Congrats on making it to Friday! Here are the topics that we will end the week with: 

• Montana State Fair
• Great Falls Municipal Election
• Montana Army National Guard
• Price of Persuasion
• Gallup Polling
• One More Thing

MONTANA STATE FAIR:

In case you forgot, the 2025 Montana State Fair in Great Falls begins today (Friday) and runs through August 2. 

Find out more information about the 2025 Montana State Fair HERE. 

That was a public service announcement from The Western Word! 

GREAT FALLS MUNICIPAL ELECTION:

Over at the MAGA blog E-City Beat, they have been steadily attacking Jasmine Taylor, who is running for Mayor of Great Falls. The current Mayor of Great Falls, Cory Reeves, is running for reelection. 

Although it is a non-partisan race, the MAGAs in the community are in full-blown name-calling mode, recently calling Taylor a “Marxist” and a “communist.” She was also called a “narcissist.” 

Great Falls City Commissioner Rick Tryon is a supporter of Reeves. He posted the E-City Beat column on his Facebook page. In the past, Tryon has warned people commenting on his page about name-calling, but does not seem to mind the name-calling when it helps his candidate. 

Let’s get real – There’s one thing for certain about Mayor Reeves. He voted to raise my property taxes and increase the cost of my utilities by 27%. If he sticks around for another two years, who knows what Great Falls residents will be paying?

Jasmine Taylor has not raised my taxes or increased the cost of my utilities.

MONTANA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD:

Has anyone heard what happened to the court cases involving the three Montana National Guard members who reportedly used a Blackhawk helicopter to harvest several elk antlers?  

The guardsmen are Michael Vincent Bray of East Helena, Perry Wray Woodland of Great Falls, and Deni Lynn Draper of Clancy.

I read that July 24 was the next court date, but I cannot find the court information on the court’s website. (Source)  

PRICE OF PERSUASION:

In case you were wondering how much money was spent lobbying at the Montana Legislature, the Montana Free Press (MTFP) has you covered. 

According to the MTFP:

All told, 474 groups spent more than $9.3 million to influence lawmakers as they decided the fates of hundreds of pieces of legislation during the first four months of the year. The data comes from principal spending reports filed with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices. Total spending was similar for the 2023 legislative session.

That’s a lot of steak and whiskey. 

Check out the full report from the MTFP HERE. 

GALLUP POLLING:

There were two interesting polls from Gallup this week. Let’s take a look at them!

In the “Americans’ Opinions of the Moral Acceptability of 20 Behaviors” poll, Gallup found:

Engaging in extramarital affairs and cloning humans continue to be viewed as the most “morally wrong” of 20 behaviors included in Gallup’s annual tracking. Using birth control and getting divorced remain the most “morally acceptable.”

Along with extramarital affairs (89%) and cloning humans (87%), majorities of Americans, ranging from 51% to 71%, think suicide, polygamy, pornography, cloning animals, changing one’s gender, and sex between teenagers are morally wrong.

In contrast, beyond birth control use (90%) and divorce (75%), majorities of 53% to 68% of U.S. adults view eight other behaviors as morally acceptable. These include premarital sex, having a baby outside of marriage, gay or lesbian relations, gambling, human embryonic stem cell research, buying and wearing clothing made of fur, the death penalty, and doctor-assisted suicide.

Check out the complete list HERE. 

In a recent Presidential approval poll, Gallup reported:

Six months into his second term, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has dipped to 37%, the lowest of this term and just slightly higher than his all-time worst rating of 34% at the end of his first term. Trump’s rating has fallen 10 percentage points among U.S. adults since he began his second term in January, including a 17-point decline among independents, to 29%, matching his lowest rating with that group in either of his terms.

Of course, Trump is not running for President again, but his polling numbers can hurt or help in congressional races and also help/harm whoever the GOP nominates to succeed him.

Check out the complete report HERE. 

ONE MORE THING:

Deep thought – My mind was blown when I realized that OK is a sideways person…

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##