Happy Holidays! Here are the topics for today’s column:

• MT Sex-Offender Database
• 60 Minutes
• Trump’s New Battleships
• Kansas City Chiefs
• The Holidays
• One More Thing

MONTANA SEX-OFFENDER DATABASE: 

MTN News is reporting that the Montana Sexual or Violent Offender Registry (SVOR) is undergoing major changes following a Montana Supreme Court ruling that limits what information the state can publicly share, even retroactively.

MTN News says that the decision affects more than 1,100 Montana sexual and violent offenders, 90 of whom are Tier 3, the highest risk offenders to the community. The order removes or reduces long-standing requirements for people who were convicted before newer registry laws were enacted.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen was interviewed for the story and said the 2023 ruling means more than 1,000 offenders on the registry will have identifying information stripped from public view. Knudsen also said, “I think the big takeaway is… they’re more worried about the poor sex offenders than they are about the public and their safety, than the victims of these sexual predators.”

I don’t agree with Knudsen much, but he appears to have a point. 

60 MINUTES:

The newsmagazine 60 Minutes has been on the air for 57 seasons. I have been around for a few more “seasons.” I am a frequent viewer. 

What they did this weekend angers me. CBS is afraid of President Donald Trump. 

CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss shelved a “60 Minutes” story at the last minute, a decision one correspondent deemed “political.” The report was to feature the stories of Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration to what the program called a “brutal” prison in El Salvador. (Source) 

Reports say that the Trump Administration was contacted for comment, but they refused.  

The correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, is outstanding. I trust her reporting. 

President Donald Trump has been attacking 60 Minutes and CBS News. It appears his attacks are working, and that is not good for journalism. 

The New York Times reports on the story HERE. 

TRUMP’S NEW BATTLESHIPS:

The following information is from the U.S. Navy press release:

On Monday, President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan, alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, announced their intent to construct a new class of American-designed battleships that will be the most lethal surface combatant ever constructed. The future USS Defiant (BBG 1) will be the first Trump class battleship and will be an unambiguous statement of American commitment to maritime superiority with capability to distribute more firepower across the fleet than any other class of ship, for any Navy, in history.

Trump Class! Best battleship ever! Most powerful battleship ever! More firepower than any other ship! The most lethal surface combatant ever constructed! 

You can view the specs and photos HERE. 

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS:

My Kansas City Chiefs will be in a new stadium for the 2031 season. The new stadium will be about 25 miles from where their current stadium (Arrowhead) is now, but the new stadium will be in Kansas, instead of Missouri. (Source)

The new stadium will be a domed stadium and will seat about 65,000. Arrowhead Stadium holds around 76,400. I am not sure if the roof will be retractable or what type of turf they will install. I have said many times that football should be played outside on real grass. 

A domed stadium will enhance the chances of Kansas City landing a Super Bowl, so there’s that.  

There are opinions from each side about the move. As long as they stay in the Kansas City area, I am fine with it. 

Read the announcement from the Chiefs HERE. 

THE HOLIDAYS:

I will be taking some time off and only posting columns when news happens.  That will be the plan throughout the remainder of the year and into the first part of January 2026.

If there is a football game on TV, you can bet I will be watching! 

For breaking news, please follow me on X HERE. The Western Word Facebook page can be viewed HERE.  

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

ONE MORE THING:

It’s not really procrastination if I have no intention of ever doing it. 

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