Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/category/prairie-lights/page/18/)
The good, responsible citizens of Billings begged and pleaded with their City Council not to approve it, warning that a “yes” vote would lead to lawsuits, and to no end of trouble in bathrooms and changing rooms all over the city. I refer, of course, to the ordinance allowing the keeping of backyard chickens, approved by the City Council in August 2012. (more…) Continue Reading →
Just three months ago, the Billings City Council voted down a nondiscrimination ordinance that would have expanded civil rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The vote came at 3 a.m., following a very long meeting. Later that day, Councilman Brent Cromley, who supported the NDO, said the setback would not halt the steady progress being made on LGBT rights. (more…) Continue Reading →
For the record, I’m not sure it’s a good idea to prohibit Montana legislators from caucusing in private. I’m all for the public’s right to know, for making public documents available to the public, for making sure public bodies conduct their business in public. But caucuses? Traditionally those have been strategy-setting sessions involving members of a political party. Making caucuses public is like allowing the defense to sit in on the offense’s huddle. Continue Reading →
I said two weeks ago that there was always something on an election ballot that made me feel good about voting. This year, there were two things in particular: voting against the legislative referendum that would have ended Election Day voter registration and voting for state Supreme Court Justice Mike Wheat. (more…) Continue Reading →
I come before you today to admit that I am a lawbreaker. Since our family acquired our first dog about 15 years ago, I would estimate that I have broken the local ordinance prohibiting dogs in city parks at least 300 times. I could have broken it that many times in Pioneer Park alone. (more…) Continue Reading →
In almost every election there is something on the ballot I feel good about voting for or against, something to balance my cynical distaste for politics. A few years ago it was the chance to vote for our beautiful new library. When I pass it now I can say to myself, “I built that,” and it’s kind of true, in a way. In other elections, during the time I was covering the City Council, I could for vote for an incumbent I knew from experience to be a good public servant—or against one I knew to be an annoying jackass. (more…) Continue Reading →
Just about a month ago, a frequent correspondent wrote to express his surprise that so many people had commented on a Billings Gazette article about yoga pants. He was writing the day the Gazette ran the first story about a student at Skyview High who was organizing protests against the school’s new dress code. (more…) Continue Reading →
If it’s any consolation to Sen. John Walsh, I didn’t get my degree, either. Walsh was stripped of his master’s degree from the U.S. Army War College on Friday because he plagiarized portions of his final paper in 2007. At least he still has his bachelor’s degree, presumably. (more…) Continue Reading →
October is domestic violence awareness month, but it already seems to have been domestic violence awareness year. There has been an outpouring of stories on the subject since football player Ray Rice’s brutal assault of his then-fiancee Janay Palmer early last month was captured on videotape. (more…) Continue Reading →
I have this sneaking suspicion that a lot of wolf-haters deliberately say outrageous things solely in hopes of provoking reasonable people to anger, and therefore should be ignored. That’s what the rational part of me says. But I find it hard to be rational when my blood’s boiling, as it was last week when I read about the Missoula “man,” as he was described in news stories, who bragged on Facebook about deliberately hitting two wolves with his van. (more…) Continue Reading →
