Missoula Independent, Missoula News

Fifteen years later, the New Yorker's story on Missoula's Sputniks is online

Erika Fredrickson — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:50:00 -0600

In 1998, a Missoula band called the Sputniks went on tour with a writer from the New Yorker. Those of you who remember the band and read the article might be interested to know that it's now online and available to read on photographer Mary Ellen Mark's website.…

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Brooks Johnson — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Mature Themes by Brooks Johnson It was such a relief to learn that Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti had shed Animal Collective's Paw Tracks record label. I abhor Animal Collective, and don't need any more records that sound anything like them.…

Cruel and unusual

Dan Brooks — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

How the justice system failed Barry Beach by Dan Brooks Let us say, for the sake of argument, that Barry Beach murdered Kim Nees in Poplar in 1979. We did say as much in 1984, when a Roosevelt County court found Beach guilty and sentenced him to 100 years in prison without the possibility of parole.…

Flash in the Pan

Ari LeVaux — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Why frozen meat is better by Ari LeVaux There is an unfortunate stigma attached to frozen meat, a widely held assumption that it's inferior to fresh meat. This prejudice runs deep enough that fast-food chain Wendy's tried to capitalize on it in 2008 with a promise that its burger meat was "Always fresh, never frozen."…

Darkness falls

Molly Laich — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Star Trek needs even more of an update by Molly Laich When JJ Abrams' spirited reimagining of Star Trek came out in 2009 to much fanfare and acclaim, I was a real stick in the mud about it. What is with all this action and edge?…

Forests

Alex Sakariassen — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Mapping public comment by Alex Sakariassen Recreationists long at odds over motorized use in and around the Great Burn Wilderness Study Area have found a new digital forum in recent months. And while the debate over motorized use has fallen far short of civility in the past, level heads are so far prevailing as the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest gathers public comment on revisions to its forest plan.…

Surfer Blood

Brooks Johnson — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

by Brooks Johnson Surfer Blood really is a band for Missoula 20-somethings like myself—and not just because I happened to be re-watching "Twin Peaks" when their breakthrough first album, Astro Coast, came out in 2010 with a great track called "Twin Peaks." Rather, the band is a good fit because it represents the line between restless youth and getting up early every morning to make coffee for the suits.…

Old Montana

Brian Kahn — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

A search for one key supporter ends at Rep. Ankney by Brian Kahn Once in a while, a principled person can make all the difference. This is how it began for me: I host "Home Ground," a weekly public radio program, and a year ago, Montana's U.S. attorney invited me to attend a law enforcement conference of about 130 officials, ranging from city and county police to state attorneys general and Canadian Mounties.…

Happiest Hour

Kate Whittle — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

The Al's and Vic's patio by Kate Whittle Where you're drinking: It's summertime (sorta) and the living is easy. During the glorious bright, warm days of late spring, all we want to do is find a place to relax outside, sip a cold one and feel the breeze on our skin.…

Family reunion

Kate Whittle — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Catching up with the "Arrested Development" cast by Kate Whittle "Arrested Development" fans everywhere rejoiced when it was announced that the entire cast returned to shoot a fourth season. The 15 episodes will all be available at once on Netflix starting May 26.…

Sexual assault

Jessica Mayrer — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Van Valkenburg stands his ground by Jessica Mayrer Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg came out swinging last week in response to the U.S. Department of Justice's criticisms of how his office has prosecuted sexual assaults. "They're a bunch of bullies is what they are," Van Valkenburg said of the DOJ.…

There and back again

Kate Whittle — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

A nerd comes to grips with her awkward past at the Shire of Montana by Kate Whittle The relics of a tragic adolescence are littered throughout my old bedroom in my parents' house. A life-size cardboard Legolas peeks out from behind old clothes in the closet.…

etc.

Independent Staff — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

by Independent Staff When you were in third grade, whom you sat next to in school mattered. You wanted to gossip, to flirt or to tempt your classmate into disruptive mid-class snickering.…

Losing it

Dan Brooks — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Daft Punk forgets what made it good by Dan Brooks On LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge," James Murphy shouts out the band that traded its computer for an arpeggiator "because you want to make something real. You want to make a Yaz record."…

Business

Jamie Rogers — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Run off the road by Jamie Rogers On May 20, Steve Zetterberg leaned back in a chair and propped his boots on what used to be the receptionist's desk at Highway Technologies' Missoula branch office. Nearby, the office manager paced as he talked on a cellphone, while another group of employees stood idly together, speaking quietly.…

Out of context

Erika Fredrickson — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

How artist Wesley Delano changed the trajectory of his life by Erika Fredrickson Wesley Delano has always pushed boundaries. Fifteen years ago that meant being 300 pounds and drinking whiskey after whiskey at Al's and Vic's, making smartass remarks to patrons.…

Skating by

Alex Sakariassen — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

The man behind Maverick Mountain's survival by Alex Sakariassen The slopes of Maverick Mountain northwest of Dillon are bare. The parking lot is a rutted mess, a season of snow having left its mark in the form of deep trenches.…

Aran Buzzas

Nate Hegyi — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

3-7-77 by Nate Hegyi There was an article recently in Rolling Stone about a group of über-talented studio musicians nicknamed "the Mellow Mafia" whose laid-back playing style pretty much defined soft rock. During the musicians' 1970s heyday everyone from James Taylor to Carly Simon to Jackson Browne featured them on their records and took them on the road as a backing band when they toured.…

Flathead

Alex Sakariassen — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Subdivision makes waves by Alex Sakariassen The Flathead Valley has long been billed as a destination for water-based recreation. Anglers and whitewater enthusiasts flock to local rivers in the summer, and Flathead Lake itself is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River.…

Missoula bound

Dameon Matule — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Five Sasquatch bands you don't have to miss by Dameon Matule Follow the Clark Fork west into Washington state's Columbia River and you'll come to the one of the most stunning amphitheaters in North America: The Gorge. Behind the main stage the Columbia gorge canyon and the rolling Cascade Range stretch for miles.…

Growth industry

Jessica Mayrer — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

City's poplar grove could be a model for managing waste by Jessica Mayrer On a recent sunny afternoon, Missoula Wastewater Treatment Facility Superintendent Starr Sullivan walks through a poplar grove that's dotted with deer scat, mossy patches and the shadows of birds flitting above. "This is a wildlife refuge," Sullivan quips from inside the 1.6-acre grove, located just behind the treatment facility's pungent clarifiers and bubbling bioreactors.…

Real possibility

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:50:00 -0600

Have you ever heard of Otter Creek? If not, you may want to know what is happening in eastern Montana and how it will impact those of us who live near railroad tracks in different communities across the state.…

Horses have feelings

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:49:00 -0600

With regard to Ari LeVaux's "Harvesting horses" column (May 16), I hope that his idea remains no more than a "Flash in the Pan."

While the euphemistic phrase "harvesting" sounds amenable, the brutal slaughter of horses for human ends is anything but.…

Never give up

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:48:00 -0600

I am saddened, sickened and outraged by the decision of the Supreme Court regarding my cousin Kim Nees' murder (see "No redemption," May 16). Barry Beach, Centurion Ministries, Montanans for Justice and several key witnesses have proven Barry's innocence.…

Highway Technologies run off the road; estimated 80 jobs lost

Jamie Rogers — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:05:00 -0600

On May 20, Steve Zetterberg leaned back in a chair and propped his boots on what used to be the receptionist’s desk at Highway Technologies’ Missoula branch office. Nearby, the office manager paced as he talked on a cellphone, while another group of employees stood idly in a group, speaking quietly.…