MontanaBuzz

Feb. 8, 2010

 

THE BUZZ


Ed Kemmick, reporter and columnist for The Billings Gazette, was picked for the honor of writing the first installment in what will be a regular column in the Sunday edition of Parade, the weekly magazine carried bymore than 500 newspapers.

The new “Our Towns” column provides highlights of community life in America as told by newspaper reporters across the country. Kemmick’s “Making Music on the Prairie” story tells of the Saturday morning music-making at the Prairie Winds Café in Molt. Gazette photographer Casey Riffe captured that slice of life with a photo that accompanies the column. Parade is seen by some 74 million Americans.

What's in a name? More specifically, what's behind those names you see plastered on places all over Montana?

Now there's a quick and easy way to find out.

The Montana Historical Society and the Montana State Library have created a Web site, mtplacenames.org, where you can go to find out the stories behind Montana place names. It is an online version of the book, Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman, published by the Montana Historical Society Press. Researched and written by Historical Society staff, the book details the origins of the names of more than 1,200 geographic locations in Montana, as well as interesting history and anecdotes.

Growing vegetables in the Rocky Mountain region can be a tricky task. A new book tries to make it easier.

The book, Guide to Rocky Mountain Vegetable Gardening, is the fifth book by Montana horticulturists Bob Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough. It's designed specifically for the tough zones of the Rocky Mountain states, said Gough, a professor of horticulture and associate dean for academic programs in the College of Agriculture at Montana State University.

At 320 pages long, it is geared toward beginner and intermediate gardeners, and has tips on planting and harvesting more than 40 types of vegetables. The book  is the latest edition in the Cool Springs Press vegetable gardening series.



In this age of the Internet, decisions about Montana news stories are no longer just made by editors in Montana. Ironically, an editor in Florida has had an outsized influence on Montana news lately, as Kellyn Brown at the Flathead Beacon points out.

That editor is Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report. Brown noted that Drudge recently caused a bit of an uproar, especially in Montana, when he posted a video of Sen. Max Baucus speaking on the Senate floor. Conservatives charged that Baucus was slurring his words and appeared to be drunk. Baucus defenders said the Democratic senator was simply tired, and this exacerbated his already poor speaking skills

Baucus was forced to respond, and the flap resulted in several days' worth of stories, along with heavy commentary from readers.

Later, Drudge posted a short Bozeman Chronicle
 story that noted that $49,140 in federal stimulus funds were being used to pay for new tennis courts in that city.

The story was picked up across the country as an example of the abuse of federal funds. Gov. Brian Schweitzer even weighed in, saying the tennis courts were a waste of taxpayer dollars.

No doubt many Montanans are hoping Drudge will soon forget about Montana and shift his focus back to warmer climes.



Gov. Brian Schweitzer's name has come up again as a potential US Interior Secretary. Of course, the federal government already has an Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar.

But speculation is rife that Democrat Salazar will leave that job to run for governor of Colorado in the wake of incumbent Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's surprise announcement that he won't seek reelection.

When President-elect Barack Obama was filling his cabinet, there was speculation that Schweitzer was on his list of potential candidates to fill the Interior slot. So if Salazar leaves, it wouldn't be too far-fetched that he might be asked to take the job.

However, Buzz also has heard that administration officials have been concerned about some of Schweitzer's baggage, including his boast to trial lawyers that he interfered with the 2006 election to help Democratic candidates.

Will 'Sweetgrass' do for Montana what 'A River Runs Through It' did almost two decades ago? That is, will it help draw the nation's attention to the scenic splendors of Montana?

That question springs to mind when watching a trailer of the spectacular landscape and gritty western lifestyle captured in the just-released documentary that tells the story of the last Montana rancher to take his sheep into the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains on a federal grazing permit.

The New York Times calls it the "first essential movie" of this young year. Village Voice also is ravving about it. If you want to get an idea of why so many critics love the movie, you can watch the trailer here.



The office of Sen. Max Baucus lashed out at critics who suggested that the senator was drunk when he gave a speech on the Senate floor on health-care reform on Dec. 22.

Conservatives have pointed to a widely circulated YouTube video in which Baucus denounces Republicans for not joining Democrats in pushing for health reform.

The video is headlined "Senator Max Baucus drunk/intoxicated on Senate floor — shouts down Wicker," and was the top item Monday on the Drudge Report, a prominent right-leaning news web site. Some conservative bloggers suggested Baucus had too much to drink before he delivered his comments.

Baucus spokesman Ty Matsdorf called the accusation an "untrue, personal smear" designed to attack Democrats’ health-care reform legislation.

"This is beyond the pale, and this type of gutter politics has no place in the public sphere," Matsdorf said.

Lee State Bureau reporter Mike Dennison said Baucus, "whose public speaking style can be halting and awkward, is not slurring his words, but sometimes repeats himself during the five-minute video."
Likewise, some liberals, who have been unhappy that Baucus didn't include a public option in the health-care bill his Senate Finance Committee wrote, his comments were a welcome change of pace, regardless of how the Montana senator prepared himself for the speech. Some say he was just tired.






ALL THINGS MONTANA

Mt Travel Info

State Government

Montana Cities & Towns

Counties

Tribes


WEATHER

Billings

Bozeman

Butte

Kalispell

Great Falls

Glasgow

Glendive

Havre

Helena

Lewistown

Miles City

Missoula



Roberts School Principal-Superintendent Jeff Bermes stands next to the school's new boiler. Roberts School used money from grants and the federal stimulus to improve energy efficiency at the school in order to cope with dramatically higher utility bills.  (Bob Zellar / Billings Gazette)

State gets no offers on its Otter Creek coal tracts
 
MT budget projected to be in red by middle of 2011

Wildlife agency will consider lead ammo ban this week

Missoula man charged with headbutting jailer

Electric cooperative customers struggle with rate hikes

Ballantine soldier model for Fort Benning memorial

Ex-Anacondan aims to nail chopper job via 'Ax man'

Amtrak ridership in Montana plunges in 2009

State agency studies ways to limit bison leaving park

Red tape snarls federal aid for Bozeman blast victims

Search on for missing Great Falls inmate

Libby debates surveillance cameras to catch criminals

Great Falls Tribune reporter pens first novel

MSU continues efforts to push women thru 'glass ceiling'

Highwood plant sponsors say financing almost arranged

Firm says new Granite Co mine has $3B worth of gold

Fight over Internet access leads to felony charges

Natelson leaves legacy of conservative leadership

Virginia City steam train won't run in 2010 to save costs

MT university endowments start to rebound

MSU continues efforts to promote women

Construction halt won't end GTF youth program

Elmo's Chief Cliff Singers to perform at Winter Olympics

Outfitters: Initiative 161 would put many out of business

Body of missing East. Helena man apparently found

MSU helped design solar telescopes going into space

Tester plans major changes for his wilderness-jobs bill

1 day left, still no bidders on Otter Creek coal tracts

Bozeman officer's good deed prompts donations

Barkus lawyers ask for delay in Flathead crash case

Kalispell surgeon returns after week of helping Haitians

Arrest of Bozeman woman triggers charges for 3 more

Many rules govern gambling for Super Bowl

Suicide of man accused of abusing cat being probed

Kalispell man gets 50 years for sex assault on infant

Employee at Great Falls refinery injured by fire

Oil-pipeline exec meets with governor on access issue

Researcher: Alcohol-related crashes cost state $131M

Man commits suicide at home where abused cat found

Bozeman cop buys food for man caught shoplifting

Dry months leave below-average snow in mountains

Far right targets less-conservative GOP legislators

History Channel's 'Ax Man' writes novel about helilogging

Rehberg calls for phase-in of wilderness designations

Pika shouldn't get species protection, agency rules

Biologists remove 28 bighorns from Rock Creek herd

Helena woman pleads guilty to bank fraud

MSU president listens to concerns at GTF campus

More MT private nursing homes get lower ratings

Frenchtown principal chosen as top in Montana

Court upholds penalties against Troy insurance agent

Human-services advocates urge minimal budget cuts

Budget cuts could hamper campaign-office enforcement

Tester, Baucus asked to back climate-change legislation

Creston man pleads not guilty to killing brother, dad

GTF couple busted for stealing drugs, cash from school

Helena lawyer Beth Baker seeks seat on high court

State to consider permits for household water wells

Montana gets something like a 'normal' winter again

More snow coming to parts of Montana

Whitefish ranch for troubled teens shuts down

UM's Foresters' Ball is cracking down on alcohol

Gov says Montana is in running for clean-coal facility

Missoula cat put down due to extensive injuries

For savings, cultural agencies would delay expansions

Rescuers save man who jumps from Polson bridge

Wolf-delisting case involves a lot of numbers


BUSINESS

Census Bureau still looking for employees

Blue Cross makes top-level management changes

Bozeman's RightNow posts $5.9M profit in 2009

Publisher of Kalispell's Daily Inter Lake retiring

New business building will go up on Bozeman blast site

Sale of Montana Tunnels gold mine completed

Montana gets first new distillery since Prohibition

Drillers may be having success with MT oil wells

Postal Service learning to cope with declining volume

Labor Dept: Firms don't have to pay for free posters



SPORTS / OUTDOORS

Grizzlies clobber Idaho State 91-68

Weber State edges Bobcats 75-71

Lady Griz grind out road win over Idaho St 67-53

BIg Hole River fishing ban under review

UM's Schillinger plays for 'The Nation' Saturday

Grizzlies blast past Weber State 75-61

Bobcats squeak by Idaho State 63-60

Lady Bobcats push past Idaho State 83-72

Lady Griz fall to Weber State 59-55

Grizzlies add three more football recruits

Researchers: Wolves could cull outsized elk, deer herds

Whitetail hunting could be limited to bucks in NW MT

New UM coach announces first recruiting class of 19

Bobcats announce football recruiting class

2 of Big Sky's top guards face off Friday in Missoula

Cats play San Jose in BracketBuster game Feb. 20

UM's Johnson wins Big Sky player of week honor

Former MSU coach Kramer hired as WSU assistant

Northern Colorado edges Bobcats 74-68

Carpenter scores 11 to help AFC win Pro Bowl

Annual Race to the Sky sled dog race runs Feb 12-17


OPINION

'Three Cups of Tea' - recommended for all Montanans

Billings Gazette: Why we sue to get public records

Legislators have promising DUI solutions to consider

Will Tester's wilderness bill really create timber jobs?

MT's alcohol culture is slowly changing for the better

Good to see Black Eagle site close to Superfund status

Go slow on medical-pot firms, but don't block them

State web site good way to keep track of Legislature

New MSU president getting baptism by fire on budget

Political candidates need to do more to avoid conflicts

Four-day work week doesn't make sense for UM

We should be optimistic about MT's economic future

Flathead should press for biomass plant

Sorrell: Funding is being cut for mental-health services

Dennison deserves much praise for his work at UM

State's bighorn sheep recovery plan on sold ground

Helena's economy holding up better than most

MT needs better ways to stop repeat DUI offenders

Good to get cost-cutting ideas from Montanans


FEATURES

50 years of merry making at Whitefish Winter Carnival

In Polson, Barry Webb's getting back the love he's given

The Missoula teen with the 'crazy-beautiful voice'

Did tsunami create Yellowstone Park's crater complex?

Critics' fav movie 'Up in Air' based on MT writer's book

Animals hibernate in different ways in Montana

Artist finally finds powwow dancer featured in photo

Photographer captures 100 days of Glacier Park images

Project documents quilts, quilters from Montana's past

Albertson bookseller finds links to father's flying past

Lake Mary Ronan loneliner without Bruce Nearing

Missoula making a mark as a cultural capital

100 years, 100 stories from Glacier National Park

Montana ski and snowboard guide


EVENTS

Special Olympic Winter Games, Whitefish, Feb. 28

Former Gov. Huckabee in GTF on March 22

Bill Cosby bringing act to Bozeman April 17

Antiques Roadshow coming to Billings June 26

5-day concert slated for Roberts July 14-18



Got a news tip? Email editor (at) montanabuzz.com
Copyright . montanabuzz.com. All rights reserved.
Web Hosting Companies