Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/category/news/page/46/)
Billings Police Chief Rich St. John and longtime activist Eran Thompson agree on one thing: Billings needs more cops. They both see true community policing, which gives cops a chance to interact in a meaningful way with the people they serve, as the best way to close the divisions separating communities and police departments across the country. And good community policing takes more cops on the street than Billings has. (more…) Continue Reading →
An ongoing dispute has led to clashes between county commissioners and County Auditor Debby Hernandez, who says commissioners have stripped her office of funding needed to do her job properly. The result, she said, is that large revenue accounts go unaudited, which could hurt taxpayers. (more…) Continue Reading →
Ryan Eakin’s presence permeates the family home near Baxendale a few miles west of Helena. A large, framed pastel-and-charcoal portrait of a bison that he drew adorns a living room wall. Old traps, which Ryan painstakingly cleaned using vinegar, hang from the fireplace mantel. A photograph of him at 9 years old, posing with the mountain goat that he hunted with his father, is at the base of the stairway. In the corner rests a wooden walking stick Ryan carved—not to use, but to keep his hands busy. Continue Reading →
Walking up to his new house a few blocks from downtown Billings, Randy Hafer apologizes for the tall weeds in the dirt surrounding the home. “The focus has not been on the outside of the house,” he says. That’s understandable. On the inside, the house is so advanced that there is nothing like it in Montana, and not many like it in the whole country. (more…) Continue Reading →
In an age of acronyms there are a couple that really are lifesavers. CPR for one, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. And AED for another, or automated external defibrillator. Together they save thousands of lives each year. They could save more if more people had them where they could be used and if more people knew when and how to use them. (more…) Continue Reading →
Homesteader Days may not be what it used to be, but the changes aren’t all bad. Live concert performances by Blackhawk and Aaron Tippin kick off the annual celebration this weekend at Homesteader Park between Huntley and Worden. (more…) Continue Reading →
Bill Fleiner, a former Lewis and Clark County undersheriff, is accused of embezzling more than $34,000 from three federal agency programs during his tenure as Broadwater County’s Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator in 2012. According to documents filed in U.S. District Court, a grand jury has charged Fleiner with three counts of theft from a local government receiving federal funding. If convicted, Fleiner could be sent to prison for up to 10 years and fined up to $250,000. (more…) Continue Reading →
The Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council is partnering with Art House Cinema & Pub to present a Food Film Festival on three Tuesday evenings this month. The tagline for the festival is “Films about how what we eat matters for people and the planet.” The festival is part of the larger Community Food Campaign sponsored by the Northern Plains Resource Council, of which the YVCC is an affiliate. (more…) Continue Reading →
Supporters of public lands who filled a room at the Crowne Plaza on Wednesday were warned not to ignore rural people who feel threatened by federal land ownership. “I’m very concerned about what I see in this country right now,” said John Sepulvado of Oregon Public Broadcasting. Unless people listen to each other, he warned, controversy over the transfer of federal lands to state management will continue to fester. (more…) Continue Reading →
The numbers haven’s been finalized and won’t be until the end of the month. But it’s safe to say that AniMeals has received the miracle it was looking for. Karyn Moltzen, founder and executive director of AniMeals, said Tuesday that volunteers from around the world came to the organization’s rescue, helping it raise the $60,000 needed to pay off debt and keep the no-kill shelter open. (more…) Continue Reading →
