Last Best Blog

This is the weblog page of Last Best News. Here you will find some news, perhaps, but also lots of commentary, opinion and satire. Just so you know.

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Recent Posts

Panel to discuss ‘Civility in America’

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“Civility in America,” a panel discussion with two professors, a journalist and a minister, is the next entry in the Billings Public Library’s Civil Conversation Series. The topic comes on Election Day for the U.S. House seat vacated by Ryan Zinke that will be filled either by Republican Greg Gianforte, Democrat Rob Quist or Libertarian Mark Wicks. Gianforte and Quist have bombarded the airwaves with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ads, many of them conveying negative messages about the other candidate. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Billings Public Library, Jolane Flanigan, Mike Mulberry, Samuel Boerboom

On the way out, a Lee publisher blasts the home office

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Rush

In my Prairie Lights column this Sunday, I wrote about the same-day endorsements of U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte in three Montana daily newspapers, all of them owned by Lee Enterprises. I said that in my many years with Lee I had never seen any “overt attempts at corporate dictation, or even of political collusion among several Lee papers.” I hope it was clear that my reference to corporate dictation referred only to matters of political endorsements and such. In other matters—those that most closely affect readers—there was never-ending corporate control, and apparently it’s only getting worse. In a remarkable good-bye column published Friday, Chris Rush announced to readers of The World, a Lee-owned newspaper in Coos Bay, Ore., that he was stepping down as publisher. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Chris Rush, Lee Enterprises, Mike Gulledge, The World

VICE reports on Whitefish ‘troll storm’

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Tanya Gersh

“VICE News Tonight” has produced an eight-minute segment on the mess up in Whitefish, where a local real estate agent became the target of “troll storm” by white nationalists. We reported last month how the South Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of Tanya Gersh, who was subjected to a “repulsive, threatening campaign of anti-Semitic harassment” directed by Andrew Anglin, proprietor of the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website. Its own story on the lawsuit was headlined, “The Daily Stormer is being sued by Jewish terrorists. In order to survive, we need shekels.” The VICE report, with you can watch on YouTube, doesn’t add much to the story, but it includes some good interviews with Gersh, who continues to be harassed, and whose phone is still full of vile, obscene attacks on her and her Jewish heritage. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Andrew Anglin, Tanya Gersh, Vice, Whitefish

Tester, Daines disagree on firing

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Jon Tester

Montana’s U.S. senators disagreed Tuesday night on the firing of FBI Director James Comey. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said in a statement: “No one is above being held accountable, not even the President of the United States. The FBI has a long history of playing a critical role in investigating matters of national security. I am deeply concerned that this decision will result in an abandonment of the FBI’s ongoing efforts and it underscores the urgent need for an independent investigation.” Tester in February called for an independent investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Donald Trump, Greg Gianforte, James Comey, Jon Tester, Rob Quist, Steve Daines

State’s dino attractions saw visitor surge in 2016

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The Montana Department of Commerce is reporting that dinosaurs continue to be a big draw in Montana. According to a press release from the department’s Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development, the Montana Dinosaur Trail reported hosting a combined total of 333,151 visitors in 2016, an increase of 15 percent compared to 2015. More than one third of the visitors were from out of state. “People have been fascinated with dinosaurs for generations,” said Trail Coordinator Victor Bjornberg. “Montana is fortunate to be one of few places where important dinosaur discoveries have been and are being made. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Diversions, Last Best Blog, Montana Department of Commerce, Montana Dinosaur Trail

Legislative Update: Wednesday, April 26

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Eric

Infrastructure-funding bill tweaked
By Cole Grant
The House Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday to revive and tighten up a bill that would borrow money to pay for some infrastructure projects, like improvements to parks and public schools. Senate Bill 367, carried by Sen. Eric Moore, R-Miles City, originally authorized for bonding up to $98 million, but that was whittled down to around $80 million. Among other things, the new amendments cut a little less than half of the funding for the quality-schools grant program. That would fund things like building repairs and fire system upgrades for public schools throughout the state. Rep. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, whose infrastructure bill failed earlier this month, supported the bill. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Montana Legislature

Legislative Update: Tuesday, April 25

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JC

Legislature passes compromise bill on ‘Real ID’
By Freddy Monares
The Legislature passed a bill Tuesday that offers a compromise on the 2005 federal “Real ID Act,” which standardizes state identification cards. At the end of this year, a Montana driver’s license would not meet the federal standards to be used for air travel or access to federal facilities. Senate Bill 366 would give Montanans the option of paying a fee for a special license that complies with the federal guidelines. The bill was amended in a free conference committee to draw funds from a state special revenue account and borrow money for implementation. Some of the borrowing could be pushed back if the state receives an extension from the federal government to comply. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Montana Legislature

Dates set for 2 House candidate Facebook town halls

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Forward Montana is still waiting to hear from Greg Gianforte, but the other two candidates for the state’s sole U.S. House seat have scheduled Facebook Live town halls. As we reported earlier this month, Forward Montana has teamed up with Last Best News and the Missoula Independent to sponsor the town halls. Democratic candidate Rob Quist and Libertarian candidate Mark Wicks will be featured in hour-long town halls moderated by Alex Sakariassen of the Missoula Independent, who will be asking questions submitted by readers. Some questions have been submitted already, but we could use some more, so please go to https://goo.gl/forms/Y3CN9ZJXPVhf66zm1 and submit yours. Forward Montana, a youth-advocacy group whose slogan is “Not right, not left, but forward,” has not yet been able to schedule a town hall with Gianforte, the Republican candidate for the House seat vacated by Ryan Zinke when he became secretary of the Interior. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Forward Montana, Greg Gianforte, Mark Wicks, Missoula Independent, Rob Quist, U.S. House

Legislative Update: Monday, April 24

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TR

Senate rejects changes to political practices bill
By Freddy Monares
The Senate rejected amendments to a bill Monday that would require the now-independent commissioner of political practices to report to the state’s attorney general and issue warnings to candidates before fining them for not complying with campaign laws. Senate Bill 368 would increase the money candidates could raise, but when the House passed it last week, it also added the amendments the Senate rejected Monday. Sen. Tom Richmond, R-Billings,is the sponsor of the bill. Richmond especially opposed the amendment about the shift of supervision. “Which I think is a matter of policy that we didn’t choose to go down that path,” Richmond said. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Montana Legislature

Legislative Update: Friday, April 21

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Budget bill on the way to governor
By Cole Grant
It’s been a long, hard trek, but the $10.3 billion Montana state budget is now on its way to Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s desk. Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, chairs the House Appropriations Committee and is sponsoring House Bill 2. She said the budget cuts as deeply as it could without impacting essential services like education, healthcare and corrections. “Now, some say we didn’t spend enough, others are saying we didn’t cut enough,” she said. Bullock said he thinks there have been constructive conversations with both Democrats and Republicans about how to make a budget that funds essential services, doesn’t spend more than it brings in, “and leaves me with a degree of flexibility so I’m not picking up the pieces and calling them back into session.”

Bullock now has 10 days to review the bill. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Montana Legislature