It’s Friday! Here are the topics that caught my eye:

• Aim High Big Sky
• Dogs Roaming Free
• Trump & Putin Meeting
• New Heights Podcast
• One More Thing

AIM HIGH BIG SKY:

According to a report from the Montana Free Press (MTFP), the  Scheels Aim High Big Sky Aquatic and Recreation Center in Great Falls is struggling to “find financial footing” as “administrators have tinkered with staff levels, events and programs to attract enough users to sustain the Scheels Aim High Big Sky center.” 

MTFP also reported that although the center is expected to cover its own expenses, it required a $300,000 infusion from the city coffers last year for operations and is budgeted for an additional $400,000 subsidy this year. 

I hope they can turn it around soon. It’s too nice a facility not to reach its full potential. 

Check out the in-depth report from MTFP HERE. 

DOGS ROAMING FREE:

Please indulge me while I get on my soapbox.

I do a lot of walking outdoors in Great Falls during the summer months, and it seems that two or three times a year, I have to protect myself from dogs that are not on a leash. 

It has gotten so bad that I started carrying mace, and I use a hiking stick.

Just this week, a lady did not have her dog on a leash, and it came toward me barking and snarling. The dog got within five feet of me before I convinced it to leave me alone. It pissed me off, and I used a nasty word to get my point across that she was supposed to have her dog on a leash. She apologized.   

The rules are very simple: keep your dog on a leash when out and about in the city.  The exact wording in the municipal code (6.1.150 – Animals running at-large) is:

All animals not confined within a secure enclosure (as defined in Section 6.1.010 shall be kept on a leash (as defined in Section 6.1.010 not more than ten (10) feet long. 

My favorite line from dog owners is, “My dog does not bite.” I say bull====!

The summers in Great Falls are beautiful, and we should all be able to enjoy the outdoors without the fear of being bitten by a loose dog. 

TRUMP & PUTIN MEETING:

In a perfect world, Russian President Vladimir Putin would get off his plane in Alaska and as he is greeted by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, he would be arrested by officials from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes. There is a warrant from the ICC for Putin. (Source)

That’s not going to happen, and I am afraid of what will actually happen. I suspect Putin will handle Trump like the puppet he is, and Trump will sell out Ukraine to Russia. 

Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022. At the end of July 2025, there had been 13,883 deaths attributed to the war, and of those, 726 were children. There have been over 35,000 injuries. (Source) 

If Putin does not agree to a ceasefire and withdrawal from Ukraine, then NATO should invite Ukraine to join NATO. It’s time to end this war. 

NEW HEIGHTS PODCAST:

The New Heights podcast, where Jason Kelce and his brother, Travis Kelce, interviewed Taylor Swift, broke the internet. (Source)

Yes, I watched the podcast. So did a lot of other people. 

The Associated Press reported that by Thursday afternoon, Wednesday night’s talk had already been seen more than 11.7 million times on YouTube. But that’s only a fraction of its circulation — clips distributed on Instagram, TikTok, X and elsewhere have received more than 400 million views, and the episode was also available for streaming on audio platforms.

I ask, once again, is this a great country or what?

ONE MORE THING: 

My favorite childhood memory is having energy…

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##