Hello! Here are the topics for today’s commentary:
- Great Falls School Board Election
- Trump & Tester
- Gag Order Violations
- Yard Cleanups in Black Eagle
GREAT FALLS SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION:
Here’s a reminder that the Great Falls School Board Election is today (Tuesday), so don’t forget to vote!
As I said last week, I don’t normally write too much about school board elections, but there has been so much crap thrown about during this election season that I want to encourage Great Falls voters to re-elect Marlee Sunchild to the school board.
It will be interesting to see how long the Cascade County Elections Department takes to count the votes.
TRUMP & TESTER:
Several sources, including Politico, are reporting Trump disparages Jon Tester’s weight during a fundraiser, saying he ‘looks pregnant.’ He also said he may campaign against the Montana Democrat, who is up for reelection.
Politico reported:
Former President Donald Trump mocked Sen. Jon Tester’s weight during a private event over the weekend, saying the Montana Democrat “looks pregnant to me.”
“Have you ever seen this guy? He doesn’t look like a fat guy, except that his stomach is out,” Trump said, holding his hands out in front of him during a fundraiser Saturday for Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) at Mar-A-Lago, according to video of the event obtained by POLITICO.
Trump and his family camped in Montana to campaign against Tester in 2018. Tester still won. I expect the same thing to happen in November. The time that Trump spends in Montana, a state he will easily win, will take time away from battleground states and help Joe Biden win a second term.
Read the full article from Politico HERE.
GAG ORDER VIOLATIONS:
The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that the judge in Donald Trump’s hush money trial fined him $1,000 on Monday and, in his sternest warning yet, told the former president that future gag order violations could send him to jail.
According to the AP, the $1,000 fine imposed Monday marks the second time since the trial began last month that Trump has been sanctioned for violating the gag order. He was fined $9,000 last week — $1,000 for each of nine violations.
I hope the judge puts Trump in jail. He is not above the law. I would probably start my “happy hour” earlier that day.
Read the complete report from the AP HERE.
YARD CLEANUPS IN BLACK EAGLE:
According to a press release provided to The Western Word, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced:
During the week of May 6, Atlantic Richfield, under the direction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will begin yard cleanups in the community of Black Eagle to address lead- and arsenic-affected soils resulting from 80 years of smelting activities at the ACM Smelter and Refinery Superfund site. Cleanups will be conducted by Jordan Construction, Inc. with oversight by EPA, EPA’s contractor HelioTech and Atlantic Richfield’s contractor Woodard & Curran. EPA has also worked closely with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) throughout the Superfund process on the Site.
The cleanups are anticipated to take two summers to complete, and only properties where residents have returned access agreements will be remediated.
Jordan Contracting, Inc. crews will work 6:30 am-6:30 pm Monday-Wednesday and 6:30 am-4:00 pm on Thursdays. Crews will be working through the summer and will clean as many yards as possible before cold weather sets in.
The Western Word 
When Tester won his first senate race he wasn’t sporting a Milwaukee tumor.
“Tester’s campaign and leadership PAC have dropped at least $1.2 million at restaurants and on catered events since 2006, including more than $270,000 at restaurants since 2019, according to campaign finance records. That includes $31,000 at Morton’s Steakhouse, a Washington mainstay where eight-ounce steaks run $53 and margaritas cost $35 a pop. Then there’s Del Frisco’s, a steakhouse that enforces a “strict upscale dress code” on its patrons, and RPM Italian, owned by celebrity reporter Giuliana Rancic and visited in recent years by rapper Drake and comedian Pete Davidson. Tester’s campaign spent $8,100 and $6,000 at the restaurants, respectively.”
Plain to see where the extra pounds came from.
And Politico, and every other print media in MT, how come you never show pictures of our senior senator from the chest down?
I saw the information about Tester’s campaign and leadership PAC spending money on meals a long time ago. It’s legal to do. It was campaign money, which some people don’t understand the differences between the money he is given to run his offices (from taxpayers) and the money people donate to help him get elected (from donors, PACs, etc.)
I always hoped Tester would drop off a suitcase full of beef at my front door, but it has not happened. He did a campaign ad about taking beef to DC in a suitcase.
As for showing his photo chest down, I’m not sure I’ve ever posted a photo of any elected official unless it was on a campaign flier. Never thought about it.
Thanks for the comments,! -JmB
Funny how Politico could’ve disproved Trump’s allegation. Instead they cropped the photo just below his shirt pocket.
Other observation, the old torn and grease stained Carhart jacket has been replaced by a 4X newer one in his ads.
I noticed the new carhart, too. Funny.
I worked on the the Anaconda Hills Golf Course project years ago, you wouldn’t believe the crap we dug up and re-buried there. I also was a leach rat at the smelter for a couple years. Removing six inches of soil isn’t really going to touch the problems they got, I wouldn’t eat a vegetable grown in Black Eagle let alone put the Children’s Museum there.
Bill
Great info. The land is pretty messed up for ever. Thanks, JmB
Trump’s hatred for Tester goes back to April 2018 when then White House physician Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson was nominated by Trump to head up Veterans Administration. Within few days 23 staff members of Jackson brought to attention of Republican Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, Chairman Veterans Affairs and ranking Democrat member Tester serious allegations regarding Jackson. Isakson let Tester carry the investigation as didn’t want to be in fued with Trump. The allegations were Jackson was repeatedly drunk on the job, over prescribed drugs, especially Ambien a sleep medication, was called Candy Man of White House, toxic work environment and wrecked government vehicle while under influence of alcohol. In few days Jackson withdrew his nomination. In July 2022 a Pentagon Inspector General report stated Jackson made sexual denigrating statements to female subordinates, consumed alcohol inappropriately and consumed sleeping drugs while on duty. The Navy reviewed this and felt his behavior was unbecoming to a Navy officer and reduced his rank from Rear Admiral to Capiain after he retired because he was still under investigation. So in otherwords all this gives him the Trump thumbs up and now MEGA favorite US House Representative from Texas. What a great country.!
Jackson had an interesting career. Some of it not too good. Thanks, JmB
Trump: A great one to talk about others looking fat. His giant a** blots out the sun.
School election: Have you noticed that the rundown eyesore “Libery Hall” on 10th Ave S which is nominally local Republican HQ also seems to be Libertarian HQ, based on signage out front? Just a coincidence the negative campaign against Sunchild has seemed like a coordinated bad cop/good cop routine?
I have not been by “Liberty Hall” for a few weeks. It is a great location. I do believe the libertarians and republicans have tried to gang up on Sunchild. I don’t think it will work.
-JmB