Ed Kemmick

Ed Kemmick has been a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist since 1980. Except for four years in his home state of Minnesota, he has spent his entire journalism career in Montana, working in Missoula, Anaconda, Butte and Billings. "The Big Sky, By and By," a collection of some of his newspaper stories and columns, plus a few essays and one short story, was published in 2011.

Recent Posts

Well, that car is definitely stopped

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Wreck

I’m afraid I don’t have any actual news on this, but I thought the photo was interesting enough on its own. I mean, whatever else the driver may have done wrong, he or she did stop, right? This was at Seventh Street West and Cook Avenue about 4:30 p.m. Monday. The strange thing is, I had been driving past the area around Eighth and Cook half an hour earlier and saw a firetruck and police car with lights flashing. There appeared to have been two cars involved in an accident there, and a woman was being taken away on a gurney. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Billings Gazette, Billings Police Department, Car wrecks

Prairie Lights: Brain surgeon stands up to Egyptologists

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Carson

I see where all the pointy-headed commentators are making fun of Dr. Ben Carson, the Republican presidential candidate, for asserting that the ancient Egyptian pyramids were built by Joseph, last name unknown. Carson, citing references in the Bible, has said that Joseph, known for his coat of multiple hues, built the pyramids to store grain. The pointy-heads say this can’t be true because there are something like 130 pyramids, built over a period of at least 1,000 years. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Prairie Lights, Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, Joseph, Methuselah, Pyramids

MoAv partners aim to build new coffee culture in Billings

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MoAv

Don’t get Matt Pipinich talking about coffee. No, actually, do. He’ll talk about coffee in a way you’ve never heard, most likely, touching on the science and craft of roasting and brewing and how coffee should be served and consumed. He might veer off to talk about synergy and community-building and the importance of relationships. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Billings, Culture, Adam Selzner, Billings Depot, Carlin Martini Bar, Jeff Hosa, Jennifer Mercer, Joel and Peggy Gargaro

Refinery fix-it man’s ingenuity took him around the world

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Bateman

It was apparent early on that Jim Bateman was no ordinary boy. Just a week into kindergarten in Lawrence Park, Penn., his teacher sent a note home to his mother, who was also a teacher. His mother was told that she apparently had taught her son everything his teacher hoped to impart in kindergarten. He was being recommended for immediate transfer to first grade. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Billings, Conoco, ExxonMobil, Jim Bateman, MIT, P.R. Gorham, Pear Harbor, Silver Gate

Keep it local: Lessons from Livingston on ending hunger

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Tour

LIVINGSTON—Michael McCormick brought a long career in corporate marketing to his post-retirement job as director of the Livingston Food Resource Center, which used to operate as a simple food pantry. It didn’t take him long to determine that the old model—raise money, buy food, hand it out, repeat—didn’t make any sense. He turned to his background to find a new model, one that is heavy on business, on training and promoting economic development. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Montana, News, Brandi Stevenson, Claire Oakley, Elle Ross, Livingston Food Resource Center, Maia Dickerson, Michael McCormick

Billings list: Recalling the crucified cat, or not

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Jason

I’m not that big a fan of lists … unless they’re actually good, and this one, “14 Signs That You Grew Up in Billings MT,” is pretty good. It is the work of Justin Hutchinson, local radio guy, photographer, party-goer, etc., who pointed out a couple of days ago that his post about Billings was “going around again,” this time on BuzzFeed. The post, which I didn’t see on any previous go-rounds, begins with this promising statement: “You remember the first time you heard about the crucified cat.” I’m happy to say I never heard of the poor crucified cat, but I was well aware of the Father’s Day tornado, the Dollar Theater, Snowbird and my favorite, “Speed Limits Are Suggestions.” Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Billings, BuzzFeed, Dollar Theater, Jason Hutchinson, Snowbird

Montana Quarterly publishes ‘best-of’ collection

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Here’s something I should have brought to your attention a bit earlier. But better late than never. The Montana Quarterly, the Livingston-based magazine that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, has published a book of collected pieces under the title, “Montana, Warts and All,” which also happens to be the magazine’s motto. Here’s the official blurb for the book: “Elegant. Literate. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Alan Kesselheim, Craig Lancaster, Jeff Hull, Jeff Welsch, John Clayton, Montana Quarterly, Scott McMillion

Prairie Lights: Clip file inflicts stab wounds from past

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Mug

It’s a good thing I kept a clip file of everything I wrote in my newspaper career. If I hadn’t cut out every story and pasted it into a spiral notebook, I never would have remembered that the Sons of Norway, Ryvingen Lodge 136, had planned to meet at the home of Burton Colwell, at Spring Hill west of Anaconda, on the first Sunday of August 1979. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Prairie Lights, Anaconda, Joe Maciag, John Melcher, Montana Standard

SCRAP Billings opens reuse store on South 29th Street

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Entry

A “creative reuse” store just south of the tracks in downtown Billings is open for business. The opening comes a bit later than expected, but also unexpected was the flood of donations and offers of help. “It has been so well received,” said Tammy Zemliska, director of the SCRAP Billings store at 21 S. 29th St. “People have been so excited once they realize their stuff doesn’t have to end up in the landfill.” (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Billings, Culture, ArtWalk, Christmas Stroll, Montana Rescue Mission, SCRAP USA, Tammy Zemliska

‘Dark money’ discussion, thankfully, includes solutions

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Bender

Three experts on the role of money in politics painted a dire picture of American democracy at a forum in Billings Thursday night. But they also offered up some fairly simple solutions to the problems posed by “dark money”—the kind that now flows by the tens of millions from anonymous sources to influence politicians and shape public policy. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Montana, Alan Simpson, Anthony Johnstone, Billings Public Library, Citizens United, Edwin Bender, Federal Election Commission, Royal Johnson