Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/author/edkemmick/page/37/)
A Washington, D.C., watchdog group filed suit Monday against Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, over her failure to produce public records the group asked for more than a year ago. The lawsuit, filed by the Campaign for Accountability in District Court in Helena, also names the Montana Legislative Services Division and asks the court to order Fielder and the state agency to release the public records in question. (more…) Continue Reading →
The first time I can recall thinking overtly about politics would have been during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. I don’t remember any talk of politics in our house, but I somehow knew (or, more likely, connected the dots later) that my father, being a working-stiff union man, was a Democrat. (more…) Continue Reading →
The ACLU of Montana’s new indigenous justice outreach coordinator was the main speaker at a forum in Billings Thursday night, but it was a couple from Pryor whose chilling story captivated those in attendance. Meg Singer, a member of the Navajo Nation who earned a degree in Native American studies from Montana State University Bozeman, was hired for the new American Civil Liberties Union position last September. (more…) Continue Reading →
Lisa Marie Hyslop has been an adjudicator at the Montana State Thespian Festival for five years, her husband for two. During this year’s festival, held over the weekend at the University of Montana in Missoula, they saw something they won’t soon forget. (more…) Continue Reading →
A Bozeman legislator is proposing a relatively simple fix for what he says is one problem caused by Montana’s complicated system of quotas on liquor licenses. House Bill 412, introduced on Tuesday by Republican Rep. Bruce Grubbs, would allow municipalities, by a vote of their city or town councils, to set their own quotas. (more…) Continue Reading →
An editorial in today’s Billings Gazette—in the print edition anyway; the online version for some reason is dated Feb. 3—made some good points about a bad bill. As originally introduced, House Bill 236 would have made it explicit that jail booking photos—mugshots—are public information. Current law is not quite so clear, with the result that some law enforcement agencies have refused to release mugshots. The bill was introduced by Rep. Frank Garner, a Kalispell Republican and former police chief, and it had the support of the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police. Continue Reading →
Lisa Harmon says there is no intrigue attached to her decision to step down as director of the Downtown Billings Alliance. “No scandal, no crisis,” she said. Just math. “I’m in my 50s and I’ve probably only got one career move left,” she said. (more…) Continue Reading →
I won’t come right out and blame the current occupant of the White House, but a phenomenon already indelibly associated with his presidency has caused me to make an important decision about the future of Last Best News. At least temporarily, and perhaps forever, we will not be running any more fake news. I say this with a heavy heart because April Fool’s Day is just six weeks away, and photographer John Warner and I had already been talking about ideas for this year’s spoof. (more…) Continue Reading →
A celebration of the Golden Rule—treat others as you would like them to treat you—was held Thursday evening on the front steps of First Congregational Church in downtown Billings. Representatives of various faiths and cultures shared readings that reflected the Golden Rule, or touched on the importance of acceptance, tolerance and love. (more…) Continue Reading →
Some people who drove to downtown Billings for shopping or entertainment in the wake of December’s big snowstorms may have discovered a new and occasionally perilous form of exercise. Once they parked their cars, they either had to walk to the end of the block on icy streets or climb over a steep berm of snow to access the parking meters. That wasn’t a situation that made downtown merchants or downtown shoppers very happy. (more…) Continue Reading →
