Welcome to Friday and another edition of Caught My Eye! Here are the topics for today’s column:

• Early Attacks in Municipal Election
• Montana Renewables Biorefinery
• Vice President in Montana
• U.S. Senator Alex Padilla
• The Parade Uniform
• One More Thing

EARLY ATTACKS IN MUNICIPAL ELECTION:

The filing for the Great Falls Municipal Election ended Wednesday, and the MAGAs in Great Falls are already in attack mode, led by current City Commissioner Rick Tryon. 

Tryon attacks Mayoral candidate Jasmine Taylor over at the E-City Beat blog for her “refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance at public meetings and events.” Tryon goes on to write:

Of course, every citizen has the absolute right to remain seated and silent during the Pledge of Allegiance or the Star-Spangled Banner. I thank God that we live in a country that protects our freedom to dissent and disagree.

So, what is the problem? All I see is a hit on a candidate that Tryon does not support. Tryon might want to sign on as Mayor Cory Reeves and Commissioner Joe McKenney’s campaign manager. 

I am an honorably discharged veteran who served for over a decade in the military. I will always recite the Pledge and honor our flag during the National Anthem. I served so that people would have the freedom to do what Tryon says Taylor is doing. I realize that service in the military is something Tryon knows nothing about. 

Mayor Reeves was asked to debate by Taylor, and he reportedly refused. The day after that refusal became public, Tryon attacked Taylor. Ironic.  

One thing I do know going into this election is that Mayor Reeves voted to increase my utility rates by 27%. He has also voted on other rate increases. Candidate Jasmine Taylor has not. 

MONTANA RENEWABLES BIOREFINERY:

The Montana Free Press (MTFP) is reporting that Montana Renewables biorefinery in Great Falls, a subsidiary of Calumet, reached a settlement with the Montana Tax Appeal Board in May. Montana Renewables had appealed a prior determination by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality that $24.5 million in assets qualified for a tax exemption as “pollution control equipment.”

A public information request by Montana Free Press shows that an additional $42.9 million in equipment will be eligible for the tax exemption. In total, Montana Renewables will not pay property taxes on $67.4 million worth of assets at the plant.

While I am all for giving businesses incentives to build and/or expand, the regular Joe and Jill taxpayers in Montana are facing tough times with increased taxes, rate increases for utilities, and just recently, the Great Falls City Commission raised utility rates by a whopping 27%. 

It would be nice if regular Montana taxpayers could receive some significant relief, similar to what Montana Renewables just received. 

VICE PRESIDENT IN MONTANA:

Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance landed in Butte via Air Force Two, and then his motorcade headed toward Dillon.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that Vance spoke to media mogul Rupert Murdoch; his son Lachlan Murdoch, the head of Fox News and News Corp.; and a group of other Fox News executives, according to two people familiar with the trip.

The AP said the Murdoch ranch near Dillon is roughly 70 miles south of Butte. The ranch, which Murdoch purchased in 2021, is spread across two valleys and a mountain range and has some 12,000 cattle. It sits near Yellowstone National Park along the Montana-Idaho border.

Nobody really knows any more than what was reported about this trip. That is wrong. We should know why the VP was in Montana, because we are paying for it. 

U.S. SENATOR ALEX PADILLA: 

Most people could not name the senior U.S. Senator from California before Thursday. Now they probably can. 

Then U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles and handcuffed by officers as he tried to speak up about immigration raids that have led to protests in California and around the country. (AP)

The way you feel about this incident probably shows whether you are a MAGA supporter or not. For me, I laughed about it. Padilla received some publicity, his fellow Democrats cried to their cable news stations about it, and the MAGA supporters cheered about it on their cable news stations. 

I consider it a nothingburger, and it makes me yawn. 

THE PARADE UNIFORM:

Just before posting time, I found a photo of President Trump in his uniform for his ego parade on Saturday. Check it out HERE. 

ONE MORE THING:

When I get a headache, I take two aspirin and keep away from children, just like it says on the bottle. (Source)

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##