Welcome to Friday! Here are the topics that caught my eye for this column:

• Canadian Emails to City
• Department of Education
• Ellsworth Week
• One More Thing

CANADIAN EMAILS TO CITY:

According to my friends at the What the Funk blog, (WTF406.com) some Canadians have been emailing the Great Falls City Commissioners about President Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada. 

WTF406 reports:

Mayor Cory Reeves recently asked the city’s IT Department to block emails with Canadian addresses. City commissioners and the mayor have been getting emails from Canadians letting them know how they feel about Trump’s attacks on Canada. Reeves’ response is extreme for an elected official who talks about promoting the Great Falls economy and fostering good relationships with our neighbors.  Tryon, as usual, is just insulting. The city manager informed the mayor that the emails could not be blocked.

Reeves and Tryon seem to believe that if the President acts like a jerk, they have the right to act the same way. They are acting like “mini Trumps.” I am happy that I did not vote for these individuals. 

Check out the full report from WTF406 by clicking HERE. 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

On Thursday President Donald Trump held a big event at the White House during which he issued an Executive Order to close the Department of Education. As was reported, this has been on the MAGA wish list since before there was MAGA. 

The EO, in part, states:

The Secretary of Education shall, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely. 

By the way, it would take an act of Congress to completely close the Department of Education.

Lee Newspapers is reporting that Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen was among the GOP politicians at the White House on Thursday when President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to close much of the U.S. Department of Education.

ELLSWORTH WEEK:

It looks like next week the Montana State Senate will address the ethics investigation into State Senator Jason Ellsworth. 

According to the Montana Free Press (MTFP):

Findings from the ethics investigation into former Montana Senate President, Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, are expected to be teed up within days for a debate next week on the Senate floor.

The 36-page document, crafted by two Republicans and two Democrats, sums up three days of testimony by government employees familiar with the $170,100 contract Ellsworth awarded to a long-time business associate. 

This session of the Montana Legislature has had more of a circus atmosphere than other sessions, partly because of the issue with Ellsworth. Since we are in the second half of the session, tempers will be flaring more. It should be fun to watch! 

Read the full report from the MTFP HERE. 

ONE MORE THING:

Killing three dozen elementary school children with an AR gets “thoughts and prayers,” but vandalizing a Tesla is “domestic terrorism?” This country is broken. – Alex Cole  

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##