Missoula Independent, Missoula News

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."…

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.…

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.…

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.…

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.…

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.…

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.…

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.…

Your future, a little early

Rob Brezsny — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 -0600

Find Rob Brezsny's "Free Will Astrology" online, every Wednesday, one day before it hits the Indy's printed pages.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): "I'm still learning," said Michelangelo when he was 87 years old.…

Happiest Hour: Al's and Vic's patio

Kate Whittle — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 -0600

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.…

How to make your nut with Tide (and more from In Other News)

Roland Sweet — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:06:00 -0600

Curses, Foiled Again
Authorities charged Carolyn James, 55, with assaulting her 96-year-old mother in Dickson City, Pa., after a neighbor recorded James slapping the invalid woman on the back and neck, screaming obscenities and threatening to break her arm. Mark Gruss told investigators he was testing webcams when he picked up a live feed from a webcam in James’s living room.…

Rockies Today on break until June 3

Mountain West News — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:25:00 -0600

The Rockies Today, a project of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West at The University of Montana that provides daily links to top news stories, will be on hiatus until Monday, June 3.

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Rockies Today, May 17

Mountain West News — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:01:00 -0600

Top news links, courtesy of Mountain West News.

U.S. Interior Department releases new version of hydraulic-fracturing regs
The new proposed federal regulations for hydraulic fracturing were released by the U.S. Interior Department on Thursday, and public comment will be taken for 30 days, but environmental groups already said the new rules, which allow companies to shield some chemicals used in the process from disclosure, are too lax, and the oil and gas industry are already saying the regulations are too onerous.
New York Times; May 17

Wyoming gets a head's up on federal fracking rules
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell called Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead to give him a brief description of federal rules on hydraulic fracturing, rules Mead said are not needed given the state's regulations on the drilling process.
Casper Star-Tribune; May 17

Annual survey in Montana's Bitterroot Valley finds more elk
The annual spring aerial survey of Montana's Bitterroot Valley found 7,373 elk, up from the 6,238 elk counted last year, and the fourth highest number since the survey began 48 years ago.
Ravalli Republic; May 17

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Rockies Today, May 16

Mountain West News — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:53:00 -0600

Top news links, courtesy of Mountain West News.

Montana man arrested, charged with arson in wildfire starts near Helena
Lewis and Clark Sheriff Leo Dutton said a Helena man is in custody and will face multiple counts of arson for a series of wildfire starts near Montana's Capital City, including the 55-acre fire that started Tuesday near the historic McMaster ranch.
Helena Independent Record; May 16

Montana county commission wants to talk water with USFS, DNRC
After learning that Ravalli County's objection to the U.S. Forest Service's attempt to gain in-stream water rights on two streams had been denied by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the county commission has invited Tom Tidwell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and the top officials of the DNRC to come and talk with them about the Forest Service's plan to pursue in-stream water rights on 11 streams in the Bitterroot National Forest.
Ravalli Republic; May 16

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Unhiply square

Dan Brooks — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Huey Lewis, Sports and hitting it big by Dan Brooks Last month, Huey Lewis recreated the iconic scene from American Psycho in which Wall Street sociopath Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, speaks rapturously about the musical genius of Huey Lewis. In a parody video for Funny Or Die, Lewis mimics Bale's original facial expressions with uncanny accuracy, praising the consummate professionalism of Sports before he hits Weird Al Yankovic with an ax.…

Appalling testimony

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

This letter responds to Alex Sakariassen’s article about the physician who admitted during a legislative hearing to assisting three suicides (see “Cowardice to courage,” April 11). I was at that hearing and I was appalled with the doctor’s testimony and his goal to legalize assisted suicide.…

Homestead revival

Alex Sakariassen — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Revisiting the Moon-Randolph strategic plan by Alex Sakariassen About six months ago, Matthew LaRubbio and Meredith Turner were driving through a snowstorm in Oregon when they got word that they'd be the next caretakers of the Moon-Randolph Homestead in Missoula's North Hills. The couple had been eyeing the property for seven years, their minds filling with ideas on how to improve one of the area's most overlooked historic landmarks.…