By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief
Well, it appears as if the State of Montana has a new governor’s mansion, which is really old. And, the older governor’s mansion, which is technically newer, but not the original governor’s mansion, continues to fall into disrepair. Meanwhile, Alani Bankhead who is running as a Democrat for U.S. Senate, channels her inner Jeannette Rankin and decides to get nasty. Meanwhile, Lincoln residents want the state Land Board’s help to create a parcel of land for shooting sports, one of the state’s most popular pastimes, but elected leaders need more details.
Land Board accepts donation of $5M mansion from Gianfortes
by Keila Szpaller
The Montana Land Board on Monday accepted the historic Hauser Residence in Helena as a donation to the state from Gov. Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte. At 720 Madison Avenue, the property is intended to be used as a residence for Montana governors. An appraisal counts more than 12,000 square feet and 29 […]
Bankhead takes swings at Bodnar, calls for him to resign race
by Keila Szpaller
Alani Bankhead, running for the U.S. Senate, launched an attack Monday on the University of Montana campus against independent candidate Seth Bodnar, its former president. Bankhead, who won the Democratic nomination for Senate on June 2, argued Bodnar did not have the capacity to lead and still “deflects” responsibility for gender discrimination allegations in a […]
Montana Land Board discusses shooting range in Lincoln area
by Micah Drew
Recreational shooting organizations want to build a public shooting facility near Lincoln, but an attempt to secure state land for it failed on Monday on procedural grounds. Lincoln Sportsmen’s Club and Montana Shooting Sports Association jointly submitted a proposal to the land board asking it to authorize a transfer, lease or easement on state land […]
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
In an analysis done about the all-too-common scenario of veterans and suicide, researchers confirm that most completed suicides by former military members are with firearms.
It wasn’t our 250th birthday as a nation, instead it was President Donald J. Trump’s 80th birthday at the White House, and the celebration was a cage match of UFC fighters who fought literally till the bloody end.
Just days after barely meeting a deadline by a federal judge to banish Donald J. Trump’s name from The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the name has allegedly been removed, but it’s impossible to tell because a huge tarp has covered part of the building as center officials tell reporters that it is to clean and restore some of the exterior.
GOOD READS
Note: some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall
Today, we begin with two recent stories from our colleagues at the North Dakota Monitor who report that a private, Christian school in Fargo is upset with lawmakers who say even as the school wants to hire its own teachers in a private-school setting, they still must be licensed to teach by the state.
Also, after a contentious primary election, some of the North Dakota Republicans didn’t fare so well. The primary races there weren’t so unlike the bruising elections that some Montana Republicans faced. What’s interesting: While Montana Republican Party Chairman Art Wittich has said that the party needs to continue to charge hard and keep fighting, Republicans in North Dakota say something different. They say it’s time for some soul searching.
Our friends at Smithsonian Magazine highlight Sequoyah, the Cherokee scholar who dazzled members of his own tribe by inventing a system of writing that used many familiar characters from the Latin and Greek alphabets in order to represent the Cherokee language, which has been better preserved than so many other Indigenous languages, even if it is notoriously complex for non-Native speakers.
THE HOOK
Today, we have another great suggestion by one of our eDJs, Billie Warford of Gallatin County. It also features a great Montana musical legend whom many have compared to other great Americana artists like John Prine or Todd Snider.
OK, Billie over to you:
(A recent) comment about Americana got me to thinking about one of Montana's best loved musicians, Ben Bullington, who died way too young. He left a body of work that defies simple categorization. "Country Music I'm Talking to You" captures his sense of humor, and his tale of a young man's ride across Montana in search of love, only to be shot down, captures the essence of Montana.
“Thank you for providing a moment of joy at the end of the mostly depressing news these days.”
If you have a song that you’d like to share, or would like to get in touch with us, please send us a note at [email protected]”
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