Saturday

THE BUZZ

SEN. Jon Tester hasn't talked to fellow Democrat Brian Schweitzer in half a year, but he's pretty confident the former government will end up running for the US Senate seat that Max Baucus is vacating at the end of the year.

"I don't bet the farm on many things, but I'd bet the farm he's running," Tester said in an interview on MSNBC Thursday.

Schweitzer said several weeks ago that he was considering the possibility of entering the race, but has been quiet since. Instead, he's been focused on efforts to reform the management of Stillwater Mining Co. since he was elected chairman in early May.

THE University of Montana has become ground zero in a national debate over the Obama Administration's plan to expand the definition of sexual harassment on the nation's college campuses.

The feds said they had an agreement with UM in which any "unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature" would be treated as sexual harassment. They also said their agreement with UM would serve as a "blueprint" for other colleges in the country.

Critics have warned that the guidelines are way too broad and will even criminalize speech. David Moshman, a college professor writing in the Huffington Post, called them an "extraordinary threat to academic freedom." Wendy Kaminer, a feminist writing for The Atlantic, called the policy "mindlessly broad" and an "educational nightmare." Columnist George Will and others say the plan's Alice-in-Wonderland approach -- sentence first, verdict later -- has no place in academia.

There's been plenty of other harsh criticism of the plan. Oddly, there's been little said about it in the Montana media.

IN THE face of objections from critics, the federal government and University of Montana suggested that their new sexual harassment guidelines are not as onerous as they might appear.

UM spokesman Peggy Kuhr promised that any final guidelines will be written with the free speech and due process rights of students in mind.

And the federal Education Department released a letter last week reassuring students, faculty and others that its "regulations and policies do not require or prescribe speech, conduct or harassment codes that impair the exercise of rights protected under the First Amendment."

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education said the new letter contradicts the feds' earlier statements of May 9, which called for sexual harassment to include “verbal” conduct and suggested the new guidelines at UM would serve as a “blueprint” for all universities and colleges in the country.

So where will this all end up? Stay tuned.

UP TO this point, former Gov. Brian Schweitzer has sounded an awful lot like he was leaning toward a run for the US Senate. He's touted polls showing he'd be the favorite if he ran. He's courted key constituency groups such as unions that he'd need support from if he did run. And he apparently hasn't rejected the overtures of progressives groups that are mounting efforts to get him into the race.

But now comes word that Schweitzer has been named the chairman of Stillwater Mining Co., and that the company's CEO, Frank McAllister, is stepping down. Presumably, Schweitzer will have his hands full in coming months in finding a new CEO and getting the financial affairs of the struggling company -- Montana's largest -- back on track.

Will that leave time for a Senate campaign? Schweitzer told the AP that he's not ruling out a Senate run, and that he's good at "keeping a couple of balls in the air."

FOR STATE Senate Majority Leader Art Wittich, a favorable Montana Supreme Court ruling may be a case of winning the battle but losing the war.

A four-judge panel ruled May 7 that Wittich was entitled to be paid $93.99 in legal fees by a Bozeman couple he had done legal work for. Not only that, but the judges tacked on almost $3,000 more for the costs Wittich had racked up in trying to collect the $93.99 he was owed by the couple.

Although Justice Beth Baker concurred with the ruling, citing the contract the couple had signed with Wittich, she was not happy with the outcome. She said lawyers such as Wittich should adhere to the court's policy to resolve fee disputes without litigation. And Justice Pat Cotter dissented, bemoaning the "unconscionable result" and the "financial carnage wreaked" on the Bozeman couple.

The situation reminds one of the lawsuit by former Congressman Dennis Rehberg and his wife against the city of Billings and its fire department in 2010 for damage caused to their property. That suit came back to haunt Rehberg politically.

As liberal blogger Montana Cowgirl points out, Wittich's lawsuit likely will come back to haunt him if he ever decides to run for statewide office.

Brady Campbell, 14, of Whitefish was home alone when a black Toyota truck rolled down the hill and onto the roof of the Campbell's second story apartment. The unoccupied truck apparently slipped out of gear or was left out of gear. (Daily Inter Lake)

Pickup truck takes trip to roof of Whitefish apartment

Judge rejects plea of green groups in oil lease dispute

Disaster & Emergency Services workers ding bosses

Glacier's Logan Pass opens from east side

Lawmakers surprised pension fixes quickly phase out

'Winter in the Blood,' based on Welch novel, debuts in LA

Baucus detects 'creeping' interest in carbon taxes

Accused arsonist says he needed firefighting job to pay bills

Body of missing GTF fisherman surfaces in reservoir

Bigfork High grad wins Fulbright award to study in Russia

Chippewa Cree tribal official levels harassment charge

Woman charged with setting fire endangering mom, child

Counties get $26.5M for federal lands in their jurisdiction

Still no decision made on state senator who fled deputy

Man admits killing Whitefish soldier at army base

Bozeman climbs to 4th in 'Outside's' 'best town ever' poll

Tribal forests underfunded, says intertribal council

3 children missing from Blackfeet Reservation found

Delaware snake makes unplanned crosscountry trip to Butte

Columbia Falls grad expresses her artistic side in movies

Daines pushes to keep 'warm' status for Malmstrom missiles

Bitterroot lodge hunts for tourist dollars from morel fans

Montana's 406 area code running out of numbers

Idaho trooper shoots Whitefish motorist on I-90

Kalispell man fined $8K for poaching bull elk, deer

Tester wants tighter rein on NSA surveillance

State offers cash grants to lure makers of movies, TV shows

Audit: Some school districts misreporting bus mileage

Dispute over doctor-assisted suicide heads back to court

Weekend 'yard sale' cover 90 miles in northwestern MT

Polson man dishes out 'advise' for 50 cents at market

Bloomberg goes after Baucus, other senators on gun votes

BUSINESS

Arkansas firm drills for rare-earth minerals near Dillon

CEO of Vann's Acquisitions quits after 3 months

Biker bar at end of road in far-off Yaak bounces back

Stillwater Mining CEO retires; interim CEO is named

Rimrock Mall in Billings purchased by California investors

35 union workers lose their jobs at Billings refinery

SPORTS / OUTDOORS

Longtime Lady Grizzly assistant coach retires

All 12 Grizzly games to be televised this fall

With 2 more wins, Robin Selvig will have 800 under his belt

Griz reach Down Under for shooting guard

UM lands transfers from Washington, Boise State

Most MSU football games to be televised

Missoula's Riley King signs with KC, leaving Carroll College

Osweiler show signs of being worthy successor to Manning

MT Frac Daddy owners upbeat despite poor Belmont finish

OPINIONS

Feds make right move with delisting of wolves

Rash of vetoes a sign of rising partisanship in recent years

Montanans should know who spends money on elections

Research shows hope of using coal to make clean energy

Baucus must help rein in IRS

Montana tourism has seen tremendous growth

Will: Speech code forced on UM is 'patently unconstitutional'

FEATURES

Montana music festivals offer something for everyone

Where to find Montana's largest state park? Head east

Despite high prices, don't expect luxury at historic park inns

Rediscovering historic gold in Alder Gulch

Former CBS filmmakers remember tumult of Iran in 1979

New indie film explores MT life through eyes of newcomer

Chain-saw artist turns Billings tree stumps into works of art

Hitting the 'Backroads of Montana' for a new season

CALENDAR

Fun things to do in the Flathead this summer season

5 great venues for live music in Montana this summer

Air Force Thunderbirds to visit Flathead Valley in July

Haggard headlines lineup for Red Ant Pants Festival

'Life of Pi' author to lecture at MSU on Sept. 5

Bill Cosby on stage in Great Falls on Nov. 14

Bill Cosby performs in Missoula Nov. 15

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