Billings

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After Maria batters Puerto Rico, family reunited in Billings

Morales

Wanda Morales’ parents, Edgar Morales and Ana Alequin, were already planning to move back to Montana eventually, to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They recently made the move, but in a way that nobody was expecting. Instead of a well-planned transfer made after all their affairs were in order, they left their native Puerto Rico in a hurry, flying to Montana in the aftermath of a hurricane that has left their homeland, two months after the fact, in a humanitarian crisis. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Speaker sketches history of Latinos in U.S., Montana

Center

Don’t blame Bridget Kevane if her talk on “Latino America, Latino Montana” was a little short on details. Kevane, associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Letters and Science at Montana State University, addressed her very broad topic in just over an hour Thursday as part of the High Noon lecture series at the Western Heritage Center in downtown Billings. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Corrections names new warden for Women’s Prison

Jennie Hansen

HELENA–Montana Department of Corrections has named a new warden for the Montana Women’s Prison in Billings. Department Director Reginald D. Michael announced Thursday that Jennie Hansen, the eastern region bureau chief for the Probation and Parole Division, will be the new warden. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Billings soccer clubs merge, big changes in the works

Bakas

Big changes are sweeping the Billings soccer community. Just a few months after Magic City Soccer hired Kyle Bakas, as its first-ever full-time executive director, Magic City merged with Edge Soccer Academy to form a new organization, Billings United Soccer Club. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Longtime family business, Chalet Market, changes hands

Johnson

The Chalet Market on 24th Street West, a deli and gift shop known for its large selection of made-in-Montana products and holiday gift baskets, has changed hands after 36 years. Dean and Callie Cromwell are retiring from the business that Dean’s family started in 1981, having sold it to another couple, Ryan and Julie Johnson. (more…) Continue Reading →

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‘Doubt’ makes persuasive theater opener

Nothing evokes the hazards of theatrical entrepreneurship like introducing the company’s first season with a play called “Doubt.”

But the Yellowstone Repertory Theatre’s maiden production quickly removed all doubt about the quality of its work, if not the sustainability of its venture. “Doubt: A Parable” was performed superbly and suggests high promise for the season to follow. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Energy-market expert to address NPRC annual meeting

Colbdert

In a few short years, Tyson Slocum says, advances in the efficiency of power-storage batteries will have reached the point of making renewable energy “grid-comparable.” That means the cost of installing and maintaining a small-scale energy generation and storage systems will be on par with the costs of buying energy from a utility company. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Cole wins decisive victory in Billings mayoral race

Coles

Bill Cole won a decisive victory in his campaign to be Billings’ next mayor on Tuesday, winning 17,588 votes to Jeff Essmann’s 9,905. In final, unofficial results Tuesday night, Mike Yakawich and Shaun Brown held onto their City Council seats in Wards 1 and 5, respectively, while Frank Ewalt won in Ward 2, Denise Joy in Ward 3 and Penny Ronning in Ward 4, all by wide margins. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Civic duty deadline fast approaching: Election today

Election

We’re not saying that anyone reading Last Best News hasn’t voted in the Billings city election yet, but not quite half of the voters who received mail-in ballots had returned them as of Monday. The Yellowstone County Elections Office sent ballots to 54,436 voters in this election, and as of the end of the day Monday, 26,793 had been returned, for voter turnout so far of 49.2 percent. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Rudeboys food truck owner moves into Log Cabin Bakery

The Boys

Barely a month after the storied Log Cabin Bakery closed down, Rudeboys food truck operator Matt Melvin has moved in. His food truck, which included a mobile bakery, was comparatively large and well-designed, but in the old Log Cabin building at 2401 Second Ave. N., he’ll have 5,000 square feet between the basement and the ground floor, out of which he intends to operate a wholesale bakery, with a retail shop and cafe up front. (more…) Continue Reading →

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