Happy Friday, Beacon readers! Mariah Thomas here, returning from a nearly week-long vacation filled with some great music. I started off in Missoula, where I saw Caamp at the Kettlehouse with my college roommate and then flew out to Phoenix, where my mom and I saw Noah Kahan (she ranked his concert up there with Journey in the ’80s — high praise, and I’m inclined to agree). But after all that, I’m stoked to have arrived back in the Flathead Valley in one piece, and to be bringing you all today’s Daily Roundup.
And while I’ve been concert-going, there’s been no shortage of news in both my worlds — education and state politics — this week. ICYMI: Flathead Valley Community College announced four finalists to replace Jane Karas as president and a new chapter in the saga of conflict among Republicans erupted over a last-minute effort to block two powerful state legislators from appearing on November’s ballot. Oh, and to boot, most schools in the area are priming to kick off next week too. Is your head spinning? Because mine sure is!
Amid it all, Montana’s ballot certification deadline of Aug. 20 came and went yesterday. That’s the date by which the Secretary of State must certify names and designations for statewide and state district candidates, along with statewide ballot issues, and where local election administrators must do the same at the county level.
My eye has been on the trio of ballot initiatives that were priming to make it onto the ballot this fall, and all three appear to have qualified for the general election ballot as of the start of this week. Those initiatives will give Montanans a say at the ballot box on a slate of hefty topics: whether to maintain the state’s nonpartisan courts, whether to rein in the powers of “artificial persons” to spend in elections, and whether to further safeguard the initiative and referendum process from “unjustified interference by the government” on Nov. 3.
All three of those ballot initiatives went through varying degrees of legal rigamarole before being allowed to gather signatures. But each has since turned in far more than the requisite number of signatures to qualify their initiatives for the ballot.
Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts, the group backing the nonpartisan courts initiative, and Montanans Decide, which has propped up the ballot initiative to safeguard the referendum and initiative process, celebrated their initiatives making it to the ballot in Tuesday press releases.
“Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts is thrilled to have CI-132 officially qualified following the hard work of so many Montanans who have gathered signatures, endorsed the initiative, and given their time and money to support this effort,” said Caitie Butler, the group’s spokesperson. “We look forward to talking with Montanans in every corner of the state about how important CI-132 is for Montanans who want fair and impartial courts.”
Montanans Decide similarly heralded their measure’s success making it to the ballot, along with announcing support for the initiative from a pair of former Secretaries of State in Whitefish — Republican Bob Brown and Helena Democrat Mike Cooney.
And the Transparent Election Initiative, the group backing the initiative aiming to rein in corporate political spending in Montana, has been on tour for the past couple weeks. Russell Cleveland, the group’s executive director of partnerships, has been dropping into communities around the state for conversations about the group’s plan to buck corporate spending in politics — both inside and outside the state’s borders. The group made a stop in Kalispell last week, where the initiative has faced some opposition from the local chamber, and is slated for a future stop in Whitefish as part of the tour.
I think it’s safe to say that election season is officially upon us here in Montana. I, for one, can’t wait to follow along with all the developments that are sure to come our way. I hope you’ll be following along with me.
And … that’s what I’ve got for you all today. Onto the rest of today’s Daily Roundup!
Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission Adopts Reduced Wolf Harvest Quota Amid Population Estimation Error
Faced with revised counting methodology that dramatically reduces the state’s estimated wolf population, commissioners approved a scaled-down quota of 300 wolves in Montana
Stimson Timberland Easement Gains Final Commission Approval
The 20,629-acre conservation easement would protect timberland in Lincoln, Mineral and Sanders counties as part of a broader effort to conserve Stimson's entire inland timber base
The Wanda Hollensteiner Art Gallery is hosting “Anne Frank: A History for Today,” a traveling exhibit on loan from the University of South Carolina’s Anne Frank Center. The exhibit will be on display starting August 24 at 5 PM through September 14 in the Wanda Hollensteiner Art Gallery. Recommended for ages 12 and up, the exhibit presents the history of the Holocaust through the perspective of Anne Frank and her family. Pairing photographs of the Frank family with historical images, the exhibit shows how targeted people were affected by the political actions of individuals and groups during World War II. The community is invited to an exhibition opening reception on Monday, August 24 from 5 – 7 PM in the Wanda Hollensteiner Art Gallery. Admission is free. Recommended age 12+
Wendy (Michelle Williams), a near-penniless drifter, is traveling to Alaska in search of work, and her only companion is her dog, Lucy. Already perilously close to losing everything, Wendy hits a bigger bump in the road when her old car breaks down, and she is arrested for shoplifting dog food. When she posts bail and returns to retrieve Lucy, she finds that the dog is gone, prompting a frantic search for her pet. Recommended age 18+
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