Apr202018
Dear Editor:
As one who flew fighter aircraft for the Air Force in Vietnam I am confused about the political ads Troy Downing has been putting out. He says he was a helicopter pilot and was some type of jet pilot and also flew in combat. The truly confusing part is that Downing only spent eight years on active duty.
When I ran for the Montana Supreme Court in 2014, I posted my law school transcript read more
Apr182018
Originally published in the 4/13/18 print edition of the Yellowstone County news.
BILLINGS — A supportive vote from Billings Mayor Bill Cole was necessary to break a council deadlock about whether the City of Billings would contribute a total of $500,000 to help finance a study for the future development of One Big Sky District, which involves two areas of downtown, including a proposal to build a downtown convention center.
The vote approved a $100,000 direct contribution from city coffers and another $400,000 on loan from Big Sky Economic Development that will be repaid through the Downtown Billings Partnership’s Tax Increment Finance District.
While proponents urged read more
Apr182018
Barbara Miller Garnett
In the early morning hours, Barbara Garnett departed this world to attend her father’s birthday party with Jesus.
She was born January 3, 1940 to Kathryn and Lawrence Miller in Okemah, Oklahoma. When Barbara was thirteen they moved to Tioga, ND where she graduated from Tioga High School in 1958. She married Robert T. Moore, in August 1960. Barb and Bob had two children, Bobby and Serrena. Barb was a teller at The Bank of Tioga for several years until they moved to Bowman, ND and then later they moved to Douglas, WY. She worked as a teller in both towns. While in Bowman Barbara and Bob hosted an exchange student Raija Savolainen and they made her an instant part of their family.
Following the Oil Field work, Bob and Barbara eventually moved to read more
Apr92018
Dear Editor:
Russ Fagg is the conservative choice.
Russ Fagg is the obvious choice for the U.S. Senate race. He is:
* Pro-Second Amendment.
* Pro-education.
* Pro-limited government.
* Pro-life.
* Pro-jobs, and
* Pro-balanced budget.
Russ will read more
Apr82018
Originally published in the 4/6/18 print edition of Yellowstone County News.
HUNTLEY — Vigilant oversight is the key to ensuring school curriculum is appropriate, school officials said.
The board of trustees for School District 2 in Billings recently fielded a complaint from parents over a high school assignment they said required students to look at objectionable images on a website that compared advertising messages.
Superintended Terry Bouck said at the school board meeting that he found the images offensive.
Superintendents of the Shepherd and Huntley Project school districts both said their districts have curriculum policies in place to evaluate the learning materials used by students. Both said they recalled no objections filed by parents.
Scott Carter, superintendent of the Shepherd School District, said district employees continually evaluate curriculum and work assigned to students by teachers.
“All our curriculum is consistently under review,” Carter said. “The quick answer is, yes, it’s under a constant state of review.”
But, he said, as was the case in the Billings school district, “You can never be read more
Apr82018
Dear Editor:
“Obfuscation” – to make obscure or unintelligible.
Gov. Steve Bullock and his party have been considered very environmentally conscious, but it seems they are forging a new direction.
North Dakota is not currently allowing the disposal of Bakken oilfield radioactive or hazardous garbage. But the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is moving briskly to welcome a veritable torrent of those toxic materials to a site near a Sidney subdivision and rural school.
Imagine having your home on a scenic plateau overlooking the Yellowstone Valley, and being told you will soon live less than a half-mile downwind from a dump for hundreds of thousands of tons of N.D.’s radioactive/hazardous garbage.
The DEQ says they are revising regulations related to read more
Apr72018
Dear Editor:
I suggest that Russ Fagg review the U.S. V. Dougherty case; the cite is 473/F2d/1113. Among other things, this case held that a criminal trial court jury has the right to engage in jury nullification. It also says that a judge does not have the duty to tell them about this right. It also does not state that a judge can lie to them and tell them that they do not have the right. By telling a criminal trial court jury that they must follow the law, a judge is essentially lying to the jury and is precluding them from exercising this constitutional right. Mr. Fagg admitted to me that he had given that instruction to juries in criminal trials.
Because this instruction precludes the jury from exercising an essential constitutional right, I believe this instruction has to be considered blatantly unconstitutional.
I suggest that Mr. Fagg apologize to read more
Apr62018
William “Bill” Bennett
William “Bill” Orvis Bennett of Shepherd, Montana passed away March 19, 2018 at his home.
Graveside services and burial with full Military Rites will be 11:00 AM on April 9th at Yellowstone National Cemetery in Laurel, Montana.
There will not be a visitation.
Bill was born June 28, 1944 and lived most of his youth in Newberry, Michigan with his parents, Arlet and Dale Bennett. He joined the Army at 17 where he served four years before going to the University of Albuquerque to get a business degree in accounting. After graduation, Bill joined the Army again and went to Officer Candidate School. Upon receiving his commission, Bill joined the Military Police and lived throughout the United States. After serving his country for another 16 years and obtaining the rank of Major, Bill retired from the Army.
Bill had always wanted to have some land and read more
Apr62018
Dear Editor:
Wow, Jon Tester’s ads tell us he’s “out of fingers” counting the ways he’s just like Donald Trump. Truth is, he WISHES Montanans would run out of fingers when remembering the times he bowed to Obama, Pelosi, Clinton and Schumer, and left Montana stained with his collusion.
Jon, some may clutch their noses and swallow the pasty grime that you’re “not finished getting things done for Montana,” but the facts are, you never started – you didn’t dare! Montanans remember how you voted a straight Democrat Party line and forsook us for party politics on dozens of major Montana issues. You assumed that when you needed our vote, you could whitewash our memories with the wave of your hand, like some cheap Jedi trick.
read more
Apr62018
Originally published in the 4/6/18 print edition of Yellowstone County News
BILLINGS — Stating that the only reason the One Big Sky Center project has stalled “is because of what people don’t know about the project,” Kris Carpenter, Chairwoman of the Billings Chamber of Commerce Board, was joined by a host of others to persuade members of the City Council to approve a request of $100,000 to help fund a planning study for the two districts that comprise the project.
The project is “about what could be, in our community,” said Carpenter, in speaking at The Strategy Partnership for One Big Sky District (OBSD) Development and the Council, last week.
“It’s a transformative project,” declared Randy Hafer, a downtown developer and business owner.
Mike Nelson, owner of the Northern Hotel, said he is being kept awake nights with the excitement at the prospect of the proposed project.
The City Council is expected to read more
Apr62018
Originally published in the 4/6/18 print edition of the Yellowstone County News.
HUNTLEY — Weary of winter? Hang on — another front is heading this way.
With the winter of 2017-2018 already the third snowiest in the county, the National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a winter weather advisory Wednesday morning calling for up to nearly a foot of snow in some areas.
The advisory, which began at midnight Thursday and was expected to continue through noon Friday, called for snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches with “localized amounts up to 11 inches.”
Monday brought another round of snow to Yellowstone County communities. The National Weather Service reported 9 inches of snow in Billings and 6 inches in Huntley, Shepherd and Pompeys Pillar.
Snow and wind have snarled traffic in the past few days, with dozens of crashes reported. US 87 North between Billings and Roundup was closed Monday, and Interstate 90 read more
Apr52018
Dear Editor:
Hey, Huntley Project neighbors!
The snow was deep this winter, but it’s gone now, and we can all look forward to signs of spring in our yards and neighborhoods. What we are NOT looking forward to is seeing all the garbage that has accumulated along our fence lines and in the ditches and barrow pits.
We all like to think that we are living in “God’s Country.” If that is the case, we need to respect “God’s Country” and do what we can to keep it clean and beautiful.
Property owners/renters: Take a walk along your property and clean up the garbage that was buried under the snow and is now an eye sore. This walk to pick up garbage probably won’t be a one-time event. You may want to make it a once a week walk and grab a garbage bag as you head out to pick up what has accumulated. Hopefully, your body will benefit from the exercise and your neighborhood will look better.
Drivers of flatbed trucks, pickups with open beds, cars and farm implements: Keep a garbage bag in your vehicle for your soda/beer cans, fast food wrappers and other garbage instead of throwing it in the back of your truck (you know it will read more
Apr42018
Dear Editor:
Where is the justice system in Montana?
Gene Jarussi, the state’s hired liar, has asked for information that he holds in his possession and is accusing me of not playing fair or being hard to deal with. He is asking your court to place me in jail because he cannot do his job.
When at this time I still have not been charged with a crime or fined for a crime I have committed.
I have been accused of wrong doing by the devil’s right hand, the father of all liars, sued by the same in the name of justice without ever being convicted of any wrongdoing, only accused by this heathen.
I have spent four days at your expense (the taxpayers of Yellowstone County) in the Yellowstone county jail for contempt of court when, in reality, what I did was said I am not dealing with a liar I have contempt for, not being charged with a crime and being sued by the state of Montana without any real evidence or proof of a crime. What is my fine or charge?
The state claims to have in its possession hundreds of read more
Apr32018
Dear Editor:
In November, Montana voters have an important role to play in giving Republicans a 60-vote majority in the Senate.
Since each state gets two senators, one Montana vote is worth 19.85 New York and 39.54 California votes, since our population is 1.05 million and those states have 19.85 and 39.54 million people.
The last 12 years, Sen. Jon Tester, Democrat, has taken it upon himself to give your votes to New York and California. He decided to represent the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, not Montana. Chuck Schumer calls the tune and former music teacher Tester plays it well, with Nancy Pelosi pounding the drum.
Tester was the anchor vote for ObamaCare, of which he exempted himself because it’s so bad. He stood silent while Obama and the Democrats destroyed the Montana coal read more
Apr22018
Dear Editor:
A few days after the Ides of March, Russ Fagg called me and asked me if I would stop hammering him in my letters to the editor. At the suggestion of Mr. Fagg, , . First, I would like people to understand that I am not in anyway biased against multi-millionaires, even those running for office. I even represented a doctor who the state of California was suing in a civil action. His house alone was worth over $14 million over 25 years ago.
I actually readily identify with Dr. Al Olsezeski in many ways. My father was a blue-collar type person. He proudly identified himself as a dirt farmer. I grew up on the Herbert ranch in the southern Salinas Valley of California. This was the area John Steinbeck referred to as East of Eden. My family grew a variety of crops and had some Hereford cattle. Dr. Olszewski’s family were both farmers and miners in Montana.
After flying in combat in Vietnam, I was given a read more
Apr22018
Dear Editor:
Saw on Internet Steve Daines and Greg Gianforte want to open the Snowy Mountains up for industrial development. Yes, jobs boost the economy, jobs for a long time. Invite the multi-national corporations to extract our wealth and leave the state to clean up the contaminated soil and water.
History has taught us the companies take the wealth (resources) and money out of state and leave the mess for us. What about the social and economic read more
Apr12018
Dear Editor:
With a May 8 mail-in ballot, Lockwood voters will be asked to support a bond that will pay for the proposed High School.
The Lockwood Community Education Committee is leading the campaign to vote “Yes” on the May ballot. These folks are the future of Lockwood. They are raising the students that will use the High School. As a grandparent, I believe we should support this effort and invest in the future of our community.
Your investment will be in a school focused on preparing our students for their moving from student to young adult following our Lockwood school principles. A high school will keep more of our tax dollars in Lockwood benefiting our students and community. It will prepare potential employees for businesses in Lockwood and the world, and these students will be spending their lunch money in read more
Mar312018
Dear Editor:
I am really disappointed in Mr. Wolf’s name-calling in his March 9 “column.”
“Been depressed with Gianfortress, Danes, and Slinky.” We should be able to have a civil discussion about our elected leaders, whether we agree with them or not.
The accompanying picture would suggest that Mr. Wolf is an adult, though his columns would make anyone think that he is less than that.
The fact that it was published in your paper would also suggest that you read more
Mar242018
Dear Editor:
With the current election cycle upon us, and debates and media attention I would like to say the following.
With recent polling indicating that more and more Americans are identifying outside the scopes of Republican or Democrat, it’s imperative that citizens are allowed to hear from those outside the two-party spectrum.
This starts by read more
Mar232018
Dear Editor:
When I ran for the Montana Supreme Court in 2014, my opponent was Jim Rice, the incumbent. He knew that I supported the rights of juries to protect their fellow citizens from government over reach by not enforcing unfair or unjust laws against them. People like Rice call this jury nullification, and he also referred to it as a subversion of democracy. Obviously, progressive thinkers like Rice believe there is almost something sacred about a democracy involving large groups of people that can be easily manipulated.
In a 12-person jury, democracy also exists. However, in a criminal trial jury, a single individual exercising her or his inalienable right can vote against the majority and hang the jury up.
Progressives cannot read more
