Monday

THE BUZZ

Know where the world's largest snowflake was found? Fort Keough, Montana.

That bit of trivia is courtesy of the "Google Doodle," the piece of art you see on the Google search home page. It was featured last Saturday, and tens of millions of people saw it as they clicked on Google's search page. The art featured a cow grazing in snow-covered ground. Gradually, a giant snowflake floated down, sending birds flying away to avoid being crushed, and drawing the interest of the cow. The snowflake became the second "o" in Google's logo, joining a leafless tree as the "G" and a tower which substitutes for the "l".

Also, when clicked, the doodle brought up this message: "Largest snowflake ever observed: 38 centimeters (15 in) in diameter; Fort Keogh, Montana, United States, 38th January 1887." (For those who don't know, Fort Keogh is an old military fort on the outskirts of Miles City.)

The Guinness Book of World Records gave a nearby farmer credit for recording the size of the size of the snowflake, and describing some as the size of "milk pans," but saying there is no corroborating evidence.

Wasn't that a disaster? No, we're not talking about the winter storm that walloped Montana this week, but Dave Gallik's short-lived term as Montana's political practices commissioner. Just what was he thinking, anyway?

Gallik stepped down from the post Tuesday after a terrific investigative report by Great Falls Tribune reporter John S. Adams laid out the case that Gallik was fudging state time sheets and logging state pay for hours he'd actually been spending on his private law practice. Gallik denied the charges, which were made all the more powerful because they came from his staff of four at the political practices office and were backed by official records.

Gallik claimed that Gov. Brian Schweitzer gave him the go-ahead to work at his law practice at the same time he was doing the state ethics job, which paid him $57,689 a year. But his staff accused him of "stealing from the taxpayers" and "committing ethics violations" by claiming to work on state business when he was actually working on his own law business.

The Helena Independent Record said Gallik's departure represents an opportunity for the governor, in appointing a replacement, to bring necessary reforms and a new era of nonpartisanship to the office.

What the IR didn't note was that Gallik's appointment last May was Schweitzer's attempt to poke GOP lawmakers in the eye for not confirming his first choice for the job, Jennifer Hensley. Hensley served in the post for several months but Republicans resisted her confirmation, saying she'd been too much of a Democratic activist to keep the job permanently. By turning to Gallik, Schweitzer picked someone with even more of a reputation as a partisan. Gallik, too, faced confirmation hearings, but not until the 2013 Legislature met because Schweitzer appointed him after the 2011 session adjourned.

One of the ironies is that, during her short tenure, Hensley impressed many observers with the volume of work she did and her effort to be nonpartisan.

While she did have a partisan background, she may have ended up being a good commissioner. The staff gave her high marks -- in contrast to Gallik.

In hindsight, it appears Republican legislators made a bad choice in rejecting her. Schweitzer, in turn, blundered by using Gallik to get revenge against the GOP.

If you're going to pick a fight, you might not want to do it with the good folks of Turner, Montana. That's what ReubenFB discovered at the popular Sports Nation Divided web site when he wrote a piece describing Turner as the "Saddest Town in America."

How did he deduct that Turner was sad? He based his premise on a map that showed the Hi-Line community is the country's farthest town from any major league baseball team. And Reuben, a big baseball fan, figured that anyone that far from major league teams must be major league depressed.

He went on to snark that Turner had only 14 high school students, and that its web site was funded by a non-profit inexplicably called the Big Flat Community Grain Bin, which was set up to "offset declining populations and funds within our community and school." He ended by saying: "Turner is actually more depressing than I thought it would be when I started writing this."

That triggered a flurry of outraged responses from residents of Turner, who extolled the virtues of the region and did their best to set Reuben straight. Indeed, Reuben responded by apologizing for his "rather cheap shot." He admitted that being 647 miles from the nearest major league baseball team doesn't make Turner the "saddest town in America."

During Monday's debate among the GOP presidential contenders, front-runner Mitt Romney let on that he'd been moose hunting.... err, make that, elk hunting, with friends in Montana.

He talked about his Montana excursion after being asked if he'd done any hunting since 2008, when he was mocked for saying he'd gone hunting for "small varmints."

In responding to the reporter's question, Romney initially replied that he'd gone moose hunting in Montana, and then quickly corrected himself to say he'd been elk hunting. Another reporter later said via Twitter: "Waiting for the DNC to put out a piece: Elk or moose? Which one was it, governor?"

To which former Obama aide replied: "Stuck on the horns of a dilemma!" It was left up to others more familiar with big-game animals to point out that moose have antlers, not horns.

Jim O'Hara, a Chouteau County commissioner and a GOP candidate for governor, stands in front of campaign billboard he painted of the Richland County Courthouse in Sidney. He's put up 59 of his 70 handmade signs of Montana's county courthouses across the state to promote his campaign. CBS Evening News plans to do a story on his unique campaign ad strategy either Friday or Feb. 10. (Great Falls Tribune)

Butte justice of peace faces another 22 drug charges

Candidate's hand-painted signs show all 56 MT courthouses

Billings cops bust man after women found dead in apartment

Lindeen announces she'll file for 2nd term as auditor

16 seek state political practices comissioner's post

Schweitzer travels to China to promote trade

High court won't let man who shot at cars have guns back

Marysville residents fret over impacts of nearby gold mine

Montana Tech: We've found all the grade tampering

Western Masters' Art Show set for return to Great Falls
(registration required)

BIllings police start auctioning unclaimed evidence online

2 die in fire at Billings apartment comple

Wind gusts hit 108 mph in Glacier County

Black gold rush excites central Montana residents

Bakken oil boom pushes law enforcement to the limit

Many state workers enjoy pay raises despite 'freeze'

4 hurt when bus carrying Billings ball team careens off I-94

Butte JP faces 12 counts of 'doctor shopping' for drugs

Winds up to 100mph expected along Rocky Mountain Front

DEA inquiries of medical-pot industry bring up legislators

Critics complain of streamlined USFS appeals process

Custer artifacts dealer demands seized items back

Kalispell man arrested 3 hours after release from jail

Florida man to be extradited in connection w/ Hi-Line death

Proposed Jesus land swap gets hearing next Friday

Rehberg wants snowmobiling access in Gallatin Forest

Bozeman rental units getting scarce

Dog nabs GTF man wanted on $140K worth of warrants

Emails show Republican effort to get ally as ethics chief

Political hot potato: Who's in charge of Gallik probe?

MSU prof creates network to send northern lights alerts

Lake Co undersheriff, target of investigation, resigns

Official: Bighorn killed near Anaconda by coyote

2 Great Falls brothers admit to drug, theft charges

Sen. Essman drops out of GOP race for governor

2 admit trafficking in eagle feathers

Officials ID homeless man found dead in Missoula

Yellowstone Park wants to return 67 cabins to public use

Man who threatened federal workers gets probation

Butte man denies knife assault on Montana Tech student

BUSINESS / ECONOMY

Airline ponders flight connecting Helena and Billings

Electronic-parts maker gets geared up in Great Falls

'Just so '50s' White Sulphur Springs spa gets a makeover

Flathead authors book profits in e-publishing

'Dirty Jobs' films Billings firm building communications tower

Bozeman entrepreneurs build businesses on internet

Oracle completes purchase of Bozeman's RightNow

SPORTS / OUTDOORS

Billings West's Danny Robison commits to Bobcats

Griz grab share of 1st in Big Sky with defeat of Portland St

Ex-Cat Fletcher dreams of winning ring from 'Big Show'

MSU's Semansky likes chemistry among her Cats

US winter triathlon championships Sunday near Butte

Lady Griz notch solid win over Portland State, 78-56

Eastern Washington wallops Lady Cats, 66-52

Cats go cold in road loss to Eastern Washington, 69-52

OPINION

Busted: Seat-belt myths that are harmful to our health

MT's economic outlook isn't bright, but we remain hopeful

Hatred of wolves has gone to extremes

Eye-popping salary for U-System commish bad move

State needs better system of tracking worker hours

Fish, Wildlife & Parks must take extra hard look at budget

Don't get too excited about oil boom in central MT, just yet

Appalling that Butte city judge hid DUI tickets from paper

Don't let deadline decision stop Keystone XL pipeline

FEATURES

Kalispell doc, brother explore history of human heart

Torah dedication marks growth of Bozeman Jewish group

Young Great Falls kids love to learn from deaf teacher

MT's worst massacre: 'Tell Baker to strike them hard'

2 African American newspapers published in MT digitized

Woman hit in head by frozen coyote still hears about it

Master couponer shares secrets of saving $100s a month

Body Language: Saying things by changing how you look

CALENDAR

Broncos QB Tebow to speak at Billings fundraiser March 5

Tebow will speak the next day at GTF Christian school

Country legend George Jones to perform at UM March 6

Tebow adds Butte Habitat for Humanity event to MT trip

Tim Tebow to make Missoula stopover March 7

Tim Tebow visits Kalispell Christian school March 7

Bozeman's Blake Shelton concert rescheduled for March

Comedian Brian Regan performs in Great Falls March 31

B.B. King performing in Butte and Billings in May

Uncle Kracker will headline Helena fair July 25

Dragon boat races slated for Flathead Lake next fall

Have a tip? Email editor (at) montanabuzz.com

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