes. Public commenters lined up June 16 to voice concerns about increased traffic and pedestrian safety in the Valley View neighborhood, which would become connected to the Good Medicine development off of Stuckey Road. Last week’s commission vote was an initial measure. A final vote and public hearing are scheduled for July 17. Brian Patrick, a former teacher and budget officer for Great Falls Public Schools, has been appointed to a five-year term on the Great Falls Public Library Board. Great Falls city commissioners approved the appointment last week. Patrick will replace Samantha DeForest, whose term ends at the end of June. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will host a bear safety workshop June 24 at Bighorn Outdoor Specialists in downtown Great Falls. FWP staff will discuss safety practices for bear encounters and provide general information about the animals. The event is family-friendly, free and begins at 5:30 p.m. 3 Questions For The Anaconda Copper Mining Company’s big stack is ingrained in the minds of many Great Falls residents as an icon of the city’s industrial roots. But the broader significance of the refinery and smelter operations that covered the Missouri River’s north shore might not be as well-known now, 46 years after the plant’s closure.  Megan Sanford, the archives and operations manager at the Cascade County Historical Society, scoured the organization’s archives to compile a history of the company’s operations in Great Falls. Her book, “The Anaconda Copper Mining Company of Great Falls,” debuted last month and details what Electric City and Black Eagle residents have been saying for years: Butte and Anaconda can have the mining fame, but it’s Great Falls that formed those raw materials into wires and cables that helped power America’s 20th-century boom. Below, Sanford told MTFP that while few signs of that legacy remain visible, the importance of Great Falls’ industrial role shouldn’t be overlooked. MTFP: Butte and Anaconda loom largest in the Anaconda Company’s history. Tell us about the significance of Great Falls in that story. Sanford: Butte and Anaconda were the beginning of the tale, and Great Falls was the next chapter. Once the ore went from Butte to Anaconda to be processed, it was then sent to Great Falls to be finished for the general market.  It was the completion of Anaconda’s “from mine to consumer” motto. Copper and zinc were purified and sent to market; Cadmium was processed and sent to market, and aluminum was made into wire. Great Falls was just as important to the Anaconda Company history as Butte and Anaconda. MTFP: When you look at that northern bank of the Missouri River today, what visible signs of that industrial legacy can you see? Sanford: Honestly, not a whole lot. You can see the remains of some retaining walls,  a little bit of dirt roads and some extra electrical poles where the actual plant was. To the left, there are trees where the residential buildings had been for the managers, a barn and the [Anaconda Hills] golf course building peaking through.  The power plant for Black Eagle Falls is still there but has been updated by NorthWestern Energy. It is very eerie just how black it is once you see what had been there. MTFP: Can you share an interesting detail from your research? Sanford: The plant made copper nails, which were used for boats and roofing. Less likely to become corroded! The post Benefis praised a doctor. Posts about her disappeared. appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less