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Here are the topics for today’s independent commentary:

• 2024 Candidate Press Conference
• Cascade County Commission
• Brigadier General Renea Dorvall
• Laurel School Board

2024 CANDIDATE PRESS CONFERENCE:

Cascade County Democrats will file for office this week and the Democratic Central Committee will officially announce their candidacy at a 2:00p.m. press conference on Thursday, January 11, 2024 (TODAY) at the Great Falls Senior Center, 1004 Central Avenue. The public and media are invited to meet the candidates and learn a bit about their backgrounds, professional experience, and motivation for running for office in Cascade County. (Source)

I think the local Democrats will pick up a seat or two this time around. The voters have seen how poorly the MAGA folks have run things in the city and county and seen how the far-right-wing legislators have put the party above their constituents. This will be an interesting campaign season.

CASCADE COUNTY COMMISSION:

The Daily Montanan is reporting that Cascade County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to select James Larson as chairperson for the three-person commission, ousting far-right commissioner Rae Grulkowski from commission leadership.

I like the last part of the graph, “…ousting far-right commissioner Rae Grulkowski from commission leadership.”

Don’t celebrate too much – the three commissioners are all Republicans, but some are considered RINOs (Republican in Name Only) by the MAGA crowd. With their removal of Grulkowski as chairperson, coupled with the removal of Sandra Merchant as the head of elections, Commissioner Larson and Commissioner Joe Briggs will have a hard time ever being elected to political office again in the county. It was nice of them to put the county over the political party. Thank you.

BRIGADIER GENERAL RENEA DORVALL:

KTVH in Helena is reporting that after 36 years of total service, Colonel Renea Dorvall was promoted to Brigadier General, becoming the first woman in the Montana Army National Guard to have that title.

Congratulations to General Dorvall for this historic achievement.

I saw that U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) congratulated Dorvall for the accomplishment. Ironically, it was Daines’ Republican buddy in the Senate, Tommy Tuberville, who blocked Dorvall and others from getting their promotions for almost a year. Shame on the Republicans for harming readiness and national security. It placed a lot of uncertainty on the families of those waiting to be promoted.

LAUREL SCHOOL BOARD:

The Laurel (MT) School Board voted Monday evening to not allow six books that have been purchased into the high school library. (Source)

The books are, according to KTVQ:

• “The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School” by Sonora Reyes
• “Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American” by Laura Gao
• “Nothing Burns as Bright as You” by Ashley Woodfolk
• “A Million Quiet Revolutions” by Robin Gow
• “Crumbs” by Danie Stirling.
• “Assassination Classroom Vol. 4” by Yusei Matsui

One of the best comments about the banning of the books came from a student, who said: “If parents don’t want their kids reading a certain genre or a book, then that is their conversation to be had with their child at home.”

The parents or guardian can also alert the librarian to not allow their child to check out certain books.

At least now students have a list of books that the uptight people in the community don’t want them to read. If they want to read them, I’m sure they can obtain them elsewhere.

This action is pure silliness from the Laurel School Board.

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