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The Lewis and Clark County Clerk, Recorder and Treasurer’s race pits an incumbent who has years of experience within the department and cites accomplishments from her short time heading the office against a challenger who touts her business resume and says she puts integrity at the top of her list.
Both say they are dedicated to serving others.
The office carries a big load when it comes to county government as it includes accounting, elections, motor vehicles, property tax and records. There are 31.5 full-time employees and about 13 short-term employees for the various elections, and the department has about 300 election judges for the primary election. The budget for all five departments is just over $3.5 million.
The race is nonpartisan. Election Day is Nov. 8. Ballots were sent out Oct. 14.
Incumbent Amy Reeves, an employee with 27 years in the clerk’s office and who has worked in every division within the department, was appointed to the county clerk position in 2020 by the Lewis and Clark County commissioners when Paulette DeHart retired.
“I like my job,” she says.
Challenger Bettijo Starr points to her experience in the world of business and finance including jobs with the Internal Revenue Service, with IBM and in real estate banking, and she makes election integrity a clarion call of her campaign.
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody is looking,” she said during an Oct. 6 candidates’ forum at Hometown Helena.
Reeves, 50, said her experience has prepared her for running the department. She notes she understands mill levies, has plenty of property tax experience and has worked with 40 school districts and special districts in elections.
“I’ve worked on elections my whole career,” she said.
She also faced many challenges when she took the reins of the department. In response to an Independent Record survey, she noted that there had long been public frustration in the Motor Vehicle Department due to wait times to receive service.
She said the population had outgrown the number of qualified staff. This remodel of the first floor of the City/County Building resulted in four more motor vehicle windows to reduce wait times and the backlog of title work. It now includes four windows that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
She said staffing shortages have plagued all five divisions in the Treasurer/Clerk & Recorders Office, adding there has been staff turnover ranging from one-third to two-thirds in the divisions.
And she says she and her department work well with other departments.
Reeves said she is responsible for the annual financial reporting of over $30 million in federal grants awarded to the county. The department also tracks auditing, and reporting of the more than $65 million in capital assets.
She said her experience also includes records preservation and retention, and knowledge of state laws, county policies and procedures.
Reeves said election machines undergo hours of testing to ensure accuracy. She notes that during the June 8 primary there was a recount for District 5 of the Public Service Commission race and the recount perfectly matched the earlier tally.
She said it showed the integrity and the accuracy is there.
Reeves said the office has been hit with an increase in public record requests regarding election integrity, not only from a group in Helena and other Montanans, but from across the country.
There will be a public test at 9 a.m. Nov. 4, which is the Friday before the Nov. 8 election day.
She said Lewis and Clark County in the past has served as a model county that the state points to. She wants that to continue. She said the county recently won its 26th Award of Excellence from the Government Finance Officers Association.
Starr, 72, was not immediately available for an interview for this story, but in her election materials she says she wants to see the office serve the public more effectively, more efficiently and with more transparency.
She said she has ideas for improvements for the office, including the Motor Vehicle Department and employee satisfaction. She said she is hearing from voters that they want change and that comes with new ideas.
Starr also said she wants to mitigate staff turnover and find ways to retain experienced personnel.
In an August email exchange with a local resident who provided the emails to the Independent Record, Starr was asked if she believed the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
"My answer is yes to your question," she said in her Aug. 3 response. "And from we the people also."
Poynter reported in June that nearly 70% of Republicans don’t see Democrat Joe Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election.
The IR asked her in emails earlier this month if she still thought the election was stolen.
She said in her emailed responses she believed that the 2020 election is behind us and not a concern for today, however every American should be concerned with integrity in our voting machines and everything that goes on.
“I'm not an election denier, I believe that what happened, happened," she said. " ... It's for everyone to look at.”
"I know there are a lot of irregularities that should make all of us want to make sure that everything is transparent and leaves no room for questions," she wrote, adding "it doesn't matter your political views, we should all demand clean elections."
Starr said machines don't give people that right to know and “I think that takes away the integrity of the election and needs to be looked at, that's all I'm saying.”
Paulette Dehart
Poynter
'It never ends': Local election officials struggle to combat voter fraud theories
From the Flathead to Ekalaka, local elections officials say they feel under siege.
Candidate filing begins for Lewis and Clark County offices
Candidates have started lining up for the offices up for election in Lewis and Clark County this year.
County MVD expands amid heavy workload
The Lewis and Clark County motor vehicle department is expanding staff and offices, while the state plans to replace its computer system for r…
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2022-10-17T21:41:01Z
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helenair.com
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Lewis and Clark County clerk candidates offer contrasting views
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https://helenair.com/government-and-politics/elections/lewis-and-clark-county-clerk-candidates-offer-contrasting-views/article_832f57b4-85c2-5825-a7a0-37a5bc733345.html
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https://helenair.com/government-and-politics/elections/lewis-and-clark-county-clerk-candidates-offer-contrasting-views/article_832f57b4-85c2-5825-a7a0-37a5bc733345.html
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Carroll College nursing students attend a class.
Registerednursing.org is a nursing education resource site run by registered nurses.
“With access to state-of-the-art facilities such as the E. L. Wiegand Nursing Simulation Center, 126 students with sophomore standing or above are enrolled in the nursing program with another 57 first-year students declaring an interest in nursing – totaling fifteen percent of Carroll’s undergraduates,” wrote Carroll College in a press release on Oct. 12. “Last year, Carroll had the second largest stand-alone nursing program in Montana with the second largest number of graduates in the state.”
Carroll nursing placed second in Montana with a score of 94.83, behind Montana Tech nursing with a score of 97.71.
These nursing programs were assessed on several factors based on tuition cost, support while in school, support while working toward licensure, program length, the number of annual cohorts, an analysis of past and present first-time NCLEX-RN pass-rates weighted by year for the past five years, averaged school pass rates weighted by recent exams and more.
A standout difference among Carroll nursing and other Montana nursing schools is that Carroll is a liberal arts college. These nursing students don’t just take nursing classes and memorize terms. They sit in philosophy classes, art classes, theology classes, English classes, Spanish classes and more. When these nursing students graduate, they take the knowledge and experience from all these diverse areas with them into the world and their professional lives.
The first program learning outcome on Carroll’s nursing website is to “Integrate knowledge from the sciences, arts and humanities into nursing practice.”
In addition to Carroll’s undergraduate nursing program, the college also has an accelerated nursing track, a 15-month program. Students in this accelerated program build off their existing degree to achieve a second bachelor’s degree that allows them to become a registered nurse.
“Between Carroll’s undergraduate nursing program and its new Accelerated Nursing track, the college graduated 55 new Bachelor of Nursing RN students this past spring and summer with an overall NCLEX pass rate of 95% for the traditional students and 100% for the accelerated nursing students,” wrote Carroll in a press release. “Carroll graduates significantly outperformed the statewide NCLEX RN pass rate for June which was 82%. Carroll anticipates another 55 graduates in the program this coming spring and summer of 2023.”
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2022-10-18T02:23:35Z
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helenair.com
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Group ranks Carroll College nursing program as second best in state
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https://helenair.com/news/local/education/group-ranks-carroll-college-nursing-program-as-second-best-in-state/article_bf9ec71b-985b-5b08-ab16-21f1a7ae3326.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/education/group-ranks-carroll-college-nursing-program-as-second-best-in-state/article_bf9ec71b-985b-5b08-ab16-21f1a7ae3326.html
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Sen. Jon Tester
Sen. Jon Tester said recently his biggest concern for the future is whether democracy can survive the current divisive political climate that has permeated the country.
“The institutions have held up reasonably well for the past six to seven years, amazingly well, but I don’t know if they can continue to hold up with the beating they are taking,” the Montana Democrat said Friday to representatives of the Independent Record and the Montana State News Bureau.
He said Congress is as bad at being “dividers” as anyone.
“We do not set a good example for the country, in terms of working together in a bipartisan way, all you have to do is look at the emails that come out from each side and it is about division, division, division,” Tester said. “It’s about making the other guy look bad.”
“I don’t know if we could survive a civil war,” he said.
Tester, in a wide-ranging conversation, touched on an upcoming trip to eastern Europe, whether he will seek another term and the political mood of Washington, D.C., and the rest of the nation.
The three-term senator earlier in the day had a public town hall meeting at Helena College that nearly 100 attended. He was accompanied by a couple staff members and his wife, Sharla.
Tester said he is going on a trip to eastern Europe this week to visit several countries, including Lithuania, Crimea, Germany and Poland. He did not know if he will go to Ukraine because it is 10 hours in each direction, but said he wanted to visit with the people supporting the Ukrainians and learn about potential needs going forward.
Tester said he is not going as part of a congressional group and will be making the trip alone, adding he knows what he wants to see and will travel through a commercial airline.
He said dinner is planned with the president of Lithuania and he will have meetings with ambassadors in various countries.
“So the money that we have allocated so far has been significant, between the military and humanitarian,” he said. “I want to make sure the military stuff, to the best of their knowledge, is getting to the Ukrainian people for weaponry, and there isn’t a lot of black market crap going on.”
Tester said he has heard this is being done efficiently.
Tester, who said he would decide whether to seek a fourth term after Jan. 1, said he believed Democrats would retain the majority in the Senate after the Nov. 8 elections, but said there was a fair chance Democrats would lose the majority in the House.
“But we will see,” he said.
His current six-year term ends Jan. 3, 2025. Tester said he maintains his farm near Big Sandy and there is nothing like agriculture that keeps things real.
He said former President Donald Trump still casts a large shadow over politics in Washington, D.C.
“I think he plays a pretty big role,” he said, adding it will increase or decrease based on the 2024 election.
“The philosophy that Trump has -- agree with or disagree with, and I think you know where I am at -- will still be around. You will still have the Ted Cruzes and the (Ron) DeSantis and those kinds of folks who will be in power in the party for a while.”
He said it could shift.
“I have a notion that if we are going to survive as a country the division, and the division creators, have to be minimized, but we’ll see,” Tester said.
He said if there is a Republican majority, the Jan. 6 insurrection hearings will go away.
Tester was asked how Joe Biden is doing as president.
“I think Joe has done some good things,” he said. “Joe has done some things that need some attention.”
He said the southern border with Mexico needs attention.
“From a manpower and technology standpoint, there is more that needs to be done there," he said.
Tester said from a trade standpoint, “getting NATO back together and showing leadership in the world, he has done a marvelous job.”
“He (Biden) is not as bad as the other side says he is but he is not as perfect as the Democrats say he is either,” Tester said, adding it is very much up in the air as to whether Biden will seek reelection.
He touched on Montana State Hospital, which has lost its federal certification, is $17 million over budget and is operating with 45% of staff positions vacant. He said he not did know what the governor will do but suggested that the governor fix the situation with some of the money available from the federal government.
That means rebuild the facility in Warm Springs or move it to a bigger population area.
“But you can’t do nothing,” he said.
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2022-10-18T02:23:54Z
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helenair.com
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Sen. Tester says he fears for future of democracy
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/sen-tester-says-he-fears-for-future-of-democracy/article_030ccb32-a73e-50e8-80ff-23db01fefd03.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/sen-tester-says-he-fears-for-future-of-democracy/article_030ccb32-a73e-50e8-80ff-23db01fefd03.html
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If Montana’s legislative races go as well for Republicans as the party is projected to do nationally, the GOP could be on the cusp of securing the state Legislature’s first-ever supermajority.
Democrats are framing much of their down-ballot messaging around that possibility. They warn that controlling 100 of the 150 seats in the House and Senate would give Republicans the power to put legislative referendums before voters that could change the Montana Constitution. Those votes require two-thirds of the overall Legislature to pass, meaning the GOP wouldn’t need any bipartisan support to place those questions on the ballot.
Republicans currently hold 98 seats across the House and Senate.
“I think it ties in with what we’re seeing nationally after the Dobbs decision,” said Scott McNeil, director of the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
That U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year — eliminating the federally recognized right to an abortion — is a potential boon for Democrats in an election year that is otherwise predicted to favor Republicans on the national level.
The Montana Senate gathers on the Senate floor on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, in the state Capitol.
Some Republicans in Montana have argued for changes to the state Constitution’s privacy protections, which the Montana Supreme Court has cited in guaranteeing the right to access a pre-viability abortion at the state level.
“I think it’s a great motivator for Democrats, to not only vote, but also to volunteer and donate,” McNeil said.
But it would still require two united Republican caucuses to agree on those referenda, and then it would be up to a majority of the state’s voters to decide.
“I think something important to remember is there are a lot of factions within the Montana Republican Party,” said Jessi Bennion, a political science professor at Carroll College and Montana State University. “I think that it is certainly in the realm of possibility, but it certainly is difficult for those reasons.”
Sen. Greg Hertz, a Polson Republican who chairs the Montana Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, agreed that his colleagues would be unlikely to succeed with wholesale changes to the state’s guiding document.
Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, speaks during a hearing of the Special Select Committee on Judicial Accountability and Transparency at the Montana State Capitol on April 13, 2022.
“Are there some little tweaks we could make in our Constitution? There probably are, but just getting enough legislators to agree on any constitutional amendment is difficult,” Hertz said. But, he added, “If we do have supermajorities, most likely there will be some constitutional amendments that we’ll look at.”
The state Constitution also requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber to pass laws that grant new legal immunity to governmental bodies. That issue came up in the 2021 session, when Republicans were forced to work across the aisle to secure the votes needed to pass a law limiting the state's legal liability if someone falls ill due to COVID-19.
Republicans already hold 67 of the House's 100 seats. But they would need to pick up three more Senate seats to secure a 34-12 supermajority in that chamber.
Getting to 100 Republicans
In a given election year, the vast majority of legislative races aren’t competitive, favoring one party or the other by double-digit margins. Still, the political committees for Republicans and Democrats have identified dozens of districts they’re targeting in 2022.
Based on prior election years, most of the close races are likely to be in the state’s urban areas. Republicans have identified more than two-dozen legislative districts in areas including all seven of the state’s larger cities, as well as swing districts in Havre and Anaconda. The GOP’s legislative campaign committee has already spent $60,000 on those races, and Hertz said more is one the way.
Democrats last month unveiled five “spotlight” races they’ll focus on, although McNeil said their campaign committee isn’t limiting its time and money to just those. He declined to talk specifics on how much the committee would be spending on legislative races, but noted it’s hired 18 staff members spread across the state.
The committee doesn’t report its spending separately from the state party. The Montana Democratic Party's recent campaign finance reports don’t indicate any money spent on legislative races through the last reporting period, which ended Sept. 25. But the state party reported $440,000 in the bank at the time.
McNeil said he sees potential Democratic pick-ups in the Great Falls area, along with a handful of seats spread across Billings, Helena, Havre and elsewhere.
But he also acknowledged the party is playing defense elsewhere on the legislative map.
Of the seven districts decided by a margin of less than 5 percentage points in their last election, four are Senate seats currently held by Democrats. The other three are House seats held by Republicans.
The Montana GOP enjoyed historic success in 2020, achieving a sweep of all five state-level elected offices, retaining the state’s Republican U.S. senator and making big advances in both chambers of the state Legislature.
In Great Falls, especially, Republicans made major gains, flipping all four of the city’s remaining Democratic House seats. Democrats running to retake two of those seats have substantially outraised the Republican incumbents, and McNeil said the party is hoping to it can regain some lost ground there.
House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner, D-Great Falls, speaks at a press conference at the state Capitol in this file photo from 2019.
But elsewhere in the city, Democrats are playing defense as they try to hold onto two of the city’s three Senate seats, including one in which Trump beat Biden by 16 percentage points.
Democrat Casey Schreiner, a former House Minority Leader, is running a well-funded campaign attempting to flip the urban Great Falls district held by outgoing Republican Sen. Brian Hoven. Hoven won his 2018 reelection by nearly 10 percentage points.
“I think most people recognize that while the Legislature, in a supermajority, can’t change the constitution, the risk is of putting something on the ballot and making it a marketing game as far as the constitution is concerned,” Schreiner said. “Whoever has the most money and the best PR and can do the best marketing that way has the best chance of changing hearts and minds.”
Schreiner faces incumbent Rep. Jeremy Trebas, whose current House seat covers half of the Senate district. Trebas dismissed the idea that voters are concerned about a possible supermajority, saying that none of the voters he’s talked to cited it as a concern. And he also downplayed the possibility of 100 GOP lawmakers voting in lock-step to change the constitution.
Rep. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, takes notes during a meeting of the House Local Government Committee in January 2021.
“Even if you have a Republican supermajority there, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s going to fly,” he said. “There’s going to be defectors on our side for something like that, changing the constitution or proposing a ballot initiative.”
Scott Mcneil
Jeremy Trebas
Jessi Bennion
Democratic candidate Monica Tranel for the first time broke the $1 million mark for quarterly fundraising. Republican Ryan Zinke raised $1.7 million over the period.
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2022-10-18T13:49:57Z
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helenair.com
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Legislative elections could give GOP supermajority for '23 session
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/legislative-elections-could-give-gop-supermajority-for-23-session/article_bbf64f5a-3c7f-5fdb-b9ce-69ea1662433b.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/legislative-elections-could-give-gop-supermajority-for-23-session/article_bbf64f5a-3c7f-5fdb-b9ce-69ea1662433b.html
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The Montana Constitution is a wonderful document. You should check it out. The second article is a list of rights guaranteed to each of us. It is a long list, including the right to personal dignity, personal autonomy, privacy, and legal rights. All of this can be summed up as the right to be left alone to pursue and enjoy our own lives.
Recently, many voices have been expressing concern over how close the Republicans are to a “supermajority” in the Legislature. That would be two-thirds of the 150 total senators and representatives, or 100. They now have 98.
Why the concern? There are several reasons. One is that if you care about clean drinking water and clean air, and a healthy environment for fishing, hunting and recreating, that is guaranteed by Article II, Section 3. If you support the right of a woman to make her own decisions regarding her body, then you should know about Article II, Section 10, the right of privacy. That provision is the foundation of the Armstrong decision, which keeps abortion safe and legal in Montana. If you want to testify before the Legislature, examine public records, or attend an official meeting, Article II, Section 9 gives you the right to do that. The list goes on. I encourage you to check it out in detail.
So back to the Republican “supermajority,” the Montana Constitution, in Article 14, provides a means to amend the document. Either the people themselves can put forth an initiative to do so, or the Legislature can offer a referendum. It is this referendum that people are concerned about. With a “supermajority” the Republicans could pass a referendum to do away with any of these rights. And don’t think they won’t.
It is no secret that Republicans oppose the right to abortion. Without the constitutional right to privacy, the Legislature could easily ban abortion. They are no friends of the environment and public health, so they could roll back our environmental protection laws if the constitution allowed it. They could bar citizens form participating in the state’s deliberations.
If you are concerned about any of this, then please consider voting for your Democratic candidate for the Legislature. Mine is Mary Ann Dunwell, and I intend to vote for her. I would not want to see her opponent become the 99th or 100th Republican in the Legislature.
Shani Henry,
Shani Henry
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2022-10-18T16:12:31Z
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helenair.com
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Don't let Republicans get a 'supermajority'
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/dont-let-republicans-get-a-supermajority/article_295aba9d-74b8-5811-9ace-ee95f7c3ff11.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/dont-let-republicans-get-a-supermajority/article_295aba9d-74b8-5811-9ace-ee95f7c3ff11.html
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I’m not involved in politics and don’t really try to be. Sometimes politics finds you and forces you to speak up. That was the case this week when I received in my mailbox the latest postcard from the Montana Federation of Public Employees personally attacking my longtime friend James Brown.
James and I met when we were 18 years old. We were roommates for two years of college at the University of Montana. After living with someone for two years, you get to know a lot about them. We’ve remained friends for over 30 years now. James is a good person — funny, kind and caring.
I know many people that are tired of the politics of personal destruction. If you’re a good person, there should be no reason to attack your opponent to win an election. Members of the Montana Federation of Public Employees should ask Amanda Curtis why their hard-earned dollars are spent on this kind of garbage. I understand why a lot of people choose not to run for political office. Just be a good person.
Scott Clausen,
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2022-10-18T16:12:37Z
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helenair.com
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James Brown is a good person
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/james-brown-is-a-good-person/article_14b0856e-6397-50e9-b4fc-4de75f3a9e85.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/james-brown-is-a-good-person/article_14b0856e-6397-50e9-b4fc-4de75f3a9e85.html
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Repke has knowledge and experience
Meeting John Repke was an eye-opener for me. He is running for Public Service Commission in District 5. Here was a modest man, obviously not a politician, running for a position for which he is uniquely qualified in terms of knowledge and experience. He’s running because he saw that his expertise is needed in evaluating complex issues before the commission. He is committed to work with civility and diligence to achieve fairness for all parties. I’m convinced that most Montanans want this kind of ethical person in our elected positions regardless of party. Meet him if you can and see what I mean. https://repke4psc5.com/. I plan to vote for him and urge you to as well.
Suzy Holt,
Suzy Holt
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2022-10-18T16:12:44Z
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helenair.com
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Repke has knowledge and experience
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/repke-has-knowledge-and-experience/article_b0d1073b-5c7a-5d09-9b36-95e3c23f21c5.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/repke-has-knowledge-and-experience/article_b0d1073b-5c7a-5d09-9b36-95e3c23f21c5.html
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We are fortunate that we have two qualified candidates running for county attorney. One's experience has been exclusively in prosecuting criminal cases. That is certainly important in the position, but I believe experience in other areas is more important. Kevin Downs has worked not only the county attorneys office but also for the U.S Department of Justice with the Department of Homeland Security prosecuting the most dangerous of criminals. As well as working with some of the most troubled and disadvantaged. The county attorney in my opinion should be someone who has had experience in working on mental health problems, juvenile matters, as well as advising the commissioners on a variety of legal issues. I believe that Kevin has the background and encompassing total experience to manage the legal affairs of Lewis and Clark County. So I urge you to vote for Kevin Downs for county attorney.
Terry Cosgrove,
Terry Cosgrove
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2022-10-18T16:12:50Z
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helenair.com
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Vote Kevin Downs for county attorney
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/vote-kevin-downs-for-county-attorney/article_dea5c698-c6b0-58ff-8b65-3d040b40b93f.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/vote-kevin-downs-for-county-attorney/article_dea5c698-c6b0-58ff-8b65-3d040b40b93f.html
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I was gratified to see the article about Helena’s “Shower to Empower” program in the IR Oct. 11. St. Paul’s Methodist Church, Good Samaritan Ministries, the United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area, Lauren Montoya and the others who donated their time and efforts are to be commended. They are appreciated for the caring and compassion they show for the less fortunate in our community.
It was interesting to me that the article demonstrated how political correctness and the word police have entered the conversation. Unsheltered neighbors have replaced the homeless. Here’s a hard truth: We let people live in tents because it’s easier than coming up with solutions. Until our society and community can find solutions for addiction and serious mental illnesses, HOMELESSNESS will not be solved. The biggest risk to productivity is always the same: Working on the wrong thing.
Dr. Gary Mihelish, president
NAMI Helena
Gary Mihelish
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2022-10-18T16:12:56Z
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helenair.com
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Words matter
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/words-matter/article_974b80ea-7c02-59e5-9c60-b67331c3fac8.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/words-matter/article_974b80ea-7c02-59e5-9c60-b67331c3fac8.html
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Bret Haux, school resource officer at Helena High School, monitors the hallways in between classes recently.
The Helena City Commission approved a memorandum of understanding with Helena Public Schools during its Monday evening meeting to provide four Helena Police officers as school resource officers through Aug. 1, 2025.
Per the memorandum, the city will foot half the bill, $166,000 per school year, while the school district will cover the other half and up to an additional $6,000 per school year for SRO training.
"I do believe that it is true partnership that we have and not only in support of this (memorandum of understanding), but also moving forward in a relationship," Helena Public Schools Superintendent Rex Weltz told the city commissioners.
It represents the first update to the memorandum since 2013, and Weltz said the two biggest changes were a more thorough explanation of SRO duties and insurance.
Helena Police Chief Brett Petty said since the program's inception in the late '90s, a formal agreement between the two entities had never been put in place.
"For historical reference, we're at a great point here, and to have this actually down on paper and ... to have the guidelines in place is absolutely huge in creating this relationship. ... It's a wonderful thing moving forward."
The SRO program guidelines as laid out by the memorandum stipulate policies regarding data collection, non-investigatory interactions with students, criminal investigations and custody of students, among others.
Portions of the guidelines state SROs should not handcuff students "unless the student presents an immediate threat" and "(r)easonable care should be taken to avoid 'parading' a student in the hallways on on school grounds."
The agreement further states the district and police department must maintain publicly available, identity sensitive data on such metrics as the number of students taken into custody, number of incidents resulting in SRO intervention and numbers and types of complaints filed against SROs.
The memorandum goes on to state the city will be required to provide a minimum amount of training that includes at least 40 hours of a basic SRO training course and annual refresher courses in addition to yearly 10-hour in-service training courses related to topics such as child and adolescent development and psychology; positive behavioral interventions and supports; and cultural competency.
Within one-year of assignment, SROs must complete Crisis Intervention Team training and conduct an annual emergency drill with the Helena Fire Department at the school to include such events as an active shooter, according to the guidelines.
The four officers will be assigned to Helena and Capital high schools and Helena and C.R. Anderson middle schools. The district's elementary schools will not have dedicated officers assigned to their campuses, but all SRO's will be the "primary and preferred response to elementary schools within the city," the memorandum states.
The agreement further states at least two SROs will be on duty on public school campuses at all times during a school day, barring "exigent circumstances."
The city approved the hiring of four new SROs in September.
At the middle schools, officer Scott Finnicum is in C.R. Anderson and officer Jessica Cornell is in Helena Middle School. At the high schools, officer Jon Pulsifer is in Capital High School and officer Bret Haux is in Helena High School.
This is Cornell's and Haux's first year as SROs, but Finnicum and Pulsifer both have at least one year of experience in the position.
The schools are divided into east and west by Last Chance Gulch. The west side is covered by Finnicum and Pulsifer, and the east side is covered by Cornell and Haux.
To become an SRO, an officer puts their name into a pool, interviews are conducted, and the selected officers are assigned to their schools.
In the summer of 2020, following nationwide civil unrest spurred on by multiple police brutality cases and an ACLU of Montana report on disproportionate SRO engagement with minority students, the city commission withheld about $300,000 from the Helena Police Department's operations personnel budget with the intention of finding better uses for those city resources.
The money was later restored to the police budget with the caveat that city staff work with the school district in formulating a more inclusive community discussion on the topic and come up with a new memorandum of understanding by June 30, 2021.
Those community discussions resulted in no substantive recommended changes to later policies or agreements.
"I don't think we executed very well, so I'm not comfortable moving forward at this stage," then City Commissioner Andres Haladay said during an Aug. 4, 2021 meeting. "I don't think we actually got a clear picture of what this MOU is going to look like other than my understanding that it's going to be pretty much more of the same."
Weltz credited the Helena Public Schools and city attorneys for crafting the new memorandum.
On Monday, City Commissioner Emily Dean applauded the chief, superintendent and "numerous staff" for their work on the agreement.
"We had really broad and difficult conversations across the community," Dean said. "I think we've gotten to a place where this document, compared to what we had before this is way, way more comprehensive, and I think we're the better for it."
Helena City Commision
Bailey named assistant chief of Helena Police Department
Twenty-one-year Helena Police Department veteran Cory Bailey has been named assistant chief.
Helena teacher charged with assaulting 9-year-old student
A lawsuit has been filed against Helena Public Schools and a music teacher who was charged with assaulting a 9-year-old student with disabilities in his classroom at Four Georgians Elementary.
Angel Fund's 16th annual Stuff The Bus meets $50K goal
The goal this year was to help 1,400 students by raising $50,000.
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2022-10-18T20:25:35Z
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helenair.com
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Helena Public Schools, police reach SRO agreement
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https://helenair.com/news/local/helena-public-schools-police-reach-sro-agreement/article_9d3ccdd7-a3d0-5034-80fe-0b70b7a90403.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/helena-public-schools-police-reach-sro-agreement/article_9d3ccdd7-a3d0-5034-80fe-0b70b7a90403.html
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Seaborn Larson , Sam Wilson
Ingrid Gustafson and James Brown
The Montana Supreme Court race is intensifying as predicted in the run-up to the Nov. 8 election — with outside spending toppling previous record figures and last-minute complaints of bias emerging.
The nonpartisan contest between incumbent Justice Ingrid Gustafson and Republican Public Service Commission President James Brown has long had the makings of becoming 2022’s headlining race. It’s an off-year election, without a presidential, senatorial or gubernatorial race to suck up all the campaign spending.
The state Republican Party, meanwhile, began building its efforts to reshape the judiciary last year in order to see more of its legislative ambitions pass muster with the courts. This year, the state Republican Party's committee has spent more on Brown than all of its legislative candidates combined.
And in a state where money in politics has long been a political boogeyman, the vast majority of outside spending has gone to support Brown.
The Republican State Leadership Committee on Friday announced it will spend $500,000 on a television ad opposing Gustafson. That brings the judicial race to at least $1.3 million in outside spending, per independent expenditures reported to the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices.
With roughly six weeks' worth of pre-election spending yet to be reported, that sum already topples the previous record for outside spending in a state justice race, when independent groups reported dumping $1 million into the 2016 contest between Dirk Sandefur and Kristen Juras.
Reported outside spending that either supports Brown or opposes Gustafson now totals $1 million. Prior to its most recent ad buy, the Republican State Leadership Committee’s state-level PAC had sunk $150,000 into pro-Brown TV ads that ran during the week before the primary.
The Montana Republican Party’s state-level political committee has also spent heavily on Brown, paying more for ads to benefit the nonpartisan candidate than its total spending on its party's candidates on the ballot. The committee reported spending $122,000 to benefit Brown as of the reporting period ending Sept. 25. Most of that was during the primary, though it spent another $32,000 on pro-Brown mailers in mid-September.
Another group likely to spend money benefiting Brown, the Montana Judicial Accountability Initiative, had $124,000 in the bank as of late September. Jake Eaton, the committee's treasurer, previously told the Montana State News Bureau he would likely be getting involved in the Supreme Court race, though it has yet to report any independent expenditures.
Brown also benefited from $130,000 in television ads from Realtors For Better Government, which made the expenditure in mid-September, days after receiving $130,000 from the National Association of Realtors Fund.
Gustafson has also benefited from outside spending, to the tune of $325,000 reported so far.
Last week, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana PAC reported paying $138,000 for more than 300,000 mailers supporting the incumbent justice.
The Planned Parenthood PAC has been largely dormant since the 2020 election cycle, according to its most recent report, which included few contributions since then. The bulk of its money during that cycle came from a national Planned Parenthood political spending committee and Big Sky Voters PAC, a federal outside spending group based in Missoula.
The only other committee spending six-figure sums to benefit Gustafson is Montanans for Liberty and Justice, a political committee connected to the Montana Trial Lawyers Association. The group reported more than $300,000 in the bank at the end of September. It’s been heavily supported by Montana Law PAC, the political spending committee for the trial lawyers.
While outside spending is ratcheting up, contributions directly to the two candidates have slowed since the months immediately following the June primary, when Gustafson hauled in almost a quarter-million dollars in a single reporting period between June and August, to Brown’s $93,000.
In the most recent report covering contributions made between Aug. 16 and Sept. 15, Gustafson’s campaign received roughly $97,000, compared to about $80,000 in campaign contributions to Brown.
Brown on Monday declined to comment on the overtly partisan financial support swarming behind his campaign, which also has secured endorsement from the top GOP elected leaders in the state. Instead, he said, the bigger issue is the support Gustafson gets from PACs made up by attorneys who have and could bring cases before the court.
Last-minute accusations
On Friday, Eaton, the GOP political consultant who said earlier his political committee would likely spend in support of Brown in the race, filed two complaints against Gustafson with the Judicial Standards Commission.
The allegations in the complaints boil down to an appearance of impropriety, as Gustafson accepted campaign contributions and endorsements from the attorneys and plaintiffs in a high-profile case decided in August. Gustafson ultimately concurred with the majority opinion in that case that was decided in favor of the plaintiffs. Chief Justice Mike McGrath authored the majority opinion.
Montana Supreme Court Justice Ingrid Gustafson hears oral arguments in the case of L.B. v. United States at Dennison Theatre on April 15.
The commission is outlined in the state Constitution to have jurisdiction over complaints alleging violations of the judicial code of conduct.
Though the cases cited in the complaint were decided two months ago, Eaton waited until the day ballots were mailed to make his complaint public — meaning a decision on its merits would not come before the election and drawing a rebuke from Gustafson's campaign that publishing the complaint was illegal.
Eaton, who has worked as a consultant on several GOP campaigns in recent years, claimed he was only made aware of the allegations “a few weeks ago and I just finally had the time to get the complaints put together.” The commission does not meet again until Nov. 14, the week after the election.
The Judicial Standards Commission's rules state "all papers filed" before the commission shall be confidential while the case is pending, and may only be disclosed once the commission has dismissed the complaint. Violations of those confidentiality rules may result in the complaint's dismissal.
Eaton disputed whether the complaint could be dismissed due to his releasing them to the press, but added he genuinely does hope the matter is resolved through the Judicial Standards Commission.
Gustafson's campaign on Monday declined to comment directly on the complaints because of that confidentiality, but wrote the following in a statement:
"As written and provided unlawfully, the complaints are a gross, blatant and obvious 'October Surprise' political stunt timed with the goal of creating sensationalized news stories as voters receive their absentee ballots," Gustafson's campaign wrote in response to questions from the Montana State News Bureau. "They include no new information that has not been disclosed in comprehensive public reporting by Justice Gustafson's campaign."
In the cases cited in the complaint, attorneys Cliff Edwards and Jim Goetz represented the plaintiffs who sought to strike down Republicans’ efforts to elect Supreme Court justices by district. The move was seen by the plaintiffs as a ploy to see more conservative justices who are likely to uphold Republican passed bills get elected to the court.
About a month before the court's decision, Edwards held a special fundraising event in Bigfork in support of Gustafson’s re-election.
The Code of Judicial Conduct states judges shall avoid the appearance of impropriety, but does not spell out that judges must recuse themselves in cases that involve a campaign contributor. It also does not say recusal is required for a case involving someone who endorsed a judge, such as Brown would be likely to face if elected given his endorsement from Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, who also held a fundraiser in his home in support of Brown. The governor and state have been named as defendants in several lawsuits before the court challenging new laws passed by Republicans last session.
Gustafson's campaign pointed out judges raising money from those who might have cases before the court is part of how the system works.
"Because judges are elected in Montana, Justice Gustafson has been running her re-election campaign throughout Montana, attending dozens of events with supporters from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and professions," Gustafson's campaign wrote. "She has received donations from nearly two thousand donors, all within the legal limit determined by the Montana State legislature and signed into law by the Governor of Montana. ... Montana’s judicial campaign contribution limits in themselves protect against the influence and conflict inappropriately asserted in the complaints."
Edwards directed questions to Goetz, who said Monday the complaints were another package of partisan attacks on the judicial branch, adding it is "ludicrous" to believe Gustafson's vote on the high court could be swayed by campaign contributions.
"To the extent that there's a suggestion that Gustafson's vote is influenced by my modest contribution, which is within the statutory limit, I've had four cases in the last year and a half (in the Supreme Court) and, I'm embarrassed to say this, she's voted against me in three of them," Goetz said.
In its statement on Monday, Gustafson's campaign said she has received donations from nearly 2,000 supporters.
"She has also earned hundreds upon hundreds of endorsements from Montanans, including private citizens, attorneys in all practice specialties, and judges," campaign director Tim Warner said in a statement Monday.
Brown has walked his own tightrope this election, asserting his campaign to be operating within the Code of Judicial Conduct by not outright accepting or raising the endorsements of high-profile Republicans. On Facebook he has posted photos of himself at campaign events in rural Montana, in one photo standing directly in front of a large red sign reading, “Protect our children, Vote Republican!”
Brown on Monday called the complaint troubling, and said Montana should install new legislation to prohibit judges from accepting campaign contributions from attorneys who have a case pending before that judge.
"I have pointed out for years the inherent conflicts of interest involved with having practicing attorneys make campaign contributions to Montana judges who, in turn, preside over and rule on legal matters brought by the attorneys who have contributed to their campaigns," Brown said in an emailed statement. "There has been much talk in my race about upholding the appearance of judicial impartiality in Montana court."
Gustafson won a three-way primary with 48% of the ballots cast to Brown's 36%. Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike McMahon took third in the race; only the top two vote-getters move on to the general.
Montana Campaign Finance
Montanans For Liberty And Justice
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2022-10-18T20:25:42Z
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helenair.com
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Outside spending record toppled, complaints emerge in Supreme Court race
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/outside-spending-record-toppled-complaints-emerge-in-supreme-court-race/article_6d053ac3-1b08-5c45-a7f1-fcaa435679e8.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/outside-spending-record-toppled-complaints-emerge-in-supreme-court-race/article_6d053ac3-1b08-5c45-a7f1-fcaa435679e8.html
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“We’re ramping up American-made energy in Montana, from wind, to oil and gas, to hydropower, to hydrogen,” Gov. Greg Gianforte said in a press release.
The plan is called the Heartland Hydrogen Hub and would involve states and industry groups coordinating in the fields of agriculture, transportation, national security and clean energy production.
The other governors who signed the agreement include North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
The memorandum of understanding includes "coordinating and developing a regional clean hydrogen hub as contemplated by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" passed by Congress. The states will develop a proposal to submit to the U.S. Department of Energy to seek federal funding.
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2022-10-19T00:10:50Z
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helenair.com
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States enter agreement to look at hydrogen hub
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/states-enter-agreement-to-look-at-hydrogen-hub/article_c7ed34a0-1771-5a09-9fa3-288b2f1b9e05.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/states-enter-agreement-to-look-at-hydrogen-hub/article_c7ed34a0-1771-5a09-9fa3-288b2f1b9e05.html
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50 years of the Clean Water Act: More must be done for rivers, streams and lakes
The Clean Water Act turned 50 on Oct. 18. Over the past five decades, it has proven itself as one of the most successful environmental laws on the books. It has cleaned up contaminated waterways, helped to assure that the drinking water coming out of your tap is safe for your kids, and protected the ecological integrity of rivers and streams. Indeed, without the Clean Water Act, Montana would not be the state it is today. But far more must be done in order for us to reach the promise of the Clean Water Act — which is to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution in our waters.
In arid Montana, water is our most important and most limiting natural resource. Every aspect of our lives is tethered to and dependent upon access to clean, adequate water. Our tribes, our communities and our families are dependent upon clean water for our environment, health, economy, spiritual well-being and recreation. Whether you’re a rancher in Miles City, a restaurant worker in Kalispell, a mother in Laurel or an outfitter in Dillon —you need clean water every single day. Clean water is also essential for terrestrial and aquatic life, livestock, crops and ecosystems as a whole. With this in mind, one would think that Montana’s leaders would value and prioritize the protection and enhancement of our water resources. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.
The Montana Legislature oversees the funding and resources of the Montana DEQ. It also passes the state laws necessary to implement the Clean Water Act. Instead of upholding the values of fishable, swimmable and drinkable water, the Legislature has instead endeavored on a race to the bottom in order to meet the bare minimum of water quality standards under the Clean Water Act, and nothing more (and sometimes less). For the past several decades, myriad bills have been introduced that would have weakened water protections and resulted in more pollution in our waters. Just last year, the Legislature considered bills that would have allowed more selenium pollution in our water (failed in committee); weakened standards for nutrient pollution from industrial operations such as mining and municipal treatment plants, which choke out aquatic life (signed into law by Gov. Gianforte); and allowed more pollution from subdivisions, which harms ground and surface water quality for everyone and everything downgradient (vetoed by Gov. Gianforte).
Derf Johnson is the deputy director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit environmental advocate dedicated to ensuring clean air and water for Montana's future generations.
Montana Deq
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2022-10-19T16:17:50Z
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helenair.com
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50 years of the Clean Water Act: More must be done for rivers, streams and lakes
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/50-years-of-the-clean-water-act-more-must-be-done-for-rivers-streams-and/article_e7a07974-0391-5b2b-9f34-e67e891bd75c.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/50-years-of-the-clean-water-act-more-must-be-done-for-rivers-streams-and/article_e7a07974-0391-5b2b-9f34-e67e891bd75c.html
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Kevin Downs will seek justice for victims
We have qualified candidates running for county attorney, each with specific strengths and personal integrity. I support Kevin Downs for several reasons including his character, compassion and commitment to the rule of law. Kevin Downs is a servant leader. His work with immigrants, youth, poor and disadvantaged people in our judicial system is a solid foundation for fair and balanced justice in Lewis and Clark County. He is a prosecutor who will not only seek justice for victims but also find solutions and support for those most in need of help.
Mike Casey
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2022-10-19T16:18:15Z
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helenair.com
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Kevin Downs will seek justice for victims
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-will-seek-justice-for-victims/article_065c65e5-23d5-5798-977a-0db4f1ff45dd.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-will-seek-justice-for-victims/article_065c65e5-23d5-5798-977a-0db4f1ff45dd.html
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Mary Ann Dunwell is the real deal
Rep. Mary Ann Dunwell is fiercely devoted to her constituents and has earned our support in her bid to serve the people of Senate District 42. For eight years, Mary Ann has represented the people of Helena and East Helena with integrity, grace and perseverance. As a former legislator, I’ve observed what motivates people to run for office. Some people like the title of “senator” or think being in the Legislature makes them “important.” Mary Ann is not one of those people. She is motivated by a higher calling: the commitment to improving the lives of the people she serves. An experienced legislator, she uses her skill to not only advance legislation, but to work year-round on issues of importance to our community. Providing a laundry list of issues doesn’t due justice to the depth of her knowledge and expertise. It is most accurate to say that she is laser focused on policies that lift up working people, allow families to thrive and promote the well-being of our community. Please join me is supporting Mary Ann Dunwell so she can continue her good work in behalf of all of us.
Eve Franklin,
Eve Franklin
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2022-10-19T16:18:21Z
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helenair.com
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Mary Ann Dunwell is the real deal
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/mary-ann-dunwell-is-the-real-deal/article_ee5f4eb7-7c63-5e1c-b711-791e3198a6ce.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/mary-ann-dunwell-is-the-real-deal/article_ee5f4eb7-7c63-5e1c-b711-791e3198a6ce.html
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I served on a jury for a trial in which the state prosecuted an innocent person for defrauding the State Fund. Dan Guzynski, the state’s chief prosecutor, should never have allowed that case to come to trial. The state presented no credible evidence to support its claim that the defendant’s claim was fraudulent. In fact, the state’s most credible witness — the physician who treated the defendant — confirmed that the injury was entirely consistent with the defendant’s account of the accident.
The state prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to disprove their own case. So I question why Dan Guzynski allowed the case to go forward. I question how much the state spent to prosecute an innocent defendant. I question why Dan Guzynski permitted the state to put an innocent person through two years of grief. And, I wonder the extent to which this case exposed the state to liability for unlawful prosecution.
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2022-10-19T16:18:40Z
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helenair.com
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Questioning Dan Guzynski's jurisprudence
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/questioning-dan-guzynskis-jurisprudence/article_32193a87-b80b-54d7-b537-b221e9a83522.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/questioning-dan-guzynskis-jurisprudence/article_32193a87-b80b-54d7-b537-b221e9a83522.html
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Sloan Fleeger
On Nov. 13, 2021, a deputy from the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a child being allegedly sexually assaulted by Sloan Mckinzie Fleeger.
According to charging documents, the child stated that Fleeger often touched their private parts and that it hurt.
A forensic interview was scheduled with the child on Nov. 15, 2021. The child stated that the sexual assaults from Fleeger were almost a daily occurrence. The child also stated that Fleeger was a “bully because if someone hits you that makes them a bully,” according to the affidavit filed in Justice Court of Helena on Sept. 30.
A Helena police officer was assigned to follow up on this report due to the alleged sexual assaults of the minor happening in Lewis and Clark County. The child was interviewed a second time in September of 2022 and disclosed the same information as before.
Fleeger was contacted by authorities and asked to provide a statement, but as of Sept. 30, he had not done so.
Sloan Mckinzie Fleeger
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2022-10-20T00:11:56Z
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helenair.com
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Helena man charged with child rape
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https://helenair.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/helena-man-charged-with-child-rape/article_a8c88d6b-d6bf-54f0-93c2-334661ba5589.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/helena-man-charged-with-child-rape/article_a8c88d6b-d6bf-54f0-93c2-334661ba5589.html
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Jefferson Elementary students color jack-o-lanterns during the after school SACC program at the school on Tuesday.
Gov. Greg Gianforte was among those who attended an open house Tuesday at Jefferson Elementary School observing "Lights on Afterschool Week" in honor of afterschool programs.
Coordinator Kirstan Roush, who’s been with School Age Child Care (SACC) for 17 years, laughed after one of the students asked the governor if he was really the governor. They didn’t believe the governor would just show up to their school, especially in jeans, also known as the Montana governor dress code.
Gov. Greg Gianforte stops by Jefferson Elementary School's open house to celebrate 'Lights on Afterschool Week' on Tuesday.
The governor proclaimed Oct. 17-21 as "Lights on Afterschool Week" in the Treasure State, noting “Montanans recognize quality afterschool programs serve our youth and communities by providing a safe and engaging environment for children to reach their full potential, by supporting working families, and by engaging members of the community in promoting the welfare of our children.”
Nearly 40 people attended the Jefferson Elementary event, not counting families of the children who regularly attend the program.
Located around the gym were various stations for coloring, building and more activities for the students. At the open house, SACC celebrated its 30th anniversary, and Montana Afterschool Alliance (MTAA) celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Roush highlighted how important after school care is for families, especially ones with dual income.
“We’re super fortunate we have an afterschool program like SACC in Helena,” said Roush. “... I think that the school individuals who first came up with the idea of having an afterschool program in Helena 30 years ago, I mean there weren’t really two income households around then. It’s just like they were visionaries. I can only imagine the need from here on just continues.”
SACC serves around 350 students at Helena’s 11 elementary schools for afterschool care with a 14-students-to-1-staff ratio. Four Helena elementary schools, Jefferson, Rossiter, Jim Darcy and Central, also have morning care.
“I have loved every minute of it, watching the kids go from kindergarten to fifth grade,” said Jamie Merrill, who is the on-site SACC manager for Jefferson and handles billing for the organization. “Afterwards, you're in a store, and you hear, 'Jamie!' And there’s this teenage kid that towers over you.”
Merrill said parents can pick a three-day or five-day schedule for their children’s afterschool care with SACC. The three-day schedule costs around $122 per month per child, and the five-day schedule is about $180 per month for child one and any child after that is 10% off. There’s also low-cost tuitions and scholarships available for students through Child Care Connections.
The governor’s proclamation points out that about 25 million families nationwide report that they would enroll their children in an afterschool care program if one was available. Data from America After 3PM reveals that for every one child enrolled in after school care, four more are waiting to get in, according to a press release from MTAA.
Since 2000, "Lights on Afterschool Week" programs have taken place across the nation to highlight the essential role afterschool programs play in the lives of children, families and communities.
“Afterschool and out-of-school programs are integral for Montana’s communities,” said Rachel Wanderscheid, the director of the MTAA. “They provide parents with a safe place for their children while they finish their workdays, assist schools in providing kids with academic support and learning recovery, but most importantly they give our youth a safe, fun place to engage with peers and grow into our future citizens and leaders.”
Kirstan Roush
Lights On Afterschool Week
Jamie Merrill
School Age Child Care
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2022-10-20T00:12:02Z
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helenair.com
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Jefferson Elementary celebrates 'Lights on Afterschool Week' with the governor
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https://helenair.com/news/local/education/jefferson-elementary-celebrates-lights-on-afterschool-week-with-the-governor/article_f27361dd-3b3d-58fa-8258-3ba93798b6f7.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/education/jefferson-elementary-celebrates-lights-on-afterschool-week-with-the-governor/article_f27361dd-3b3d-58fa-8258-3ba93798b6f7.html
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Sheep huddle together on a hot August afternoon in 2021.
The Montana Livestock Loss Board has approved the payment of $11,000 to a Helena-area rancher for 45 lambs and ewes killed in August, the largest number of animals destroyed at the same time by predators so far this year.
George Edwards, executive director of the board, said Wednesday that the payment was made after the USDA Wildlife Service investigated a claim made by the rancher.
He said 42 of the ewes and lambs were killed by a grizzly bear. About a week later, wolves killed three more. The payment is based on a market report for the value of the animals at time of the loss, Edwards said.
And, he said, while it was the largest number of animals killed so far this year, it was not the most expensive.
That occurred on a ranch near Dillon in which 37 rams were killed by wolves Sept. 19 and $47,000 was paid to the rancher, the board’s largest payout of the year, Edwards said. He noted that rams are worth much more than ewes.
The names of both ranchers are confidential, Edwards said. He posts news of the latest claims on the board's Facebook page at https://bit.ly/3DdUSlW.
The Montana Livestock Loss Board was established by the state Legislature in 2007 to address economic losses due to predation by wolves, grizzly bears or mountain lions and to create incentives for producers to take steps to lessen the risk of loss.
Edwards said both of the ranchers that had large losses had herders and guard dogs on-site and are pro-active in trying to stop attacks.
“There is no prevention that 100% works. You can slow it down, but you cannot stop it entirely,” he said. “That is why you have to look at this with an open mind.”
He said the losses in 2022 are running close to the losses in 2021, which, with $348,178 paid out, was a record year.
Edwards said $167,454 has been paid out so far this year, while $190,000 had been paid out by this time in 2021. But he noted that this is the time of year when predator attacks quickly increase.
“Bears are in a feeding frenzy before hibernation,” he said.
In 2021, 412 domestic animals in Montana were killed by predators. That included 217 cattle, 155 sheep, 30 goats, two horses, three guards dogs and five llamas or swine.
So far, in 2022, 204 animals have been killed. That includes 86 cattle, 114 sheep, three goats and one guard dog.
Montana pays ranchers for the damages fairly quickly after the report has been filed. Edwards said some states wait a year.
“That is one of the big benefits in our program,” he said.
Livestock Loss Board
Usda Wildlife Service
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2022-10-20T00:12:20Z
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helenair.com
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Livestock board pays Helena-area rancher $11K for 45 sheep killed by predators
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https://helenair.com/news/local/livestock-board-pays-helena-area-rancher-11k-for-45-sheep-killed-by-predators/article_375ddd63-4a73-5fcb-8391-5ffd7fab9bca.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/livestock-board-pays-helena-area-rancher-11k-for-45-sheep-killed-by-predators/article_375ddd63-4a73-5fcb-8391-5ffd7fab9bca.html
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Ashton Scott Davis
On Oct. 13 around 2 a.m., officers responded to a report of a person at the hospital with stab wounds.
The wounded person told authorities they got into a verbal fight that escalated to a physical one with Ashton Scott Davis earlier that morning.
There were two stab wounds on the left side of the person's back and one laceration to the left part of their torso. The stabbings caused severe bodily injury, according to court reports.
Davis stated he pulled out his knife as the victim and a witness were walking toward him because he was fearful and wanted to defend himself. However, Davis told authorities that he was never threatened by the victim or the witness.
Davis stated that the witness pointed a firearm at him, but he was not scared because he knew it wasn’t loaded. A firearm was never recovered during the investigation and both the victim and witness denied having one, said officials.
Davis was arrested and booked into the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center.
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2022-10-20T02:21:40Z
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helenair.com
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Helena man charged in stabbing
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https://helenair.com/helena-man-charged-in-stabbing/article_7dc47fab-9936-54c9-96b3-66763baf62e2.html
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https://helenair.com/helena-man-charged-in-stabbing/article_7dc47fab-9936-54c9-96b3-66763baf62e2.html
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Shawn Richardson
A 44-year-old Helena man has been charged with felony criminal possession of drugs with intent to distribute and misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia and driving a motor vehicle while privilege to do so is suspended or revoked, second offense.
On Monday, an officer saw a vehicle with no license plate and initiated a traffic stop, according to court documents.
Dispatch confirmed that the driver of the vehicle, Shawn Richardson, had a suspended driver's license. Richardson couldn’t provide insurance for the vehicle, said officials.
Dispatch also advised that Richardson had multiple warrants out for his arrest, so the officer arrested him, officials said.
The vehicle was impounded. The last vehicle Richardson was driving had dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia in it, so the officer applied for a search warrant of the vehicle and got it, according to court reports.
Inside Richardson’s current vehicle were small bags containing a white crystalline substance, which tested presumptive positive for meth, a glass smoking device, a scale with white residue on it, $144 in cash, spoons and multiple syringes, authorities said.
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2022-10-20T02:21:53Z
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helenair.com
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Helena man charged with intent to distribute dangerous drugs
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https://helenair.com/helena-man-charged-with-intent-to-distribute-dangerous-drugs/article_20c96fb3-bf76-5d05-9db4-39adeb08d605.html
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https://helenair.com/helena-man-charged-with-intent-to-distribute-dangerous-drugs/article_20c96fb3-bf76-5d05-9db4-39adeb08d605.html
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Jarred Lane Saunders
A 23-year-old Billings man is accused of leading law enforcement on a pursuit in a stolen car and stealing a motorcycle, both on Oct. 15 in Lewis and Clark County.
Jarred Lane Saunders is being charged with two felony counts of theft, felony criminal endangerment and felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs. He is also being charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, habitual offender operating a motor vehicle and displaying license plates assigned to another vehicle. Lastly, Saunders has been charged with possession of marijuana or paraphernalia in a vehicle and escape.
On Oct. 16, an officer was advised of a report of a stolen motorcycle.
The officer met with the complainant, whose motorcycle stolen from a friend’s garage. The complainant told authorities the motorcycle must have been stolen on the early morning of Oct. 15. The motorcycle was valued around $7,000.
The complainant said they had already reviewed camera footage from around the area for suspect information. Officials reviewed the camera footage, and saw Saunders pull into the parking lot of a hotel on the stolen motorcycle in the early morning of Oct. 15.
Saunders was already in custody at Lewis and Clark County Detention Center, after being arrested Oct. 15 for allegedly leading authorities on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle on the interstate and in town.
Saunders had an expired temporary Montana registration and expired temporary Montana tags that belonged to a different vehicle. Saunders eventually abandoned the stolen vehicle and attempted to run from authorities on foot, according to charging documents.
Saunders had a felony warrant out of Billings for failure to appear on Oct. 12 for two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, obstructing a peace officer or other public servant and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also in a pursuit on Oct. 4 with the Montana Highway Patrol and the Billings Police Department in Billings. He has a criminal history of DUI and many insurance convictions.
Saunders claimed to have swallowed fentanyl pills before being taken into custody. Four bank cards in someone else’s name, 34 small blue pills stamped "M 30" suspected to be fentanyl, a cellphone he claimed wasn’t his, marijuana products, two glass pipes, a lighter and cartridges were all found in his possession.
Saunders told authorities the location of the stolen motorcycle, which was located and returned to its owner.
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2022-10-20T02:22:05Z
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helenair.com
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Man jailed in Helena on suspicion of stealing vehicles
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https://helenair.com/man-jailed-in-helena-on-suspicion-of-stealing-vehicles/article_26579b65-d72e-5acd-b906-83306f75f7d3.html
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https://helenair.com/man-jailed-in-helena-on-suspicion-of-stealing-vehicles/article_26579b65-d72e-5acd-b906-83306f75f7d3.html
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The Hipocrats perform Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Tap Room.
The Hipocrats take the stage on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 7 to 10 p.m.
Squirrel Gravy brings some electrified and funky tunes to the Tap Room on Friday, Oct. 21, from 7 to 10 p.m.
How about watching the crosstown football stream at Lewis & Clark. Enjoy the game outside on Oct. 21 starting at 7 p.m., with our propane heaters and beer as the #1 and #2 teams in the Western AA battle it out. Inside we'll have the tunes of Squirrel Gravy.
On Saturday, Oct. 22, from 7 to 10 p.m., Bluebelly Junction a rock ‘n roll band based out of Bozeman, Montana, performs a blend of chart-topping covers, well-seasoned originals, and blow your mind mashups.
Helena Symphony Presents Mozart’s Requiem
The Helena Symphony presents the introspective Mozart’s Requiem on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Helena Civic Center.
Mozart’s unfinished, yet soul-stirring Requiem is coupled with opera giant Richard Wagner’s portrayal of desire, love, and death with the heart-breaking opening and ending from Tristan und Isolde.
Masterworks II will feature 78 members of the Helena Symphony Chorale performing for the first time this season in addition to exceptional soloists. Soprano Meredith Hansen, a regular performer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, makes her Helena Symphony debut. Tenor Jesse Darden also makes his Helena Symphony debut and has performed with opera companies including Boston Lyric Opera and Santa Fe Opera.
Baritone John Green returns to perform with the Helena Symphony following his recent appearance in Season 67. Green has been seen onstage at Carnegie Hall and many others, regularly performing around the globe.
Season tickets for the remaining concerts of the Masterworks Series presented by AARP Montana are available at a reduced rate. In addition to the substantial discounts on season tickets, subscribers also receive the Bring A Friend Pass, The Art of Listening Newsletter, and several other benefits.
Single concert tickets can also be purchased ($55-$15 plus a $5 transaction fee) online at www.helenasymphony.org, by calling 406-442-1860, or visiting the Symphony Box Office, 21 N. Last Chance Gulch, Suite 100, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Mandolin master John Reischman and the Jaybirds bring their legendary bluegrass to The Myrna Loy Thursday, Oct 27.
Reischman, often called the "mandolin master," has been lauded by reviewers for his “exquisite technique, tone and timing,” which are “legendary…whether he is playing Bluegrass, swing, Brazilian choros or Puerto Rican jibaro music.” He’s also known for his jazz performances.
Starz on Stage announces 'pop-up' concerts
Hear Dennis Stroughmatt (and Friends) serenade the audience with a variety of music from Creole to country at a Starz on Stage "pop-up" concert Oct. 28.
Hear Dennis Stroughmatt (and Friends) serenade the audience with a wide variety of music from Creole to Country. On Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., the Shrine Temple will host the 2015 Old Time Fiddlers Hall of Fame champ and Texas Records artist who is a regular performer on the RFD TV channel. Stroughmatt, a native of Illinois, grew up on the music of Bob Wills, Benny Goodman and Ray Price.
"Kiss me Once: Stories from the Homefront" is a moving and emotional story of the brave men and women of "The Greatest Generation" who were impacted by WWII. Kathy Kaefer, soloist, brings endearing, heart-rending stories to the listener, with songs such as “Kiss Me Once”, “The White Cliffs of Dover”, “I’ll Be Seeing You”.
David Shenton, the other half of the duo, is the creator and owner of Showstopper Entertainment and appears in several groups touring across the country.
Tickets for the shows are $25 and are available at Leslie’s Hallmark on 11th Avenue or via 406tix.com. For any additional questions or details, call Starz on Stage – 406-227-9711 or email joyofmusic66@q.com.
The concert will open with Bach’s Cantata 150 “Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich” (My Soul Longs for You, O Lord). Cantor Michael Harrison will then chant the names of those for whom the candles are lighted, followed by a short period of silence for meditation and prayer.
Baroque violinists are Elisa Wicks and Brune Macary, continuo players are Adaiha Jae MacAdam-Somer, cello, and Wendy Yuen, organ. Vocal guest artists are Helena favorites Amanda Balestrieri and Evanne Brown, sopranos, Anne Kania, contralto, Thomas Gregg, tenor, and Bobb Robinson, bass.
Halloween Spooks & Jack O’Lanterns: Candle Carving on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2-5 p.m. Join Joy Kelso in creating your very own spook-tacular candles. Joy will guide participants in dipping candle cores to create a layered candle from which to then carve ghostly features and jack-o’-lantern smiles. Participants will walk away with one of each candle and the knowledge to keep carving.
Open Studio Days at The Bray
The Bray community is invited to meander through the Shaner Studio hallway to connect with Bray resident artists, experience finished artwork, and see works in progress during our Open Studio Days on Friday, Oct. 21, from 5-7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 22, noon to 2 p.m.
Visitors may also walk about the grounds with a self-guided tour map and are welcome stop by the Sales Gallery to shop for finished artwork.
Basin gallery exhibit closing
Refugee Gallery in Basin will be closing the exhibit, Proximal Works in Situ. Come and meet the artists on Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon until 2 p.m. The two artists, Stephen Hunt and John Knight will talk about their installations.
Exhibit showcases Montana artists
The art collection of the late Gloria Hermanson, an avid supporter of arts and artists in Montana, will be on display at 1+1=1 Gallery.
The Gloria Hermanson collection is some of the work featured in an exhibit at the 1+1=1 Gallery. A public reception will be Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Hermanson’s collection included work by several artists who have had notable careers both in Montana and nationally, such as David Shaner, Kurt Weiser, Frances Senska, Josh DeWeese and Russell Chatham. The full catalog features pieces from many different artistic disciplines, including ceramic work (both functional and sculptural), fiber arts, painting and printmaking.
The Gloria Hermanson Art Collection will open on Thursday, Oct. 20, for a private reception at 6 p.m., then on Saturday, Oct. 22, for a public open house from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The exhibit has a virtual component, available online at 1plus1is1.com/2022-gh-collection. Website visitors can learn more about Gloria and browse a gallery of all the exhibit pieces.
Hermanson’s collection will be on display at 1+1=1 Gallery until Friday, Nov. 11, and available online until February 2023. Visitors are encouraged to call 406-431-9931 and arrange an in-person visit. The gallery is located at 434 N. Last Chance Gulch.
Nightmare Affair at ExplorationWorks
ExplorationWorks 15th Annual Nightmare Affair Gala will take place at the Great Northern Best Western Hotel on Oct. 29, from 6-9 p.m. with music and dancing to follow until 11 pm.
This adult-only Halloween party is a night of fun in support of science education. The night will include a silent and live auction, music by Ten Years Gone, a delicious dinner buffet, science themed cocktails, and a costume contest.
Anyone unable to attend the in-person event can still participate in Nightmare Affair through their online auction. The online auction will take place Oct. 24-29 and will feature a wide-range of packages.
Individual tickets are on sale for $100 per person, or $900 for a table of 10. Tickets for the event are limited and sales end on Oct. 21. For information and to purchase tickets online, please visit www.explorationworks.org/nightmare-affair.
A presentation on the "Struggle for Democracy in Burma” will be held at the Lewis & Clark Library at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20.
The founders of Better Burma, Joah McGee and Jingyi Zhan, a humanitarian organization working on behalf of people affected by the military takeover of Myanmar last year, will be giving the talk.
For more information, visit www.betterburma.org or call 406-285-1368.
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2022-10-20T13:36:05Z
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helenair.com
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Around the Town: Helena-area arts and entertainment news published Oct. 20
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https://helenair.com/news/local/around-the-town-helena-area-arts-and-entertainment-news-published-oct-20/article_8fd28293-e3c9-5d56-a5b7-7e609c16446b.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/around-the-town-helena-area-arts-and-entertainment-news-published-oct-20/article_8fd28293-e3c9-5d56-a5b7-7e609c16446b.html
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Montana Shakespeare in the Parks sprints through the ‘Complete Works of Shakespeare’
Three actors take the audience on a raucous, rapid-fire romp through the best and worst of Shakespeare – all in a non-stop, hyperactive, 90-minute whirlwind.
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks rehearses their production of The Complete William Shakespeare Works.
The free show is 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at Helena Middle School.
It’s MSIP’s thank you gift to the community for its longtime support of bringing Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to Helena each summer for more than 40 years.
MSIP is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Helena has been a community sponsor since 1976, when the Helena Arts Council apparently first stepped up to bring the productions here.
The play was originally scheduled to kick off the 50th MSIP season in January 2022, but then Omicron sickened the whole cast, postponing the production until now.
Can three actors do the impossible – pull off performing Shakespeare’s entire canon of 37 plays in 90 minutes?
Especially when they spend way too much time botching up “Romeo and Juliet.”
The play by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield first premiered in 1987 to enthusiastic reviews.
But 35 years later, it was badly in need of some popular culture updates – thus was born “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) - Revised.”
The play has the feverish feel of a last-minute, mostly-improvised, barely-rehearsed long sketch ‘a la “Saturday Night Live,” with plenty of special made-in-Montana asides, like this not-so-famous play, “Mid-Sip N’Dip Night’s Dream.”
It’s plumb full of bad puns, poor taste, badly choreographed sword fights and actors zooming across the stage in brightly-hued hightop sneakers and Elizabethan costume remnants.
“It’s such a fun show. It’s such a fun goofy play,” said Executive Artistic Director Kevin Asselin.
Comedy is really hard to do, he admitted, because spot-on timing, accuracy and precision is needed for the audience to pick up on all the gags.
While it may look like everyone is improvising, “it requires the same amount of care as a tragedy or drama requires.”
“I’m just really excited for the opportunity to give back to our communities – to give them a performance that’s absolutely free for all audiences and perfect for all ages.”
“It’s a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. It’s certainly going to be special for our audiences that have so much familiarity with Shakespeare,” said actor and tour manager Riley O’Toole.
“There’s engagement with the audience. It feels improvised. We pretend we’re three theatrical, super-energized versions of ourselves who are attempting to do this crazy thing – performing all of Shakespeare’s plays in 90 minutes.”
Joining O’Toole in this impossible feat is Calvin Adams and Charlotte Mae Ellison.
“It’s the perfect play to celebrate the 50th season. It’s so much in the spirit of Shakespeare and in the spirit of our company with audience engagement.”
“I think it’s just a really unique opportunity for us to be honoring our 50-year history of Shakespeare in the Parks here in Montana. There’s a lot of silliness, there’s a lot of making fun of Shakespeare, but there are some moments that remind us why we still produce these plays and why they still are relevant.
“This piece is accessible to even those who haven’t experienced Shakespeare ever.”
Just as a cast of many actors has stepped across the boards of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks for the past 50 years, many local ‘actors’ have stepped up to raise money to bring the plays to Helena over the decades.
Currently that includes Mary Lee Larison, John Cummings, Ron Lee, Bonnie Bowler, Margaret Woo, Susan Fox, Connie Bergum and Tara Thompson.
According to Larison, who first got involved in 2010, they raised $3,800 to bring in this year’s two productions, “King Lear” and “Twelfth Night.”
The two nights of plays are typically funded in Helena by collecting a number of citizen contributions of $25 to $35 at fundraisers and through a donation letter. The committee also helps secure donated hotel rooms and meals.
Larison loves the collective community experience of the performances.
“There’s no other experience people get to have in a unified way … to see live theater with their neighbors and friends, and it’s essentially free. It’s the great equalizer. It feels like such a collective experience that is a unifying and enriching gift. They’re community building and collaborative in the way live theater is.”
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Helena has been a community sponsor since 1976.
Prior to the committee, Rob Freistadt, a former downtown business owner, had worked with Tom Herzig and later single handedly raising sponsorship funds, starting in 1983-’84 and continuing for 25 years.
Prior to that, the Helena Arts Council took a lead in bringing in early MSIP productions, according to Freistadt.
So, many community members can take a bow for their outstanding roles behind the scenes in sponsoring a much-beloved Helena institution and ensuring its on-going success.
For more information, visit https://shakespeareintheparks.org/
MSIP is an outreach program of Montana State University’s College of Arts and Architecture.
What: ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) - Revised’ by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
Where: Helena Middle School, 1025 N. Rodney St.
Info: https://shakespeareintheparks.org/
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2022-10-20T13:36:11Z
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helenair.com
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Montana Shakespeare in the Parks sprints through the ‘Complete Works of Shakespeare’
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https://helenair.com/news/local/montana-shakespeare-in-the-parks-sprints-through-the-complete-works-of-shakespeare/article_b0951c7b-615c-58d9-8e42-92bcd190697a.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/montana-shakespeare-in-the-parks-sprints-through-the-complete-works-of-shakespeare/article_b0951c7b-615c-58d9-8e42-92bcd190697a.html
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As inflation causes us all to stretch our dollars, the majority of Americans —including Butte residents — are likely focused on finding the best prices without sacrificing quality. Health care can be expensive, so picking the right insurance plan that meets your individual or family needs can be critical to maintaining a balanced budget.
Right now — during the annual election period Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 —people eligible for Medicare have the opportunity to select a plan that provides the affordability, convenience and benefits they want as well as the quality health care they deserve.
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2022-10-20T13:36:24Z
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helenair.com
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Eligible for Medicare? Here’s what you should consider when choosing a plan
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/eligible-for-medicare-here-s-what-you-should-consider-when-choosing-a-plan/article_c3367b06-1c2e-549f-b743-91cbf73b21ea.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/eligible-for-medicare-here-s-what-you-should-consider-when-choosing-a-plan/article_c3367b06-1c2e-549f-b743-91cbf73b21ea.html
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Gary Buchanan will make a positive change
Gary Buchanan is the best candidate for the newly-created Eastern Congressional District. We deserve much better than Congressman Matt "vote NO" Rosendale.
Gary has worked in state government serving six governors, three of each party working for all Montana citizens as well as starting and running his financial services and investment business for more than 40 years. He knows and lives Montana values. His financial background and years of experience will be invaluable as the country continues to fight inflation and we return to stronger economic conditions.
Gary supports women’s rights, Montana’s 90,000 veterans and the future of our democracy. He supports public lands, rural health care including hospitals and nursing homes. Gary’s support of public lands earned him the endorsement of the Montana Sportman’s Alliance. He has supported law enforcement in the past and will continue to do so.
Gary’s an independent because he believes the best solutions are in the "middle of the road" and shouldn’t be determined only by the party in the majority. He is a honest, trustworthy person who will work hard for commonsense solutions as he has done his entire life in public and private sector work.
Please join us in supporting Gary Buchanan for Congress and make a positive change for all Montanans!
Rick and Jane Hays,
Rick And Jane Hays
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2022-10-20T13:36:36Z
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helenair.com
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Gary Buchanan will make a positive change
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/gary-buchanan-will-make-a-positive-change/article_23ad0594-74fe-5fc9-8ce3-ae1438066b58.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/gary-buchanan-will-make-a-positive-change/article_23ad0594-74fe-5fc9-8ce3-ae1438066b58.html
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Kevin Downs is dedicated to public service
An interesting bonus to the race between the two candidates running to be our next county attorney, is what we have learned about the full range of duties and obligations of the office Itself. This position requires the leadership and talent of someone who is truly dedicated to public service.
I believe that Kevin Downs is that person. He has the well-rounded experience to make a real impact on the safety and well-being for all of us living in Lewis and Clark County. Take a look at what Kevin has been doing for the last 20 years, and you too will be impressed.
Kevin will continue to serve us faithfully and honestly as our next county attorney. He is a good man; humble, kind, dedicated and qualified for this office.
Gary Turcott,
Gary Turcott
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2022-10-20T13:36:49Z
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helenair.com
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Kevin Downs is dedicated to public service
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-is-dedicated-to-public-service/article_761bfc77-decb-5415-8fcc-104855098955.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-is-dedicated-to-public-service/article_761bfc77-decb-5415-8fcc-104855098955.html
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On Friday, Sept. 30, the IR’s “above-the-fold” article addressed the latest Westside Woods subdivision application submitted to the city of Helena by the developer, Sussex Construction. The undersigned are neighbors who support Save Helena Westside’s efforts but also wish to be heard in response to the developer’s opinion that our “small group” has only “narrow concerns.” As reported, the latest subdivision application is nearly identical to the initial application submitted nearly two years ago, Nov. 10, 2020. Rather than correct the design flaws for which variances were denied, the developer now requests exceptions from those requirements. Equally disturbing, the developer has not included a number of additional off-site improvements to which he previously agreed. Examples include the lack of sidewalks on Granite to ensure the safety of Kessler School’s students, the widening and paving of streets not immediately adjacent to but serving as access routes to the proposed subdivision, and improvements to the sewer system on Helena’s Westside. We are at a loss to understand how an application that fails to address any of these concerns can be “more palatable to the neighbors.” We are those neighbors, and the developer has failed to speak with us regarding our concerns or address the ones of which they have been aware for over a year. We encourage the city to take these concerns into consideration when conducting its substantive review of the developer’s application.
Dan and Colleen Nichols, Scott and Carolyn Truscott, Orpha Smigaj, Terry MacLaurin, Tracy and Janice Long, Scott Harris and Lu Driessen
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2022-10-20T13:37:13Z
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helenair.com
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Subdivision neighbors asking to be heard
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/subdivision-neighbors-asking-to-be-heard/article_cdcaed95-6672-5eb2-9f42-33f878fb506f.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/subdivision-neighbors-asking-to-be-heard/article_cdcaed95-6672-5eb2-9f42-33f878fb506f.html
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Time for Montana to lead
As Montanans we like to believe we are independent and self-reliant. It’s time to vote consistent with our beliefs — for an independent congressman who does his best to represent all Montanans, who does the right thing regardless of party politics or personal agenda. Someone whose oath to support our state and federal rights — to privacy, to a clean and healthful environment, to access to public lands, to separation of church and state — is a promise that will be kept. It’s time for Montana to lead, to color outside the lines of two-party politics. Let’s try something new and make a difference. Let’s send Gary Buchanan, an independent Montanan, to Congress.
Mike and Cheryl Lamb,
Mike And Cheryl Lamb
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2022-10-20T13:37:20Z
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helenair.com
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Time for Montana to lead
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/time-for-montana-to-lead/article_d4495aa7-38b2-5cf7-8572-77e0346dbb6a.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/time-for-montana-to-lead/article_d4495aa7-38b2-5cf7-8572-77e0346dbb6a.html
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During its meeting this week, the Helena Public Schools board of trustees honored Helena High School Principal Steve Thennis, discussed priorities for 2022-2023 and heard a parent's concerns about certain books in schools.
Thennis was honored at the meeting for being selected by the AA Principals of Montana as the AA Principal of the Year.
Helena High School Principal Steve Thennis gives the keynote address during the class of 2020's graduation ceremony.
Thennis has been a teacher for 34 years and has been in Helena since 1992.
“He’s a leader in his field,” said Josh McKay, assistant superintendent for Helena Public Schools. “He’s a staunch advocate for students and promotes a lot of different, diverse student activities. He’s a profound speaker in public… He’s a lifelong friend for me.”
Superintendent Rex Weltz said he believed Thennis is the second-longest-serving AA principal in the state.
“I truly, I hate this to be honest,” joked Thennis about his honor. “I would much rather be here recognizing students or staff, that’s what I like to do. That’s what I’m most proud of, but it is great to be recognized by my peers across the AA. I have great admiration and respect for all of them because they’re in the arena. I’ve had a great run, and everybody knows you’re only as good as the people around so that goes for my secretaries, my paras, my custodians, my teachers and of course, the amazing kids we get to work with.”
Priorities for 2022-2023
Next, Weltz gave his superintendent report. He outlined five priorities for 2022-2023 in a Strategic Focus packet.
The first priority going forward was student achievement. The goal here was to focus on moving students up one year of growth every school year by developing consistent instructional frameworks, consistent use of assessment data, establishing short-term and long-term goals for improving math and reading instruction and get district engagement on a five-year continuous, reflexive improvement plan.
The second priority was the education environment with a focus on facilities being safe and healthy. The actions mapped out to get to this included developing a district facility master plan, conducting a district safety and security assessment, strengthening district internal safety and security systems with training and education and beginning to plan for Building Reserve Levies for both the elementary and high school district in Helena.
The third priority focused on district culture and climate, highlighting respect, trust and sense of values. The ways to achieve this goal were listed as creating a joint Helena Education Association and Helena School District Leadership Culture and Climate steering committee, restructuring board work sessions to visit schools during operating hours to increase conversations, restructuring central office site visits to enhance listening opportunities and imaging a five year continuous improvement plan to be implemented next school year.
The fourth was fiscal responsibility, which means a balanced budget alongside a “high-quality educational experience for all students,” stated the superintendent's report. To do this, the district plans to prepare budget updates and forecasts for informed decisions, seek creative strategies to reduce $2.5 million out of the elementary budget for the 2023-2024 school year, engage all stakeholders through multiple channels such as website, meetings, newsletters, in-person, etc. and establish a levy/bond timeline for the next five years.
The last listed priority was communication with all staff, students, families and the Helena community. The steps to get there outlined were weekly school visits, weekly communication with families and the community, continuing monthly communication to district staff, implementing student meetings with Weltz, ramping up social media presence and having more outreach opportunities.
Books concern parent
After Weltz’s report came the public comment section. A parent spoke up about the presence of books she didn’t agree with in schools.
“I’m pretty sure we have movie ratings for various reasons, G, PG, rated R or whatever,” said the parent. “… We honor those ratings, so there should be some book ratings as well.”
She didn’t mention any books by title or author. However, many of the books being banned or challenged nationwide deal with the subjects of race and/or the LGBTQ+ community.
PEN America, a nonprofit that focuses on human rights and literature, published a report in September on book banning across the country in schools. PEN America keeps an index of banned books in schools, and Montana currently has none in the index.
"Of the 2,532 bans listed in the Index, 96% were enacted without following the best practice guidelines for book challenges outlined by the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC)," PEN's report stated. "... Altogether, this report paints a deeply concerning picture for access to literature, and diverse literature in particular, in schools in the coming school year. Book banning and educational gag orders are two fronts in an all-out war on education and the open discussion and debate of ideas in America. Students have First Amendment rights to access information and ideas in schools, and these bans and legislative shifts pose clear threats to those rights. This climate is also increasingly undermining the professional discretion of educators and librarians when it comes to matters of public education, and disrupting the potential for effective relationships between parents, teachers and administrators that can actually serve to advance student learning and civic engagement."
For more information on Helena schools handing challenged or questioned material, go to https://bit.ly/3seijoK. Many of the books on commonly challenged or banned lists around the country are available at the Lewis and Clark Library.
The school board thanked the parent for her public comment, the only one made that night.
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2022-10-20T20:08:25Z
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helenair.com
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Helena school board honors principal, discusses priorities, hears concerns
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https://helenair.com/business/helena-school-board-honors-principal-discusses-priorities-hears-concerns/article_100c1af9-0d0c-507d-a78f-0434987742fc.html
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https://helenair.com/business/helena-school-board-honors-principal-discusses-priorities-hears-concerns/article_100c1af9-0d0c-507d-a78f-0434987742fc.html
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Montana's Bob Ward stores acquired by Utah-based Al's Sporting Goods
Deal-hunters line up at Helena's Bob Ward & Sons in this file photo from a past Black Friday.
Eliza Wiley, Independent Record
Bob Ward is a sporting goods retailer headquartered in Missoula with other stores in Bozeman, Butte, Helena and Hamilton. Al's will take over the operations of the Montana stores, but it sounds like there will be no lay-offs and not even a name change.
Dustin Smith, vice president of Al's, said that many of the product lines currently offered at Bob Ward will probably be expanded on through strategic brand partnerships that Al's has with many industry vendors and suppliers.
Bob Ward was founded in 1917 by Robert C. Ward in downtown Missoula.
Chad Ward, the current president of Bob Ward, wasn't available for comment early Thursday.
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2022-10-20T20:08:31Z
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helenair.com
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Montana's Bob Ward stores acquired by Utah-based Al's Sporting Goods
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https://helenair.com/business/montanas-bob-ward-stores-acquired-by-utah-based-als-sporting-goods/article_55501448-8b80-52ca-a45b-1399fcdddb5f.html
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https://helenair.com/business/montanas-bob-ward-stores-acquired-by-utah-based-als-sporting-goods/article_55501448-8b80-52ca-a45b-1399fcdddb5f.html
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At his prime, Big Medicine weighed 1,900 pounds, stood 6 feet high at the hump, and measured 12 feet from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail.
After more than 60 years, Big Medicine is going home.
The Montana Historical Society board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday to return ownership to the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe of the large mounted white buffalo that has been part of the museum in Helena since 1961.
The tribe asked for the buffalo to be returned, saying it was taken from their land at the National Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Several tribal members attended Thursday’s meeting of the board.
Tom McDonald, CSKT tribal chair, told the board after the vote the tribe was deeply appreciative and paused during his comments.
“You can see this is emotional,” he said. “We will treat this animal with the respect it deserves.”
Others spoke to the board prior to the vote.
“Make us happy today, make us happy,” said Steven Small Salmon, a Pend d’Oreille tribal elder who said as a child he saw Big Medicine on the reservation. “We want it back.”
CSKT tribal council member Martin Charlo said he wanted to make sure the board knew how spiritual these things are, adding he remembers elders talking about going to bison range, praying and spending time with Big Medicine.
“Every time I have seen him it was very powerful,” he said.
“It’s nice where it is at right now, but we will showcase that and tell our story as best as we can,” Charlo said.
A smudging ceremony was held around Big Medicine inside the Montana Historical Society on Thursday. The museum's board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday to return ownership of the large mounted white buffalo to the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe.
Shane Morigeau, a Democratic state senator and deputy executive officer with CSKT, said the tribe will be mindful of the care that goes into preserving Big Medicine.
He said if the board was gracious enough to return Big Medicine, the tribe would make sure he is in a safe place. He noted that the tribe is going to build a new cultural center.
Rick Eneas, CSKT executive officer, said it was not just about the history.
"As a people, the Salish and Kootenai are reclaiming our language and culture. One aspect of what Big Medicine symbolizes is what it looks like to hold on to the past and look to the future," he said.
Vernon Finley, director of the Kootenai culture committee, said people called Big Medicine the head chief. He said Big Medicine, who had a “black hat” and was not a true albino, was a symbolic part of adjusting to the world as it is.
The motion to turn over ownership was made by Tim Fox, former state attorney general, and it was followed with little discussion.
Board member Ken Robison asked if a holographic (3-dimensional) image of Big Medicine could be prominently displayed at the new Montana Heritage Center now under construction.
Molly Kruckenberg, the historical society director, said they were pleased to see Big Medicine’s ownership transferred to the CSKT.
She said as part of the agreement, the historical society will retain possession of Big Medicine until the tribes have a safe environment in which he can be displayed.
“This is not a repatriation request under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act; instead, this decision comes from discussions made on a government-to-government basis,” Kruckenberg said in an email.
“The Montana Historical Society regularly seeks advice and information from Montana’s Tribes, and this transfer of ownership reflects that positive relationship,” she said.
Big Medicine was born in 1933, according to the Montana Historical Society’s website.
“The birth was a crowning achievement of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' efforts to recover a population of bison for their reservation,” the website notes.
In the early 1950s the Montana Historical Society made arrangements to ensure that, upon his death, Big Medicine would be moved to the state's museum and permanently preserved. Because he had some pigmentation - blue eyes, tan hooves, and a brown topknot - Big Medicine was a white buffalo rather than a pure albino, the website states. At his prime, he weighed 1,900 pounds, stood 6 feet high at the hump, and measured 12 feet from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail.
He spent his life on the National Bison Range and died in 1959. The taxidermy was completed in 1961 and Big Medicine was moved to the Montana Historical Society.
Morigeau said it would likely be about two years until Big Medicine is moved, once the new visitor center is built on the bison range.
“We only want to move him once,” Morigeau said, adding that Big Medicine is in surprisingly good shape, considering his age.
He said there will be a celebration once the move is made.
“He just holds tremendous cultural significance to us,” Morigeau said, thanking the Montana Historical Society for realizing that.
“It’s a big responsibility to take care of him,” he said, adding although Big Medicine’s physical body remains in Helena for now, “his spirit is going home with us today.”
Big Medicine
Montana Historical Society Board Of Trustees'
Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe
Steven Small Salmon
Vernon Finley
Ken Robison
National Bison Range
Flathead Indian Reservation
Montana historian reveals details left off National Register signs
The stories were about robbery, suicide, runaway horses, abusive husbands, powerful widows and more.
Montana American Indian Caucus: It's time to bring Big Medicine home
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) held their Bison Range Restoration Celebration May 20-22, which was a monumental day that r…
Washington Foundation donates $25M to Montana Heritage Center
The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation has donated $25 million to the Montana Historical Society for the construction of the new $81 million Montana Heritage Center in Helena.
Montana Heritage Center celebrates construction milestone
The steel beams, put in place at the end of the ceremony, signify that the highest point of the new Montana Heritage Center has been constructed.
Costs continue to climb for new Montana Heritage Center; price tag now $81M
The cost of the Montana Heritage Center under construction in Helena has now grown by nearly 53% from its initial estimate amid skyrocketing p…
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2022-10-20T23:53:55Z
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helenair.com
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Homeward bound: Historical society returns ownership of mounted buffalo to CSKT tribe
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https://helenair.com/news/local/homeward-bound-historical-society-returns-ownership-of-mounted-buffalo-to-cskt-tribe/article_16a1eaa2-7f96-5297-b818-193dd3fbc074.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/homeward-bound-historical-society-returns-ownership-of-mounted-buffalo-to-cskt-tribe/article_16a1eaa2-7f96-5297-b818-193dd3fbc074.html
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Montanans this year can register to vote until the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day and will be able to vote with school IDs and other forms of identification that worked in years past, according to Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen.
Jacobsen’s office this week issued a correction to the informational voter pamphlets that get mailed out before each federal general election, sent this year three weeks after a state district court judge struck down several new laws related to voting. The state published 509,324 copies of the document, which county governments pay to distribute.
“The voter information pamphlet sent to the mailboxes of voters from mid-September through mid-October was in production prior to the judicial order enjoining Montana’s identification and registration laws,” stated a press release from her office.
Voters still must arrive at their polling place with some form of ID, if they’re voting in person. That can include a driver’s license, state ID, tribal photo ID or college ID. If they don’t have those, voters can provide an official document with their name and address, including a voter registration card, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or official government document.
Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael G. Moses last month found that several laws enacted by Republicans in 2021 violated the state Constitution. They include laws moving to an earlier date the deadline for voters to register, creating stricter requirements for voter ID at the polls and outlawing paid ballot collection by third parties.
Jacobsen, the sole defendant in the case, has not said publicly whether she will appeal the order to the Montana Supreme Court. But she has done so twice before on prior rulings in the case. And after Moses’s most recent ruling, her office issued a statement that “we are not going to let down the fight to make Montana elections the most secure and accessible elections in the nation.”
Jacobsen’s office didn’t respond to a request Thursday to clarify whether she would appeal the ruling, or whether she had ruled out asking for an emergency stay of the ruling from the state’s high court before Election Day. She did so with a preliminary injunction earlier this year, causing the rules around voter ID and registration to change just weeks before the primary election.
Craig Cowie, an associate professor of law at the University of Montana, said that Jacobsen could technically still ask for an emergency stay any time before Election Day. But the fact that three weeks have passed since Moses’s order could affect that request.
“Courts look at that as an indication of whether it’s really an emergency: If it’s an emergency, why did you wait 30 days?” Cowie said.
He added that he would be surprised if Jacobsen doesn’t eventually file an appeal to the Supreme Court. State law gives her 60 days to do so following the district court order.
Christ Jacobsen
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2022-10-20T23:54:08Z
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helenair.com
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Secretary of State corrects outdated voter information pamphlets
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/secretary-of-state-corrects-outdated-voter-information-pamphlets/article_95f7dcae-0e6f-55d8-b20e-aacae0597b13.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/secretary-of-state-corrects-outdated-voter-information-pamphlets/article_95f7dcae-0e6f-55d8-b20e-aacae0597b13.html
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The Montana State Prison is in Deer Lodge.
The Montana State Prison will suspend visitation indefinitely at the end of the month, another workaround necessitated by the hollowed-out workforce at the facility outside Deer Lodge.
Visitation is set to end Oct. 31. The Montana Department of Corrections said Thursday that "after much deliberation," it deemed the suspension necessary due to the prison's staffing levels. According to a department report in August, an estimated one-third of the 257 correctional officer positions were open.
"We recognize the importance of in-person visitation to inmates and their friends and families, but we must place safety and security of the public, staff, and inmates above all else," Department of Corrections spokesperson Carolynn Bright said in an email on Thursday, adding the department intends to resume normal visitation "as soon as it is safely possible."
According to the National Institute of Corrections, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice, visitation plays a significant role in reducing recidivism. The institute's 2011 study found "any visit reduced the risk of recidivism by 13% for felony reconvictions and 25%" for technical violations.
Bright said part of the department's calculation is prioritizing activities that benefit the most inmates; recreation involves 150 inmates at once while visitation involves 15 at a time. Recreation is taking place at the prison, Bright said Thursday, although the schedule is sometimes interrupted due to staffing levels.
The open positions within the last year have riled state lawmakers, drawn the attention of the Governor's Office and raised safety concerns for employees. In May, the prison closed one of its units to better shape the inmate population around the posts that could be staffed. In June, Warden Jim Salmonsen said the prison has long had a staffing shortage, although "nothing to this magnitude."
The department has made efforts to rectify the staffing shortfalls, creating a recruitment and retention committee, touching down at job fairs and mulling employee transportation as a new benefit, as well as housing opportunities in and around Deer Lodge. The prison also recently added 12-hour shifts in an effort to address the problem.
In order to help ease the impact of suspending visitation on the inmates, as well as their families and friends, Bright said each inmate will be allowed two free 20-minute video visitations each week. Those calls will be in addition to two free weekly phone calls each inmate is allowed.
Carolynn Bright
Prison Staffing Shortage
Montana State Prison Union
National Institute Of Corrections
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2022-10-20T23:54:14Z
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helenair.com
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State prison to suspend visitation indefinitely due to staffing
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/state-prison-to-suspend-visitation-indefinitely-due-to-staffing/article_0835c59c-2668-54c3-8dbf-b98c5c7952ef.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/state-prison-to-suspend-visitation-indefinitely-due-to-staffing/article_0835c59c-2668-54c3-8dbf-b98c5c7952ef.html
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Gary Buchanan will provide middle ground
Gary Buchanan’s candidacy as an Independent into the congressional race for the Montana’s eastern district may be a compromise for some. There are issues Gary and I do not agree on…probably never will. However, what we do agree on is that the members of Montana’s congressional delegation need to work together to further the interests and well-being of Montana citizens. Gary got into this race to provide middle ground for Montana in Washington, DC. He will get my vote in November to do just that.
Bill Long,
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2022-10-21T15:08:40Z
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helenair.com
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Gary Buchanan will provide middle ground
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/gary-buchanan-will-provide-middle-ground/article_70a93c7e-30a1-56e0-a032-c0d990547fa1.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/gary-buchanan-will-provide-middle-ground/article_70a93c7e-30a1-56e0-a032-c0d990547fa1.html
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Please join me in supporting Kevin Downs for County Attorney. Kevin has the character, integrity, and leadership skills needed to be County Attorney. His work at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Montana Attorney General’s Office, and the Lewis & Clark County Attorney’s Office, among other notable pursuits, is both impressive and, more importantly, an asset to our community. As County Attorney, Kevin will continue to serve our vital community interests ranging from public safety and protecting our county’s most vulnerable residents to mentoring our next generation of public servants. He is the right choice for County Attorney. Please join me in voting for Kevin Downs on Nov. 8.
Marcia Davenport,
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2022-10-21T15:08:52Z
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helenair.com
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Kevin Downs is the right choice for County Attorney
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-is-the-right-choice-for-county-attorney/article_20a11096-a96a-59c7-9079-1de101f24c30.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-is-the-right-choice-for-county-attorney/article_20a11096-a96a-59c7-9079-1de101f24c30.html
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Matt Olson is honest, hardworking and fair
I'm not going to mince words with you. I just want to tell it straight. Matt Olson has been a friend of mine for a few decades now. I know him to be honest, hard working and fair. Isn't that what we need in a legislator? Don't forget to vote for him. We NEED Matt Olson in Senate District 42.
Bill Bahny,
Bill Bahny
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2022-10-21T15:08:59Z
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helenair.com
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Matt Olson is honest, hardworking and fair
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/matt-olson-is-honest-hardworking-and-fair/article_5a656bf1-0a9c-5d77-8d09-a6ac04894e68.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/matt-olson-is-honest-hardworking-and-fair/article_5a656bf1-0a9c-5d77-8d09-a6ac04894e68.html
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Montana City's Eagle Ambulance closed Sept. 28.
Montana City’s Eagle Ambulance is no longer serving Jefferson County as of Sept. 28, the chief of the Montana City Volunteer Fire Department said.
“When Eagle closed, we got no warning, so that morning we contacted St. Peter’s and said, 'We need help, now,'” Fire Chief Lyn Stimpson said. “I know it was a stress on their (St. Peter's) system to add a new coverage area with no advanced warning or ability to plan had to be a burden on their crews.”
One of the Eagle Ambulance employees who was laid off the morning off Sept. 28 contacted the volunteer fire department to let them know of the closure.
The reason for the closure is still unknown. The Eagle Ambulance website still lists the Montana City location as open and running, and the phone number listed still connects to dispatch after hours but no one picked up during the day. The email and Facebook page still work, but the company did not return a query for comment this week.
St. Peter’s Health is now covering the area full-time. Residents in Jefferson County should contact 911 in case of emergency.
“In response to Eagle Ambulance closing, St. Peter’s Health was quickly able to position an Advanced Life Support ambulance and crew in Montana City to respond to emergency calls made by North Jefferson County residents,” stated St. Peter’s Health. “While we have always provided mutual aid services in this area, it’s our hometown commitment to serve our neighbors in need and we intend to expand our coverage further very soon. We’re especially grateful for our relationship with Montana City Volunteer Fire Department who has allowed us to station our team at their facility until a more formal agreement is put in place.”
At the Montana City location, multiple employees worked 24/7 operating six fully-equipped ambulances. As of Thursday, these ambulances are still parked outside Eagle Ambulance in Montana City that is listed for sale by Century 21 for $1.4 million.
The Eagle Ambulance building is for sale through Century 21 for $1.4 million.
“St. Peter’s has been a training partner with us for many years. … We’re very lucky to have a service with first class equipment and staff who was able to step in," Stimpson, the fire chief for three years, said. "We have an emergency agreement to station an ambulance during peak hours at Fire Station 1 while they can make long-term plans. … We work very well with St. Peter’s. They’ve been the back-up for years when Eagle wasn’t available.”
Stimpson highlighted that he was very grateful for St. Peter’s help because he knows the extra work they had to put in and will have to put in to cover this additional area requiring more crews and equipment.
Eagle Ambulance
Lyn Stimpson
North Jefferson County
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2022-10-21T22:26:31Z
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helenair.com
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Montana City's Eagle Ambulance quietly closes without warning
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https://helenair.com/news/local/montana-citys-eagle-ambulance-quietly-closes-without-warning/article_74ac818d-7a9f-5804-961a-b05a4249f131.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/montana-citys-eagle-ambulance-quietly-closes-without-warning/article_74ac818d-7a9f-5804-961a-b05a4249f131.html
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In the final stretch before Election Day, Republican Ryan Zinke has remained by far the most prolific fundraiser in the campaign for Montana’s new western congressional district. But Democrat Monica Tranel has outpaced him in money raised from state residents, a fact her campaign hasn't shied away from as the candidates strive to out-Montana each other.
Tranel, a lawyer, has gotten more money from fellow attorneys and others in the legal services industry. That group has given her campaign more than $262,000, more than double what they’ve contributed to Zinke.
Zinke has raked in more than $100,000 from the real estate and development industry, while medical professionals have given Tranel about $85,000.
Spending sharply accelerated in the most recent quarter, putting Tranel’s total for the campaign cycle at just over $2 million, while Zinke has spent just over $5 million.
His spending on digital ads surged, accounting for $890,000 of ad spending in the third quarter, although his campaign said some of the money reported as “digital advertising” actually went to other digital services.
Tranel’s campaign also more than doubled their total ad spending to date during the third quarter, claiming about $700,000 on advertising.
As of Sept. 30, Zinke had $530,000 left in the bank, and Tranel had $350,000.
Outside spending on political ads also remains a significant force in the race.
In the last two weeks alone, a pro-Zinke super PAC called “More Jobs, Less Government” has reported dropping more than $600,000 on ads attacking Tranel. That’s on top of more than $300,000 it spent in August.
Tranel has gotten a boost from Big Sky Voters PAC, which has reported nearly $700,000 in independent expenditures supporting her or opposing Zinke since it formed last month. That includes a $130,000 ad buy from this week.
The candidates’ final campaign finance reports before the Nov. 8 election are due next week.
Meanwhile, national political prognosticators have this month suggested Montana’s District 1 race, in which Zinke has been broadly favored to win, may be tighter than was previously thought.
The district, drawn by Montana’s bipartisan Districting and Apportionment Commission last year, includes most of the state west of the Continental Divide, along with Gallatin, Madison and Beaverhead counties and the Blackfeet Reservation.
The other half of Montanans live in District 2, covering the deep-red eastern parts of the state. But District 1 was designed to be potentially competitive, although its overs have chosen the GOP candidate in the vast majority of recent statewide elections.
Inside Elections, a nonpartisan political analysis website, changed their rating of Montana’s District 1 to “leaning Republican,” suggesting a closer race than its previous designation of “likely Republican.”
And the Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman made the same reassessment last week. While calling the race “an uphill climb for Tranel,” he noted that Zinke has some liabilities in what would otherwise be “a slam dunk for Republicans” in a district that voted for Trump by 7 percentage points in 2020.
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2022-10-21T22:26:37Z
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helenair.com
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Tranel campaign, lagging in money race, touts more cash from Montanans
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/tranel-campaign-lagging-in-money-race-touts-more-cash-from-montanans/article_6c59f6c7-fbc1-54ed-be8b-93e76c97a503.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/tranel-campaign-lagging-in-money-race-touts-more-cash-from-montanans/article_6c59f6c7-fbc1-54ed-be8b-93e76c97a503.html
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Ricky James Shelbourn
His trial was held in Helena Municipal Court with Judge Anne Peterson presiding because Justice Court judges recused themselves from the case. The sentencing is set for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14 in Municipal Court.
Shelbourn, who worked in Helena, was arrested on March 16, 2020. In the affidavit, Bruce McDermott with the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said Shelbourn was "obsessing about (the woman) and unwilling to let their relationship end,” according to prior news reports.
Shelbourn had dated the woman he stalked for about three years, a time the woman described to McDermott as months of “substantial emotional distress."
After the couple broke up, Shelbourn allegedly monitored and followed the woman around. He reportedly told authorities he was following the woman to protect her from another man.
It is unknown if Shelbourn was still working for the FBI while under investigation. Throughout the length of the case, the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office in Utah that oversees Montana’s FBI agencies wouldn’t comment on the status of Shelbourn’s employment, stating they couldn’t comment on current personnel matters.
When reached this week, the Salt Lake City office referred questions about Shelbourn to the FBI’s National Press Office, which did not respond as of Friday.
Anne Peterson
Bruce Mcdermott
A 44-year-old Helena man has been charged with felony criminal possession of drugs with intent to distribute and misdemeanor counts of crimina…
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2022-10-22T00:08:11Z
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helenair.com
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Former Montana FBI agent convicted of stalking and obstruction
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https://helenair.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-montana-fbi-agent-convicted-of-stalking-and-obstruction/article_b0d0ecab-fb6b-5327-879c-b35a41e669bd.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-montana-fbi-agent-convicted-of-stalking-and-obstruction/article_b0d0ecab-fb6b-5327-879c-b35a41e669bd.html
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Gov. Greg Gianforte’s recommended budget for the next two years will include a 4% annual pay raise, $1,000 bonuses and a freeze on health benefit costs for state employees, under an agreement negotiated between his office and the workers’ unions.
The agreement was announced Friday in a joint press release by the Montana Federation of Public Employees; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and Gianforte’s office.
The agreement also includes increases to meal per diems and an extra holiday for odd-numbered years that don’t include an Election Day holiday.
“Given increased housing prices, rising insurance costs and vacancies, the bargaining team set out to secure an agreement that would help retain and recruit talented workers,” the press release stated. “With those shared concerns, Gov. Gianforte instructed his bargaining team to approach the process with similar goals in mind.”
The raises would be 4% or $1.50 per hour, whichever is higher, starting on July 1 of each of the next two years. The Montana Legislature meets every other year to pass the two-year budget to fund the state government. Governors typically release a proposed budget prior to the legislative session starting, but lawmakers are not bound by those recommendations in drafting spending bills.
If accepted by the Legislature, the raises would be a significantly higher than those passed in the 2021 session. That budget kept state employees’ wages flat for the first year of the biennium, followed by a 55-cent increase in the second year.
The bonuses, to be provided to each employee, would be “prorated to a 40-hour work week” and capped at $1,040, according to the press release.
“All parties agreed to further explore locality pay for high cost of living locations in future negotiations,” the press release continued. “Contract language standardization between the various state departments, agencies, and divisions will also be considered.”
State Employee Pay Plan
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2022-10-22T00:08:17Z
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helenair.com
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Governor, unions pitch 4% annual raises for state employees
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/governor-unions-pitch-4-annual-raises-for-state-employees/article_2477c182-a1f6-5114-bfff-d47c02f5e701.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/governor-unions-pitch-4-annual-raises-for-state-employees/article_2477c182-a1f6-5114-bfff-d47c02f5e701.html
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“Montana Department Of Transportation has advised that Highway 141 is closed due to a culvert washout at mile marker 3.4,” the Powell County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page. “This affects all traffic between Avon and Highway 200. There are no detours, you will have to find an alternate route.”
The Montana Department of Transportation posted on www.511mt.net that MT-141 is closed to through traffic and the closure is about 3 miles north of the junction with US-12 in Avon.
Lincoln Volunteer Fire Rescue also warned people not to cut across from Highway 200 to Highway 12 on 141.
Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse said the roadway is completely impassible. He said he has heard it could be a couple weeks until it is repaired. He said it’s a popular route from Seeley Lake to Helena.
The road is a 32-mile-long state highway that begins at U.S. Route 12 at Avon and ends at MT 200 north of Helmville.
People were told to check Montana Department of Transportation 511 for highway conditions and information.
Powell County Sheriff's Office
Zach Muse
Highway repair project to begin in Powell County, expect traffic delays
The Montana Department of Transportation and LHC Inc. will begin construction on Montana Highway 141 in Powell County in mid-August in order t…
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2022-10-22T01:49:30Z
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helenair.com
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State Highway 141 closed due to damaged culvert, officials say
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https://helenair.com/news/local/state-highway-141-closed-due-to-damaged-culvert-officials-say/article_171f9aa6-f72e-5fc8-9df9-42d250d6a868.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/state-highway-141-closed-due-to-damaged-culvert-officials-say/article_171f9aa6-f72e-5fc8-9df9-42d250d6a868.html
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This home is dried in and ready for you to make it your own. Less than 2 miles from Custer Ave in the central valley of Helena. This is a large home with multiple living spaces and lots of room to grow into it. Start with finishing the main level and get to the downstairs as time and money allow. Come out and take a look today at all of the possibilities this property has to offer.
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2022-10-22T06:32:02Z
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helenair.com
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2 Bedroom Home in Helena - $275,000
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https://helenair.com/2-bedroom-home-in-helena---275-000/article_f1e53d35-d3f5-55f7-acce-1c99348e549f.html
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https://helenair.com/2-bedroom-home-in-helena---275-000/article_f1e53d35-d3f5-55f7-acce-1c99348e549f.html
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Janet Tatz column: Experiencing joy in uncertain times
JANET TATZ
Jewish people around the world have just ended the annual fall cycle of holidays and festivals which concluded with Simchat Torah: a joyous celebration marking the completion of the reading of the Torah (Five Books of Moses) and the immediate recommencing of the entire cycle all over again.
For the past two months, Jews have focused their attention on their relationships with others, with G-d and within themselves. Starting with the Jewish month of Elul (beginning toward the end of August this year) and concluding near the end of Tishrei (starting next week) many Jewish people devote some time each day to contemplate their existence. Have we been true to ourselves, have we been a good neighbor, friend and family member, have we lived up to the goals and challenges we set for ourselves at this time last year and, most importantly -- can we commit to doing a better job in the year ahead (5783 on the Jewish calendar)?
We strive to return to our essence, an awareness of our unique place in the world and our true selves.
Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, was the third holiday in this powerful season of contemplation and forgiveness ( of both ourselves and others), and that is what I would like to share with you today. Sukkot, also known as “Z’man Simchateinu” ( the Season of our Joy) is celebrated by creating and sitting in a sukkah, a temporary shelter, that uses corn stalks or other branches to make up the roof of this fragile yet welcoming “home.”
One side is always left open, symbolically welcoming the stranger or invited guests to share in the experience of acknowledging that we are all just transient travelers in this uncertain and mysterious world. We experience joy in the sheltering embrace of the sukkah as well as in the eating of the bounty of our fall harvest. Indeed, Sukkot is a harvest festival.
As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks so astutely said, “ Somehow, Sukkot decodes for us the secret of joy. Joy does not come from great buildings of brick and stone, nor does it come from what we shut out, but from what we let in. Joy comes from a roof open to heaven, a door open to guests and a heart open to thanksgiving.”
Ben Zoma, a Talmudic sage of the second century wisely decreed, “Who is rich? Not one who has everything he/she wants, but one who celebrates everything he/she has.” Sukkot is one of the world’s great lessons in happiness because it shows us that one can sit in a shack with only leaves for a roof, exposed to the elements and yet still rejoice.
Another contemporary rabbi, Rabbi Simon Jacobson, so beautifully states, “ True joy is a celebration of the gift of life. But, such joy comes hand in hand with both accountability and responsibility.” While sitting or eating in these temporary, flimsy structures, our compassion increases for those who live at the mercy of the elements throughout the year. In this way, our intention to help the homeless and needy in our community increases.
During Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement), we shed some tears over lost opportunities and mistakes made in the year coming to an end.
We understand that there is a time to cry and a time to rejoice. As King Solomon famously wrote in the Book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) which is read during Sukkot: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die; a time to reap and a time to sow; a time to laugh and a time to weep; a time of peace. I swear it’s not too late.”
The ability we strive for is how to ride the rhythms of life. Sukkot teaches us exactly that -- because it is all about cycles. The secret to a balanced life is aligning ourselves with the inner cycles/rhythms of existence. To know when to cry and when to dance, because there is a time for everything. (From the Meaningful Life Center, day 49 of the 60 day journey through the High Holiday season).
And finally, a ritual that is integral to Sukkot and that takes place within the sukkah is the binding of the “four kinds” (palm, willow, myrtle and citron). There are several interpretations to the symbolism of the four kinds, but the one that speaks to me is the unity of these diverse species. As with different personalities and ways of being, we acknowledge that within our diversity lies our strength, and that each of us has a unique contribution to make towards the greater good. G-d knows, this message of hope, joy and unity is needed now more than ever.
Janet Tatz, M.Ed., is the retired Jewish educator at Intermountain children’s home and the lay leader of the Helena Jewish community.
Leah R Gilman
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2022-10-22T15:48:04Z
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helenair.com
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Janet Tatz column: Experiencing joy in uncertain times
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https://helenair.com/news/local/janet-tatz-column-experiencing-joy-in-uncertain-times/article_40f173dc-1d99-506e-a9e0-6a63a8cffd1c.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/janet-tatz-column-experiencing-joy-in-uncertain-times/article_40f173dc-1d99-506e-a9e0-6a63a8cffd1c.html
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John Lamb, Libertarian candidate for Montana's first congressional district, participated in a candidate forum in Missoula in August.
Libertarian John Lamb looked like he’d be more at home in a field than behind a podium when he appeared at an October forum held in a Helena hotel conference room where congressional candidates answered questions on all things agriculture for an hour and a half.
At the end a line of blazers and business attire, Lamb wore a pair of jeans and snap-button shirt — the uniform for his role as a farmer who also operates a few other businesses from his land in Norris.
The visual served as a representation of the role Lamb says he wants to fill in the western U.S. House race of an outsider option for those dissatisfied with the two-party system.
“I just want to give people a third choice, someone that can be more like the people, represent the people. I don’t like (political) parties, either. And I really don’t like politics in a lot of ways,” Lamb said that night. “ … I just want common people representing me, and … if I get elected I want to be that common person.”
But others paint him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a spoiler and a pawn in the contest between Republican Ryan Zinke and Democrat Monica Tranel. They're vying for the most votes in a new congressional district that, while still favoring the GOP, gives Democrats a better chance than they’ve had in decades of electing someone to the House.
Tranel and Zinke have both given Lamb far more attention than a third-party candidate normally sees in a congressional race, something the Montana Libertarian Party’s chairperson says is an indicator the party is gaining footing in an increasingly polarized political environment.
Lamb isn’t shying away from the part, embracing the sections of his biography and background as an activist who’s shown support for those like the Bundy family and going on offense at times against Zinke.
“Ryan Zinke was quoted just recently in the Bozeman Chronicle saying he has a Libertarian streak. Ryan Zinke isn't a Libertarian at all. He's not even a Republican. He's a RINO if anything. I am the best candidate for this,” Lamb said. “… I am the conservative, radical, extremist candidate in this race. I am the best candidate to represent Montana.”
Becoming involved
Lamb lives in Norris on a farm with his wife and 12 children, where they farm and sell items at local farmers markets.
He grew up in Indiana, also on a farm, and was raised in what he calls a “kind of Amish-Anabaptists'' setting. Lamb was born at home and said he doesn’t have a birth certificate or Social Security number. His wife was living in a Mennonite community when they got married, and after some time in an Amish community in Missouri, the family moved to Montana permanently in 2007 after Lamb had traveled to the state for work in previous years.
“I came out here and loved it and stayed,” Lamb said.
Lamb’s oldest daughter has been his campaign manager and he said he’s not actively soliciting money for his race. His interest in politics, he said, is rooted in being involved in the communities he grew up in.
“Helping our neighbor was always our goal,” Lamb said.
His first foray into a more activist role was a case in Kentucky, where members of an Amish order were prosecuted for not having a bright safety triangle displayed on the back of their buggies because it went against their religious beliefs.
John Lamb speaks at the candidate forum in Missoula.
“To us, it was a religious persecution,” Lamb said.
That involvement over time turned political. In the 2020 election, Lamb ran for a state Senate seat against incumbent Republican Jeff Welborn and got a bit more than a quarter of the vote. In an August interview, Lamb said he has intentions of running for that seat again.
He acknowledged winning the congressional race was a longshot and his candidacy this year is, in part, a way to keep his name fresh in voters’ minds. Lamb did say, however, he would seize the opportunity if elected to Congress.
“I didn’t see any other opportunity to get my name out there, any other jobs or opportunities I could run for this time. I could just wait two more years and run for this job that I really want. So I thought, ‘Well, I’m giving this a try.’ It’s also going to keep my name out there. People will hopefully remember it,” Lamb said. “Because I don’t think I’ll win this race. It’d be great if I did. I’d love to be in the Congress and try to see what I can do to change things.”
Lamb describes himself as a “Ron Paul Libertarian” and at one campaign event described Randy Weaver, a participant in the Ruby Ridge standoff, as his Montana hero.
As a Libertarian, Lamb believes in limited government and has called for criminal justice reform.
“If I got elected to Congress, prison reform is my No. 1 issue,” Lamb said. “I see the suffering, I see the problems in there, and we need to be putting other resources to work instead of putting people in prisons."
At forums, he often talks about the imprisoned people he’s met who he’s advocated for, and calls for treatment over incarceration. Sometimes he speaks about high-profile cases like Leonard Peltier, a Native American who was convicted in the deaths of two FBI agents following the Pine Ridge shooting in the 1970s. Peltier has long maintained his innocence and now in his late 70s is asking the Biden administration for clemency.
“Our prisons are full of Native Americans and Blacks and Hispanics, way more than whites,” Lamb said.
In an event with Tranel in Dupuyer in early October, Lamb spoke about another man he’d met who was in prison and struggled with drug addiction without sufficient treatment.
“I advocate for so many prisoners all the way across the country, some that deserve to be there (and) some that don't deserve to be there. He went in for a nonviolent crime. It was drug addiction. He really didn't deserve (or) need to be in prison. He needed mental health (care), he needed so many other things,” Lamb said.
Libertarian role in the race
The forum in Dupuyer was one of more than 15 set up by Tranel’s campaign across the district. The events are not the same as forums held by independent, nonpartisan groups like news organizations. Those are organized by the outlets, who handle invitations, write the questions, set rules for the exchanges and have no partisan affiliations.
Tranel’s campaign issued the call for forums early in the summer, found partnerships with community leaders and organizations to serve as moderators in some cases and the events have drawn some news coverage. They serve as a venue to discuss issues and hear questions from voters, but also as way for Tranel to take digs at Zinke for not coming. Lamb agreed to attend them all.
Libertarian candidate in the race for Montana’s western congressional district John Lamb, a farmer and construction worker from Norris, answers a question in September during a forum on the campus of Montana Technological University.
Lamb being there gives those attacks more weight, as Tranel can say one of her opponents decided to attend while one did not.
Sid Daoud, the chair of the Montana Libertarian Party, said that setup shows the growing power of Libertarians in Montana.
“The two big parties basically used to ignore us and that was a good tactic for them, and they can’t afford to now because we are pulling too much of the vote,” Daoud said. “They’ve been engaging with us the last couple cycles, which has been kind of interesting.
“Monica is a great example of some of that engagement,” Daoud continued. “We actually become a tool to make things happen. She wanted to have a debate against Zinke in every county in the western district and basically got no response. She talked to John and he was totally willing to do that, and it gives her some leverage now to say ‘Hey look, the Libertarian candidate is joining me in these debates, why can’t you?’”
Zinke in an interview called the forums a "political ploy."
"I’m traveling around Montana too, and what I’m hearing is a lot different than what Monica Tranel is. I’m not sure where she’s going, but I’m hearing a lot of things different. They don’t like the tone, they don’t like woke, they don’t like what they see as abandonment of principles, so it’s a political ploy," Zinke said.
Tranel said the forums provide a vital way for voters to hear from candidates.
“Voters notice when candidates show up, and they notice even more when a candidate doesn’t show up. I’ve put over 43,000 miles on my minivan this cycle meeting with voters across the district to hear and learn from Montanans on the issues that matter to them,” Tranel said in a press release Friday. “Montanans want a leader who will put them first. I’ll take on anyone in any party if they threaten to hurt Montanans, it’s the work I’ve done my entire career. We gave Ryan Zinke a chance and he embarrassed us, we won’t let him do that again.”
Back in August, Lamb was critical of Zinke’s campaigning too.
“He pretty much thinks he knows he's going to win the race, so I don't think he has to fight as hard. He just has to put his big advertisements out there and spend all the money he's got, so he has a lot easier role,” Lamb said. “Plus he has one of the largest parties in Montana backing him, so I don't think he has to work at it as hard on the ground as much as with money. We have to work harder on the ground. And (Tranel) has probably the second hardest fight there.”
The district is ranked as leans Republican, changed from likely for a GOP victory, by political rankings websites recently.
Unlike the Green Party, the Libertarians have had ballot access in Montana for two decades because they’ve secured enough votes in previous elections. They’ve been called spoilers before, most prominently in 2012 when Democrat Jon Tester won re-election to the U.S. Senate by a narrow margin over former Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. Some attributed Tester’s victory by a little more than 18,000 votes to the 31,892 votes captured by Dan Cox, the Libertarian candidate in that race.
Cox was boosted by a half-million dollar television ad campaign that called him the “real conservative in the race.” It was paid for by a group linked to another group that backed Tester.
This cycle, some of the amplification for Lamb is more apparent. Recent emails from the Montana Democratic Party reference Lamb as a candidate who has “outperformed his party.”
“The strength of the Libertarian candidate — John Lamb— is remarkable,” one email reads.
Lamb told a Montana State News Bureau reporter over the summer that Zinke had asked him to drop out, and Zinke spent time at a forum in Butte directly attacking Lamb over his stance on the southern border.
Lamb has said his participation in the forums has aided him in gaining name recognition.
“It does help out me, because I don’t get publicity as a Libertarian … Even if I don’t win this election, my goal is to keep fighting for Montanans,” Lamb said at a forum in Ravalli County. “She’s not gonna lose any votes, and I’m probably gonna take them away from Zinke.”
Bundy family
One of the activities Lamb has gotten attention for in recent years was the Bundy occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon. Lamb was quoted in several news stories about the occupation and subsequent court case, and a photo taken by Oregon Public Broadcasting shows him grilling hot dogs in downtown Portland while awaiting a verdict in the trial.
It was a case he first had “no intention of ever going to,” Lamb said, until Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was shot and killed by law enforcement on the way to a meeting in John Day.
“All I did, and I didn't know what I was doing, I guess, I knew the gentleman who got shot in Oregon, so I went there. I thought it was horrific that the police shot this man,” Lamb said.
The shooting, which was deemed justified by the Malheur County district attorney, drew wide criticism and led to a trial where an FBI agent was found not guilty of charges that he lied about what happened during the incident.
“I believe they should have arrested (Finicum) instead of killing him,” Lamb said. “That even took me, I guess, to a different level because I met so many different people, like-minded in some ways, not with the guns because I'm not a gun guy, but I'm just for the civil rights.”
Lamb was also a leader in protests in late 2020 at the home of the former public health officer in Gallatin County. Reporting from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle said that Lamb and fellow Libertarian Roger Roots organized the protest that lasted more than two weeks against public health measures put in place because of the pandemic.
One of the places Lamb has diverted from a previous version of the Libertarian Party's platform is on abortion. He was a part of changing both the state and national party's planks on the issue recently.
“The abortion thing has been a tough deal for me,” Lamb said. “That's my personal faith, and I don't believe my personal faith should be pushed on anybody else. (But) politics is forced on us, so it’s kind of there.”
At its most recent convention, the Libertarian state party removed any reference to the issue from their platform. Lamb was one of the delegates from Montana that went to the national convention and voted abortion off the plank at that level.
Lamb squared the Libertarian ideals of a hands-off government with his opposition to abortion — which would put government squarely in the picture — by saying he felt it was a situation that warranted involvement.
“I believe the government should be out of our lives unless we harm somebody,” Lamb said.
At a forum in Missoula, Lamb said when his son, now age 3, was born, doctors determined his wife’s life could be at risk.
“The doctors saved both lives,” Lamb said. “ … We have great medical doctors today that can save lives, both lives. … I don't believe abortions in this day and time is necessary. We can save both lives.”
The plank before, according to party chair Daoud, essentially said government should not be involved, which he said was “technically a pro-choice stance.”
“That’s something else that sets us apart from the two big parties,” Daoud said, attributing the Libertarian view on abortion as one of the reasons the party is gaining traction in Montana.
“The two big parties, not only are they polarized but they are now really being controlled by the far left and the far right and what that means for a lot of people is that they’ve been kind of left in the middle,” Daoud said.
Libertarian support growing
Statistically, Daoud said, the Libertarian Party is the fastest-growing in Montana.
“How the trend is going, it’s not going to be too long before we start having a Libertarian in the state House,” Daoud said. “We already have some in local government and county government. It’s a changing landscape here.”
He disputes the idea Libertarians serve little more of a role than making Republicans lose in tight races.
“We’ve heard concerns from Republicans that ‘Hey, you’re just going to make the Republican lose if you get into this race,’ but what they’re forgetting is we’re a political party, we’re not in this game to be spoilers, we’re in this game to win and we have to trudge on and if it makes one candidate lose or another candidate win because we happen to be in the race while we’re struggling to improve the percentage of the vote we get, they just have to live on.
“The ultimate goal is to destroy all political parties so people can just run as individuals."
The Montana State News Bureau's Sam Wilson and Tom Kuglin contributed to this story.
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2022-10-23T13:39:39Z
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helenair.com
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Libertarian plays a role in western U.S. House race
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/libertarian-plays-a-role-in-western-u-s-house-race/article_16d34c3c-2c16-547b-803b-8890213f3104.html
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As a candidate for Lewis & Clark County Commissioner, I have met with many individuals and groups about issues of concern. The issue of zoning continues to dominate the conversations with certain groups, as well as with my opponent. One of the most concerning comments that continue to be brought up is that “the County did not listen to us.” That seemed to warrant further investigation. After all, those county employees all work for the taxpayers.
So, I spent several hours at the County Planning Department, with Lindsay Morgan the person specifically in charge of putting the Helena Valley Zoning Regulations together. I came away from that meeting having been reminded that there are two sides to every story. For example, one ongoing comment made at the local meetings is that the 10-acre minimum lot size would require that a fire hall would take up an entire 10-acre lot when that amount of land is obviously not necessary. The County addressed that concern by an amendment that provides that a minimum lot area shall not be required for public facilities and public services, thereby addressing the oversize lot requirement for a firehall.
Another statement made at these meetings and echoed by my opponent is that if the 10-acre minimum lot size is enforced, there will be no new subdivisions. While we are all entitled to our own opinions, we are not entitled to make up the facts on which we base those opinions. The latest amendments to the zoning regulations provide for two exceptions to the minimum 10-acre parcel size. The “Cluster Design” allows lots to be created for less than 10-acre size where they are grouped together, with a proportionate share left as open space. The “Planned Development” provides that lots of less than 10 acres can be created where the Developer proves that there will be enough water to sustain the proposed subdivision, and that there are adequate provisions for the subdivision’s fire protection. The “gloom and doom” predictions of my opponent and his real estate developer cohorts are just a broad-brush misrepresentation of what has actually been adopted. There are 14 counties in Montana that have adopted zoning. To my knowledge there has not been an end to land development in those counties. I fully support responsible development that encourages sustainable affordable housing.
The County Zoning department has put on several “open house” events to explain to the public the changes they have made. Last spring there were three of these held at various locations around the Valley to explain to the public the March 30 amendments proposed to the County Commissioners. The County is now putting on open house events to address questions by the public regarding the July 12 amendments to the zoning rules. I am hoping that the folks who are most interested in this issue will attend the open house scheduled on Oct. 27 at the East Valley Fire Department.
One other source of information is the “Frequently Asked Questions” drop-down page on the county’s zoning website. It is written in plain language and provides a lot of relevant information. You can find it at: https://www.lccountymt.gov/cdp/zoning.
The County Planning Department and the Commissioners have very definitely listened to the concerns of the landowners and developers in the Valley. The Commissioners accommodated the requests fairly and responsibly, recognizing that land use will affect all of us for years to come. You don’t have to take my word for it — or my opponent’s — check it out yourself. Make an informed decision about zoning in Lewis & Clark County.
Candace Payne is a candidate for Lewis and Clark County Commissioner.
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2022-10-23T13:39:46Z
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helenair.com
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Candace Payne: Voters deserve straight talk about zoning
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/candace-payne-voters-deserve-straight-talk-about-zoning/article_7d72c972-3bbf-5641-84da-99e6eb7ad000.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/candace-payne-voters-deserve-straight-talk-about-zoning/article_7d72c972-3bbf-5641-84da-99e6eb7ad000.html
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Cascade County district court judge David Grubich listens to arguments during a recent hearing in his courtroom in the Cascade County Courthouse in Great Falls.
First, it is the only contested district court race in the state. Ten other district court judges will be elected this year without a challenger.
Second, it’s perhaps the most tangible distillation of the state Legislature’s open attacks on the judicial branch last year. While GOP lawmakers antagonized the co-equal branch of government, they also succeeded in passing a new law on how judges reach the bench.
David Grubich, the incumbent judge in the race, came to the bench through that new process. His challenger, Michele Levine, was the appointee left by the previous Democratic governor who Republicans rejected amid that newly heightened scrutiny.
And while politics have been implied in Supreme Court elections for some time now in Montana, this is one of the few, if not the only, district court race to be similarly shaped by outside partisanship.
Grubich, 52, was Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s first judicial selection to pass through the new process for such appointments after the 2021 Legislature did away with the Judicial Nomination Commission.
Democrats and the legal community sharply criticized Republicans, including the Governor’s Office, for eliminating the commission they saw as a framework guarded by judges and attorneys to prevent political appointments to the nonpartisan branch of government.
Republicans saw a commission whose members were appointed by Democratic governors over the last 16 years and judges who have continuously found conservative legislative ambitious to be unconstitutional.
Levine, 42, was one of Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s final judicial appointments in his last year in office, and appears to have been the only judicial appointment in the 50 years the Judicial Nomination Commission existed to be rejected by the state Senate during a confirmation process that has long been something of a formality.
For six months, Levine sat on the bench Grubich came to occupy before state lawmakers rejected her confirmation, primarily wary of her three terms as a Democratic lawmaker. After being removed from the bench, Levine stayed in public service, rather than returning to private practice, and is now a prosecutor at the Cascade County Attorney’s Office.
Michele Levine, candidate for Cascade County district court judge, poses for a photo recently in downtown Great Falls.
Grubich and Levine's pre-judicial legal careers are similar, primarily involving civil work on insurance cases and pro bono family law cases. Grubich came to the courts later in life, having served in the military and a 10-year stint in law enforcement before going to law school and settling into private practice in Great Falls. Levine has worked with nonprofits and was in private practice for 12 years before she was appointed to the district court bench.
Both Grubich and Levine have spent the last three years vying for this position. Both were forwarded by the Judicial Nomination Commission for consideration by the Bullock administration in 2020, ending in Levine's appointment. After the Senate rejected that appointment six months later, they both applied to the panel of local stakeholders assembled by Gianforte and again both were forwarded to the Governor's Office in 2021, which placed Grubich on the bench.
Next month the voters will decide how the saga ends.
Grubich
In an interview in his chambers earlier this month, Grubich appeared uncomfortable with the implied politics hanging over the race.
"I'm not politically connected, my support came from Cascade County," he said of his appointment last year. In his campaign, Grubich tries to leave potential voters with a sense that he's an apolitical guy; people ask what his politics are, but he refuses the question.
Still, Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, a Republican, attended a fundraiser for Grubich earlier this year. It's not the first time the Governor's Office has waded into the judicial campaigns. Supreme Court candidate James Brown in May got the benefit of a fundraiser at Gianforte's home, along with his endorsement.
Judges and judicial candidates are bound by a code of conduct that forbids them from seeking or accepting partisan endorsements, and Grubich contends Juras' praise at the fundraiser did not violate those terms.
"What she did there was simply explain why I was hired, what my qualities were," he said. "I think the people in this state or in this community would want to know why I was hired, because sometimes that isn't explained."
Gregory Todd, who retired last year after 21 years on the district court bench in Yellowstone County, said in an interview this week that the lieutenant governor's appearance on the judicial campaign trail is an "outlier" for district court races, but parallels conservatives' attempts to change laws and get a Republican on the Supreme Court in order to see their legislation pass muster with the courts. Brown is currently the GOP president of the Public Service Commission.
Republicans won the 2020 elections with a gulf of statewide support, and Todd, who last year was president of the Montana Judges Association, said it's a "dangerous trend" for partisan officials to lend their support to nonpartisan candidates on the campaign trail.
"The judiciary is a co-equal third branch, specifically designed to rule on cases. It's not a political animal," Todd said. "There's a difference between disagreeing (with a ruling) and turning the courts into a partisan political animal and destabilizing and politicizing the judiciary. That's a dangerous road to go down."
A spokesperson for the Governor's Office said Friday that Grubich is a former law student of Juras', but did not respond to a question about whether she had any concerns about introducing a partisan backdrop to a nonpartisan district court race.
Grubich, who has long worked as a public servant, said he understands the weight of his authority, and what's at stake if it were to be used as a partisan tool. He has a docket of roughly 750 cases; few, if any, of them are political in nature.
“When you wear a uniform in law enforcement, when you wear a uniform in the military, it’s kind of like wearing a robe,” Grubich said. “You’re representing more than just you, you’re representing a profession, you’re representing the law.”
Grubich said he believes a lot of the fury over Republicans' decision to end the Judicial Nomination Commission was merely amplified by timing — the Jan. 6 riots had just happened, and the political world was saturated with suspicion.
"That’s why I think there was so much emotion that came with that removal of the nomination commission, because this was a time of division and a time when any move like that by the Legislature would have been looked upon with some distrust," Grubich said.
He added that he couldn't comment on if the distrust was justified, because that got into the political realm.
"This is the way I approach my campaign," he said. "I want the vote of the farthest left liberal Democrat in this county and I want the vote of the farthest right Republican. Because both of those people deserve a good judge. I don't limit myself, I don't stay away from courting the vote of a person because of who they are and what their politics are. … I want all of them to have confidence that I’m doing my job the way it should be done.”
Levine, meanwhile, said she sees her rejection by the Senate as one of the blows Republicans landed on the judicial branch in 2021.
"I was just one piece of that puzzle of that struggle between the branches," she said.
In her confirmation hearing last year, Republicans raised concerns with Levine's ability to be impartial considering her past associations with groups such as Carol's List, which helps progressive women get elected to office, and the Northern Plains Resource Council, which has opposed projects like the Keystone XL pipeline. They prodded her on the Second Amendment and her past votes as a Democratic lawmaker, particularly one against a bill that would have excluded undocumented migrants from receiving workers' compensation.
District Court Judge Michele Levine testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in March 2021 at the state Capitol.
Levine said she's still had to explain to people on the campaign trail why she was removed from the bench, as well as the broader conflict Republicans are waging against the nonpartisan branch. That may be a hard pitch for a candidate who was rejected by Republicans and is running for the bench in a county where 58% of voters went for Donald Trump in 2020.
To potential voters who are wary of politicians sneaking into the nonpartisan branch, Levine said her work in all three branches of government, as a lawmaker, a prosecutor and a judge, better equips her to draw the line between the roles of each segment.
"I have support from people of all walks of life, and all political backgrounds," Levine said. "I’ve told people, 'I hear you and I hear that you want judges that stay out of (politics) and that’s what I'm working to do.' … As a judge I again set aside my own beliefs and perspectives."
And while Grubich has decided against lobbing attacks in the race, Levine said she has to push back against the political apparatus at play against her. Her confirmation had the support of district court judges, the Cascade County Attorney and local attorneys. Levine said lawmakers refused to acknowledge that support and rejected her confirmation based on politics — in turn, the new district court judge has raised money with the help of a prominent Republican.
She also points out that Bullock's other two appointments that were confirmed were both men. Even with a little trading on both sides of the aisle to get the other appointments through, Levine said the questions did not appear uniform across the process.
"I got asked questions like, 'What time do you get to work in the morning?' which I think relates to having kids," Levine said. "It was going to be a difficult road for all three of us. That was the word on the street. In the end, the boys got confirmed and the girl did not."
While both candidates try to shrug off the politics hanging overhead, Cascade County has its own local issues that give this race importance. The pandemic created a backlog of cases in a judicial district that needs two more judges in order to process on an adequate timeline, according to Montana Supreme Court statistics. Both candidates say abuse and neglect cases are rampant in Cascade County, and that the area is short on mental health and addiction services.
Claire Lettow, the regional director for the public defenders office, said her office will not endorse a candidate, but said the general election's winner ought to prioritize rehabilitation.
"At the end of the day most are not spending their lives in prison," Lettow said. "I want to see a judge elected who is going to serve the rehabilitative goals.”
Levine fell 1,300 votes short of Grubich's tally in the June primary, taking home 46% of the vote to Grubich's 56%. Both candidates said they're knocking doors, attending local events and touching base at civic group meetings in the final weeks before the score is settled on Nov. 8.
Cascade County Judicial Race
David Grubich
Michele Levine
Kristen Juras
Montana Judges
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2022-10-23T15:53:52Z
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helenair.com
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MT's only contested district court race shaped by statewide politics
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/mts-only-contested-district-court-race-shaped-by-statewide-politics/article_286bc26d-353c-5e4b-85ee-a8deb28b1b45.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/mts-only-contested-district-court-race-shaped-by-statewide-politics/article_286bc26d-353c-5e4b-85ee-a8deb28b1b45.html
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There are currently 402 homes in Mountain View Meadows, and another 400 are expected within the next five to six years. The developer plans to have 1,200 homes eventually.
It takes Mark Runkle and his wife Rebecca Ryland nearly an hour to show a visitor all the things going on at Mountain View Meadows, a sprawling housing master-planned community overlooking the Helena Valley.
At the end of the drive, you get the feeling they really didn’t scratch the surface.
Runkle recently put out a newsletter to Mountain View Meadows residents stating they now have 402 housing units on the property on the east side of Helena, adding that if the current pace of housing keeps up, they will add another 400 within the next five to six years and eventually top off with about 1,200 homes.
“It’s an exciting time at Mountain View Meadows,” Runkle, the owner/developer, says in the newsletter, adding it is the only master-planned community in Helena.
“The master plan concept is what makes us different,” he said.
Bankrate.com defines master-planned communities as “large-scale, mixed-use residential developments with robust, curated amenities that aim to give residents the experience of living in a self-contained town.” It’s a community that has covenants, a homeowners association and design standards.
Runkle and Ryland, who is director of design of Mountain View Meadows, pointed out miles of trails, sidewalks, bike paths, streetlamps, parks, pocket parks, landscaped alleys and a mix of housing types and styles. Construction crews seem to be on many of the streets building homes with a steady stream of cement trucks creeping up and down the hill.
Mark Runkle and his wife Rebecca Ryland pose for a photo in the Mountain View Meadows neighborhood recently.
There are single-family homes, duplexes and condominiums on streets with names such as Alice Street, Jeannette Rankin Drive and Elouise Cobell Street.
Runkle and Ryland point to Mountain View Park with pride, saying it helped spark more growth for the development.
They note it has basketball and tennis courts, a dog park and playground, a volleyball area, a pavilion, a regulation horseshoe pit, an open field for soccer, a Frisbee golf area and an electric vehicle charging station.
Runkle jokes that after 16 years, Mountain View Meadows has become an overnight success.
He grew up on a farm in southwest Ohio and got a degree in veterinary medicine from Ohio State University. He said he believed that if he studied medicine, he would understand the meaning of life and felt that would continue to serve him throughout his life.
A resident walks his dog through a public park in the center of the Mountain View Meadows neighborhood.
Runkle, who is wearing a leather cowboy hat over a long mane of white hair and jacket the day of the tour, said he ran a horse-riding business that at one time had 130 horses to pay his way through vet school.
The entrepreneur said he then had a microcomputer business, “Midwest Micro,” that did national distribution and mail order that had 700 employees. He sold that in 2000. He said most of his business education was on-the-job training.
“The computer business was especially rich in interaction with international business managers and entrepreneurs,” Runkle stated. “It was infinitely challenging and competitive. I think it pretty well prepared me for anything – even being a developer.”
“Essentially, we just learn the details and test our ideas as we go,” he said.
According to the biography on the Mountain View Meadows website, in 2001, Runkle and his first wife, Joyce, built their new log home, the Elkhorn View Lodge, outside of Montana City. When Joyce died shortly after their home was completed, he turned his attention to a new venture: developing. Runkle developed “Moonlight Ridge” community located just off Jackson Creek Road in Jefferson County.
Mountain View Meadows started in 2003, he said, adding he was more involved with financing than management. He said 1,000 acres was acquired and main arterial roads were added, as were water, sewer and other infrastructure.
“As the infrastructure costs grew and the housing boom went bust, I realized I would have to learn one more business and shepherd through one more project,” he stated.
He said the key attitude for success is perseverance – that, and building a good team.
Homes under construction in the Mountain View Meadows neighborhood east of Helena.
Runkle said in 2010, the Foley Group of Billings was brought in as a land planner to polish the master plan. He also credited the engineers from Stahly Engineering. Runkle said he and Ryland work closely with their builder partners, Sierra Custom Homes and Weatherall Builders, and have a third builder coming on board.
“I’m on the team setting priorities and coordinating activities and Rebecca manages the look and feel of the neighborhoods,” he said.
Runkle said he and Rebecca’s background and training prior to Mountain View was basically zero.
But he said Rebecca’s background and training in theater and art turned out to be excellent training for a director of design.
“Rebecca is a genius and can basically do anything,” he said.
She started the Last Chance New Play Fest, an annual production of new theatre work by Montana artists, that is held at the Helena Avenue Theatre. Her biography on the Mountain View Meadows website says she has been instrumental in developing house plans, streetscapes, color schemes, park layouts, neighborhood conceptual plans, and landscaping designs and heads the Architectural & Design Review Committee.
Mountain View Meadows is made up of several neighborhoods with unique architectural styles: Aspen Park has lots of one-third acre or more and homes that range from $600,000-$800,000; and Craftsman Village and Craftsman Village North feature craftsman-style homes and front porches and lot sizes that range from 5,000-10,000 square feet and homes priced from $325,000 to $525,000. There is also The Uplands, which will have lot sizes ranging from 6,000 to 10,000 square feet and homes ranging from $400,000-$600,000. The lots can accommodate a third-bay garage or concrete parking pad for a recreational vehicle or boat.
There are also condominium neighborhoods with condos ranging from 1,250 to more than 2,000 square feet. They will sell in the low $300,000s.
And then there is The Peaks, a neighborhood scheduled to open in 2023. It will offer a variety of lot sizes with some of the best views in the development, the developers say. Some of the homes will be all-electric homes with solar panels. They will still be on the grid, but will have solar panels, Ryland said.
"It's the wave of the future," she said. "We are trying to set an example."
She said they put electric vehicle charging stations in the development, just to set a standard.
Homes under construction in the Mountain View Meadows neighborhood on the east side of Helena.
The Helena City Commission recently approved annexing 9.123 acres into the city for Aspen Park Phase 2, which is on the northwest corner of Alpine View Drive and Runkle Parkway. The property owner must install all infrastructure improvements required by the city. Plans are to put in 16 duplexes, which will take up about 5 acres of the property, with the remainder to be part of a right-of-way and greenspace.
While the homes are in the city of Helena, the children who live there attend East Helena schools, and the project has easy access to Highway 12, Highway 282 and Interstate 15.
“He really has given it thought to making it a real community,” said Michael O’Neil, executive of the Helena Housing Authority, a nonprofit agency established in 1938 to provide affordable housing and related services to eligible, low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled.
“He’s an excellent example of a developer-community builder,” O’Neil said, adding the Runkle-Ryland projects meet all the standards without cutting corners and finishing infrastructure before the housing goes in.
Helena’s Interim City Manager Tim Burton said he worked with Runkle on the Mountain View Meadows project when Burton served as Helena city manager from 2000-2009.
“It’s very apparent when you go out there they have done an extremely good job,” Burton said.
He said the planned community development that meets city standards is the most sustainable pattern in Montana.
“We can certainly handle the growth Mr. Runkle is projecting,” he said.
O’Neil said Mountain View Meadows has been cognizant of including everyone as much as possible in the communities, such as partnerships with Habitat for Humanity.
He said the property, prior to development, was identified as a likely spot for housing, adding it was centrally located.
“It’s nice when things fit the plan,” O’Neil said.
He said Runkle is engaged on issues of affordability, attends housing task force meetings monthly and has a particular insight on USDA rural financing.
“It’s helpful to have new housing stock coming on because we really need it. Variety benefits everyone,” O’Neil said.
Plans for the property include a deluxe apartment complex on 11.5 acres at the bottom of the hill, and 20 acres for a senior living community being planned by St. Peter’s Health and Immanuel Living behind the current Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana building. There is already a business-use development at the bottom of the hill near an area being prepped for retail.
St. Peter’s Health said it was grateful for its partnership with Runkle and Ryland and believe Mountain View Meadows is the ideal location for its new facility.
They said they are continuing to work on developing a Life Plan Community on the southeast side of town and hosted public meetings to get prospective residents involved in the planning process for an integrated housing community that can keep them in their hometown, or perhaps even welcome them back to Helena.
They said the interest exceeded their current development plans.
They said, however, they, like others, are facing inflation and supply chain challenges.
“At this point, we do not have a concrete date to break ground but look forward to sharing that date and more about the project soon,” they said.
Runkle and Ryland say they get a sense of accomplishment from what they do.
"There is the satisfaction of building a community and seeing the dream become a reality," Runkle said.
Ryland said "I think both of us get incredibly excited when see people pushing baby buggies down the sidewalk" and see people on the trails.
"It makes us feel like we are contributing something to community that is not seen elsewhere."
Mountain View Meadows
Mark Runkle
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Montana
Nearly 200 gather for first-ever Invest in Helena event
The inaugural event for a newly formed group that encourages people and businesses to "invest in Helena" brought in nearly 200 folks who met T…
'Two Yellow Lines': Montana-based film features family's healing
A film will be released Tuesday about a strained relationship between a father and daughter that uses Helena, the open road and much of Montan…
Survey gauges interest, needs in senior living community
Nearly 10,000 surveys gauging people's interest and housing needs have been sent out regarding a proposed nearly 200-unit senior living retire…
Chamber of Commerce: Business, housing on the rise in Helena
Saigon Alley, a popular local food truck, has now found a great new location as a full restaurant. They are now at 139 Reeder’s Alley – the fo…
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2022-10-24T12:23:56Z
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helenair.com
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Community builders: Mountain View Meadows team expects more growth
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https://helenair.com/news/local/community-builders-mountain-view-meadows-team-expects-more-growth/article_996309d6-5be0-5ab6-acbc-28fa76b3a5e4.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/community-builders-mountain-view-meadows-team-expects-more-growth/article_996309d6-5be0-5ab6-acbc-28fa76b3a5e4.html
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We are writing in support of Dan Guzynski for Lewis and Clark County attorney. For the past 22 years Dan has dedicated his life to serving the people of Montana. Dan has been a true public servant in every sense of the word — often leaving his family here in Helena for long periods of time to prosecute egregious, violent crimes across the state. Dan does the tough work, ensuring that justice is served for victims, many of whom need the most protection — children and elderly. Not many people could do the job that Dan does on a day-to-day basis, and his empathy, integrity and positive outlook are a testament to the quality of his character. Dan also finds time to serve as a leader of his staff. He mentors, trains and supports his teammates. He also believes in collaboration while working hard, getting the job done. Simply put, Dan’s hard work has prepared him to earn our support.
DeeAnn and Mike Cooney,
Deeann And Mike Cooney
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2022-10-24T16:25:58Z
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helenair.com
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Dan Guzynski is dedicated to serving the people of Montana
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/dan-guzynski-is-dedicated-to-serving-the-people-of-montana/article_344d20e6-eb86-50a4-95c5-ea473aa21d02.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/dan-guzynski-is-dedicated-to-serving-the-people-of-montana/article_344d20e6-eb86-50a4-95c5-ea473aa21d02.html
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A group of German professionals who came to Montana as part of a federal exchange program tour the Independent Record printing press last week.
“They’re online, so they communicate with each other,” Isabelle Mittermeier, public relations editor at the Arolsen Archives – International Center on Nazi Persecution in Had Arolsen, Germany said during a visit to the Independent Record in Helena last week.
Robert Nößler, managing editor of the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper in Leipzig and western Saxony, Germany, added that some of the conspiracy theories circulating in Germany originated in the United States.
“American radical groups inspire German conspiracists in their ideas,” he said.
Marina Hilzinger, deputy head of the prevention department in the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labor and Social Affairs, also came with the group but was not allowed to be interviewed for this story.
The trio is on a three-week tour sponsored by the the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
They started in Washington, D.C. and continued to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before arriving in Helena, where they shared observations and ideas with representatives of the Independent Record, Montana Human Rights Network and Lewis and Clark Public Health. They later visited the community of Whitefish, which has made headlines for pushing back against an anti-Semitic hate campaign.
“All three of us are trying to find out more about fighting disinformation and misinformation on this trip,” Nößler said.
In his country, Nößler said, radical movements are being driven by everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Russia-Ukraine War, high energy prices and inflation in general.
“We learned that there are many parallels between these radicalization developments taking place here, all over the U.S. and in Germany and where I’m from in Saxony,” he said.
While some extremists in Germany hold anti-America, pro-Russia or antigovernment views, he said, “if you talk to the people everybody says something different.”
As a journalist, Nößler said, he aims to fact-check news coverage, debunk misinformation and present solutions to the problems people are facing.
Mittermeier and her colleagues at the Arolsen Archives maintain documentation, information and research on Nazi persecution, forced labor and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany and its occupied regions. She said the organization shows what disinformation, extremism and racism can lead to.
“We can’t compare what’s happening now with what happened at the time, but no country is protected that it’s not happening again,” she said. “ … There are conspiracy theories that the Holocaust never happened, but we have the proof. You can walk through it. You can have the paper in your hands from the concentration camps if you don’t believe it. That’s why we have to educate people.”
The Arolsen Archives is working on a new initiative called #EveryNameCounts that aims build a digital memorial to the victims of Nazi persecution so future generations will remember who they are. Mittermeier said the organization hopes to reach schools across Europe and eventually in the United States through its online efforts.
“We have to go into the schools,” she said. “We have to have digital campaigns to make them aware of what it can lead to and what they can also do in their everyday lives to fight against, for example, racism in the schoolyard.”
Visitor Leadership Program
Extemism
Robert Nossler
Isabelle Mittermeier
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2022-10-24T21:52:40Z
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helenair.com
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German professionals fighting online extremism visit Montana
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https://helenair.com/news/local/german-professionals-fighting-online-extremism-visit-montana/article_a3e95fcd-e28b-5461-8031-05eef9af038e.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/german-professionals-fighting-online-extremism-visit-montana/article_a3e95fcd-e28b-5461-8031-05eef9af038e.html
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A measure on this year's general election ballot would add electronic data and communications to Montana's constitutionally established search and seizure requirements in what backers say is an acknowledgement of the modern, digitally-tethered era.
Article II, Section 11 of the Montana Constitution currently states that to inspect "persons, papers, homes and effects," the government must obtain a search warrant that describes probable cause as well as the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized.
The amendment reached the ballot by way Senate Bill 203, introduced and passed by the 2021 Legislature largely with bipartisan support.
"It's pretty simple, it's updating the constitution for the times we live in," Sen. Ken Bogner, a Miles City Republican, said Monday. "It's no longer just about the papers that are referenced in our constitution, but making it really clear when Montanans look at the constitution they know that their electronic communications are protected.
Sen. Ken Bogner, R-Miles City
"The majority of everything we do is electronic," he added.
Bogner's bill got the support of libertarian-minded groups, such as Americans for Prosperity and the Montana-grown Frontier Institute, as well as Montana Public Interest Research Group, a student organization.
The proposal found some "soft opposition" during the session from the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police. Mark Murphy, the group's representative, testified that the constitution's language already protects electronic communications, theoretically through a broad reading of the "persons, papers, homes and effects."
The law enforcement association's main contention was the realm of unintended consequences that could develop from such a change to the constitution, although the group cited no examples at the hearing.
Murphy noted the provision of the constitution has not been amended since it was in enacted in 1972.
"There's a good reason for that," he said. "The courts have done a very good job in limiting access to all kinds of private things after the right to privacy also passed in 1972."
Murphy said as technology has evolved, the private sector, not the government, has been the culprit in harvesting personal information.
"The real problem is not the government, and you won't hear me say that very often. It's private industry, and we aren't regulating private industry," he said. "There are entire businesses dedicated to invading your privacy. This won't change that at all."
Bogner on Monday said if the opposition against C-48 is that it "probably" wouldn't do anything, he'd like to see those protections explicit anyway.
"Probably isn't good enough for me," he said.
"I think it's really important that our information is protected from the government. Any further protections we can get is great, even if they’re over-protections."
Bogner's SB 203 emerged from the Senate without a vote cast against it, but later found some dissent once it was passed to the House, where 18 representatives voted against the proposal. Seventeen of those votes were from Democrats, including House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, of Helena.
Abbott said Monday the policy appeared sound, but several in her caucus would have preferred to see the change through policy, rather than a constitutional amendment.
"On this one I think a lot of us thought that this was more of a policy issue and not really appropriate as a constitutional amendment," Abbott said. "(The) policy seems fine to me but I don't think it belongs in the constitution."
Ken Bogner
Montana Association Of Chiefs Of Police
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2022-10-24T23:32:59Z
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helenair.com
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Ballot issue aims to modernize search, seizure requirements
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/ballot-issue-aims-to-modernize-search-seizure-requirements/article_2878ff85-62ed-5dc6-ae80-f8aefa04c2bf.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/ballot-issue-aims-to-modernize-search-seizure-requirements/article_2878ff85-62ed-5dc6-ae80-f8aefa04c2bf.html
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The Russell Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula.
CHASE DOAK, Missoulian
MISSOULA — A controversial Montana law prohibiting most businesses and other employers from mandating vaccinations went on trial Monday, with several medical experts testifying that it interferes with the ability of health care providers to keep patients safe.
The trial, overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy in Missoula, is the culmination of a year-long case by medical providers and patients seeking to bar the state from enforcing the law against physicians and hospitals in Montana. The law also allows hospitals to ask staff for their vaccination status, but it protects employees who refuse to provide that information.
Molloy earlier this year blocked part of the law, allowing all health care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursements to require vaccinations, per requirements for federal funding from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare. As written, the law had only made that exemption for long-term care facilities.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Commissioner of Labor and Industry Laurie Esau are defending the law. Deputy Solicitor General Brent Mead, from Knudsen’s office, argued in his opening statement that the vaccine law was designed to ensure that individuals’ personal privacy is protected.
“It’s not public health, it’s not vaccines — it’s whether the state can choose to protect its citizens from discrimination,” he said.
That characterization echoed the arguments Republican lawmakers used to frame the vaccine bill last year, amid concerns about the emergence of “vaccine passports” and other potential regulations that could exclude those who remained skeptical about the coronavirus vaccine.
It passed a GOP-majority Legislature despite near-unanimous Democratic opposition and was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte.
The Montana Medical Association, private medical offices, a group of immunocompromised patients and Montana Nurses Association are the plaintiffs. They allege that the law is incompatible with federal requirements that ensure protections for Americans with disabilities and from hazards that workers face on the job site.
The law denies medical providers “the most important tool to reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable disease,” Raph Graybill, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said.
Testimony on the trial’s first day focused heavily on the plaintiffs’ argument that unvaccinated medical workers are more likely to spread infectious diseases.
Dr. David King, a family doctor who practices in Bozeman and Belgrade, testified that vaccinations for staff are a broadly understood best practice in the medical industry. That includes everything from measles, mumps and rubella to hepatitis, polio and pertussis. Despite the focus on COVID during the passage of House Bill 702, it applies broadly to all types of vaccines.
On cross-examination, he acknowledged that immunity from the COVID-19 vaccines have been relatively short-lived, given how quickly the coronavirus mutates. But he also noted that the vaccines are safe and effective, and said the rise in vaccine hesitancy has been in part fueled by government actions like Montana’s vaccine discrimination law.
“Medicine is unified in supporting vaccination, and when the state decides they will contradict physicians … that disrespect is contagious,” he said.
Attorneys also questioned Mark Carpenter, a Missoula resident who required a transplant after his kidneys failed, and who has since been required to take medication that suppresses his immune system so his body won’t reject the new organ.
Carpenter testified that before the COVID vaccine became available, he limited his exposure to other people, including doctors’ offices. As someone with just one functioning kidney who is also immunocompromised, he said contracting COVID could be fatal for him.
“My life’s experience has been, as I go to a health care provider for either preventative care or because I’m having some kind of medical issue that requires that care, I go there assuming it will be a safe place,” he said.
The vaccine law includes a specific exemption for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to require vaccines, but doesn’t apply that language to other medical providers. The plaintiffs say this violates their rights to equal protection under the state and federal constitutions.
Mead, in his opening statement, noted the state is only required to prove that it had a “rational basis” for differentiating between how those two groups are treated.
“Health care is a regulated industry,” he said, adding that “the state has always drawn a distinction” between different types of facilities.
In a separate concession to health care facilities, lawmakers included an exemption allowing them to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees who refuse to get vaccinated or disclose their vaccine status.
Greg Holzman, Montana’s state medical officer from 2015 to 2021, said that provision misunderstands how staff vaccinations fit into the strategy for preventing a communicable disease outbreak. If that accommodation were that employees can simply wear masks instead, he offered, that doesn’t necessarily offset a lack of other protections for patients.
“It puts in more opportunities for human error and other aspects to happen, that might decrease their effectiveness,” Holzman said. “... They tend to put PPE (personal protective equipment) at the bottom. Still important, but it’s not as strong as getting rid of the disease completely.”
With about a half-dozen witnesses left to testify, Molloy indicated the trial could wrap up as soon as Tuesday.
Montana Legisalture
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2022-10-25T03:36:04Z
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helenair.com
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Montana's vaccine mandate ban goes on trial
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/montanas-vaccine-mandate-ban-goes-on-trial/article_b668a984-639e-50ee-9b68-5deb22f7ba68.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/montanas-vaccine-mandate-ban-goes-on-trial/article_b668a984-639e-50ee-9b68-5deb22f7ba68.html
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John Cech: Carroll College: For the adventure!
JOHN CECH
Carroll College had a very successful start to its Autumn 2022 semester by welcoming 345 new students to campus from across Montana, 44 different states and 21 foreign countries. This was our largest class since the beginning of the pandemic and represented a 10% increase in new students over the fall of 2020. With nearly 1,200 students enrolled this fall, we have close to 950 people living in our on-campus residence halls and apartments which includes some of our neighboring Helena College students. The campus is alive and bustling, and every night and weekend there is something going on – from speakers, to plays, musical events, athletic competitions, liturgical services, Campus Ministry retreats, or outdoor recreational activities such as hikes and camping trips.
Carroll is bucking the national trends that indicate many colleges and universities are experiencing diminishing enrollment between 5-10%. I believe one of the reasons Carroll has done so well despite the effects of the global pandemic on higher education is due to the fact that through all the challenges we have remained singularly focused on the well-being of our students and maintaining their academic progress as well as ensuring our campus community remains engaged and supported. Our faculty work tirelessly to ensure our students needs are met through the delivery of high quality and rigorous academic course work and lab work. In addition, our Campus Ministry team, under the leadership of our Chaplain Fr. Marc Lenneman, provided our students the opportunity to experience the positive impact that spiritual and faith encounters have in bringing peace and understanding to individuals within the Carroll community during difficult times. Our entire staff and campus community have rallied behind our students to move past the difficulties presented by the pandemic and are embracing our revitalized campus.
This autumn, there is a renewed spirit and energy here at Carroll; the excitement on campus is palpable. Some of the highlights from this fall include:
● The announcement of our new Global Student Refugee Initiative, thanks to the generous support of Ray and Susie Kuntz and many other donors. We are grateful for the presence of three Ethiopian students whose witness is changing the lives and perspectives of many of our students, and we hope to add new students from Ukraine this winter. For more information on how to be involved in this program, contact giving@carroll.edu or call the Carroll Office of Institutional Advancement at 406-447-4406.
● Celebration of our partnership with Helena College. On Thursday, Oct. 6, a large number of faculty and staff from both Carroll College and Helena College came together on the Carroll campus to celebrate our joint work together. Carroll and Helena College have created a dual admission program through which Helena College students can seamlessly transfer to Carroll to complete their bachelor’s degrees. We also have been housing out-of-town students from Helena College here at Carroll.
● Focus on the liberal arts, including undergraduate research opportunities, student internships and outstanding community engagement events such as Carroll’s Theatre Program. We are sending a group of students to the M.J. Murdock autumn research conference and our faculty and students are in full preparation for Carroll’s annual Literary Festival.
● Interest in Carroll’s allied health and nursing programs continues to grow. Our nursing program has 183 students enrolled in the program (pre-nursing to seniors). Carroll matriculated 55 new Bachelor of Nursing RN students this past spring/summer with an NCLEX Pass rate of 95% for the traditional students and 100% overall for the accelerated nursing students. The statewide NCLEX RN pass rate for June is 82%. In addition, our new Master of Social Work program enrolled 24 students in its new fall cohort, which represented a 50% growth from its first year.
● Our Fighting Saints Athletics teams have enjoyed an outstanding fall series of competitions from here at Carroll to across the states of Montana, Idaho and Oregon.
● Carroll recently learned that its student loan default rate is 1%, which is one of the lowest in the nation. Carroll was recently recognized for this at a Washington, D.C., higher education conference.
Later in this autumn season, we will have some additional new initiatives Carroll will be announcing to the public. In advance of those announcements, I would like to thank the amazing faculty and staff here at Carroll for their dedication and commitment to our students and their work in developing new educational pathways and opportunities.
Earlier this spring, we launched our new Carroll brand message: For The Adventure. This phrase is meant to combine two key ideas: 1) All of life is a glorious adventure; and 2) You have a specific and unique part to play in its pursuit.
Friends from across the Helena and greater Montana community, thank you for your support of Carroll College, our students, as well as our faculty and staff. We are proud of our mission as a Catholic diocesan college and look forward to serving students of all faiths. We are also proud of our community here in Helena and look forward to being a valuable player in helping to make Helena as well as the entire state of Montana one of the most desired places to live in the world!
Go Saints!
John E. Cech, Ph.D., is the 18th president of Carroll College.
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2022-10-25T13:59:37Z
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helenair.com
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John Cech: Carroll College: For the adventure!
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/john-cech-carroll-college-for-the-adventure/article_55e59d22-9a10-57e3-86aa-d399d7435050.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/john-cech-carroll-college-for-the-adventure/article_55e59d22-9a10-57e3-86aa-d399d7435050.html
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Kevin Downs is the leader our community needs
Kevin Downs is the clear choice to be the next Lewis and Clark County attorney. When he was hired as a deputy county attorney two years ago, he brought with him law enforcement and prosecutorial skills honed through his work at the U. S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
The prosecution of people accused of crimes is but one of the many duties of the county attorney, who must also lead others in managing both civil and criminal issues that arise within our county. It can be difficult to label or quantify these other qualities that make Kevin eminently qualified to lead the county attorney’s office. Many people endorsing Kevin’s opponent can’t ignore these intangible qualities, acknowledging them by characterizing Kevin as a “nice guy.” What they are really acknowledging is Kevin’s unparalleled empathy, understanding and ability to connect with victims, juries, colleagues – both lawyers and staff of the county attorney’s office, county commissioners and members of the public.
Given his background as a talented lawyer with a wealth of experiences as well as his ability to understand and connect, build trust and inspire confidence in others, Kevin is the type of leader our community needs. He is not just a line prosecutor but a leader the community can stand behind with pride and confidence. He shows up. Please join me in voting for Kevin Downs as our next Lewis and Clark County attorney.
Cort Harrington,
Cort Harrington
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2022-10-25T13:59:56Z
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helenair.com
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Kevin Downs is the leader our community needs
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-is-the-leader-our-community-needs/article_a032219b-15b6-55ba-9d7a-d8caa3efd075.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-is-the-leader-our-community-needs/article_a032219b-15b6-55ba-9d7a-d8caa3efd075.html
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A response to Mr. Brown's article about partisan judges — enlightening but doesn't address the obvious. We would like to think that judges are impartial, and I suspect they are until certain decisions need to be made. Those involving social issues.
One needs to be naive to think that politics does not bleed into judicial thinking. It is impossible for a judge's personal beliefs to have zero bearing on their decisions, especially the present-day emotional issues. A judge can hide behind the talk of impartiality but only look to our U.S. Supreme Court. Conservative versus liberal. The reasons in their arguments are definitely personal. It is the same at the state level. Mr. Brown criticizes our governor and AG for picking sides. Rather, they should be complimented for their honesty in calling out that which already exists.
Simply scroll down the page on the same day. The ex-Supreme Court judge that I would call uber liberal endorses a Supreme Court candidate. Whether an official is in office or not, to me it carries the same weight.
Maybe it's time for partisan judicial elections.
Matt West,
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2022-10-25T14:00:02Z
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helenair.com
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Maybe it's time for partisan judicial elections
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/maybe-its-time-for-partisan-judicial-elections/article_54f7156b-dc58-5f79-91f9-cd2807f4d095.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/maybe-its-time-for-partisan-judicial-elections/article_54f7156b-dc58-5f79-91f9-cd2807f4d095.html
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Man attacked by bear in Wyoming's Sawtooth Mountains
Casper Star-Tribune Staff
CASPER, Wyo. — A grizzly bear attacked an Evanston man on Friday as he was hunting with his son in the Rock Creek area along the Sawtooth Mountains, a press release from the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sublette County Dispatch received an “SOS activated call” of a hunter who was injured; Tip Top Search and Rescue volunteers were able to locate the man and bring him out for medical treatment.
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2022-10-25T21:05:45Z
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helenair.com
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Man attacked by bear in Wyoming's Sawtooth Mountains
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/man-attacked-by-bear-in-wyomings-sawtooth-mountains/article_a7ff0235-d6ef-545a-886d-871ffa2cba9f.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/man-attacked-by-bear-in-wyomings-sawtooth-mountains/article_a7ff0235-d6ef-545a-886d-871ffa2cba9f.html
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Montana has reported 237 cases of primary and secondary syphilis as of Oct. 15 this year, which is 147% more than in 2021, following a national trend in which sexually transmitted diseases kept increasing during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic with no signs of slowing, state and federal officials said.
Numbers released Sept. 1 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said preliminary data show 2.5 million reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the United States in 2021.
Montana has reported six confirmed cases of congenital syphilis so far in 2022, in which a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy, according to numbers provided by the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).
In 2021, Montana had 96 cases of primary and secondary syphilis, two syphilitic stillbirths, and seven cases of congenital syphilis, which includes one infant death, DPHHS said.
In 2020, Montana had 42 cases of primary and secondary syphilis and two congenital syphilis cases. Syphilis is the only sexually transmitted infection (STI) that has increased in 2022.
A DPHHS chart showing numbers on primary and secondary cases in Montana as of Oct. 15, found 65% of the 237 cases were in three counties. There were 63 cases listed in Yellowstone County, 46 in Roosevelt County and 45 in Big Horn County. Six were reported in Lewis and Clark County.
It said 53% of the cases were male, 47% were female, 30% were white, 23% were Hispanic and 47% were Native American.
The above chart shows new information on syphilis cases in Montana.
It also found that 64% of the cases were among high-risk heterosexual men, 20% were among men who had sex with other men, 23% were not interviewed and 6% were co-infected with HIV.
Pat Zellar, a spokeswoman with RiverStone Health, which serves as the health department for Yellowstone County, said they are tracking the numbers “very carefully, adding that not only is syphilis a very serious disease, it is also communicable. She said the numbers for Yellowstone County as of Oct. 25 are higher than the state reported from earlier this month.
She said the county has 106 cases of syphilis for the year to date, a 376% increase over the previous five-year average. She said 52% are classified as American Indian or Alaskan Native.
"The pandemic absolutely had an impact on STIs and this is seen across the country," Zellar said, adding there have been increases in chlamydia and gonorrhea, but none have increased as sharply as syphilis.
She said there is a general lack of education, as many people think it’s a thing of the past. She emphasized it is curable.
Zellar said RiverStone is working with health care partners in the community such as Native American Development Corp. and the county jail on education and awareness "in the hopes we can slow down the spread." She said they are also encouraging local health care providers to test for syphilis and treating people who have tested positive.
The CDC said their information was only a “snapshot” and doesn’t tell us why these STDs are increasing.
They added the COVID-19 pandemic compounded many of these challenges, exacerbating pre-existing disparities in health care and prevention access, and further straining the public health infrastructure.
“Despite this, we know that a wide range of factors can contribute to high levels of infections," the CDC said.
• Reductions in STD services at the state and local level – For many years, reductions in STD screening, treatment, prevention, and partner services by health departments likely contributed to STD increases.
• Increases in substance use, which has been linked to less safe sexual practices. “We are more than a decade into a national opioid crisis that is putting more people at risk for HIV, viral hepatitis, and STDs,” the CDC said.
• There are social and economic conditions that make it more difficult for some populations to stay healthy. For example: poverty, stigma, lack of medical insurance or a provider, unstable housing, and a higher burden of STDs in some communities.
• Decreases in condom use by some groups, including young people and gay and bisexual men. "We must ensure that provider and prevention partners are equipping those no longer using condoms for HIV prevention with the tools and information they need to protect themselves against other STIs as well," the CDC said.
STIs continue to be stigmatized, the CDC said. This stigma can bury the truth that all people deserve quality sexual health care in order to live healthy lives and deter people and groups from taking action to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections.
Kristi Akelstad, a section supervisor in DPHHS’ communicable disease control and prevention bureau, told Montana Public Radio in an Oct. 20 story that syphilis cases cut across all populations and age ranges throughout Montana.
Akelstad said they are noticing a new trend.
“Predominantly in the past we saw this more in the population of men who have sex with men,” she told MPR. “And then recently across the nation we've seen increases in syphilis, but also particularly syphilis, in women and in pregnant women.”
In terms of other sexually transmitted infections, Montana officials said that in 2021, 4,052 cases of chlamydia were reported, making it the most reported sexually transmitted infection in Montana. A total of 1,458 cases of gonorrhea were reported in Montana in 2021.
As of Oct. 15, Montana has reported 3,265 cases of chlamydia, which is 1% above cases year to date in 2021, and 1,015 cases of gonorrhea, which decreased 14%.
Karl Milhon, a former communicable disease epidemiology director for DPHHS and a former disease intervention specialist specializing in disease control, said he was shocked by the latest numbers.
He said he was talking to some former colleagues from around the country and was told STD intervention for the country has been kind of put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said people have been trained to deal with COVID, and that a lot of STDs got put in a drawer in the United States for two years.
Milhon said Montana should consider hiring a disease intervention specialist and a couple of full-time employees.
"... having come from that field, it has always concerned me," he said in an email. "Montana is very decentralized with disease control. Local health departments address ALL diseases and overall do it very well, but this can tend to make all diseases the same. This could impact a disease like syphilis. There is a reason nationally sexually transmitted diseases are carved out from all the other diseases with its own funding stream and positions like DIS intrinsic to its role. The decentralized approach to disease control in Montana could be another factor in this historic outbreak. We have gone decades without a problem and this too can lead to a certain complacency."
He said the increase shows no signs of breaking and the data is only for three-quarters of the year.
“It is going straight up,” he said.
"I've always said the problem with public health is that when it works, nothing happens," Milhon said. "When nothing happens for decades everyone forgets and they begin to question the very need for something like public health. They dismantle infrastructures and reap a whirlwind. Montana has gone for 30 or more years with minimal STD'S This syphilis state level outbreak is an example of what can happen. It's time to pull the fire alarm on this one based upon my 37 years in public health much of it spent stopping this specific disease.
"People also tend to look for someone to blame when things like this or COVID hit," he said. "Much of the problem can often be found in the mirror..."
Learn about grizzly bears.
Pat Zellar
Karl Milhon
Public Health: A Healthy Way to Show Your Love: Be Free of STDs
Spring is only a few days away, and our thoughts at Lewis and Clark Public Health have turned to… sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
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2022-10-26T01:04:50Z
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helenair.com
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Syphilis cases increasing greatly in Montana so far in 2022
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/syphilis-cases-increasing-greatly-in-montana-so-far-in-2022/article_eaa15fd7-c2cd-5fc3-8d98-ad92187cff60.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/syphilis-cases-increasing-greatly-in-montana-so-far-in-2022/article_eaa15fd7-c2cd-5fc3-8d98-ad92187cff60.html
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David Gambill, Helena Fire Department
David Gambill
It took several years of trying before David Gambill was able to join the Helena Fire Department.
But now that he’s there, he’s left his mark.
This recognition made Gambill’s modesty surface.
“I don’t feel I deserve it,” he said in a telephone interview. “I just like doing what I do.”
The 39-year-old Gambill, who has been honored by various civic organizations for his work, says, however, he is grateful for the latest honor.
He had plans to join the military and had left high school early to do so. But he was not accepted because he had brain surgery. He said he yearned to do public service, but went to college, where he got an associate’s degree in firefighting science, thinking that firefighting would be the next best thing.
Gambill is now an EMT I-99 with the Helena Fire Department.
He said he likes helping to make positive outcomes for patients. He takes people who are not having their best day and makes it better.
Gambill said he loves his job.
“Every day is a new day,” he said.
He was born and raised in Helena. His dad died when he was 3 and he was raised by a single mother. It took him eight years to get on the Helena Fire Department.
He said his persistence paid off.
His nomination said he works tirelessly to ensure the community is cared for in a timely fashion, day or night.
Gambill may be known to the public for his work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and has been a leader in the Fill the Boot campaign where funds are raised for muscular dystrophy research.
“That is really important for me,” he said, noting raising funds for mental health is also “huge for me.”
He said he is bipolar and suffers from depression, which can be difficult for a firefighter, given what they can see during the course of their day.
“I’d love to see more help for guys in our field,” Gambill said. “I think mental health is a lot bigger deal than we make it out to be.”
He said he strives to help others, even when not at work. He said he gets pleasure out of doing smaller things. He notes he grew up in a family that drove old, beat up automobiles.
To this day, if he sees a car stall in an intersection, he gets out of his car and pushes it though.
He and his wife, Colleen, have three children, ages 14, 10 and 4. He said it is not important to him that they follow in his emergency responder footprints.
“They can be whatever they want to be,” he said.
Nominated by Colleen Gambill.
Colleen Gambill
Helena Fire Department
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2022-10-26T14:02:58Z
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helenair.com
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David Gambill, Helena Fire Department
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https://helenair.com/david-gambill-helena-fire-department/article_19348593-b98d-57f6-ba96-43d90724dd2c.html
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https://helenair.com/david-gambill-helena-fire-department/article_19348593-b98d-57f6-ba96-43d90724dd2c.html
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Breanna Andrews, St. Peter’s Health
Breanna Andrews
Marketing just wasn’t a good fit for Breanna Andrews.
She found herself becoming bored.
Andrews now works in emergency medical services with St. Peter’s Health and in a short time has found herself being honored for her work.
“It feels really good,” Andrews, 26, said of being nominated for this recognition. “I was not expecting it at all.”
She notes she has been doing her new gig for only a year, and loves that she gets to “work with a lot of amazing medics.”
Those who nominated her for the honor describe her as “a great paramedic and great co-worker.”
“Her patients love her,” they said.
Andrews said there are a lot of different aspects to her job. She gets to work with a lot of great people in a family-type atmosphere. And she likes to help others.
“You never know what to expect when you come to work,” Andrews said, but adds, “It’ always good when you have a good outcome.”
Andrews, a paramedic who offers advanced life support, had worked a night shift and is now working a noon to midnight shift. It is 12 hours on and 12 off. She rotates throughout St. Peter’s facilities.
She said she was born in Washington and attended emergency medical technician school in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The Helena resident said she may attend physical assistant school. She is now engaged to be married and met her fiancé at work.
Andrew said she treats her job as a learning experience, and builds off of each call.
Nominated by Alan Mikes.
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2022-10-26T14:03:04Z
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helenair.com
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Breanna Andrews, St. Peter’s Health
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https://helenair.com/news/local/breanna-andrews-st-peter-s-health/article_cf1d2647-5475-5006-a9b9-40fd93570b52.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/breanna-andrews-st-peter-s-health/article_cf1d2647-5475-5006-a9b9-40fd93570b52.html
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Brittni Davies, St. Peter’s Health
Brittni Davies
For Brittni Davies, it’s like father, like daughter when it comes to saving lives.
Davies’ dad was an EMT and firefighter for a fire department in San Diego when she was growing up. Davies started volunteering at the same fire department when she turned 18. She currently works at St. Peter’s Health as a paramedic and an endorsed critical care paramedic.
She said working at St. Peter’s Health is like working with family.
“It’s just really rewarding going to work knowing that you’re going to be working with your good friends and you’re going to do what you can to try and serve the community for the better medical-wise,” said Davies.
Even on slow days, Davies and her fellow paramedics keep busy.
“On busy days, I could get on and immediately start running 911 calls, and I’ve had many days where I have run back to back to back 911 calls, and I haven’t even eaten or anything like that,” said Davies. “… I’ve had days that are a little bit slower, so then we go into the ER and help them with any medical skills or cleaning that needs to happen or anything that the nurses and physicians need help with.”
Davies moved to Montana in 2015 after spending a few years working as a paramedic in California, where she originally got her EMT license and attended paramedic school.
Her favorite part of her career is “being able to help someone that is in a crisis to where it changes their lives.”
Outside of the ambulance, she enjoys bow hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding and all things Montana. She is proud to call Helena her home alongside her husband and two children.
“My husband is my hero. He is such a wonderful man, and I’ve been with him for 10 years,” said Davies. “He has been with me through thick and thin, and we first got together when I started paramedic school… When I had a crisis with my calls I was running, he was always there for me to help me through.”
Davies is working on becoming an emergency room nurse in the near future. She’s finishing up her prerequisite classes and is looking to join the nursing program at Helena College.
“It’s a huge transition, going from a paramedic to being a nurse, but I’ve always dreamed of being a nurse,” said Davies. “… Paramedic was a stepping stool into nursing. I do love the job and want to continue to do it part-time once I become a nurse, but nursing is my next challenge.”
Nominated by Trevor Davies
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2022-10-26T14:03:10Z
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helenair.com
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Brittni Davies, St. Peter’s Health
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https://helenair.com/news/local/brittni-davies-st-peter-s-health/article_25c3fa3e-453b-568c-bde8-cd04f521f260.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/brittni-davies-st-peter-s-health/article_25c3fa3e-453b-568c-bde8-cd04f521f260.html
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Christine Miller-Fitzpatrick, St. Peter’s Health
Christine Miller-Fitzpatrick
For Christine Miller-Fitzpatrick, making a scary situation better for patients is the most rewarding part of her job as an EMT with St. Peter’s Health Ambulance Service.
In the 15 or 20 minutes it takes to get from the scene of an incident to the hospital, she said, a patient can go from writhing in pain to feeling comfortable and relieved.
“It’s a great line of work to get into,” she said. “You get to see a lot and you never know what the day will bring you, but it’s a great line of work to be in and very fulfilling.”
Miller-Fitzpatrick grew up in Clancy and decided to pursue emergency medicine at age 20. She said her family was involved in a couple of emergency situations, which sparked her interest in the field of emergency care.
In a typical day she could end up responding to calls in Helena, in Wolf Creek or on the side of a mountain, as the ambulance service serves all of Lewis and Clark County.
She said the ambulance service frequently responds to traffic accidents and provides advanced life support care to victims of heart attacks and strokes.
The hardest part of the job, Miller-Fitzpatrick said, is when it’s too late to save the patient.
“Those are definitely the parts of the job that will affect the team and any of the providers,” she said, adding that a crisis debriefing is held after each particularly difficult call to help responders work through the trauma.
Miller-Fitzpatrick recently planned and ran the inaugural free Ambulance Open House, which was held at St. Peter’s Broadway Clinic in May. The event gave community members a chance to tour ambulances, meet emergency providers and learn about when to dial 911 and how to help during an emergency.
One of the goals of the annual event is to help children get comfortable with the back of an ambulance, she said, which is a “huge game-changer in the event of an emergency situation.”
Miller-Fitzpatrick’s husband is also an emergency responder and works for the Helena Fire Department. In their spare time, she said, they enjoy spending time at home with their dogs, horses and newborn child.
She can also be seen around the General Mercantile in downtown Helena, where she spent several years working as a barista and still helps out now and then.
“Helena is a great community to work for,” she said.
Nominated by Jenna Cederberg
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2022-10-26T14:03:16Z
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helenair.com
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Christine Miller-Fitzpatrick, St. Peter’s Health
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https://helenair.com/news/local/christine-miller-fitzpatrick-st-peter-s-health/article_4d8167af-925d-5c6e-a386-cbd6ddd97488.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/christine-miller-fitzpatrick-st-peter-s-health/article_4d8167af-925d-5c6e-a386-cbd6ddd97488.html
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Jennie Webster
Jennie Webster embodies what it truly means to be a community paramedic.
Webster left working with the ambulance crew to pilot the community paramedicine program at St. Peter’s Health two and a half years ago. She was one of the three people who started with the program.
“Two and a half years ago, the state had asked St. Pete’s if we would pilot a community paramedicine program,” said Webster. “They got grants for implementing community paramedic programs across the state to help with the sting of Covid to help keep people in their homes when they shouldn’t come out, immunocompromised people, people who had Covid and elderly people who would be compromised by getting the virus.”
The main difference between a paramedic and a community paramedic is community paramedics have expanded duties to do preventive work in communities instead of mainly responsive work like a paramedic.
“It’s a collaborative effort, and that is really fun too, just the idea sharing, sitting down with the patient and saying, ‘Here’s my goal, it’s to keep you here safely and we’re going to work with what works with you,’” said Webster.
Webster thought she would take the job and that the program would only exist for a few months simply because there’s no billing mechanism. The program is basically run as a donation to the community from St. Peter’s.
“When I left the ambulance to pilot the program, I thought, you know it will be six months. It will be a great experience, and then I’ll be back on the truck. No big deal because I absolutely loved my job, being a paramedic and 911, it was just the greatest,” said Webster. “… Two and a half years into (the program) and this is it. This is what I do now.”
Growing up, Webster wanted to be a paramedic but was discouraged in doing so, so she went to college to be a marine biologist. But her dream of being a paramedic never left her. She got her EMT license at 25 and then moved up the rank to paramedic and now community paramedic.
Webster’s favorite part of her job is “being able to make a meaningful connection with someone in a short amount of time.”
In the future, she wants to create a volunteer social program for elderly patients in Helena.
“Really, some of them don’t need us to manage their health, but they do better because they have someone who comes in and cares and sits and talks with them,” said Webster. “That’s what I want to do in the future.”
She’s from Northern Wisconsin but moved to Helena about 20 years ago. She and her husband, who’s also a paramedic and Webster’s hero, have two boys.
“I’ve made my family here, part of my family includes not only my children and husband, but the people I work with,” said Webster. “... I feel connected here.”
When Webster isn’t saving lives, she and her husband have a small hobby farm. They raise many pets, including nine fainting goats, ducks, chickens and pigs. They also garden a lot.
“I feel like I have helped our community in simple, simple ways, not even in grandiose brought-back-from-the-dead ways,” said Webster. “… I feel like I’ve impacted people more (as a community paramedic) than I have for the last 25 years on the ambulance.”
Nominated by Paul Dawn
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2022-10-26T14:03:23Z
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helenair.com
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Jennie Webster, St. Peter's Health
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https://helenair.com/news/local/jennie-webster-st-peters-health/article_aa6891d8-e170-50ed-b87c-2090cd081be7.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/jennie-webster-st-peters-health/article_aa6891d8-e170-50ed-b87c-2090cd081be7.html
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Jordan Gregg, Montana Highway Patrol
Jordan Gregg
Jordan Gregg is “the first of the first responders,” as she puts it.
Gregg became a dispatcher when she was 21 years old. She has worked as a police dispatcher for the Montana Highway Patrol since 2007, when she first moved to Montana from Colorado.
“(Dispatchers) get the very first call for help,” said Gregg. “We’re the first ones to talk to the people who are having the worst day of their lives... We get to help start the help process of getting their situation to a close in the best way we can.”
Gregg always wanted a career in the law enforcement sector. She originally wanted to be a trooper and thought that becoming a dispatcher would be a good way to get her foot in the door.
“I loved (being a dispatcher) so much that I just kept with this,” said Gregg. “This is my lifetime career.”
She has been on day shifts recently, working 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We don’t take 911 calls, we get them transferred to us, but we do crashes and what we call moving violations, where people are calling in a drunk driver or hazards on the interstate,” said Gregg. “The hardest calls are the crashes of course, and those are on a day-to-day basis. Some are really hard and some are minor fender benders.”
Gregg recently did an ad on the radio for dispatcher openings in Helena because there is a need for more people in this role.
Gregg’s hero in life is her dad. She lost her mom to a blood clot at age 48, so her dad fulfilled the role of both mother and father.
“He really stepped up, he’s worked hard his whole life and makes sure that his kids, we have everything that we need,” said Gregg. “He’s just an amazing man to be able to call my dad.”
Gregg met her husband in Helena, and together, they’re raising their daughter. They have two dogs, a chocolate lab and a boxer. They go camping in their trailer any summer weekend they can. In her free time, Gregg enjoys reading, especially historical fiction books.
“Sometimes I think I care too much because I want everybody, all of the officers to go home safe at the end of the day and all the members of the public too as well, and when it doesn’t happen, it is pretty heart wrenching,” said Gregg. “... I put my headset on every day because the family I created relies on me. We’re all each other’s support on our worst days and each other’s fans on good days. We don’t do it for the spotlight. We don’t do it for the thanks. We’re often the unseen heroes of law enforcement.”
Nominated by Brandy Lamping
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2022-10-26T14:03:29Z
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helenair.com
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Jordan Gregg, Montana Highway Patrol
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https://helenair.com/news/local/jordan-gregg-montana-highway-patrol/article_4e6d3bb9-8df6-524b-a2cf-8d5c65cc9c16.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/jordan-gregg-montana-highway-patrol/article_4e6d3bb9-8df6-524b-a2cf-8d5c65cc9c16.html
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Megan Coleman, Helena Police Department
Megan Coleman
After spending a few years pursuing higher-paying work, Megan Coleman decided she would rather make a career of helping others and became an officer with the Helena Police Department.
“I definitely got the calling for public service,” she said.
Coleman said the most rewarding part of her job is “actually helping someone get through a difficult situation.” Even people she has arrested have thanked her for being nice, she said.
“It never occurred to me to not be kind to someone, even after making a mistake and getting arrested,” she said.
The Great Falls native went to work for HPD about four years ago. She responds to everything from routine traffic stops to overdoses, domestic violence calls and other dangerous situations, noting that no two days are alike.
“There’s a little bit of everything,” she said.
Although Coleman is a self-described introvert who had some difficulties communicating effectively when she first started in law enforcement, she said that part of the job has become easier with experience. She said this is an important skill to master, as officers need to exhaust all communication efforts before taking further action when working to de-escalate a situation.
De-escalating mental health crisis situations is one of the primary goals of crisis intervention services, and Coleman was recently named the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer of the Year by the Helena chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for her “outstanding service to citizens of Helena with mental health conditions and their families.”
Coleman said she took a CIT class at the beginning of this year and enjoyed it so much that she is now training to become a CIT coordinator. In this role, she will teach other first responders locally and throughout the state how to help people suffering from a mental health crisis.
“I do feel pretty passionate about mental health and trying to help people in those situations,” she said.
And that passion has not gone unnoticed by the community and her supervisors.
“She is responsive to the community to which she serves and can show empathy during times of crisis,” Helena Police Chief Brett Petty said. “Officer Coleman’s greatest characteristic is her contagious positive attitude that she carries with her every day. Officer Coleman is an asset to the Helena community as well as the Helena Police Department.”
Nominated by Domingo Zapata, Matt Kuntz and Gary Mihelish
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2022-10-26T14:03:35Z
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helenair.com
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Megan Coleman, Helena Police Department
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https://helenair.com/news/local/megan-coleman-helena-police-department/article_962dc9b4-36ad-5001-9c1d-58f4aded360a.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/megan-coleman-helena-police-department/article_962dc9b4-36ad-5001-9c1d-58f4aded360a.html
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For years, the Montana Supreme Court has overstepped its constitutional and jurisdictional boundaries and legislated from the bench. Further, the court is well-known for issuing decisions that do not follow the law as written, overturning their own precedent, and shackling businesses. The court has a reputation for being an activist court. This is as true today as it was when I first became a judge in 1995. And it needs to change.
Things will only get worse if the Montana Supreme Court doesn’t change. A few weeks ago, a Montana judge struck down legislation to safeguard the rights of female student-athletes to compete fairly without interference from biological males posing as transgender ‘’women.’’ Another judge just struck down a commonsense voter ID law and other laws designed to ensure integrity in our elections. Montanans cannot cash a check, drive a car or board a plane or train without one. But asking for ID to protect the sanctity of our ballots somehow violates the Montana Constitution? These disturbing rulings, and many others, will soon be appealed to the Montana Supreme Court. We need Jim on the court when these issues are decided.
Montanans deserve balance and consistency in the law and need a justice on the Supreme Court who understands that the role of a judge is to apply the law fairly. I have known Jim Brown in both a personal and professional capacity for 14 years. I have had multiple opportunities to observe Jim’s legal work and know that he has both the legal acumen and judicial demeanor to bring much-needed balance to the Montana Supreme Court.
Jim is a Montanan’s Montanan, growing up in Dillon and attending the University of Montana. As part of his legal practice, Jim has been a strong legal and policy advocate for Montana’s largest industry — agriculture. He also has a wealth of legal experience from practicing in courts ranging from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to the Montana Supreme Court. The Montana Supreme Court sorely needs a justice who has a background in and understands agriculture, property and business law — all areas within Jim’s expertise. No one on the current court has this needed experience.
Wilsall Republican Nels Swandal served in the state Senate and previously was a district court judge.
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2022-10-26T14:03:53Z
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helenair.com
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Nels Swandal: James Brown will fairly represent all Montanans
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/nels-swandal-james-brown-will-fairly-represent-all-montanans/article_6c0a1d11-685f-50ec-a917-dd3192428c99.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/nels-swandal-james-brown-will-fairly-represent-all-montanans/article_6c0a1d11-685f-50ec-a917-dd3192428c99.html
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While Kevin is currently one of the lead prosecutors in our county, the position requires much more than just trying complex criminal cases. An incredible county attorney is a lawyer, manager and leader with a commitment to justice, understanding of our community, sound judgment and appreciation of the breadth of the office.
Kevin’s life and work pursuits reflect these qualities. After graduating Carroll, Kevin spent several years abroad managing Catholic organizations for the disabled and orphaned. When I was attorney general, Kevin managed statewide community safety initiatives and revamped the hiring processes for the Montana Department of Justice. After law school, Kevin clerked for the Montana Supreme Court, then was selected to join the U.S. Attorney General Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Justice. Before returning home to prosecute felony cases in our county, Kevin served with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, securing the removal of heinous gang members, drug traffickers, and foreign fugitives from the United States.
Kevin’s breadth of legal experience coupled with his perspective on the human experience complement this office's broad authority and impact. He has demonstrated he will be tough on those who commit crimes. He is also the humble leader who will engage the right people and interests to address the increasing challenges we face as a community. Please join me in voting for Kevin.
Tony Bynum
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2022-10-26T14:04:12Z
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helenair.com
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Kevin Downs will be an incredible county attorney
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-will-be-an-incredible-county-attorney/article_614b92c4-5c5c-5406-a724-69005fe531ae.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/kevin-downs-will-be-an-incredible-county-attorney/article_614b92c4-5c5c-5406-a724-69005fe531ae.html
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If government ran more like the private sector, government would be better. Having spent most of my 30-year career in the private sector, I agree. I earned a role as the senior director of operations for a company that employed 8,000 trade workers whose skill and experience determined whether we succeeded. We worked on military assets, so failure was not an option.
The private sector posts job openings including the required skills/experience and applicants apply. Resume screening ensures the candidate meets the minimum requirements of the job. Using this as our guide, James Brown wouldn’t get an interview for the position of Supreme Court justice. He has exactly zero experience as a judge and has very little as a lawyer. His opponent Ingrid Gustafson has 20 years of experience as a judge, has been appointed to the bench by governors of both parties and reelected by us. Brown’s commercials demand you hear his dog whistles and ignore his resume. If you have ever wanted government to function like the private sector, please join me in supporting Ingrid Gustafson for the Montana Supreme Court.
Andrew Posewitz,
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2022-10-26T14:04:24Z
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helenair.com
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Run government like the private sector
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/run-government-like-the-private-sector/article_9b09a043-7a3f-53e4-8bdb-087166f25f2c.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/run-government-like-the-private-sector/article_9b09a043-7a3f-53e4-8bdb-087166f25f2c.html
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A normally uncontroversial position, this year’s election for Lewis and Clark County clerk, recorder and treasurer has two radically different candidates competing on the ballot. On the one hand there is the incumbent Amy Reeves who has 27 years of experience in the clerk’s office, and has been doing a stellar job since being appointed to the job. On the other hand there is challenger Bettijo Starr, who despite tepid denials, is an obvious believer in the Big Lie that Trump won the 2020 presidential election. She replied as much to a local resident in an email, adding “and from we the people also.” I find that statement chilling in its arrogance. Electing someone like her to be responsible for the election process furthers our country’s decline from democracy to autocracy. Please vote for Amy Reeves for Lewis and Clark County clerk.
Harry Houze,
Harry Houze
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2022-10-26T14:04:31Z
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helenair.com
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Vote Amy Reeves for Lewis and Clark County clerk
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/vote-amy-reeves-for-lewis-and-clark-county-clerk/article_78289519-fa6c-5506-8806-4ecc95cf6208.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/vote-amy-reeves-for-lewis-and-clark-county-clerk/article_78289519-fa6c-5506-8806-4ecc95cf6208.html
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Richard Rhodes, Basin Volunteer Fire Department
Richard Rhodes
Richard Rhodes thinks fire is beautiful.
And the 60-year-old Rhodes said he gets an adrenaline rush every time he fights it and brings it under control.
The chief of the Basin Volunteer Fire Department has hopscotched to and from Basin from various parts of the country such as Texas and Missouri. But in Basin he has been chief of the department for about 14 years.
There are about eight people on the volunteer squad, a mix of men and women. In general, they get 30 to 40 calls a year. Not many of those are wildland fires, “knock on wood,” he said.
His wife Dede joined the interview for this story. She’s on the department, too.
“Last year was tough,” Dede said, noting there were several structure fires in Basin.
“That is rare,” she said.
Rhodes said having a family member on the department has not posed a problem, but he admits he does worry about her on some calls.
“I appreciate her having my back and being involved with me,” he said.
Rhodes said he has two sons in Texas and Dede has a son in Belgrade.
He said he would like to see more younger people join the department.
“It is helping out where you live,” he said.
He said sometimes volunteers see things nobody should have to witness.
Dede agrees.
“Being a small community, nine times out of 10 you know the person you are working on,” she said.
When he is not serving as fire chief, he works as a detention officer with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
He said he was surprised to learn he was selected for this recognition.
His wife was not.
“He’s very good at firefighting, but he’s very humble,” she said.
And she agrees with her husband.
“He’s right, fire is beautiful,” she said.
Nominated by Michael Turner.
Basin Volunteer Fire Department
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2022-10-26T14:04:38Z
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helenair.com
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Richard Rhodes, Basin Volunteer Fire Department
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https://helenair.com/richard-rhodes-basin-volunteer-fire-department/article_d332f79b-651d-5c80-b5db-64aa1fa3dfff.html
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https://helenair.com/richard-rhodes-basin-volunteer-fire-department/article_d332f79b-651d-5c80-b5db-64aa1fa3dfff.html
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Spencer Tredik
For Spencer Tredik, the decision to choose a career helping others was deeply personal.
His mother had breast cancer and he had met a lot of her health care workers, liked them, and decided he wanted to go into the health care profession to help others.
He now works as an emergency medical technician for St. Peter’s Health. He said he has been in the health care profession for three years.
“I am probably sounding like a broken record, but I like serving people,” said Tredik, who at one time had ambitions of being a high school math teacher. “I like being of service to others.”
The 25-year-old Tredik said he likes that the job requires some problem solving and quick thinking. It helps keep him on his toes.
He said he grew up in a Catholic household in Hamilton in which service to the community was important.
Tredik said he think this job will eventually lead him down a path of some other health care career. But for now he says he has a great job that he really enjoys.
He said he is a basic life support provider and has a paramedic partner who helps with the more severe patients.
“We share the load,” he said.
Tredik said Montana suffers as part of a national shortage of EMTs and paramedics “and that is hurting us.”
He said he would encourage anyone considering such a career to dip their toes into the medical field or build their medical resume.
“It is a really good career and there are a lot of things you can do,” he said.
And how is the mother whose illness inspired Tredik to follow a path in health care?
“She has been in remission for eight years and doing well,” he said. “We’ve been very blessed. The folks who helped her are part of her success.”
Nominated by Erin Kimball.
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2022-10-26T14:04:44Z
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helenair.com
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Spencer Tredik, St. Peter's Health
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https://helenair.com/spencer-tredik-st-peters-health/article_b63f28c4-a846-5a1e-8fc3-288087775e6b.html
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https://helenair.com/spencer-tredik-st-peters-health/article_b63f28c4-a846-5a1e-8fc3-288087775e6b.html
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After previously announcing he'd step down just before Election Day, the state's Commissioner of Political Practices said he still plans to leave the position but will remain in place until Dec. 30.
Commissioner Jeff Mangan announced the change in a message posted to the online platform Twitter on Tuesday night. He previously said he would leave his position before the end of his six-year term in 2023.
"I have had many requests to extend my stay to the end of the year, (with) the upcoming workload it certainly alleviates concerns raised as the election nears," Mangan tweeted. "Remaining these final weeks made sense on many different levels (and) essentially completes my term as commissioner."
“Election misinformation, disinformation, the stuff that’s happening across the state, is harming and putting at risk our election officials, our election judges, our election volunteers and poll-watchers in the coming elections,” he said, addressing an interim committee earlier this year.
Mangan’s announcement didn’t indicate why he is stepping down early. His announced retirement date is the day before Election Day.
He also offered few details about his future plans, stating only that he “will be returning to the private sector.”
Art Wittich
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2022-10-26T19:40:28Z
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helenair.com
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Commissioner of Political Practices extends departure date
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/commissioner-of-political-practices-extends-departure-date/article_b8774509-aa79-570d-bccb-20e35857a496.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/commissioner-of-political-practices-extends-departure-date/article_b8774509-aa79-570d-bccb-20e35857a496.html
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European actors Nick Wilder and Christine Mayn are pictured outside their Helena-area luxury estate that has been listed for $4.85 million.
Sven Dornkaat photo
The guest house living room opens to a deck.
Photo courtesy of Buy Sell Montana
When European actors Nick Wilder and Christine Mayn were asked about the best features of their Helena-area luxury estate that was recently listed for sale, both gestured toward the floor-to-ceiling vaulted windows overlooking Hauser Reservoir.
“The view is amazing,” Mayn said. “It’s 15 minutes away from the Helena airport. We have an amazing neighborhood here.”
The vaulted living area and fireplace.
Listed for $4,850,000, the 40-acre property at 5275 Riverview Drive about 13 miles northeast of Helena includes a 3,650-square-foot main dwelling and 3,760-square-foot guest villa joined by a breezeway designed to represent an Italian country estate.
The main home has the master suite with a large spa-inspired bath, two additional bedrooms, a theater room and a private library. The guest home has two master king suites with spa-inspired baths and its own gourmet kitchen, dining and living area, laundry and office.
Outside, you’ll find an infinity waterfall, a stainless steel outdoor swimming pool, a pool house, a covered outdoor fire pit, a Tiki bar and a white sandy beach area. The property also has two outdoor showers, a six-person hot tub, a steam sauna, a Finnish sauna, a full-service gym, a seven-hole putting green, a horseshoe track and a full-size Boccia court.
Wilder and Mayn dubbed the property as the “Ting,” which is a word from the Celtic tradition that refers to the thin places between the earthly and divine worlds.
“This is our Ting place,” Wilder said.
The upper-level library.
The couple rents out the guest house as an Airbnb. The property is also available for weddings and has been used as the venue for the Helena Symphony’s annual benefit concert.
“Nick Wilder and Christine Mayn have been close friends with the Helena Symphony for many years and have made a significant impact on our organization,” the symphony said in an email. “The Benefit Concert at Montana Ting has truly changed the Helena Symphony over the last 4 years, increasing our annual revenue by $300,000. In 2023 the Helena Symphony will continue the annual Benefit Concert in a nearby soon to be announced location and will be rebranded in a new and exciting way, while honoring the impact Nick and Christine have made on the Helena Symphony.”
The son of a German farmer, Wilder is a former world-champion windsurfer who went on to open windsurfing shops in Denmark and Fort Lauderdale, Florida before launching his acting career. While visiting a friend in Bozeman in the 1990s, he was looking through a real estate magazine and found a listing for what he described as his “childhood dream” property near Helena.
“I saw every episode of ‘Bonanza,’ and I thought ‘Bonanza’ was filmed in Montana,” he said with a smile.
Although he had never heard of Helena before, Wilder arranged a showing and fell in love with the property as the sun was setting over the city and the moon was rising over the lake.
“We came over the hill, I went like ‘Oh my God,’” he said.
A panoramic view of the property.
Wilder said he purchased the property in 1996 and helped build the home in 1998. He studied wood engineering at the University of Hamburg and continues to do much of the home’s maintenance himself, which is one of the reasons he and his wife decided it’s time to sell.
“Once this is sold, we can go to Italy in August if we want to,” he said. “With a property like this, you have to be here.”
Since 2010, Wilder has starred as Dr. Wolf Sander in the German soap opera “Das Traumschiff,” which is similar to the American TV series “The Love Boat.” He said he met the show’s producer through Mayn, who has also appeared in several episodes over the years.
“It’s comedy, love, drama, and people just love it,” Wilder said.
Because the show is filmed all over the globe, he said, Helena is closer than Germany to some of the filming locations.
“We flew around the world from all different places because it’s not a studio film. It’s a film on a real ship, and it’s filmed on real locations,” he said.
Wilder has also appeared in several American films and TV shows including “The Bourne Supremacy,” "Stargate” and “Pensacola: Wings of Gold.” Mayne, who is from Italy, is best known for her roles in “The Last Son,” “Medicopter 117 - Jedes Leben zählt” and “Fieber: Ärzte für das Leben,” according to her biography on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).
Wilder is also a musician who occasionally plays harmonica at Lakeside on Hauser and The Highlander. He and Mayn enjoy dining at On Broadway and other restaurants around town, they said.
“When we came here 25 years ago it was really quiet -- a sleepy town,” Mayn said. “The old town and everything, it’s waking up with a lot of wonderful restaurants and bars and cafes and little shops.”
Although Wilder and Mayn hope to move into a smaller home that requires less maintenance, they have no plans to leave the area after the Ting is sold.
Wilder said he doesn’t mind when he is approached by people who recognize him from TV, which happens more frequently in Europe. But he enjoys being in Helena where he is “just a regular guy.”
“It was very pleasant to live here, because after the fact they find out that we’re actors,” he said. “When they see you on TV and then they meet you, it’s a different thing than if they find out afterwards.”
The estate is listed for sale with Buy Sell Montana. For information about the property, call Patrick Pacheco at 406-459-3088 or Brock Bouma at 406-590-3883.
The home is located on 40 acres.
The waterfall and stainless steel pool.
Amenities of the outdoor living area.
The outdoor living area.
The double-door main entry.
The grand room with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The dining area looking toward the breakfast nook and kitchen.
The Tiki bar.
The Boccia court.
A relaxation room off the sauna.
The guest house sauna.
The exercise room beneath the guest house.
The lower level gym.
An exercise room that can be converted to an additional bedroom.
The guest suite.
The master bathroom.
A bathroom on the main level.
The theater room on the main level.
The gourmet kitchen with deck access.
Nick Wilder
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2022-10-26T21:24:35Z
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helenair.com
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European actors list luxury estate near Helena for $4.85 million
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https://helenair.com/news/local/european-actors-list-luxury-estate-near-helena-for-4-85-million/article_9e5798de-aaa6-54cc-93c1-3f82c0872f75.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/european-actors-list-luxury-estate-near-helena-for-4-85-million/article_9e5798de-aaa6-54cc-93c1-3f82c0872f75.html
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Ex-con speaks at Carroll College about the consequences of drunk driving
Ethan Fisher
In honor of Carroll College student Bridget Kirby, who died in a car crash allegedly caused by an impaired driver last year, the college hosted a keynote speaker who is all too familiar with the consequences of substance abuse and drunk driving.
As part of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, around 400 students, faculty and staff gathered at Carroll College and 75 joined online Tuesday to listen to Ethan Fisher’s talk on “Life CONsequences: A Tale of Redemption, Choices and Decision.” Fisher is a former student-athlete who killed a person in a drunk driving accident in Colorado.
“I’m here to talk to you about my life, my choices and my consequences,” said Fisher. “You see I basically made every bad decision, every bad choice that you can make as a student and a student-athlete.”
Every year, the week leading up to Halloween is National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. This talk was the keynote event of Carroll’s OkSoberfest, a week of events focused on alcohol education and alcohol-free activities at the school.
Kirby, who was 20 years old at the time, died in the early morning of Nov. 19, 2021, from injuries sustained from a car crash in Helena. Police said she was ejected from a vehicle driven by a fellow student, who was arrested on suspicion of felony vehicular homicide while under the influence and several misdemeanors.
“November 19, 2021, is a day I shall never forget, and it is a day I pray is never repeated on this campus ever again,” said President of Carroll College John Cech.
Fisher’s talk was planned at Carroll with the strong encouragement from Maureen and Patrick Kirby, Bridget’s parents. Before Fisher’s talk, Maureen spoke.
“Carroll set the date for this event, October 22, not realizing it was Bridget’s 21st birthday. I would say that’s a God wink from my girl,” said Maureen.
Fisher’s dream was to play college basketball, but ever since middle school, he battled clinical depression. He began to self medicate as he got older. He jumped from college to college each year, trying to keep his GPA up to continue to play basketball, but ultimately failing because partying took priority over classes.
“Instead of listening to coach, what do I do? I go back to my crutch,” said Fisher. “I go back to drinking and smoking, but my drinking and my partying is even worse than it was at my last school because that’s what they don’t tell you about alcohol and drugs is that once you get involved, it’s an addiction.”
Eventually, Fisher’s addictions led to a 24-hour blackout, and he woke up in a hospital with no memories of the night before. Fisher had killed a man named Bill in a drunk driving accident, a man who was a husband, a parent and a grandpa.
“A nurse comes in, ‘Do you know what you did last night?’ ‘No.’ Second nurse comes in, ‘Do you know what you did last night?’ ‘No.’ ‘You drunk drove, and you killed somebody,’” stated Fisher, recalling the memory. “Bill never saw his wife again, never saw his daughter, his grandkids because I wanted to go drinking with my college friends. The same thing happened to this campus less than a year ago. This can happen to any one of you.”
He went to prison for three years. When he got out on probation, Fisher went on to become the first student-athlete in Colorado to play college basketball on inmate status. He was recognized as All-Conference and Most Valuable Player (MVP). His GPA stayed steady and he’s been sober since 2004. He graduated summa cum laude and was awarded the entrepreneurship student of the year award. He was also a recipient of one other award.
“How many of you have your name engraved on a bench at your university?” Fisher pointed to himself. “... I was awarded the President’s Award, the highest academic achievement you can get on any college campus. I say this not to brag or boast but because if I can achieve this, what can every single one of you in this room do?”
When faced with the choice to go pro out of country for basketball or stay and continue reaching and inspiring others with his speeches, he chose to stay.
“I chose this job and this career because I care about everything I do on this stage and all the lives I can impact. I gave up on my entire childhood dream to do what you guys see today,” said Fisher.
Fisher left the audience with five items he lives by every day to improve his life: accountability, set goals and write them down, make the right choice, perseverance, and faith in yourself and what you do.
To get in touch with Fisher, visit the website for Life Consequences at https://lifecon.org/about-us/.
After Fisher’s speech, Student Body President Ellie Sievertsen announced the revival of a Carroll program. Carroll is partnering with Helena Taxi to restart the Safe Ride Home Program. This program allows for free taxi rides for any Carroll student from anywhere in Helena back to campus with no questions asked.
“This program is so essential, and we honor Bridget by making sure that nobody is left with the only option being the least drunk person in the car,” said Sievertsen.
An up-close look at the largest owl (video courtesy of Montana FWP)
Bridget Kirby
Ellie Sievertsen
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2022-10-27T00:42:17Z
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helenair.com
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Ex-con speaks at Carroll College about the consequences of drunk driving
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https://helenair.com/news/local/ex-con-speaks-at-carroll-college-about-the-consequences-of-drunk-driving/article_d7e020d4-c164-54f3-8ff6-08c9584d7233.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/ex-con-speaks-at-carroll-college-about-the-consequences-of-drunk-driving/article_d7e020d4-c164-54f3-8ff6-08c9584d7233.html
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A nurse prepares a syringe of a COVID-19 vaccine July 19 at an inoculation station in Jackson, Miss.
MISSOULA — A federal trial to determine whether Montana’s vaccine discrimination law should apply to nurses, hospitals, private physicians and other health care providers wrapped up Wednesday.
The law, signed last year by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, prohibits most businesses and other employers from mandating vaccinations. Democrats and health care providers have argued that rather than protecting individuals from discrimination, it makes medical facilities and other workplaces less safe. The trial began Monday.
Justin Cole, an attorney with Garlington, Lohn & Robinson, PLLP, gave the plaintiffs’ final arguments at the close of the three-day trial, which was overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy in Missoula.
“At times individual liberty must yield to public health and safety, but this law does the opposite,” said Cole, who represents the Montana Medical Association, providers and patients who challenged the law a year ago. “It elevates individual choice over public health and the public’s good, wellbeing and safety.”
The defendants, state Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Commissioner of Labor and Industry Laurie Esau, were represented by a legal team lead by Deputy Solicitor General Brent Mead. In his closing, Mead reiterated his argument that the Republican-dominated state Legislature was well within its authority in drafting House Bill 702, which also bars employers from requiring staff to disclose their immunization status.
"We have to be able to balance risk to patients ... as well as protecting the individual autonomy of health care workers," Mead said. "… That choice rests with the Legislature. House Bill 702 is the product of that process.”
The plaintiffs have cited several federal laws that, they allege, override the state’s prohibitions on vaccine mandates and on providers obtaining immunization status from their employees.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees who have disabilities. Being unable to determine the immunity status of their coworkers makes it difficult, and potentially impossible, for medical providers to follow those federal requirements, Cole argued.
The ADA also requires employers to make those accommodations for people seeking services, including patients seeking medical care.
Diana Jo Page is a breast cancer survivor living in Kalispell. Testifying Tuesday, she said she’s avoided medical care out of fear of contracting COVID-19 from an unvaccinated health care worker and passing it to her husband, who is currently going through cancer treatments.
She suffers from asthma, and recalled an asthma attack earlier this year so severe that she lost consciousness, and her daughter and husband urged her to go to the emergency room.
“I said, ‘I’m not going to do that,’” she said. “His (white blood cell) counts were so low, I just didn’t feel that I could go to the emergency room.”
As a patient, she said she feels like she should be able to expect health care providers to be vaccinated.
“They take an oath that says to ‘do no harm,’ and I just can’t imagine that a medical facility who is treating people who are vulnerable would not take every precaution they can to keep their patients safe," Page said.
On the ADA claims, Mead argued that none of the plaintiffs’ witnesses had requested an accommodation and been unable to receive one. An immunocompromised worker, in one instance, asked for a leave of absence during the early months of the pandemic, and was able to get one until vaccines were widely available. Another was able to work in a room isolated from others.
The plaintiffs also allege the vaccine law runs afoul of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, which requires employers to mitigate workplace hazards. Vaccine-preventable diseases are among those included in the act.
Mead argued HB 702 does not conflict with any of those federal requirements. He noted that prior to the Biden administration’s controversial emergency standard for larger businesses, the agency had never created rules requiring workplace vaccinations.
The standard, which allowed employees to wear masks and get tested weekly if they didn’t want the COVID vaccine, was subsequently enjoined by the U.S. Supreme Court, and OSHA ultimately walked it back.
The Montana Nurses Association is a plaintiff-intervenor in the case. The organization's CEO, Vicky Bird, testified Tuesday that immunization requirements are accepted by the majority of nurses, aside from the existing medical and religious exemptions to mandatory vaccinations.
"That’s all just a part of the job," Bird said. "You know that coming in when you take the position."
But Mead also pointed out that the MNA, which is also a union representing thousands of nurses in the state, had successfully included a clause shielding nurses from mandatory flu vaccines in past collective bargaining agreements.
Bird had, in her testimony, likened vaccines for nurses to hard hats for construction workers: "You can’t say you don’t want to wear a hard hat. You’d have to look for a different job."
Mead referred to that line during his closing.
“If that analogy is true,” he said, “the nurses collectively bargained for no hard hats in the workplace.”
The plaintiffs also allege that HB 702 violates their equal protection rights under both the Montana and U.S. constitutions, by treating three groups of health care providers differently: nursing homes and other long-term facilities; offices of private physicians; and hospitals.
The varying levels of exemptions for those different providers violate their equal protection rights, they argue, because the state lacks “a rational basis” for treating them differently.
“By treating these facilities differently, the law also treats the patients who receive care at these facilities differently and also treats the nurses who work in these settings differently,” Cole said, noting that virtually all health care settings treat immunocompromised patients as well as elderly patients.
But Mead argued those different types of providers are distinct, and provide distinctly different types of care to different groups of patients. He noted that in the spring of 2021, when HB 702 was enacted, residents at nursing homes had been disproportionately ravaged by waves of COVID compared to other providers.
“That is certainly a rational basis to look at those statistics,” Mead said. “... that those types of congregant settings, and the types of people living in these facilities who tend to be elderly, who tend to be at higher risk, that there were special circumstances to those kinds of facilities. That’s why they were exempted.”
And he referred to testimony from expert witnesses called by the plaintiffs, who noted that the types of infrastructure for higher-risk patients, like negative pressure rooms and neonatal intensive care units, would not be found in a private physician’s office.
The Montana Constitution also protects the right to seek health, another protection that the plaintiffs argued is violated by the vaccine discrimination law. The defense has argued that the state has broad authority to advance other interests that may conflict with that right.
“House Bill 702 is clearly and uniquely a nondiscrimination law,” Mead said. “That legislative purpose is what drives the legal analysis, and sets the framework for the case … (the state’s police power) is an expansive authority to govern how we function in society.”
Mead also argued that the plaintiffs never built enough of a case to implicate the state Constitution’s right to seek health. He referred to testimony from the previous two days, in which several immunocompromised patients testified that they continued to receive care after HB 702 was enacted, and that they couldn’t show whether they had contracted COVID or any other communicable disease from a provider.
But calling the new state law “antithetical to public health,” Cole argued that it failed to achieve that balance.
The plaintiffs in the case are asking Molloy to permanently bar the state from enforcing the vaccine discrimination law against health care providers.
Mead argued this is the wrong remedy to the issues the plaintiffs have with the law.
“It’s just not here, and it’s just not this case,” Mead said. “It’s two months from now, when the Legislature reconvenes in Helena.”
Molloy didn’t give any firm time table for a decision.
“It’s likely to not be a great deal of time, but it’s not going to happen tomorrow,” he said.
In the meantime, a preliminary injunction Molloy issued earlier this year, barring the state from enforcing HB 702 against CMS-certified providers, remains in effect.
State-governmet
Vaccies
Vaccine Mandate Ban
Montana Heath Care
Montana Medical Association
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2022-10-27T00:42:23Z
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helenair.com
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Trial challenging Montana's vax discrimination law ends
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/trial-challenging-montanas-vax-discrimination-law-ends/article_b07b6311-50ca-57f4-9438-7a08af41ca12.html
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https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/trial-challenging-montanas-vax-discrimination-law-ends/article_b07b6311-50ca-57f4-9438-7a08af41ca12.html
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A 32-year-old Helena man was charged with felony criminal endangerment after allegedly taking oxygen away from a woman who needed it.
On Oct. 18, an officer was notified that Adult Protective Services had reported an incident involving a woman in the care of a business on the 900 block of Hudson St.
The complainant reported there was footage of an employee turning off the women’s oxygen and removing the tubes from her face, which left her without needed oxygen for up to 10 minutes. The officer later reviewed this footage and confirmed this is what happened.
The officer spoke with the manager of the business. The manager said the incident took place on Oct. 16. The manager spoke with the employee, Tyler Jeffrey Cole. Cole acknowledged he removed the oxygen, stating, “I guess I’ll learn from it,” according to court reports.
The manager told the officer that another employee was working at the same time and ran to assist the woman after noticing she didn’t have her oxygen on.
The woman relayed to the other employee that it was Cole who took off her oxygen and didn’t put it back on. The other employee confronted Cole and stated that he was acting “strange,” said officials.
Cole was located and booked into the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday.
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2022-10-27T02:16:06Z
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helenair.com
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Man arrested after allegedly taking woman's oxygen away
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https://helenair.com/man-arrested-after-allegedly-taking-womans-oxygen-away/article_2645efc1-e514-5026-af89-fae28013df14.html
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https://helenair.com/man-arrested-after-allegedly-taking-womans-oxygen-away/article_2645efc1-e514-5026-af89-fae28013df14.html
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Helena girls soccer seasons ends with semifinal loss to Gallatin
Helena High's Elli Wilson is pictured in the Bengals quarterfinal win over Bozeman last Saturday.
The Helena High girls soccer team was aiming to reach a second state championship match in the past three seasons on Wednesday in Bozeman.
But in a rematch of last season's Class AA girls soccer playoff semifinal, the Bengals squared off against the Gallatin Raptors and for the second straight year, it was Gallatin that walked away victorious thanks to a 4-2 win.
Last season, the two teams met at Nelson Stadium in Helena and on a cold, windy day, the Raptors scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory. On Wednesday, the goals came much quicker as the Raptors scored about around the midway point of the first half thanks to a goal from Tessa Scott.
Olivia Collins, who came in with 33 goals scored, found the net for the first time just a few minutes later in the first half to make it 2-0. Gallatin added another goal to eventually push the lead to 3-0 in the 37th minute.
Yet, before the first half ended, Helena was finally able to muster some offense as Elli Wilson scored on a corner kick in the 39th minute. Then, during stoppage time, Avery Kraft scored a goal, which got the Bengals within one and made her the all-time school leader for career goals (46) at Helena High (girls soccer).
The goal by Kraft also cut the Gallatin lead to 3-2 and it stayed that way for much of the second half until Collins, who scored five goals in the quarterfinal win for the Raptors, added her second, giving Gallatin all the insurance it would need to advance to the state championship match for the second straight year.
The Raptors will host the title game once again. Last season, they dropped the championship match to Billings West, but the Golden Bears were knocked out on Tuesday by Missoula Sentinel.
Helena finished as the No. 2 in the Western AA behind only Missoula Hellgate. They will finish 10-4-2 overall after advancing to the state semifinals for the third season in a row.
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2022-10-27T02:16:12Z
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helenair.com
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Helena girls soccer seasons ends with semifinal loss to Gallatin
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https://helenair.com/sports/soccer/helena-girls-soccer-seasons-ends-with-semifinal-loss-to-gallatin/article_f8246bdd-27c9-5dd3-981f-0f37fd80ac1b.html
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https://helenair.com/sports/soccer/helena-girls-soccer-seasons-ends-with-semifinal-loss-to-gallatin/article_f8246bdd-27c9-5dd3-981f-0f37fd80ac1b.html
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Last Chance New Play Fest showcases 11 new plays
Actors rehearse a scene from “Tango with Torment,” written by new playwright Lily Hoelscher, a theater major at Carroll College, that focuses “on an altered state of self.”
What does an artist do when her inspiration and creative passion disappear without warning?
Find out in “Tango with Torment,” a new one-act Short Cut play that’s part of this year’s Last Chance New Play Fest.
Eleven new, original productions will premiere at the festival by the Experimental Theatre Cooperative that runs 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 13, at Helena Avenue Theatre.
It’s an annual grassroots event, launched in 2015, that celebrates the works of local and regional playwrights. “We’re the longest continuous running (play) festival in the whole state,” said executive director Rebecca Ryland.
Now in its ninth year, one of the favorite features of the New Play Fest is the Montana Short Cuts, a series of 10-minute plays all written on the same theme.
This year’s theme is Altered State.
Each playwright has their own creative take on the topic.
“Tango with Torment,” written by new playwright Lily Hoelscher, a theater major at Carroll College, focuses “on an altered state of self.”
“What happens to an artist when something big happens?,” said Hoelscher. “Where does our creative fire come from? It’s an allegorical play about the struggles of an artist when a tragedy happens.”
Others saw Altered State as a spark for comedy.
“Bobby & Dale,” written and directed by Bruce Hall, is described as Bewitched: Spook House Shenanigans Baffle Bewildered Couple.
While Rebecca Ryland ‘s comedy “Beautiful Day,” has the tagline, Oh Roe is Me! “It takes place after a protest right after Roe was overturned by the Supreme Court.
Ross Peter Nelson’s “Sweet Dreams,” “is a comedy about a future … where potential screen writers don’t write scripts,” said Nelson. “They go in and are connected up to an AI that harvests their dreams.”
An oddly cheerful deposed King Lear is wandering the heath in Steve Palmer’s comedy, “Somewhere Before Act V.” Lear’s typically joyous fool is down in the dumps. Palmer likes to call this comedic take, “King Lear the Day After.”
The synopsis for Barry Stambaugh’s drama, “Pantomime,” reads – Row row row your boat through dementia. Merrily dunk dunk your Oreo in the milky way.
Actor rehearse a scene from “Fanny the Fox,” where a veterinarian and vet assistant are tested when a client shows up with an unusual case.
In Chantal Marie’s “Fanny the Fox,” a veterinarian and vet assistant are tested when a client shows up with an unusual case.
Two other projects join the Short Cuts. The first is a full-length comedy, “Charlotte,” by Ryland pitting senility, prejudice, and sex against a case of stolen diamonds. “It’s inspired by real events you can hardly believe are true,” said Ryland, “which goes to show truth is stranger than fiction.”
Actors rehearse a scene from “Charlotte,” which pits senility, prejudice, and sex against a case of stolen diamonds.
The other project, Indy One-Acts, includes three short works:
“The Rodeo Clown” (Steve Palmer, 30 min) – One man recounts his road to becoming a rodeo performer;
“Invisible Web” (Elucidance, 30 min) – An experimental combination of dance and improv addressing our connections to one another; and
“The Beepis Show” (various, 15 min) – Short travel and observation videos.
Hoelscher said that having her play accepted has been “a great affirming experience that I can write scripts.”
Some earlier writing efforts hadn’t gone well, and she’d never finished the scripts.
“I learned a lot about my writing style,” she said, and began thinking about what she as an actor would want to see in a script.
“It’s been a huge expansion of my own creative journey as an artist. It was an affirmation that this is something I do want to continue doing.
“I just feel extremely blessed to be here at this point,” she said.
And it’s playwrights like her that are one reason the new play fest was created in the first place.
But it’s also a chance to see new works by veteran actors and playwrights such as Bruce Hall, who joins the fest this year as writer and director of “Bobby & Dale.”
Hall started his acting career decades ago at Helena’s old Brewery Theater and went on to found the Brewery Follies, was artistic director of the Virginia City Players and composed and directed for Broadway and Off-Broadway.
The Play Fest has had to overcome plenty of challenges over the past few years – from dragging its theater equipment to various venues to set up to riding out the pandemic.
This year, Ryland’s play, “Charlotte,” lost three of its eight actors in recent weeks, but the play rebounded with Ryland stepping in to take a major role and the recruitment of a talented local actress, Rayna Cozzens.
“She’s marvelous,” said Ryland, adding that Cozzens studied acting at Montana State University, where she appeared in two plays. “She’s great!”
The festival, although still recovering from pandemic setbacks, has much to celebrate.
“We thought that last year’s Short Cut plays were the best quality they’ve ever been,” said Palmer, who is an associate producer of the festival along with Nelson. Ryland is its executive producer.
“We’ve been getting more and more submissions – almost twice as many as what was needed,” he added.
They’ve also had more directors step up than in previous years.
One reason people should see it, said Ross, is “there’s always something new. It’s not like you’re seeing the greatest hits of the last 400 years of theater – It’s what’s happening right now.”
Last Chance New Play Fest poster
Courtesy of Ross Peter Nelson
Tickets for individual performances are $18 (adult) or $15 (student/senior) and are available at the door or online. $30 Fest passes, which admit holders to any performance throughout the Fest, are also available. Tickets for the fest can be purchased online at https://buytickets.at/lcnpf. Performances are at the Helena Avenue Theatre, 1319 Helena Ave.
The fest is sponsored in part by a grant from the Montana Arts Council. Other sponsors include Mountain View Meadows, NorthWestern Energy and Opportunity Bank of Montana.
A list of all the projects, writers, and actors, along with the full schedule is at http://www.experimentaltheatrecoop.org/2022 or in the Fest Guide, available at the Fire Tower Coffee House.
Follow the Fest on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/helenaFringe.
For more information, visit ETC’s website at www.ExperimentalTheatreCoop.org.
Lily Hoelscher
What: Last Chance New Play Fest
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 13
Where: Helena Avenue Theatre, 1319 Helena Ave.
Cost: Individual performances: $18 (adult) or $15 (student/senior), $30 Fest passes
Contact: Tickets available at door or online: https://buytickets.at/lcnpf
Info: Full schedule: http://www.experimentaltheatrecoop.org/2022 or in the Fest Guide, available at the Fire Tower Coffee House
Facebook at www.facebook.com/helenaFringe and www.ExperimentalTheatreCoop.org
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2022-10-27T13:55:23Z
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helenair.com
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Last Chance New Play Fest showcases 11 new plays
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https://helenair.com/news/local/last-chance-new-play-fest-showcases-11-new-plays/article_8a4cf8a1-66fe-506b-92b9-da3e50f2c313.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/last-chance-new-play-fest-showcases-11-new-plays/article_8a4cf8a1-66fe-506b-92b9-da3e50f2c313.html
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Candace Payne brings knowledge, skills, experience
We’re pretty lucky in Lewis and Clark County and that’s why I’m voting for Candace Payne for county commissioner. Thanks to years of great management by our Board of County Commissioners and other elected officials, the issues facing voters this year don’t seem to be generating a great deal of angst on the street. Not to say there aren’t major challenges ahead of us, but because of steady hands at the helm, there’s a sense that the big issues — budgets, public health and safety, fire, land and water management, infrastructure maintenance, even the drug problems and homelessness — are being addressed reasonably and competently. We need that kind of leadership to continue. Candace Payne brings a level of knowledge, skills, experience and maturity that will afford a seamless transition. There are many reasons why Candace deserves your support, but it should tell you something when Candace received over 51% of the vote in an open, multi-candidate primary. The citizens of Lewis and Clark County know Candace Payne, they like Candace Payne, and they support Candace Payne for county commissioner. Join me and thousands of your friends and neighbors in voting for Candace Payne for county commissioner.
Lori Hamm,
Lori Hamm
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2022-10-27T13:55:48Z
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helenair.com
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Candace Payne brings knowledge, skills, experience
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/candace-payne-brings-knowledge-skills-experience/article_185dee95-ed42-59f0-8884-a27956d20e87.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/candace-payne-brings-knowledge-skills-experience/article_185dee95-ed42-59f0-8884-a27956d20e87.html
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Gary Buchanan is a person of integrity and principle
I am writing this letter to support Gary Buchanan as a candidate to represent the Eastern Congressional District in Congress. Gary is a person of integrity and principle. He will do an excellent job representing the interests of the citizens of Montana. It is essential that we vote for Gary Buchanan in order to defeat Rosendale. As part of that process, we need Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans to support Buchanan. Every vote that is cast for Penny Ronning is a vote that increases the likelihood that Buchanan will lose the election. For that reason, I encourage Montanans to vote for Gary Buchanan for Congress.
James Molloy,
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2022-10-27T13:55:54Z
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helenair.com
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Gary Buchanan is a person of integrity and principle
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/gary-buchanan-is-a-person-of-integrity-and-principle/article_c0e7d6ce-2646-50e2-a1ea-aece1ffc6f1e.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/gary-buchanan-is-a-person-of-integrity-and-principle/article_c0e7d6ce-2646-50e2-a1ea-aece1ffc6f1e.html
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Janet Ellis believes in privacy and women's rights
State Sen. Janet Ellis trusts women to make their own medical decisions in consultation with their doctors.
Last session, with her niece’s permission, Janet shared a heart-breaking story on the floor of the state Senate. After much trying, her niece had become joyfully pregnant. Then tests showed that the fetus she was carrying didn’t have a brain. To protect her own health, her niece sought and received an abortion. (She later was able to give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.)
Such situations are rarely talked about outside of a couple’s bedroom or a doctor’s office. And they shouldn’t have to be. However, Republicans like Janet’s opponent want to change our constitution to take away women’s right to privacy. If you believe in the right to privacy and the right of women to make their own health care decisions, then Janet Ellis deserves your vote. Please reelect Janet Ellis to represent State Senate District 41 this November.
Rebecca Stanfel,
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2022-10-27T13:56:00Z
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helenair.com
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Janet Ellis believes in privacy and women's rights
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/janet-ellis-believes-in-privacy-and-womens-rights/article_c0e3ba4c-3a6a-51e1-b30e-96b6e9107976.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/janet-ellis-believes-in-privacy-and-womens-rights/article_c0e3ba4c-3a6a-51e1-b30e-96b6e9107976.html
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Laura Smith the right pick for HD 79
During my time working for the people of Montana as lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and in the Legislature, I met few people who had that unique combination of experience, expertise and ability to forge practical solutions. My friend Laura Smith is one of those few, and I am proud to support her campaign for HD 79 in Montana's Legislature.
Laura is a changemaker in Montana. She began her career as a federal prosecutor, securing justice for victims of violent crime. She used those leadership skills as deputy director of Montana’s health department. Laura has two daughters. Threats to their rights have motivated her to step up to serve our state. Laura will fight for our rights under the Montana Constitution, stand with working families, and advocate for affordable housing/child care, well-funded public education, outdoor access for all and government accountability.
Laura is a part of the next generation of leaders in Montana. I hope you’ll join me in supporting her campaign for Legislature, because we need leaders like Laura working for us in the Legislature.
Mike Cooney,
Mike Cooney
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2022-10-27T13:56:06Z
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helenair.com
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Laura Smith the right pick for HD 79
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/laura-smith-the-right-pick-for-hd-79/article_77177dbd-11e1-533d-acd5-780ee927d667.html
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https://helenair.com/opinion/letters/laura-smith-the-right-pick-for-hd-79/article_77177dbd-11e1-533d-acd5-780ee927d667.html
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The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce surprised Kelly Cresswell, the director of Reach Higher Montana with the Boss of the Year Award Thursday at the Power Block Building.
The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce presented its Boss of the Year award along with flowers, wine and other goodies on Thursday morning to Cresswell.
“Well, you surprised me,” she stated as people clapped when she walked into the room. “Wow, thank you so much.”
Cresswell has been the executive director for about six and a half years now.
“I could not ask for a better team of people to get to work with, be with and dream with,” said Cresswell. “… It’s a great team environment, and I have so much respect for each and every one of them and what they do for students each and every day. It’s great work. It can be a lot of fun. It can be hard, and they show up everyday with a smile on their faces and do an amazing job.”
Cresswell puts herself and her team in the best position to follow Reach Higher Montana’s mission and vision of helping students pursue educational opportunities to achieve personal success not only academically but throughout life and their careers.
She embodies the nonprofit’s listed values on their website of respect, education, achievement, collaboration and hope.
“Graceful leadership is a word that was used over and over in the nomination packet that we received from Kelly’s staff at Reach Higher Montana, and I can’t agree more,” said Callie Aschim, president of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce. “As my staff and I read over her packet, we marveled at her creativity and leadership during COVID, her ability to keep a staff together during a difficult time and most of all, her generosity with leadership.”
Aschim stated that Cresswell’s impact goes beyond Reach Higher Montana. In 2017, Cresswell led a steering committee for the chamber that became the Helena Workforce Innovation Networks (WINS) initiative. This has become one of the chamber’s most successful initiatives to date. Its objective is to help employers in the area “attract, develop, and retain workforce talent,” according to the initiative’s website.
“... You treat us with dignity and respect, go above and beyond, create a fun and inviting work environment and all with a great sense of humor, so on behalf of myself and the staff, we thank you for all that you do for us each day,” said Ronda Safford, student services director at Reach Higher Montana. “We can not think of a more deserving boss than you.”
Kelly Cresswell
Callie Aschim
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2022-10-27T23:29:20Z
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helenair.com
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'Well you surprised me': Kelly Cresswell named Boss of the Year
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https://helenair.com/news/local/well-you-surprised-me-kelly-cresswell-named-boss-of-the-year/article_839f1067-28d5-5765-a498-d065a4a202e8.html
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https://helenair.com/news/local/well-you-surprised-me-kelly-cresswell-named-boss-of-the-year/article_839f1067-28d5-5765-a498-d065a4a202e8.html
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Sean Stibich, Port of Victoria executive director.
The Victoria County Navigation District announced plans for a regional logistics hub Tuesday.
Plans are under way to develop a Texas Logistics Center on over 2,000 acres at the Port of Victoria, according to a news release.
The development will be a business park with three points of access, said Sean Stibich, executive director at the Port of Victoria.
An ideal candidate would be looking for 50-200 acres for a parcel of land, Stibich said. Port officials are looking especially at companies that would invest about $50 million-$100 million to develop their terminals, warehouses and other logistic centers.
There will be three points of access to the logistics hub, which will be centrally located two hours from Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Access points are by road, rail and water.
The hub also has more than three miles of road infrastructure, and is less than eight miles from U.S. 59 and the future Interstate 69 corridor, allowing trucking operations to proceed out of it.
Finally, a rail expansion project will add the rail access. The first face will see the addition of more than 42,000 feet of track. Later phases will consist of storage tracks, transloading operations and connections to newer tenants.
Victoria Barge Canal
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2022-03-15T19:59:18Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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Port of Victoria to construct new business park | Premium | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/premium/port-of-victoria-to-construct-new-business-park/article_46a6e98a-a47f-11ec-be2d-eb4d7c231379.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/premium/port-of-victoria-to-construct-new-business-park/article_46a6e98a-a47f-11ec-be2d-eb4d7c231379.html
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UHV Head Coach Terry Puhl shares some remarks with the Jaguar players after Friday afternoon’s game against Wiley College on Feb. 18, 2022 at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
Howard Esse/ Special to the Advocate
UHV baseball coach Terry Puhl looks on from the third base box as his team bats against LSU-Shreveport on March 12.
UHV's head baseball coach Terry Puhl hits balls to outfielders during the team's first day of fall baseball practice at Riverside Stadium on Oct. 4, 2021.
UHV head baseball coach Terry Puhl looks on as his players bat in the cage prior to a doubleheader on Jan. 28, 2022 at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
UHV's Puhl to retire at end of season
UHV head baseball coach Terry Puhl will retire at the end of the season.
Puhl told his players of his decision during Tuesday’s practice at Riverside Stadium.
Puhl is in his 15th season at UHV, and has been the head coach since the program started in 2008.
He has an overall record of 318-339. The Jaguars will take an 8-12 record into Wednesday’s game against St. Edward’s in Austin.
Puhl played 15 seasons in the major leagues, most with the Houston Astros. He coached the Canadian Olympic team in the 2008 summer games.
Puhl has been inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.
He will be inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame on Aug. 13.
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2022-03-15T22:37:34Z
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UHV's Puhl to retire at end of season | Advosports | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/uhvs-puhl-to-retire-at-end-of-season/article_35053174-a42e-11ec-b33e-2f554a57236a.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/uhvs-puhl-to-retire-at-end-of-season/article_35053174-a42e-11ec-b33e-2f554a57236a.html
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Russell Cain
Guest column: Calhoun County – Port Lavaca 1900-1950
Russell Cain - Guest Column
I want to thank Bobby Joe Paul for providing me with information about Port Lavaca from 1896 to 1950. His parents, Johnny and Viva Paul, were the owners of The Port Lavaca Wave, and he is sharing the Centennial Edition with us.
Sometimes, it takes a former northerner to really expound the beauties and advantages of our climate and opportunities, and one of the most enthusiastic of those people is Jay Hubbard, owner and operator of the Mother Hubbard Courts.
In 1910, Mr. Hubbard came to Calhoun County, interested at that time in making his permanent home in a warmer climate. He had lived in Mankato, Minnesota, where he served in an official capacity for the Hubbard Milling Co. and the Hubbard and Palmer Co. After spending a number of years farming near Magnolia Beach, he later changed over into the stock raising business. In the winter of 1936, recognizing the urgent need in Port Lavaca for modern tourist courts, he built the Mother Hubbard Courts, sparing no expense in making them an outstanding attraction in the community.
Every cabin has hot and cold showers, comfortable beds, and some are equipped with kitchen privileges for the permanent guests. Much attention has been given to artistic landscaping of the grounds. The Mother Hubbard Tourist Courts truly offer their guests “a home away from home.”
In 1924, Mr. Hubbard purchased the B. D. Jackson place where he lives with his wife and two children. His son, Jay Jr., is at present away at school preparing himself to be a chemical engineer and his daughter, Mary Esther, attends the Port Lavaca High School. Both are popular members of the younger set here. Through Mr. Hubbard’s marriage on July 31, 1919, to Addie Caruthers he linked himself with one of the prominent old Texas families.
Allen Caruthers, Mrs. Hubbard’s grandfather, came to Texas in 1827 from Kentucky. He bought extensive ranch lands in DeWitt County and later received grants of land from the government for his services in the Battle of San Jacinto. An additional recognition of his outstanding services was made by the Centennial Commission of Texas when they erected a monument to his honor at the grave where he is laid to rest beside his wife who was Martha Burdette, of another old Texas family.
Jon Clark Caruthers, his son, and Mrs. Hubbard’s father, lives with the Hubbards and is the only living member of that family, bearing the Caruther’s name. His mother died in his infancy and when his father passed away, a brother of Gail Borden, the originator of condensed milk, was named as one of his guardians.
J.C. Caruthers came to Calhoun County in 1894 and farmed until 1912 when he retired. His wife was Sarah Jane Hamby, and they had lived in Austin from the time they were married in 1882 until 1894 when they moved to Calhoun County.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard have taken an active part in the social life of Port Lavaca. Mr. Hubbard, originally from an old New England family, also takes an active interest in the promotion of undertakings to benefit the business structure of his chosen town and community. He was the first president of the Port Lavaca School Board and continues to be a member of the Chamber of Commerce. His many years in Calhoun County have made him an ardent booster for this part of Texas.
In 1896, Port Lavaca Market Quotations, contributed by Irma Smith: Fish per pound $.04 5/8; turtle per pound $.03-.045; plover, per dozen $.75; prairie chicken each $.20. Buy from those who advertise in the Wave.
Irma’s Dress Shop building was on the Historical Registry, the Matagorda Island Lighthouse being the only other structure in Calhoun County with that designation.
Russell Cain has been a resident of Calhoun County for 67 years and a Realtor for 48 years. Watch for his future columns to appear here monthly.
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2022-03-15T22:38:10Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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Guest column: Calhoun County – Port Lavaca 1900-1950 | Opinion | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/opinion/guest-column-calhoun-county-port-lavaca-1900-1950/article_980d6e12-a460-11ec-97c3-abb0b38025ed.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/opinion/guest-column-calhoun-county-port-lavaca-1900-1950/article_980d6e12-a460-11ec-97c3-abb0b38025ed.html
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Construction is expected to begin Monday on frontage roads along U.S. 59, between U.S. 87 and SH 185, as well as provide for a turnaround at U.S. 87 and a turnaround bridge at SH 185.
The work is part of the Freeway Operation Improvements project in Victoria County.
This project will ultimately construct continuous one-way frontage roads.
Hunter Industries LTD of San Marcos was awarded the contract with a bid of $13,531,313.19.
Construction is expected to end in February. All dates are subject to permissible weather and may require adjustment.
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2022-03-16T01:04:13Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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Construction on U.S. 59 frontage roads to begin Monday | Local News | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/construction-on-u-s-59-frontage-roads-to-begin-monday/article_c5f757aa-a4a3-11ec-8051-e3f0d4169f8a.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/construction-on-u-s-59-frontage-roads-to-begin-monday/article_c5f757aa-a4a3-11ec-8051-e3f0d4169f8a.html
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Victoria has hundreds of vacant properties with some type of lien.
City Council members, from left, Jan Scott, Dr. Andrew Young, Rafael DeLaGarza III, Mark Loffgren and Josephine Soliz pose for a photo during a Jan. 7 site tour of the future Enchanted Gardens Apartments, 4601 N. Ben Jordan St.
From the City of Victoria's Communications Office
Faced with high housing costs and run-down vacant lots, the City of Victoria is proposing to kill two birds with one stone: Why not fill the lots with houses?
The City is partnering with the Victoria Housing Finance Corporation to create an infill housing program. Based on similar programs that have been successful in other cities, the program will aim to transfer vacant lots to residential builders who will build houses at reasonable prices that meet the requirements set forth by the program guidelines.
“Housing is a basic necessity that is becoming less and less affordable in Victoria and around the country,” said Assistant City Manager Mike Etienne, who has helped to manage infill housing programs in San Antonio and Virginia. “This program will allow more Victorians to become homeowners and will add more productive properties to our tax rolls, especially in older and more traditional neighborhoods.”
The City has no shortage of potential properties for the program. Victoria has hundreds of properties with some type of lien, usually because of unpaid fines due to code enforcement violations.
When a property owner can’t or won’t maintain a property, the cost of doing so falls to the City. Last fiscal year, the City spent $126,000 mowing and clearing debris on private properties and $99,500 demolishing dilapidated buildings. About 85% of that is recovered through billing, but many property owners leave their bills unpaid, resulting in a lien against the property.
That can lead to a cycle that harms the property owners, who might like to sell their unoccupied properties but are unable to do so, either because of the liens or because of problems with the property titles. With no clear path to ridding themselves of their unwanted properties, the property owners continue to rack up fines, and Victoria continues to be full of abandoned lots that are maintained at taxpayers’ expense.
One man’s vacant lot is another man’s development opportunity
Over the next couple of months, the City will identify vacant properties that are good candidates for the program and reach out to property owners to begin the process of acquiring the properties in exchange for forgiveness of outstanding liens. Because the program is operated through the nonprofit Victoria Housing Finance Corporation, residents who donate their properties will be eligible for a federal tax deduction.
In June, the City will solicit bids from builders to construct homes on the vacant properties. City officials hope to transfer 10 properties to builders during the first year of the program.
“In addition to helping residents become homeowners and helping lot owners who are burdened by overgrown lots, this program will create a better, cleaner Victoria,” said Councilman Rafael DeLaGarza III, who serves as the president of the Victoria Housing Finance Corporation. “Improving our city’s image will enhance livability and help with attracting businesses. This program is truly a win-win for everyone involved, and we hope to expand it in the future if the pilot is successful.”
The problem with home prices
As part of the bidding process, the City will require builders to price their homes within a limited profit margin in exchange for giving them the land or selling it at a reduced cost.
This is critical because rising home prices in Victoria and across the country have placed the average market price of a home outside of what many residents can afford. This problem has only been made worse by supply chain issues that have led to an increase in costs for building materials.
“We’re hoping to solicit builders and incentivize the construction of new homes using a forgivable lien for lot cost,” explained Development Services Director Julie Fulgham. “The City used this method when developing the Swan Crossing subdivision to help ensure that the new homes would be affordable.”
Unlike the Swan Crossing program, the infill housing program won’t require any investment from the City to extend streets or utilities to the new homes. This is because the new homes will be built on properties within existing neighborhoods.
As an additional incentive, the City will help the builders seek out homebuyers for the program. To be eligible, residents must make no more than 80% of Victoria’s median family income. To find out if you qualify, view the table at www.victoriatx.gov/cdbg.
City officials plan to provide some assistance with down payments and closing costs using community development block grant funds, which are federal funds that must be used for community development and elimination of poverty in qualifying census tracts.
Other program costs will be funded by the Victoria Housing Finance Corporation, which makes money on some of its projects through developer fees and bond issuance fees. The VHFC serves as a general partner in the Enchanted Gardens Apartments (currently under construction) and Odem Street Apartments. It was also a bond issuer for the Enchanted Gardens project.
The VHFC will receive about $500,000 from the Enchanted Gardens project this fall. Over the next 17 years, the projects are expected to earn about $5 million that will be used to develop housing for low- to moderate-income residents.
A many-sided approach
The infill housing program will give the City another tool to address the community’s affordable housing shortage, which is a serious problem that demands a many-sided approach, Etienne said.
During the past year, the Victoria Housing Finance Corporation partnered with two developers on the Enchanted Gardens Apartments and Odem Street Apartments, which will be reserved for low- to moderate-income residents. In addition, the City Council this year offered its support to five developers seeking state tax credits to build housing for low-income seniors.
Although multifamily projects are an effective source of affordable housing, City officials wanted to create a program that would help more residents become homeowners.
“Right now, our homeownership rate is 58%, which isn’t too bad, but it is below the state average,” Etienne said. “Homeownership is a way for families to build wealth, and it also helps to create a more stable community.”
The City will start seeking homebuyers for the program this summer, after lots are successfully acquired and builders are chosen. Interested residents can contact the City Manager’s Office at 361-485-3030 or swest@victoriatx.gov.
Construction on the new homes will begin in the fall, and the first homes will likely be ready for move-in next spring.
Infiill
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2022-03-16T01:04:19Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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New infill housing program seeks to turn abandoned lots into home sites | Local News | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/new-infill-housing-program-seeks-to-turn-abandoned-lots-into-home-sites/article_c5d1a76a-a4a5-11ec-8474-17fe56e98bb1.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/new-infill-housing-program-seeks-to-turn-abandoned-lots-into-home-sites/article_c5d1a76a-a4a5-11ec-8474-17fe56e98bb1.html
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UHV head baseball coach Terry Puhl announces his retirement Tuesday, at the end of the baseball season in Victoria at Riverside Stadium.
UHV head baseball coach Terry Puhl announces his retirement at the end of the 2022 season in front of his players at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
UHV’s Terry Puhl, left, announces his retirement at Riverside Stadium on Tuesday, in front of his team and UHV Athletic Director Ashley Walyuchow at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
UHV head baseball coach Terry Puhl explains to his players that he is retiring at the end of the current baseball season at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
UHV head baseball coach Terry Puhl explains the reasons behind his retirement to his players at Riverside Stadium on March 15, 2022.
UHV Athletic Director Ashley Walyuchow speaks to the players about the contributions Terry Puhl has made to the UHV’s Athletic Department at Puhl’s retirement announcement March 15, 2022 in Victoria.
Assistant baseball coach Doug Heinold was in attendance for Terry Puhl’s retirement announcement on March 15, 2022 at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
Terry Puhl (center) explains to his players some of the reasons why he decided to retire at the end of the current season at Riverside Stadium, March 15, 2022.
Mike Forman of the Victoria Advocate interviewed UHV’s head baseball coach Terry Puhl just after announcing his retirement March 15, 2022, in Victoria.
Terry Puhl chats with the media about retiring as the UHV’s only head baseball coach in their history, March 15, 2022, in Victoria.
UHV’s Terry Puhl announces his retirement at Riverside Stadium, March 15, 2022, in front of his team and UHV Athletic Director Ashley Walyuchow (right) at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
Terry Puhl spent 14 of his 15 years in the major league playing right field for the Houston Astros.
Puhl came a great distance from his home in Saskatchewan, Canada, in more ways than one.
“Getting to my position in right field for my whole career, the amount of running I did,” Puhl said. “We figured out at work one day that I ran from Houston almost to Saskatchewan and back to Houston.”
Puhl has traveled even more miles from his Sugar Land home since becoming the head baseball coach at UHV.
“I know I’ve gone through about seven cars,” Puhl said. “I’ve probably put on about 40,000 miles.”
Puhl’s travel schedule will get a lot lighter after his decision to retire as the Jaguars’ head coach at the end of the season.
Puhl, 66, told the players of his decision before Tuesday’s practice at Riverside Stadium.
“This is a decision that doesn’t come real quickly,” Puhl said. “Jackie (Puhl’s wife) and I have talked about it for a while and I’ve been extending it one year, one year, so it didn’t get extended this year.”
Puhl took over as head coach when the program started in 2008 and has compiled a 318-339 record. This year’s team will take an 8-12 record into Wednesday’s game against St. Edward’s in Austin.
“He has been the program,” said UHV athletic director Ash Walyuchow. “What a lot of people don’t realize is when he got here, he basically helped raise all the money to get athletics going. Without that, there is no athletics at UHV. He laid the foundation not just for baseball but for everything.”
Puhl was working as a registered investment advisor when Walyuchow and then UHV President Dick Phillips met with him in Houston about taking over the new program.
“We just kind of talked things through a little bit and before you know it, I think we had a deal,” Puhl said. “It was the fastest deal ever done because they could see my passion for baseball and it just seemed to work out well.”
Puhl admits he had to make some adjustments from his playing career, in which he hit .280 and was considered one of the best defensive outfielders in the game.
“I had to become a little more forgiving,” Puhl said. “At the beginning, I was just shaking my head sometimes. I probably got a little softer as the years have gone by. But occasionally when they make mental mistakes, I still air them out, but I’m a little kinder in the way I air them out.”
Pitching coach Doug Heinold has worked alongside Puhl through his tenure at UHV, and is amazed by his baseball knowledge.
“Even though I played a little bit of pro ball, he’s taught me a lot about the game,” Heinold said. “Me being a pitcher, I only knew so much. I’ve learned so much about the game. Being with Terry all these years has been awesome. I’ve learned so much from him not only on the field but off the field. He’s just a good person to be around.”
First baseman Zach Lee, an El Campo graduate, didn’t know about Puhl’s playing career until he transferred to UHV from Wharton County Junior College for the 2021 season. Lee appreciates the professional approach Puhl takes with his players.
“He’s a super, great coach to play for,” Lee said. “He really allows for each person to strive to be their best. He allows us to find out what kind of player we truly are on our own. He really allows us to get our work in and come in and do what we feel we need to do to be better every day.”
The Jaguars have not had the success on the field in recent seasons as Puhl’s first team, which went 29-5, but Walyuchow has seen improvements in other areas.
“There’s been a lot of highlights and obviously some low points, but above all, he is a pure gentleman,” Walyuchow said. “He’s taught these guys not only about baseball, but about life as well.
“That’s one of the more important strides made,” he continued. “The last couple of years we’ve had one of the best GPAs the program’s ever had and more kids on the Dean’s List and President’s List. These kids are getting in the classroom as well and that’s as important as anything at this level.”
Walyuchow said Puhl will assist him in the search for a new coach, and reassured the players that their spot on the team was secure.
Puhl is concentrating on the rest of the season, and making sure the Jaguars qualify for the Red River Athletic Conference tournament.
“We’ve got to solidify the pitching to start with,” he said. “We need to stabilize the pitching. The guys who have been throwing out of the bullpen have been doing a good job for an inning or two, but then we get beat up and we can’t have that.”
Terry Puhl Timeline
1973 Signed by Houston Astros as an amateur free agent out of Saskatchewan, Canada
1977 Made major league debut with Houston Astros
1978 Named to National League All-Star team
1991 Signed with Kansas City Royals
1991 Retired from professional baseball
1994 Inducted into Saskatchewan Hall of Fame
1995 Inducted into Canadian Hall of Fame
2006 Inducted into Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
2008 Named head coach of UHV's first baseball team
2008 Coached Team Canada in the Beijing Summer Olympic Games
2022 Retires as UHV head baseball coach
2022 Inducted into Houston Astros Hall of Fame
Ash Walyuchow
Doug Heinold
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2022-03-16T01:04:31Z
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Puhl to retire as UHV coach at end of season | Premium | victoriaadvocate.com
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The UIL released its realignment for spring sports Tuesday and the biggest changes for Victoria East and Victoria West will come in swimming and diving and wrestling.
The UIL has added a Class 4A in swimming and diving, and as a result West and East will move into District 29-5A with the Corpus Christi ISD schools, Gregory-Portland and Flour Bluff.
El Campo, Bay City, Palacios and Van Vleck moved to District 12-4A, Wharton will be in District 11-4A, and Hallettsville will be in District 14-4A.
Victoria East and Victoria West will be in a wrestling district that stretches into the Rio Grande Valley.
The Warriors and Titans will compete against Beeville, the Corpus Christi ISD schools, Donna, Donna North, Edcouch-Elsa, Edinburg Vela, Harlingen South and Weslaco East.
The baseball and softball districts for East and West remained the same with the Corpus Christi ISD schools, Flour Bluff and Gregory-Portland.
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2022-03-16T03:14:42Z
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UIL releases spring realignment | Advosports | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/uil-releases-spring-realignment/article_71b32812-a4c2-11ec-8cc4-87723ef49962.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/uil-releases-spring-realignment/article_71b32812-a4c2-11ec-8cc4-87723ef49962.html
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Tiffany Johnson, Victoria College's adult education director, discusses education opportunities now available at Victoria County Jail at Tuesday morning's partnership meeting.
Inmates at Victoria County Jail will have the opportunity to earn their GED certificate as part of anew program available to them.
The program is part of a partnership between Victoria College and Victoria County Jail, Victoria College President Jennifer Kent said.
The partnership will provide inmates classes to help them earn their GED certificate and learn new skills. Tiffany Johnson, the college’s adult education director, discussed the project in detail at Tuesday morning’s partnership meeting, organized by the Victoria Economic Development Corporation.
Victoria County Sheriff Justin Marr said he worked at the jail when a previous education program was in place and was excited to see it return.
“There’s not much positive about a jail setting alone,” Marr said. “This may be one of the very few programs that you can have some kind of positive change on a person that’s in there.”
The optional program is expected to begin classes in April, Johnson said.
The classes will prepare inmates to take their GED exam, Johnson said, which is a more involved and difficult than many people realize.
“The GED is a tough test all the way up through geometry, calculus and statistics on the math side,” she said. “You’re writing arguments. You’re analyzing readings. It’s a high level assessment, and it takes a lot of preparation.”
The Texas Workforce Commission will fund the GED exams, so there will be no cost to the jail or the inmates, Johnson said.
“Hopefully we can provide an off ramp for these folks who are continuing to return back to jail,” Kent said. “You want them to have a way to earn a family-sustaining wage so they’ll be better, productive citizens of our county.
There will also be a reentry program called Challenge to Change, Johnson said. The focus of this program is career exploration.
“What are the jobs that we need to fill here in our area?” she said. “How can you get the training you need to be able to successfully serve and be a good employee? We focus on job skills and workplace readiness because sometimes those skills are not just innate.”
Victoria County Jail
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2022-03-16T03:15:06Z
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Education services now on offer at Victoria County Jail | Premium | victoriaadvocate.com
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It was as high end as Wal-Mart store No. 17 had to offer.
The eight-track player had ruled most of my high school years, but cassettes were smaller and you could carry more of them in your car.
The late 1970s and early 80s were a unique time for how music was delivered to the public. In addition to eight-tracks, reel-to-reel tapes, and cassettes, artists’ new work also was still put out on vinyl, which included the now lost craft of album art and liner notes. I would voraciously read each new issue, which allowed me to explain who wrote the songs and played which instruments when I introduced them to friends.
It contained "Don’t Stop Believin’" and "Open Arms."
The album cover featured a flamingo in water, which conjured images that fit perfectly with the single, 'Sailing." Cross launched the musical genre of Yacht Rock.
The 1980s had dawned, but the '70s were still with us in many ways. And one way was the music.
There’s not much on TV in the middle of the night, so I often browse the random offerings of YouTube. One video that recently appeared was a 1980 clip of Christopher Cross playing "Ride Like The Wind" and "Sailing" live on The Midnight Special.
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2022-03-16T20:58:45Z
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Syndicated column: Christopher Cross roads | Opinion | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/opinion/syndicated-column-christopher-cross-roads/article_a70b8e3c-a54e-11ec-98c5-c77843633c7d.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/opinion/syndicated-column-christopher-cross-roads/article_a70b8e3c-a54e-11ec-98c5-c77843633c7d.html
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Moulton’s Mackenzie Berger, center, committed to play basketball at Concordia University Texas in Austin. Joining her at Wednesday’s ceremony were her mother Denise, left, and father Darren.
Moulton's Mackenzie Berger drives into the lane during a Class 1A area round playoff game against Nueces Canyon at Poteet High School.
MOULTON — It’s hard for Moulton senior Mackenzie Berger to remember a time she didn’t want to play basketball.
From the time she was in third grade, just starting Little Dribblers, she recalls an immediate passion for the game.
That passion has grown into a school-record 1,656 career points and consecutive District 30-1A MVP honors for Berger.
Berger took the next step in her career on Wednesday at the Moulton gym with a commitment ceremony to Concordia University of Texas, a Division III school in Austin.
The ceremony was held in front of the entire student body, according to Principal Jamie Dornak.
“This achievement is the greatest thing I could possibly feel,” Berger said. “Just knowing next year I’m going to be playing with the best of the best is a great feeling.”
Moulton coach Craig Barta has only coached Berger the last two years, but has seen her work ethic all the way back to her seventh and eighth grade years.
He feels that will lift Berger to the goals she sets for her college career.
“This is what she’s always wanted to do,” Barta said. “She gets to keep her career going as long as she wants to. I have no doubt she’ll be successful because she likes playing so much.”
The point guard was able to lead Moulton to the area round the last two seasons, and featured on the Kittens’ regional semifinal team in 2020.
She earned Advocate Newcomer of the Year honors in 2020, and first team honors in 2021.
“She’s in the gym all the time. She’s playing against the boys when there’s no girls to play,” Barta said. “She just really loves the sport. It’s easy to work with somebody that likes playing so much.”
Berger was first contacted by the Tornados in March 2021 to invite her to their summer basketball camp.
She was almost immediately convinced Concordia would be her next home.
“Just going there, I was so excited,” Berger said. “The coaches were just so supportive and recognized how good I was in the game. That moment, I knew that was my next home.”
Concordia went 9-17 overall in 2021-22 and 7-13 in American Southwest Conference play, losing to East Texas Baptist University in the opening round of the conference tournament.
Berger is ready to put in extra work to become the best player possible for the Tornados.
“I’m hoping to do great,” Berger said. “I’m going to put in extra hours of work, early nights and just keep doing what I am now. I’m going to advance my game as much as I can.”
Mackenzie Berger
Jamie Dornak
Craig Barta
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2022-03-17T00:22:20Z
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Moulton's Berger set to play for Concordia University Texas | Advosports | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/moultons-berger-set-to-play-for-concordia-university-texas/article_0a361796-a56a-11ec-8234-73aba7a2c970.html
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Enrollment for VISD summer camps begins March 28
Enrollment for VISD’s Summer Academic and Enrichment Camps opens at 7 a.m. March 28.
The campuses chosen to host summer camps are Chandler, Dudley, O’Connor, and Shields elementary schools.
As part of the Texas Education Agency’s Additional Days School Year initiative, VISD’s Office of Strategic Planning and School Improvement is offering its “Launch into an Amazing Summer” academic and enrichment camp.
Camp will be offered from June 8 through July 13, with breakfast offered at 8 a.m. and instruction from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students will receive three hours of reading and math instruction and three hours of enrichment instruction with a pathway focus aimed at exposing students to possible &’s they’ll want to pursue as they grow through VISD.
The summer camps are at no cost to parents and are available to all VISD elementary students.
Transportation will be provided for those who qualify.
To enroll your student, visit www.visd.net/summercamp, and follow the directions on the page.
Seats are limited, so acceptance into the summer camps will be determined on a first-come, first-serve basis. Only current VISD elementary students are eligible.
Enrollment will close at 11:45 a.m. April 1.
For questions regarding summer camp enrollment, email Patti Rowland at patricia.rowland@visd.net or call 361-788-2890.
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2022-03-17T00:22:44Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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Enrollment for VISD summer camps begins March 28 | Local News | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/enrollment-for-visd-summer-camps-begins-march-28/article_2af92722-a4a5-11ec-bb3e-a71d8b6719a3.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/enrollment-for-visd-summer-camps-begins-march-28/article_2af92722-a4a5-11ec-bb3e-a71d8b6719a3.html
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Victoria Generals’ Austin Ochoa keeps his eyes on the batter during a game against Acadiana Cane Cutters at Riverside Stadium.
Victoria Generals’ Adam Becker, right, prepares to catch the ball before Acadiana Cane Cutters’ Jerrett McDonald can slide back to first base during a TCL semifinal playoff game at Riverside Stadium.
Refugio grad Austin Ochoa highlights a group of four returning signings for the Victoria Generals, the team announced on Wednesday.
Ochoa, who plays at UTSA, returns to the Generals along with Adam Becker, Brad Burckel and Kamron Snodgrass.
The former Bobcat hit .256 with 32 hits, four doubles, a home run and 12 RBIs in 37 games for the Generals last year. He is in his second year at UTSA.
Snodgrass, a sophomore pitcher at Wharton Junior College, was an All-Texas Collegiate League selection a year ago, throwing 24 innings, allowed 15 hits, six earned runs, 27 strikeouts, while compiling a 3-1 record with one save and a team leading ERA of 2.25.
Becker, a junior at West Texas A&M, hit .282 with 29 hits, five doubles, three home runs, 23 RBI’s, 10 walks in 27 games with the Generals.
Burckel, a redshirt junior at McNeese State, hit .292 with seven hits, a double, a home run, four RBIs and six walks in seven games before an injury ended his summer.
The Generals open their 14th season on May 31 when they host the Seguin River Monsters.
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2022-03-17T03:17:06Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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Refugio grad Ochoa returning to Generals this summer | Advosports | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/refugio-grad-ochoa-returning-to-generals-this-summer/article_82e75a7c-a58f-11ec-a314-07111230f25f.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/refugio-grad-ochoa-returning-to-generals-this-summer/article_82e75a7c-a58f-11ec-a314-07111230f25f.html
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UHV's Max Schliesing tees off on the first hole at the Victoria Country Club to begin the final day of the Claud Jacobs Invitational.
LONGVIEW — The ninth-ranked UHV mens golf team won the Pinecrest Invitational tournament held at Pinecrest Country Club March 14-15.
UHV shot a three-round total of 892 to edge out Tyler Junior College by 25 strokes.
Max Schliesing shot rounds of 70, 72 and 77 to win the tournament by three strokes over teammate Carson Caylor.
It’s Schliesing’s second win of the spring season after winning the San Antonio Shootout hosted by Our Lady of the Lake University in February. Caylor’s second-place finish is a season-best for the Urbandale, Iowa, native.
Will Patton finished tied for fourth with Tyler Junior College’s Adam Hawthorn at 226.
Jacob Flores (231) finished in a three-way tie for sixth place.
Mia Lerma powered the UHV women to a second place finish out of three teams.
The junior from Mission shot rounds of 82 and 85 to finish fourth overall.
Jenna Alvarado finished tied for sixth with rounds of 89 and 83.
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2022-03-17T03:17:30Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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UHV men win Pinecrest Invitational | Advosports | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/uhv-men-win-pinecrest-invitational/article_ee544efc-a588-11ec-b651-bb35cc408557.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/advosports/uhv-men-win-pinecrest-invitational/article_ee544efc-a588-11ec-b651-bb35cc408557.html
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The Goliad County Fair and Rodeo will get into full swing Thursday with livestock judging and continue through Sunday with the pro-rodeo performances.
All events, except for the fair parade, will be at the county fairgrounds.
Broiler and junior commercial heifers will be first to be judged at 1 p.m., followed by turkeys, then rabbits. Swine judging at 7 p.m. will round out the day.
The homemaking division will also be judged Thursday. It will be open to the public from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday.
Also Friday, lambs will be judged at 9 a.m., followed by goats. Steer judging will be at 1 p.m.
Pee Wee goat judging will be at 10 a.m. followed by the Extra Special Livestock show at 11:30 a.m.
Saturday will have annual fair parade in downtown Goliad at 1:30 a.m., and washer and horseshoe tournaments.
The annual Sale of Champions/Blue Ribbon Food Auction will begin at 1 p.m.
The petting zoo will be open from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the old homemaking building.
The carnival will be open from 5-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Arm bands are $20 each presale and $25 at the carnival.
The Stace Smith Pro Rodeos will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
In addition to the professional cowboys, the rodeo will feature nightly mutton bustin’ for the young children. The older children can compete Friday night in the greased pig scramble or Saturday in the calf scramble.
At the end of the rodeo will be a performance by Cowboy Kenny’s Steel Specialty Act featuring motocross and stunts, said Tylar Dick, rodeo chairperson.
Admission to the rodeo is $15 presale and $20 at the gate Friday and Saturday and $10 presale and $15 at the gate Sunday. Tickets are available at High Brehm in Victoria, Goliad Chamber of Commerce, Goliad Agriculture Extension Office and Ag Med and Supply In Goliad.
A street dance with music by Shane and Renee Total Entertainment will be immediately following the rodeo Friday and Saturday nights. Admission is free.
Goliad County Fair
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2022-03-17T03:17:36Z
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Goliad Fair and Rodeo on tap this week | Counties | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/counties/goliad-fair-and-rodeo-on-tap-this-week/article_d7bd60f0-a58f-11ec-9739-c345000a543d.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/counties/goliad-fair-and-rodeo-on-tap-this-week/article_d7bd60f0-a58f-11ec-9739-c345000a543d.html
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Fossati's anniversary
Fossati’s Delicatessen, 302 S. Main St., will celebrate its 140th anniversary Saturday.
The day will include proclamations, live music, free anniversary cake and free prizes.
The band, Love Me Last, will perform from noon to 3 p.m. The Barbershop Chorus, which is making a comeback from the pandemic, will perform from 6:30-8:30.p.m.
At 1 p.m. Mayor Pro Tem Josephine Soliz will read a proclamation issued by Mayor Jeff Bauknight..Congressman Michael Cloud is scheduled to be there, as well, said Susan Darshad
family board treasurer.
John Fossati, president of the family business, and Gloria Fossati Borreca, 85, the chairman of the family board, will also speak.
Free anniversary cake will be served. The cake is made from a Fossati family member’s cake recipe, Darshad said..
Throughout the day drawings will be held for T-shirts, old fashion diner mugs and gift cards.
Fossati’s is the oldest delicatessen in Texas and is registered in the National Registry of Historic Places.
It was established in 1882 as a saloon. The ban on alcohol threatened to close the saloon down, so John Fossati’s great-grandfather, Frank Fossati, transformed the saloon into a restaurant that served sandwiches made with imported meats and cheeses.
The fourth generation of the family is involved in the business today.
Fossati's
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2022-03-17T03:17:48Z
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Fossati's to celebrate 140th anniversary | Business | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/business/fossatis-to-celebrate-140th-anniversary/article_af7838e0-a58a-11ec-971b-1793e712a35b.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/business/fossatis-to-celebrate-140th-anniversary/article_af7838e0-a58a-11ec-971b-1793e712a35b.html
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Anthony Brawley eats his lunch Monday at Christ’s Kitchen.
Cindy Roberts helps pack up lunches Monday at Christ’s Kitchen.
Davis Villarreal helps bag up lunches Monday at Christ’s Kitchen.
Jennifer Garza portions the food Monday at Christ’s Kitchen.
A box of water lies on a table Monday at Christ’s Kitchen.
Mackie Thompson talks about his experiences Monday at Christ’s Kitchen.
For generations, Christ’s Kitchen has been a staple of the Queen City neighborhood of Victoria, but for the past two years, the ability for the kitchen to help the community has been limited to drive-throughs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, as Christ’s Kitchen approaches its 37th anniversary on March 18, the kitchen will soon reopen to inside dining to the Queen City and the Victoria community on April 18, after discussions with the city of possibly moving Christ’s Kitchen out of the community were put to rest.
Since March 17, 2020, around the time states across the country began issuing stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Christ’s Kitchen has served 356,000 meals to the community, over five times the population of Victoria and three times the population of the county.
However, much of the work Christ’s Kitchen does beyond feeding the community, such as helping build people up and getting them back on their feet through helping them get access to resources, building a sense of community and just generally being there for people in need, has been limited from not having inside dining, said Trish Hastings, Christ’s Kitchen’s executive director.
“It pulls in the lost sheep for the shepherd,” said Sadie Swannegan, 58, a volunteer at Christ’s Kitchen in referencing to the kitchen and having a dining space for people.
Swannegan has been on both sides of the fence. She’s been homeless while suffering from addiction, and she now gives back the kindness she received as a volunteer at the kitchen.
“With the kitchen being open, it gives people hope, and it builds their character back up,” Swannegan said. “I know when I was there, sometimes you just get lost in that world and just don’t know how to build your way back up and find someone to trust, as well. The kitchen offers a lot of that.”
Since becoming a volunteer at the kitchen, she sees those who need help and has been a shoulder to cry on and has even helped prevent people from taking their lives just by being there for them, she said.
Much like many of the Christ’s Kitchen community during COVID-19, Davis Villarreal, 60, who has been going to the kitchen since it opened 37 years ago and volunteers his time there, felt isolated before the kitchen came to exist.
“I came here struggling, not being able to take care of myself,” Villarreal said. “A lot of it had to do with being isolated, being homeless and not being able to talk to other people. Coming here I was able to get with other people who were in the same situation as I was.”
Villarreal said the kitchen created an environment where he and others could understand what they were all going through in a place free of judgement.
“I’ve got my own place, paying my own bills. I go to church now, I do volunteer work here every single day,” Villarreal said. “The only time I don’t come is when it rains.”
Villarreal was homeless for a year, and in his experience those who come to Christ’s Kitchen usually come out and do well, he said.
“I know if they see me doing better, it’s got to affect somebody to want to do better, too,” Villarreal said, referencing he uses a wheelchair. “I’m disabled, and I’m able to make it, so I don’t see why nobody else doesn’t try as hard as I do.”
The Queen City area of Victoria, where Christ’s Kitchen is located, has endured generational poverty, and that’s not something that’s easy to escape, Hastings said.
With the pandemic the last two years, members of the community have become increasingly isolated, and the kitchen hasn’t been able to be as connected where it was where everyone knew what was going on and could help, Hastings said.
The pandemic has made that community comradery more difficult, Hastings said.
The City of Victoria is hoping to revitalize the Queen City area and was looking at helping Christ’s Kitchen move with American Rescue Plan act funds. The funds would have been used to facilitate a move closer to the Salvation Army, where they would be closer to those they help, said Mike Etienne, Victoria assistant city manager.
“The logic was essentially to look at ways to help and assist Christ’s Kitchen in delivering their service,” Etienne said.
Issues heard from the Queen City community regarding Christ’s Kitchen being in the area included traffic from the drive-through that would back up to Navarro Street, loitering in the area and general concerns of quality of life declining in the Queen City neighborhood, Etienne said.
Queen City is becoming increasingly impoverished, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau, Etienne said.
“Really, the entire ecosystem of the neighborhood needs to be improved,” Etienne said, noting the city needs to find ways to bring more socioeconomic diversity to the area while trying to keep the culture intact and avoid gentrification. “Christ’s Kitchen is a key player in that effort.”
The Christ’s Kitchen board declined the city’s request to move in February and wants to be part of the effort to revitalize the community, Hastings said.
The kitchen holds bible studies, has hosted National Night Out and block parties and worked to form a neighborhood watch before the pandemic as a way of connecting and serving the community, she said. That hasn’t been able to happen because of the pandemic the last two years.
“We want to be part of the solution with Christ’s Kitchen in Queen City,” Hastings said.
Regardless of whether the kitchen moves or not, city officials will work with the organization in order help revitalize the neighborhood around Christ’s Kitchen, Etienne said.
The kitchen will restore more lives inside this building, said Mackie Thompson, 54, a volunteer and diner at Christ’s Kitchen.
“You always know where home is with this place here,” Thompson said.
Mackie Thompson
Saddie Swannegan
Davis Villarreal
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2022-03-17T03:17:54Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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Christ's Kitchen to return to inside dining | Premium | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/premium/christs-kitchen-to-return-to-inside-dining/article_ef717516-a4c6-11ec-a1e0-77ce5bbefb86.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/premium/christs-kitchen-to-return-to-inside-dining/article_ef717516-a4c6-11ec-a1e0-77ce5bbefb86.html
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As for Wilson's new home: "I want to win three to four more Super Bowls. That's the plan, that's the goal, that's the mission, that's the vision," he said.
"We hope to get this organization to the point where we're not relying on free agency as much," Jags general manager Trent Baalke said. "We're relying on our drafts and giving second contracts to those guys."
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2022-03-17T03:18:06Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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Von Miller leaves LA for Buffalo as free agency begins | | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/von-miller-leaves-la-for-buffalo-as-free-agency-begins/article_6d0f5dc6-a58f-11ec-a265-3bbcfc337762.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/von-miller-leaves-la-for-buffalo-as-free-agency-begins/article_6d0f5dc6-a58f-11ec-a265-3bbcfc337762.html
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Kay Johnson holds up a copy of “Willie & Lee,” a book written by Neeka Jones Rhodes.
Neeka Jones Rhodes’ father William Jones, third on the left, is seen in an old photograph.
Her hands shook slightly and her brown eyes seemed distant as Neeka Jones Rhodes, 90, took a mental walk in the past to talk about her father.
Her skin was a beautiful translucent color and her hair a cloud of white gloss. She had a quiet strength about her that was unmistakable, despite the hospital bed and the machines that surrounded her.
Fifty years ago, those very same hands, wrote a poignant story of her father, William "Willie" Crane Jones and his brother Lee Jones as they navigated the hard plains of Texas in Cherokee County with little to their name but their family, land, and their willingness to work it.
The short novella, only 45 pages, gives warnings of the peril that was alive and well in that day and age and the guts it took to survive. Miraculously, Rhodes' father lived to tell his tale of strength and determination and what it meant to have a sibling, like his brother, at his side.
And it taught his daughter, lessons of life she would otherwise never have known, she said.
You see, her father fell ill with infantile paralysis, which is now known as polio, in 1894, at the age of 8. With the help of his brother, Jones did not let this slow him down. The story, recounted by Rhodes, tells how he turned what could have been a disadvantage, with polio leaving him damaged for life, into one that gave him a strength, not just outwardly, but inwardly, as he never gave up on living life on life’s terms.
Rhodes had a love for telling her two children, their children, and their friends tall, but mostly, true stories of her family, her past, and of her sometimes wild imagination. Storytelling was one of her favorite pastimes.
But there was one that always stood out to Rhodes’ niece, Peggy Jones. It was the story of Rhodes' father Willie Jones.
“I showed the story to a contact I had made in the world of publishing,” said Jones. “They loved it and even asked if there were more so they could make a series out of it.”
“I just stressed how important it was to get it published quickly so Neeka could hold it in her hands. That was my primary goal.”
The tears in her aunt’s eyes was all the gratitude Jones needed to make her efforts worthwhile as Rhodes, her father, and her uncle leave a legacy for all to read.
Polio was initially ‘found’ in 1789, but the first outbreak in the United States occurred over a century later in 1894, ironically, the very same year Willie Jones was struck with polio, according to UTA Libraries website.
Even now, polio has no known cure though vaccines have eradicated it in the western hemisphere. Even COVID-19 has shown its effects on the world's efforts to eradicate polio.
According to a recent report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 37 countries reported 44 outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus from January 2020 through June 2021.
According to an article in Healio, the outbreaks resulted in 1,335 paralyzed children. COVID-19 pandemic ‘could be quite damaging’ to efforts to end polio and other diseases, according to the article.
Not only did Willie Jones survive, he flourished with his eight siblings - four sisters and four brothers. He eventually went to Rusk College to be an accountant and his brother Lee went on to be a teacher. They lived a block from each other and remained close until Lee died of a stroke.
Willie Jones and his wife, Nora Roberts, had four children, Mary Sue, Gilbert Arnold, who died at the age of 4r from scarlet fever, and Neeka.
You could still tell, at the age of 90, that Rhodes had lived her life the way she always wanted, without fear and with courage, like her father.
Family members, daughter Danna Baker, 68, a registered nurse, and her niece, Rhodes was always writing stories, both as a child and as an adult. She could be constantly seen with a pencil in her hand and a notepad in her lap, jotting down stories to be told later, or sometimes, not at all.
"Neeka was my inspiration to go into journalism. I even later co-wrote a small series of true crime stories, 'The Evil I Have Seen',” Jones said. "I didn’t have Neeka’s way with the written word, but my penchant for storytelling and making a career in journalism as a newscaster at KTXS-TV, definitely came from my aunt."
And, although Rhodes moved to Victoria when she was 4, she visited Cherokee County often. She met Marie Whitehead, the owner of the local newspaper, the Cherokeean Herald, and wrote several interesting, historical articles and columns from 1993-2006, about area activities and what it was like growing up in the country.
Though Rhodes was born in Cherokee County, but lived most of her life in Victoria, her heart will always be home, deep in the woods of Cherokee County.
"Willie and Lee"
Available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon
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2022-03-17T22:03:13Z
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www.victoriaadvocate.com
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A Strong Man’s Daughter | Local News | victoriaadvocate.com
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/a-strong-man-s-daughter/article_8d544b86-a57c-11ec-9a58-07532f198d67.html
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https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/a-strong-man-s-daughter/article_8d544b86-a57c-11ec-9a58-07532f198d67.html
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