Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/author/edkemmick/page/19/)
On my first visit to Philadelphia last week, I was overwhelmed by history. I gawked at the Liberty Bell, stood in the hall where the founders created the Constitution, admired the house where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and even stumbled upon a little Jewish cemetery where the honored dead included the man whose ship brought the Liberty Bell to America. (more…) Continue Reading →
PHILADELPHIA — Though it’s doubtful many people here know it, key components of a major public arts project in Philadelphia were made in Montana. The project, “Fireflies,” by the Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, consists of hundreds of handmade Chinese lanterns on display aboard a fleet of pedicabs that have been plying the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Parkway since mid-September. (more…) Continue Reading →
Sara Hollenbeck owes a lot to Mr. Totes MaGoats. He was the little orange goat that her husband, Henry Hollenbeck, bought for $5 and jokingly gave to her as a first-anniversary present. (more…) Continue Reading →
For years, Haley Vannatta wanted to start some kind of philanthropic or charitable program she could sponsor as the publisher of Yellowstone Valley Woman magazine. She talked about different ideas with Julie Koerber, editor of the magazine, and with her husband and business partner, Jeremy Vannatta, “but nothing ever seemed to fit,” she said. (more…) Continue Reading →
After almost 40 years in the newspaper business, I am used to being criticized for what I write. But I have to admit to being caught off guard by the people who thought my recent story on the voting habits of Billings City Council and mayoral candidates was somehow unfair, or even unnecessary. (more…) Continue Reading →
Enrollment is up at Montana State University Billings this fall semester. MSUB announced Wednesday that as of its official 15th class-day count, 4,401 students are enrolled, up slightly from the headcount of 4,366 students in fall 2016. Of the 4,401 students, 2,830 are at University Campus and 1,571 are at City College. (more…) Continue Reading →
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the voting record of George Blackard, a City Council candidate in Ward 4, who was inadvertently left out of the original story. Among the 12 people running for Billings City Council and the mayor’s office this year, three have perfect voting records, casting ballots in every election as far back as electronic records stretch. (more…) Continue Reading →
During Sean Kernan’s second visit to the Crow Indian Reservation, after he had decided to make a documentary about the Crow people, he was asked by a tribal member what he wanted to say with his film. “I don’t want to say anything,” Kernan answered. “I want to listen.” (more…) Continue Reading →
The Billings City Council heard a brief update Monday night from the president of the company that has taken the lead on a proposal to build a multimillion-dollar project in downtown Billings —which could be larger than originally planned. Bob Dunn, president of the Hammes Co., didn’t have much new information to share Monday, but he did say the partners involved in the One Big Sky Center would have a “concept development plan” done in November. The council previously set a Dec. 11 deadline for completing a development agreement between the city and the developers. (more…) Continue Reading →
My uncle had a lot of books in his library, but the one book I was drawn to every time we visited his house contained a collection of photographs of World War II. It was a large, heavy book, so I usually placed it on the floor and lay in front of it, propped up on my elbows. I would slowly page through it, looking at pictures as vivid in my mind now as they were on the page then: (more…) Continue Reading →
