Big Sky tournament: An end to March Fiscal Madness?

Missoulian story.

RJ said on: March 25, 2011, 9:38 am

As a parent of a student who is enrolled at the UM, I can honestly say that spending this amount to send the mens BB team to Greely for a tournament and a chance to go play in the NCAA bracket is personally far less offensive on a fiscal level than seeing the university/sports systems spend an amount even higher than this to purchase NEW helmets and full uniforms to be worn in one game (think cat/griz 2011)..This was an appalling waste of school system/sports system money in my opinion that seemed to fly under the radar...I'm not a big sports fan and I don't lose sleep when any of the UM sports programs lose games. Yes I enjoy watching from time to time and yes I enjoy seeing the programs win as I feel it is a positive for the U as a whole, but the college is there to educate the kids not create some illusion of the athletes being special royalty of campus and placing them up on a pedistal. I have a hard time believing that buying 20K-30K worth of helmets and uniforms is going to make the kids any smarter?? It didn't seem to make them play any better so I'll let the results speak for themselves...

Montana Senate committee deadlocks on medical marijuana repeal

Missoulian story.

pikeman said on: March 14, 2011, 9:12 pm

All of this has been very interesting. Personally, I thought MMJ was going to be repealed, although Shweitzer may have vetoed it. It's hard to say though. The most interesting thing, is it ended up being a tied vote in the senate, right down to the wire.
It is scary what is going on in this country right now. Why are those of us that are standing up for our rights and what we voted for being called "leftists". and "dopers" even right here in Montana by commenters of the Missoulian?
How can we be "leftists" when we are actually standing up for peoples rights as voters. The Legislature has no right to turn over a popular vote! These Republicans are supposedly for the Constitution, yet they try to turn over a popular vote because, according to Mike Milburn we were "duped" into it. Personally, I think many Montanans were "duped" into voting for Mike Milburn and many of his Republican cronies. This is not just about MMJ either. The Republicans, mainly, are trying to overturn the equality ordinance (which personally I had some things against) and decrimanalization of marijuana in Missoula. The bottom line is these were voter approved. Congess is trying to say that we don't know what's good for us, Big Brother knows best.
Well, I've always considered myself a Moderate, and I voted for Ron Paul in the last election. I am no leftist, and until I see the Rupublicans start voting for our freedoms, instead of their own agenda, I will always vote against them.

Proposed Missoula housing development raises issues on rentals, density

Missoulian story.

IM said on: March 14, 2011, 12:12 pm

I'm from Missoula and I want what's right for the environment as long as it does not disturb my right to drive my Subaru to the Good Food Store to buy overpackaged organic products from mexico.

Column: Schweitzer budget on life support

Missoulian story.

hanoverfist said on: March 14, 2011, 7:35 am

it's a shame that charles s. johnson of the missoulian state bureau in helena can't write an objective article.same old missoulian liberal rant on the bad republicans not listening to the good democratic govner. Maybe charles s. johnson should look into the tax agency authority before he reports on the bad republicans stealing from babies and giving it to the big bad corporations. if our tax collection bureau has the authority to get the big bad tax cheats then why should we waste 6.1 million on more bureaucracy? would that be so the govner can give another distant family member lifelong employment? hey charles s. johnson, how about some actual investigative reporting instead of being a mouthpiece for the govner and democrats?

Anti-abortion group to hold 40-day vigil outside Missoula clinic

Missoulian story.

MTminded said on: March 11, 2011, 8:02 am

daggone says: "Abortion will be banned. A majority of Americans now oppose this legal bloodbath. It will stop."

Abortion may be banned. Doubtful, but perhaps. But abortion will not stop. Abortion will be desired by women and utilized regardless of its legal status. You are accomplishing nothing.

If these folks really wanted to pray for something useful, they should be in Helena attempting to sway our legislators to promote affordable, effective birth control for all women and men, sex education in schools, and social services that are beneficial to children, mothers, and families. Protesting abortion is nothing more than protesting a symptom of a problem ..it accomplishes nothing.

Mega-refinery equipment moves through Missoula; protester arrested

Missoulian story.

Sensibility was scarce in this thread.  It is extra unfortunate that any attempt by the "pro oil" side to make a point was stripped of all credibility by some useless quip about hippies and/or medical marijuana.  I don't think anyone is denying our need for oil- especially those that realize this need goes far beyond fuel- most consumer products are currently constructed of petroleum based chemicals.  However, it's not that oil is the ultimate enemy, it's that we need to start replacing it with suitable sustainable replacements whenever  possible and when it makes sense.  We in the USA don't want to be slaves to the major oil producing countries, and we as citizens of the Earth need to be prepared to thrive when the oil ultimately does dry up.   

-Modde    

MTborn&raised said on: March 10, 2011, 4:53 pm

It seems none of the folks on here have kids or grandkids whose futures they are concerned for. There is a finite amount of oil on this planet, it won't last forever. Sooner or later an alternate energy source will be needed. Do we do something about it now or leave the mess for future generations to deal with? Considering how many of you are pro-life, I would think you'd be more concerned about future generations. Guess not.

Andy B. Hammond said on: March 10, 2011, 6:08 pm

I challenge the opponents to put up or shut up. Give up all that you own that has a connection to oil. Give up half even. Show some courage and fortitude and show us that you are serious and credible. Otherwise, go back to your apartment and light up your MM and shut up.

dodson said on: March 10, 2011, 11:32 am

A Comments section filled with the ranting and raving of the lizard brain gallery of apologists for the Oil Cartel-led Corporate Oligarchy. The Overlord flies in from Houston where all of the profits flow out of the State and into the Overlord bonus pockets. Nothing in any of this article or in the commenters addresses the fact that these giant monoliths were constructed and shipped using foreign labor and resources. None of the accounting figures which compared the costs of foreign construction and shipping over U.S. highways compared to building these "necessary" components within the U.S. borders. The same Commenters express their daily hatred for all "government" workers and any private "union" workers within the borders while extolling the virtues of the Oil Cartel "free enterprise" Corporate Oligarchy. As usual, lost in the hatred for our own is the fact that Conoco prefers South Korean labor and materials over any U.S. worker class.
Real Patriots!

Missoula man sentenced for running teen prostitution ring on Craigslist

Missoulian story.


The comment offered below by Hakon Montag is admittedly a little off topic, but I can't resist it. He is referring to the $150/day marijuana habit the convicted pimp enjoys. The stoner math is entertaining, and probably fairly accurate. But, since when did an ounce get so cheap, $150? If thats what Hakon Montag is getting it for, I have a business proposition for him.

-Modde

Hakon Montag said on: March 9, 2011, 9:40 am

Not very likely that he was smoking an ounce a day by himself. If you factor in the other "members" of the clan, maybe.

One ounce is 28 grams.

A "fatty" joint rolled to be about the size of a regular cigarette weighs 1 gram. (most cigarettes weigh 1 gram)

Most people don't roll fatties. If they roll at all.

Most people do "bong hits" with a single hit bowl, which holds
maybe a 1/4 gram. You can hit it all at once or get more than one hit from a single hit bowl, depending on how hard you toke.

People who roll typically get around 50 joints out of an ounce. Then there are the "generation joints" which are rolled from the butts of the original joints. You can get another joint for every three to four butts, depending on how far down you smoke the originals.

Most smokers like to "stretch" their dollars as far as they can.

So given the above information you can gauge just how much this guy, or these people were supposedly smoking. I tend to think this claim of $150 a day is for the "group" not just one person. As the "leader" of the group he was probably supplying everyone their daily doses from his stash.

As a side note, now everyone knows just how much cigarette smokers use every day also. Since cigarettes are the ONLY consumer product on the market that DO NOT HAVE the weight of the package or the individual cigarettes inside. They weigh 1 gram typically. A pack has Twenty, so 20 grams per pack, almost an OUNCE of tobacco per pack. Pack and a half per day gets you at one ounce.

Far more than the typical marijuana smoker uses.

Confusion swirls around changes to ExxonMobil big rig project

 Missoulian story.

pensar said on: March 3, 2011, 11:32 pm

I wonder who promised these corporations that this was a wonderful route to ship these megaloads. Clearly, they made them in Korea in sizes they had been promised would be easy to bring through ID and MT. (Who coached them and encouraged them? Check ID and MT governors campaign contributers.) Only one load has made it to MT and it has been parked for most of February and now it is March. The next load is close, and truthfully, I don't mind if Billings gets what they need for Connoco Philips. I do totally mind the idea that Canada and Korea convinced USA states of ID and MT that International for profit trade between two foreign countries is required to block USA roads and USA recreation (as well as USA tractor trailer traffic)under the USA commerce clause. That is not trade between the states but between the multinational (non USA) corporations who raise the price of gas when they can find any international crisis (with absolutely no effect upon USA oil stores)upon which to make even bigger record profits . WHen was the last year the USA oil companies did not have record profits? How many has it been? It is pure hype and the tea baggers believe it as they are being used and exploited.

Woman accused of stealing soon-to-be father-in-law's credit card for wedding, other expenses

Billings Gazette story.

chbmontana said on: March 2, 2011, 1:30 am

I'm wondering if this was the plan the whole family had from the beginning? She puts most (if not all) the expenses on the father-in-law's card, he/they figure they'll be required to return whatever can be returned, and the rest will just have to be written off, and that would be that.

Nobody figured that a police report would be required before the credit card company would remove the debt. Now daddy-in-law has no choice...

It certainly makes better sense than, "I didn't look at my bill for the past 4 or more months", hubby claiming no knowledge, and nobody wondering where all the money for the stuff was coming from.

Just a thought.