Choosing not to vote isn’t rebellion. It’s surrender. – Unknown

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include spending in the Montana U.S. Senate race, unemployment, troops to the border, Boilermakers Local D239, FiveThirtyEight and the Montana U.S. House and U.S. Senate races, campaign material, anonymous campaign material, Klay Thompson, James “Whitey” Bulger and Great Falls, and much more!

33,000,000

With less than a week until election day, campaign spending by outside groups on Montana’s U.S. Senate race has topped $33 million, easily breaking the old record for a Montana campaign. (MTN News)

Montana is a cheap date in regard to campaigns…

214,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

15,000

President Donald Trump says the number of military troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexican border could reach 15,000 — roughly double the number the Pentagon said it currently plans for a mission whose dimensions are shifting daily. (AP)

It’s all a campaign stunt to get votes and it is sickening.

90

Workers from Boilermakers Local D239 and officials representing Imerys Talc America met in negotiations last week and have reached an agreement to end the nearly three-month lockout at Imerys’ Three Forks, Montana, mill. (boilermakers.org)

Congrats to Boilermakers Local D239. #UnionYes!

85

The blog FiveThirtyEight.com says that U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D) has an 85% chance of winning his race against Republican Matt Rosendale. FiveThirtyEight.com rates the race as “Likely D.”

FiveThirtyEight also predicts Tester will get 52.2% of the vote to Rosendale’s 45.1%.

78

Three weeks ago I said that I had received 30 pieces of campaign material at my house regarding candidates or issues on the November ballot.

Last week that number was 57. Update: Now I have 78 pieces.

Of all those 78 pieces, this one was anonymous:

64.2

The blog FiveThirtyEight.com says that Republican U.S. Representative Greg Gianforte has a 64.2% chance of winning his race against Democrat Kathleen Williams. (FiveThirtyEight.com)

I think this race will be a nail-biter and I think Williams is showing some momentum in the last week.

14

Golden State Warriors All-Star swingman Klay Thompson set an NBA record by knocking down 14 3-pointers in Monday night’s 149-124 win over the Chicago Bulls. (ESPN)

Thompson and his teammate, Stephen Curry, are two of the greatest shooters in the NBA at this time. They are fun to watch.

2

Crime boss and gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was murdered this week at US Penitentiary Hazelton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. Bulger has ties to the Great Falls area.

The Great Falls Tribune reported that Bulger lived in Great Falls for an undetermined period of time in the 1950s as an airman stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base and that he “did at least two stints in jail in Great Falls.” One was for rape and the other was for fighting.

Since Bulger is now deceased, it would be interesting for the U.S. Air Force to release his arrest record and the dates that he was stationed at Malmstrom AFB.

 

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