Big Sky Blog

Never imagined the escaped Arizona convicts would wind up in Montana: MT residents discuss sighting of alleged AZ fugitive

Adam Richman of “Man versus Food” stopped in Butte recently to attempt the Jumboli Stromboli. Any other MT locations he should visit?

Bozeman school using Facebook to try to win $500K.

Billings prepares to host John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan.

Grizzly bears spotted near Brady.

Helena is making lots of waves, not just in Montana, but across the nation, because of a proposed sex-ed curriculum. Usually when Montana makes national news, it’s because of “lone rangers” or severe winter weather, but this time MSNBC and Fox News are covering the Helena beat, and Helena schools superintendent Bruce Messinger was on the Laura Ingraham radio show on Thursday defending the proposal.

Here is a part of the curriculum that is causing such outrage:

It lays out sex education topics for each grade, K through 12. In the first grade, children would be taught that human beings can love people of the same gender; in second grade, kids are taught not to make fun of people by calling them “gay” or “queer.”
By fifth grade, they are taught there are several types of intercourse, and by the sixth grade, the draft document states that students should, “Understand that sexual intercourse includes but is not limited to vaginal, oral, or anal penetration; using the penis, fingers, tongue or objects.”

Click here to read the entire proposed curriculum.

About 500 people turned out for the school board meeting this week – and for a Montana town, that’s a LOT of people.

If you’re wondering how the oil spill (leak) in the Gulf of Mexico compares to Montana:

This has been a tragic week across Montana – so many people have died in car crashes.

Five teens died in Helena over the weekend when the driver missed a turn.

Five people died near Libby in a two-vehicle crash.

Great Falls woman dies in one-car crash near Great Falls.

Two women (incl. mother of 8) died near Hardin in car crash.

People, please please please be safe when you’re out on the roads. Don’t take chances. Don’t drink under the influence of booze or drugs. Watch your speed and your distance.

It’s been almost a year since the Bozeman explosion, and when it happened, the power of social media in spreading the news and gathering information was really felt in Montana. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr – all were instrumental in letting people in Montana and around the world what was happening. Here’s a report from KBZK in Bozeman about it:

This was SERIOUSLY cool: five villagers from Tanna in the Pacific Ocean visited the USA, and along with stays in California and New York, they spent time in Montana. Here’s a promo clip from the five men experiencing snow for (I assume?) the first time:

The Tanna natives spent most of their Montana time down near Belfry and Billings, and also journeyed to Yellowstone. They really seemed to enjoy their visit to Montana – and their host family the Pelicans really seemed to enjoy the experience, too. Wearing cowboy hats, playing in the snow, participating in a hunt, helping out with ranch-hand duties, chowing down on pancakes and bacon, dancing at a local bar – good ol’ Montana stuff.

Just a hunch, but I suspect that the Tanna men enjoyed their Montana experience more than the other places they visited during the USA trip.

On a very sad note, however: if you watched the Travel Channel episode, you may have noticed that it was dedicated to Cole Pelican, with the tragic dates 2000-2009. Cole was the 9-year old son of the Pelican family; he loved rodeo, and he died in a horse-riding accident in July 2009, long after the TV episode was filmed. The family established “Cole’s Western Wishes” in his memory.

All of the press that Montana got recently over the proposed firearms legislation got me wondering. According to Gary Marbut:

“HB 246 declares that any firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories made and retained in Montana are not subject to any federal regulation or control under the power given to Congress in the U.S. Constitution to ‘regulate commerce … among the states’.”

Of course I think it’s a pretty good idea – if something is completely made and used solely in Montana, then it shouldn’t be subject to Federal laws, etc. It sounds reasonable.
But then I thought: if this is such a good idea, shouldn’t it apply to other things, too? For example, beef: if a cow is raised in Montana, sold in Montana, slaughtered in Montana, and consumed completely in Montana by Montanans, then shouldn’t that cow and beef be exempt from any Federal laws or rules – such as the USDA or FDA, etc?
In other words: if the state sovereignty legislation for firearms is the right thing to do, then shouldn’t Montana apply the same standard to other products? Or is there an aspect of this legislation that I don’t understand?

You can keep track of the daily doings in the Canadian-$ (C$) by checking Canadian-$ futures.

Since May 1, the C$ has increased 7.72¢ from 84.51¢ to a current quote (as of mid- morning) of 92.23¢.

Since April 1, the C$ has increased 12.75¢ from 79.48¢ to a current quote (as of mid- morning) of 92.23¢.

Gary Marbut, President of the Montana Sports Shooting Association (MSSA) is scheduled to be on the Glen Beck Show this Friday, 3 to 4PM, MDT on the FOX News Channel, to talk about MSSA’s Montana-made guns bill. HB 246 sponsor, Rep. Joel Boniek (R-Livingston) is scheduled to be on the show also.