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March 3, 2010

THE BUZZ

Are Montana's representatives in Congress raging ideologues? In a word: No.

According to recent National Journal vote ratings, Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, both Democrats, were rated the 45th and 41st most liberal senators, respectively. More specifically, Baucus had a 60.7 on the liberal scale (or a 39.3 on the conservative scale) while Tester's scores was 61.5.

GOP Congressman Dennis Rehberg was rated the 106th most conservative member of the House of Representative, with a conservative score of 77.5.

So residents of Butte are eager to build a new state historical museum in their home city, right? Maybe not, if you believe a reader poll in Butte's Montana Standard.

According to the survey, 254 readers who participated in the survey (as of Tuesday afternoon) said they didn't want the city to use millions of dollars in Natural Resource Damage funds to build a new Montana Historical Society Museum in Butte, while 435 were opposed. Sixty-six weren't sure.

Of course, it could be that most of the opposition votes came from outside Butte -- maybe some even came from employees of the Historical Society in Helena, as well as their friends and family members. Stuffing the ballot box, so to speak. Something that's never been known to happen in Butte, of course.

Butte Sen. Steve Gallus proposed building the museum in the Mining City, saying that more than $100 million in natural resource damage funds are available for projects that will improve conditions there, and the museum could be such a project. State officials have also been debating building a new museum in Helena, but there has been disagreement over where it should be located and how it should be paid for.

Some Oregonians recognize that they face a formidable foe as Montana tries to lure away businesses in the wake of recent tax hikes in Oregon. At Portland's Willamette Week, they posted a movie clip to show just how tough "Montana" can be.

The weekly newspaper was alluding to the recent story about how some Montana legislators are urging the state to try to lure Oregon businesses to Montana after Oregon voters passed two ballot measures that hiked taxes by $733 million on businesses and high-income individuals.

(By the way, if you don't get the reference in the movie clip, that's the character Tony Montana in the movie Scarface who is blowing away his enemies with such high-powered panache.)

Jim Messina, a University of Montana graduate and former aide to Montana Sen. Max Baucus, is expected to run President Obama's reelection campaign.

Obama's top aides have started to quietly lay the groundwork for the campaign, which Messina would run out of Chicago, Politico is reporting.

David Axelrod, David Pflouffe, and Anita Dunn would be among other Obama aides advisers who are expected to play key roles, but Messina would coordinate the campaign. Prior to joining the White House staff and working on Obama's presidential campaign, Messina directed Baucus' Senate staff. He is a graduate of the UM Journalism School.

Montana writer Walter Kirn has generated some buzz by writing about his disappointment in not getting an invite to this year's Oscar ceremonies. Kirn, you see, wrote the book Up in the Air, on which the movie by the same name is based. And the movie, which has been drawing rave reviews, is up for a number of Oscars, including best screenplay. (Though Kirn didn't write the screenplay.)

Kirn, based in Livingston, sent out a Twitter message that captured a lot of attention: "I just feel crestfallenness." The message was in response to inquiries from press friends about whether he would be at the Oscars.

Kirn said people don't understand that he doesn't make much money from the movie, but he's been tirelessly promoting it, as it does help book sales, and book sales feed his family. He was hoping to go to the Oscars because the movie, which he loves, was the best thing that had ever happened to him professionally.

It didn't get any coverage in Montana that Buzz recalls, but another Baucus has been hired by the US Department of Justice as a political appointee.

Stephanie Denton Baucus has been named the associate director of the DOJ's Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison, which coordinates with state and local law enforcement and government agencies. She is the wife of Zeno Baucus, the son of Sen. Max Baucus.

She started working for the department last year at the same time as Melodee Hanes, the senator's live-in girlfriend. Hanes became acting deputy administrator for policy in the department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The senator nominated Hanes as a candidate for U.S. attorney in Montana, but pulled her name when the press inquired about the propriety of nominating someone with personal ties.

Bryon Wilson, the young Butte man who picked up a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics for his freestyle skiing, has another remarkable talent for someone his age.

He's a carver who specializes in wood sculptures of Montana trout. You can find photos of his work at his web site, Wilson's Wood Carvings.

Wilson, who graduated with honors from Butte High School, now attends Westminster College in Utah, where he's been training for the Olympic team. His aim is to earn an art degree. He's been carving for several years, and has won a number of awards, including first place awards in the Missoula Woodcarvers Show in 2007 and 2008. as well as the Utah Valley Show in 2008 and 2009.

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Amanda Bjelland holds her dog, Chloe, and cat, Willow, at their home in West Billings. Recently Chloe’s barking helped lead Bjelland to the pond where the cat was trapped in freezing water. Bjelland guesses the cat was in the water for 20 minutes. (Bob Zellar / Billings Gazette)