Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/page/54/)
I was planning to ride off into the sunset today, but if I may appropriate an observation by Benjamin Franklin, it looks as though I might be heading in the direction of the rising sun.
In the week since I announced that Last Best News would cease publication today, I have heard so many expressions of interest in reviving it in some shape or form, with or without my continued involvement, that it appears likely that this independent online newspaper will live on.
This Labor Day, I join many Montanans in thanking our hardworking firefighters, law enforcement and other emergency responders who fight this summer’s exceptionally intense, destructive wildfires. One way to express gratitude is to make sure Montana laws protect those who protect us. Continue Reading →
A Montana Supreme Court ruling will send back to District Court a lawsuit filed against the city of Billings by a group of current and retired city police officers.
The ruling came down Monday, just shy of a year after the city was dinged for more than $2.7 million in back pay, fines and legal fees. The suit was filed in 2009 by 27 police officers, who said the city had incorrectly calculated their longevity pay, going back as far as 1994. Continue Reading →
Political races tend to get nastier as campaigns wear on, but the race for Billings mayor only seems to get more amicable. Continue Reading →
Having lost in District Court and now at the Montana Supreme Court, former state Sen. Art Wittich has appealed again to the court of public opinion, airing the same old grievances and portraying his lawless self as the victim of a dastardly conspiracy.
Before the start of his trial on charges of breaking campaign finance laws, Wittich said then-Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl, who filed the charges, had no case. Continue Reading →
High Plains Architects has been awarded LEED Platinum certification for the Urban Frontier House, the personal residence of firm founders Randy and Janna Hafer.
The house, designed to be totally off the grid, is located at 702 N. 23rd St. It includes self-contained, self-sustaining systems for energy, water, and wastewater, including photovoltaic panels, rainwater collection, DC lighting, composting toilets, a wind turbine and an indoor garden room. Renewable and reclaimed materials are featured prominently throughout the house. Continue Reading →
Another Montana politician accused of illegally accepting campaign contributions from corporations has admitted his guilt and agreed to pay a fine.
Pat M. Wagman signed a settlement agreement in which he agreed to pay a civil fine of $19,599 by Oct. 1, and to pay $100 a day for every day after that if the fine is not paid in full. Wagman signed the settlement on Aug. 8 and it was signed Friday by state Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Magnan. Continue Reading →
Driving home from witnessing the total solar eclipse in Casper, Wyo., on Monday, I saw my chance to take a backroad-drive I’d been thinking about for months.
When I went down to Wyola last spring, to write a story about the school there (it ran first in the Montana Quarterly, then on Last Best News), I brought along my trusty DeLorme Montana Atlas & Gazetteer, 2013 edition. Continue Reading →
Organizers of Richard Dreyfest V are calling the event a big success, and they are already laying plans for Dreyfest VI.
“All in all, we were really stoked about how it turned out,” said musician and writer Phillip Griffin, one of the main organizers of the punk-inspired music and arts festival. “The event got off without any major hitches, which was something of a surprise because no one in this year’s organizational core had done it before.” Continue Reading →
If you’ve been wanting more information on the people running for municipal office in Billings this fall, you’re in luck. Several organizations are sponsoring a series of forums for City Council and mayoral candidates, set for this weekend in a variety of city parks, and Community Seven Television is airing a series of 30-minute interviews with all the candidates. A primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12, and the top two candidates in each race will proceed to the General Election on Nov. 7. Continue Reading →
The Montana Supreme Court has denied former state Sen. Art Wittich’s four-part appeal of his conviction on charges of violating Montana’s campaign finance laws.
Justice Beth Baker said in the 42-page opinion that the high court affirmed all of the District Court judge’s rulings in the case, and it found that former state Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl did nothing illegal in filing the action against Wittich in District Court. Continue Reading →
