Montana
updated
9:22 a.m.
Two days ago on my morning trip down to the coffee shop to get a little wisdom at the ORG (Old Retired Guys) Table, a driver blasted right through a stop sign and almost made it my last day on a bicycle. So what did I do? Two things. First, since I ended up about five feet from the driver's window, I did not yell or make obscene gestures, not even any dagger eyes, Instead, I waved and smiled a...
New West Missoula - 7:23 a.m.
Two days ago on my morning trip down to the coffee shop to get a little wisdom at the ORG (Old Retired Guys) Table, a driver blasted right through a stop sign and almost made it my last day on a bicycle. So what did I do? Two things. First, since I ended up about five feet from the driver's window, I did not yell or make obscene gestures, not even any dagger eyes, Instead, I waved and smiled a...
New West Bozeman - 7:23 a.m.
by problembear forgive me while i indulge myself here, but bears do have heroes….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxR9qYSHt8U just getting myself psyched for the coming fall elections…. bear picks: montana citizens initiative i-164 calls for a limit of 36% interest on payday loans vote yes 72% no 26% rehberg v mcdonald i know i was kind of hard [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Wed 5:06 p.m. - 5 clicks 
Ugh : McDonald's plans to hire about 1,000 people across 600 restaurants in the Pacific-Sierra region, which includes Northern Nevada and California. The company doesn't have a final estimate yet of how many people took part in the event but several stores were reporting lines this afternoon, said Jake Mossawir, regional spokesman for McDonald's. While the lines outside of California and Nev...
Left in the West - Wed 11:02 a.m.
Someone passed this article from the Havre Daily News on to me: Traditional family values are under assault from many sides, a crowd at Havre's Town Square was warned Friday night. But if people who support traditional values fight vigorously but with civility, they will succeed, said Jeff Laszloffy, the president of the Montana Family Foundation, a group that works closely with national lo...
Left in the West - Wed 10:04 a.m. - 4 clicks
Raise your hand if you've ever taken a creative writing class. Keep your hand raised if you ever wrote a poem while in class that ended up being published in the New Yorker. Everyone's hands should have gone down now except for that of one very talented University of Idaho MFA poetry student, Ciara Shuttleworth. Robert Wrigley recently asked his MFA poetry students to study sestinas, which...
New West Missoula - Wed 9:22 a.m.
Not a lot has changed in Montana's rural Potomac Valley over the years. And that's just fine for many of the multi-generational ranching families whose livelihoods are tied to this expanse of waving grass and trees drained by the lower Blackfoot River northeast of Missoula. Today, just as it was nearly a century ago, the Potomac is a working landscape. But faced with the possibility of large...
New West Missoula - Wed 9:22 a.m. - 6 clicks
Raise your hand if you've ever taken a creative writing class. Keep your hand raised if you ever wrote a poem while in class that ended up being published in the New Yorker. Everyone's hands should have gone down now except for that of one very talented University of Idaho MFA poetry student, Ciara Shuttleworth. Robert Wrigley recently asked his MFA poetry students to study sestinas, which...
New West Bozeman - Wed 9:22 a.m.
by Pete Talbot When newspapers start to merge, and there has been a lot of that lately, they usually start with the advertising, accounting and circulation departments, and keep the newsrooms separate. So it was a bit of a surprise when the Missoulian announced that the Ravalli Republic and Missoulian were combining their newsrooms under [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Tue 10:49 p.m. - 12 clicks
by jhwygirl Montana’s resident gun nut and lunatic lobbyist had his lawsuit against the U.S. government dismissed this afternoon for what was basically a lack of standing. See, Marbut and his Montana Shooting Sports Association tried to sue the federal government for relief from something that hadn’t happened. See, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Tue 6:46 p.m. - 14 clicks
by problembear this is the only thing i could find about the rally tomorrow Sept 1 at noon on the courthouse steps to kick off the campaign to vote for lowering the cap on payday lenders. Mayor John Engen and Sen Carol WIlliams will be there. i plan to as well. let’s get cracking on this [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Tue 4:28 p.m. - 8 clicks
Senator Roy Brown has been called out by the national League of Conservation Voters as one of their state office "dirty dozen" -- the organization's highest dishonor . Why did Roy Brown get called out? He opposed the state's renewable energy standard. He fought for a tax holiday for oil and gas companies, profiting out-of-state corporations while shifting taxes on to Montana homeowners. Roy's...
Left in the West - Tue 3:00 p.m. - 8 clicks
By @CarFreeStpdty Last week the Federal Reserve met at an economic summit held at the decidedly elitist Jackson Hole Resort where Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said he, “will do all that it can,” to right the economy. He’s correct… he’s doing everything thing he can – from holding the Federal Funds Rate at a historic [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Mon 10:21 p.m. - 6 clicks
Despite Montana's financial health overall being quite strong compared to other states, we face pretty significant unfunded liabilities in our public employee retirement systems -- one for state employees, one for teachers. Interesting story today, forwarded to me by Eric Feaver, that focuses on a fairly small number of public employees with large pensions while downplaying the more typical numbe...
Left in the West - Mon 12:08 p.m. - 9 clicks
God, Seed: Poetry & Art About the Natural World By Rebecca Foust and Lorna Stevens Tebot Bach Press, 85 pages, $20.00 God, Seed sings the delights of nature, from lovers in "the cricket-sung, grass-sweet dark" to "sunlight/churned by the bees," and eating fruit, "where sun/has lain, juicy/with rain." Rebecca Foust's language is sensual and sound-rich--t...
New West Missoula - Mon 9:02 a.m. - 3 clicks
Mike Dennison reported a couple great articles on the Supreme Court race this past weekend. The shorter one highlights the Chamber of Commerce's co-endorsement of the candidates , which far-right candidate Nels Swandal then attacked for also endorsing his opponent. The longer story has a bit more fodder, including this interesting piece: In Swandal's TV ad, which began running last week, he note...
Left in the West - Mon 9:02 a.m. - 2 clicks
Problembear was quick to praise Sherry Devlin of the Missoulian for calling out Rush Limbaugh, et al, as commentators who often lie . Devlin: There is a difference between commentary and fact - and one of the great dangers in our society today is the blurring of the line between those two. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are not journalists. They are commentators. Sometimes, they intentionally...
Left in the West - Mon 6:45 a.m.
by jhwygirl With Social Security celebrating its 75th anniversary, people here in Missoula have the opportunity to participate in a community forum designed to bring a myriad of state and community leaders – and the general public – together to discuss the issues facing Social Security. On Monday, at 10:30 a.m. in city council chambers, [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Sun 8:09 p.m. - 10 clicks
by jhwygirl Here we go again. Not even a month after this season’s first ‘incident’. I guess we’re starting on year 3 of this kind of activity (odd that this link from this previous post doesn’t go to the article that the Kaimin did last year. Maybe someone will fix that? As for last night’s [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Sun 5:45 p.m. - 3 clicks
It's summer in Montana (as it seems to be in most of the U.S.), so we go outside. I spend the winter huddled in front of the TV, watching NFL and Jeopardy. Then when the snow melts I take all that bottled up aggression and trivial knowledge into the Great Outdoors and get right with Old Man Mother Nature....
New West Missoula - Sun 4:04 p.m. - 7 clicks
Since my education became a rather silly topic of discussion at another website, I kinda figured I'd just post it out here. And in answer to the un-written questions, No, I don't spend a helluva lot of time self-promoting. In......
A Chicken is not Pillage - Sun 2:07 p.m. - 22 clicks
by problembear it is about time that the main stream media took these guys to task. congrats to sherry for telling it like it is. used to be a time when this country didn’t tolerate bad behavior. now we don’t just tolerate lying, we reward it. in another state this lady takes on the fraudulent [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Sun 9:24 a.m. - 8 clicks
I don’t know Betsy Baumgart. I don’t know what kind of work she did promoting tourism in Montana and I don’t know what might have led to her termination. Neither, apparently, does the Independent Record, but that didn’t stop them from offering one of the sloppiest editorials I have had the misfortune of reading. The [...]...
Intelligent Discontent - Sun 1:21 a.m. - 30 clicks
Today’s story, about the Montana Chamber of Commerce endorsing both Beth Baker and Nels Swandal, seems to have a headline that is somewhat content-deficient and doesn’t really capture the story. It reads “State Chamber of Commerce endorses both Supreme Court candidates, gets grief for it.” Ignoring the fact that the endorsements (and reaction) are a [...]...
Intelligent Discontent - Sat 11:47 p.m. - 14 clicks
Now I know what I've been missing every time I sped through Loma, Montana, on my way to somewhere else. This sleepy little ranching and farming community, located 55 miles north of Great Falls on U.S. Highway 87, is a gateway to some fast-action fishing like you probably have never experienced--catching a variety of warm-water species on a free-flowing section of the Mighty Mo. To call it "...
New West Missoula - Fri 3:49 p.m. - 18 clicks
Now I know what I've been missing every time I sped through Loma, Montana, on my way to somewhere else. This sleepy little ranching and farming community, located 55 miles north of Great Falls on U.S. Highway 87, is a gateway to some fast-action fishing like you probably have never experienced--catching a variety of warm-water species on a free-flowing section of the Mighty Mo. To call it "...
New West Bozeman - Fri 3:49 p.m. - 13 clicks
by jhwygirl Boy, what to say about this except that I’m apparently not the only fan of The Indy’s George Ochenski. Check the comments. What is it they say to reporters? If you’re pissin’ someone off you’re doing something right? Keep on keeping on. ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Fri 9:23 a.m. - 19 clicks
I happened to notice this evening that the Montana Standard offered some well-deserved praise for Senator Tester’s latest publically-released ethics review. Says the Standard: There’s no time like the present for other members of Congress to follow Tester’s lead and invite such scrutiny. We’d say this is an excellent idea not only for the remainder [...]...
Intelligent Discontent - Thu 8:09 p.m. - 16 clicks
by Pete Talbot From a news brief in the Montana section of the Missoulian: A large prescribed fire on Idaho’s Clearwater National Forest created an impressive plume of smoke that drifted into the Missoula Valley Wednesday night. So thick was the smoke and smell – and so many the calls from worried residents – that [...] ...
4&20 Blackbirds - Thu 4:42 p.m. - 22 clicks
Wow, the foul-mouthed Missoula school board member has finally stepped down (excellente!). Hilariously, following her resignation , she blamed her departure on a Missoulian reporter who's "the one who fomented this." 100 Bonus points to Ms. Pickhardt for the dollar word, but let's subtract a few hundred thousand for ducking responsibility. Just as great, before blaming a reporter for reporting...
Left in the West - Thu 10:43 a.m. - 11 clicks
Paul Starr : In the article he wrote for the { American } Prospect 's first issue, Schlesinger observed that many people believe politics is about power, while others think it is about image, and he granted there is some truth in both of those views. But in a democracy, he continued, politics is "above all about the search for remedy." The Democrats will lose ground this year because they've ...
Left in the West - Thu 10:08 a.m. - 5 clicks
Remember the last time you heard somebody say a federal agency did a great job? Not recently, eh? I, too, confess to not saying it often, but I'm saying it today. Three years ago (click here). I wrote about an innovative new shuttle system getting underway in Glacier National Park. In my first line, I asked, "If we built it, will they come?" The results are in, and the answer is yes....
New West Bozeman - Aug 26 - 8 clicks
Remember the last time you heard somebody say a federal agency did a great job? Not recently, eh? I, too, confess to not saying it often, but I'm saying it today. Three years ago (click here). I wrote about an innovative new shuttle system getting underway in Glacier National Park. In my first line, I asked, "If we built it, will they come?" The results are in, and the answer is yes....
New West Missoula - Aug 26 - 14 clicks
I thought I had better finish my look at Helena’s most entertaining lawsuit this evening. Part of the reason I stopped today was that I honestly couldn’t understand a single paragraph of the second half of the document. Six hours later, I still can’t, but I’ve decided that’s probably not my fault. The earlier sections [...]...
Intelligent Discontent - Aug 26 - 15 clicks
Isn’t it just a little too early for this? With typical GOP presumptive hubris, Corey Stapleton has already started trying to gain control over the Montana University System by sending them crazy letters, one of which is apparently already making the rounds, and was forwarded to me by a tipster the other day. ...
DailyKos (Montana) - Aug 25 - 16 clicks
Short summary: the suit is a hodgepodge of half-baked legal theorizing, personal aggrandizement, and perceived slights that will be thrown out of court faster than Tea Party member would be thrown out of a book club. The suit claims: The Office of Public Instruction is a subdivision of the state of Montana charged with administering funding [...]...
Intelligent Discontent - Aug 25 - 12 clicks
I haven’t had much time to read over this document, but I think I have discovered three other forms of tyranny: spell checking, grammar, and sound legal reasoning. Seriously, do yourself a favor and read something else right away after finishing this. More thoughts later today. The Complaint...
Intelligent Discontent - Aug 25 - 8 clicks
Whether or not you care about the recovery of grizzly bears, we face a serious challenge today of how to protect the safety of people who live and recreate in grizzly country, as whitebark pine, the driver of the health of the population for Yellowstone grizzly bear population, continues to suffer from a climate-driven beetle epidemic. At this critical juncture, it has been confusing and unconstru...
New West Missoula - Aug 25 - 6 clicks
Whether or not you care about the recovery of grizzly bears, we face a serious challenge today of how to protect the safety of people who live and recreate in grizzly country, as whitebark pine, the driver of the health of the population for Yellowstone grizzly bear population, continues to suffer from a climate-driven beetle epidemic. At this critical juncture, it has been confusing and unconstru...
New West Bozeman - Aug 25 - 8 clicks
Condon-area resident Tom Parker knows his backyard better than most. And that's saying something, given that his backyard covers tens of thousands of rural acres in the scenic Swan Valley. Asked about the best wintering habitat in the Swan, the longtime hunting guide can point to the mouths of specific drainages where unique microclimates create shallow snowpacks that draw in deer and elk. Where...
New West Missoula - Aug 25
Maria's Bookshop in Durango, Colo. is gearing up to sponsor a number of literary events this fall. First is the intriguingly titled writers' workshop, "Back to the Loincloth: Hunting & Gathering Sustenance Through the Art of Story," to be held on Saturday, September 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Craig Childs and Amy Irvine will lead the workshop, and as anyone who has seen the...
New West Missoula - Aug 25
Pogie is all over Kristi Allen-Gailushas' suit against the Helena school board. His latest post is on the video announcement of the suit : Her claim that the curriculum process has been completed behind closed doors is, to be polite, a damn lie. Literate Americans can read Board minutes and attend meetings. At the end of the "interview," Allen-Gailushas even makes it clear that it's her fault...
Left in the West - Aug 25 - 8 clicks
Idaho judge revokes Conoco-Phillips permit to haul oil refinery equipment along Highway 12, criticizing the state transportation department for "abandoning its responsibility to protect the public's health." The payday loan industry loses its legal bid to get I-164 removed from November's ballot . Weird: Corey Stapleton's sending out letters making demands on the Montana University System b...
Left in the West - Aug 25 - 5 clicks
In news that certainly shocked me, the video announcement about the decision to sue the Helena School District is even more amusing than the decision to file the suit itself. Her claim that the curriculum process has been completed behind closed doors is, to be polite, a damn lie. Literate Americans can read Board [...]...
Intelligent Discontent - Aug 24 - 7 clicks
Representative Rehberg is just like you and me. I have lunch; he has lunch. Of course, mine is usually a little left over stir fry or maybe a sandwich. When Representative Rehberg has lunch, he dines on whatever corporate bigwigs want to feed him, as long as they pony up a cool thousand dollars for [...]...
Intelligent Discontent - Aug 24 - 4 clicks
Here's some more hate from the Billings gazette comments. The issue: Whether Obama ate dinner that people paid $30,000 dollars for (as reported of coarse by Fox News!) OH yes, let's venture down to the really Red part of the state. Home of Denny Rehberg and ex-Senator Conrad Burns. Follow me below the fold: ...
DailyKos (Montana) - Aug 24
Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle Rising Moon, 32 pages, $15.95, ages 4-8 The Cowgirl Way: Hats Off to America's Women of the West by Holly George-Warren Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 128 pages, $18, ages 9-12 If there's a little girl in your life, perhaps you've noticed: the world has become infested with princesses. According to Newsweek, Disney crea...
New West Bozeman - Aug 23
Today’s Billings Gazette has a letter from sportsman John Gibson about the bridge access bill: I read recently that 23 new bridge access gates have been installed as a direct result of the new bridge access bill sponsored by local Rep. Kendall Van Dyk in the 2009 Legislature. The article said there are more to come! [...]...
Kendall Van Dyk for HD 49 - Aug 22 - 3 clicks
Let's take a break from the goofy-ass shit that passes for our so-called national discourse, shall we? Cracked online posted yet another of their absolutely wonderful lists, this one being near and dear to my heart. The call it, 7......
A Chicken is not Pillage - Aug 19
Jesse Taylor has a few questions, ten in fact.Ten Questions Nobody Ever Asked About George W. Bush. Or any President in the 20th century, for that matter....
A Chicken is not Pillage - Aug 19
The new novel Everything, by Missoula's Kevin Canty, who teaches in the University of Montana writing program, has been getting some great reviews. Alan Cheuse praised it on NPR as an "understated and affecting novel about contemporary Montana life." Vendela Vida, writing for the New York Times, admired the whole book, but particularly noted its strong ending: "Unlike the e...
New West Bozeman - Aug 19 - 3 clicks
I'm hardly the first person to write about this issue, but I want to be one of the first to hit it head on instead of nervously dance around it, so here we go. If I had a hundred bucks for every time I've observed dog owners acting irresponsibly on wilderness trails, I'd have enough to buy all new hiking gear and clothing--new Lowe-Alpine backpack, new Merrill boots, new Magellan GPS, new G. Loo...
New West Bozeman - Aug 19
August describes darkness: I don't tend to delve into the personal much on this site and I'm not really going to now, but sufficed to say while there are a lot of people out there worsr off than me, things......
A Chicken is not Pillage - Aug 18 - 2 clicks
Memory Wall By Anthony Doerr Scribner, 243 pages, $24 Boise's Anthony Doerr is the current Writer-in-Residence for the State of Idaho and he's won just about every possible award for his short fiction. It only takes a few sentences into his fascinating new collection, Memory Wall, to understand why he's so acclaimed. In these six stories, Doerr transports the reader from South Afr...
New West Bozeman - Aug 16
When you walk into the main building at Cree Lake Lodge, that's the sign you see on the wall, Pike Capital of the World. Actually, to be fair, a lot of fishing lodges justifiably call themselves something similar, but after visiting more than my share, I'd have to say Cree Lake Lodge deserves the title....
New West Bozeman - Aug 13
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle editors have something to say about the new stream access law passed in 2009 by Rep. Kendall Van Dyk (D-Billlings): it’s working: Posted: Sunday, August 1, 2010 12:00 am When state lawmakers were debating helping the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks open up access to streams and rivers where public roads [...]...
Kendall Van Dyk for HD 49 - Aug 2 - 3 clicks
