Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/author/edkemmick/page/69/)
I can’t bring myself to criticize the officials in Los Angeles who decided to cancel school last Tuesday in response to a terrorist threat received by email. People were already jittery in the wake of the killings in nearby San Bernardino, so the authenticity of the threat had to be weighed against some very real fears and some daunting responsibilities. (more…) Continue Reading →
In the classroom, Billings Senior High science teacher Craig Beals knows how to get his students’ attention. Things that go boom are always popular, and you really can’t go wrong with fire. This Monday, Beals will see if he can capture the interest of nationwide television viewers with a show featuring some of those same attractants, only on a much bigger scale. (more…) Continue Reading →
So many rumors have been flying about the future of Harper & Madison, a popular café and bakery on the edge of downtown Billings, that owner Joanie Swords thought it was time to spill the beans. But about those rumors: “The biggest one is that we’re closing,” she said. “I also heard I sold it. But no one knows who I sold it to, and I haven’t seen a check.” (more…) Continue Reading →
Finally, some good news from Lee Enterprises. In the midst of stories about layoffs, cutbacks, consolidated “design centers,” smaller papers and higher prices, we learn that there is enough money floating around Lee to upgrade the top executives’ parachutes from golden to platinum. In truth, I don’t know how big the upgrades are, and I suppose it is even within the realm of possibility that the rewards for these folks have been reduced. But that would run counter to every single action taken by the company’s board of directors in the last 15 years. Here’s what we do know: Jim Romenesko, the mostly retired media blogger, reported last week that under an SEC filing dated Dec. Continue Reading →
Chan Romero is pleased with a new double-album (yes, vinyl!) compilation of early Montana rock ‘n’ roll. Romero has the first song on “Long Time Comin’—Lost Sounds from the Treasure State,” a 27-song collection painstakingly assembled by Dave Martens, a 32-year-old Havre resident. The album covers the period 1958-1969 and features bands from across the state. (more…) Continue Reading →
A program that uses horses to help heal injured military veterans is getting closer to forming the partnerships it needs to start taking in large numbers of veterans. But even in the limited number of sessions it has offered veterans in its first year, the Horses Spirits Healing program at the Intermountain Equestrian Center north of Billings has seen some gratifying results. (more…) Continue Reading →
When my youngest daughter was in junior high or high school, I said something to her about a major episode of World War II. I was surprised that she hadn’t heard of it. “They never taught us about the war,” she said. “All we heard about was the Holocaust.” (more…) Continue Reading →
Friends and family gathered last week to celebrate the life of David Barnett, whose two great loves were music and the outdoors. The former leader of the Billings Symphony Chorale died of a sudden heart attack on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26. (more…) Continue Reading →
When I was a boy, back in the pioneer days, our family would drive around looking at Christmas lights with absolutely no help from anyone else. Nobody printed maps of good displays in those days, and when we attempted to consult the Internet, it was only to be reminded that it hadn’t been invented yet. People today have it so easy! Just look at this “Christmas Light Spectacular” map, created for Bridge Creek Dental and offered up to you, the reading public, at no charge. It’s not terribly easy to read, I know, but you can go to the Bridge Creek Dental website and download the map to take with you on your excursion. Continue Reading →
Three big projects are underway on the 2600 block of Minnesota Avenue. Steve and Joni Harman, who own every building on the north side of that block, have converted a portion of what used to be an automobile showroom into Steve’s new law office, with a second-story space that could be either an apartment or another office. (more…) Continue Reading →
