When the pigeons run, from a tree losing its roots, or two arms, and take back the place where they grew up. The top of any building from the 20’s, this case the story mills, the windows are still broken. I ask myself “could someone live up there with the birds, the fish bones of Bozeman creek, the filth of whatever is left." Rotted bed springs that had taken the Lewis and Clark trail, inch to miles to other states and years across rivers and mountains to small cabins, or stacking in asbestos basements of working mans houses. The blankets that winter makes with ease on its own time, sticking, and standing out as such a raw range of emotions. Sometimes I have a panic-attack late at night when I know there is a storm-warning on weather.com, and the snow is just really pushing down the throat of Bozeman. How I feel when I get cut in line, how childish I act, pushing and shoving and talking about my youth. Nostalgia, that is so important, yet so distant and meaningless to those around me.  The cell...

Though I am not a Montanan myself, I am proud to say that I have numerous friends and colleagues who call your fine state home, so when I saw a NY Times writer state the following: "Montanans are more easily frightened than Manhattanites" I took a bit of offense. In 20 plus years of friendship, I can't say that I've ever seen a Montanan act skittish, frightened, or jumpy about anything. Rather, my Montana friends are consistently pragmatic and level-headed in their decision making processes. To me this is simply further evidence of the condescending attitude some on the East Coast have for people who call "fly over country" home. Here is a link to the original article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/opinion/23collins.html?_r=

The legislature has decided to allocate stimulus funding to Montana's TSEP program without regard for merit, distributing grants even to projects that MDOC reviewers previously recommended for rejection because they benefit too few, fail to demonstrate good project management, or simply won't work. This will bring a huge windfall to a few owners of a vacation home community in the Bridgers, among others.

There's a development near the bottom of Bridger Bowl, called Bridger Pines. The land was subdivided into 58 home and condo lots, before zoning was in place in Bridger Canyon. The subdivision ignored the fact that it's extremely difficult to put in a decent sewer and water system for that many units on a small (40 acre) tract. Consequently, only about half the units have been developed, there's been a building moratorium in place, and the existing temporary sewer system has been operated in a substandard manner for decades, threatening Bridger Creek but somehow escaping DEQ sanctions.

A 1973 EIS found: 'Two...

What happens when the Gallatin River changes it's course...? The answer is the trailer park that put the debris in the river to change it's course gets saved, and the home owners on the other side of the river lose property. On the bright side, I guess we can now say that we have true river front property!

Check out this video of the damage:

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIvwDmlhGs

Although the damage to the property has already been done, I fear the Shed's River Fishing Access might be the next to crumble away...

RE: Chronicle Analysis | Debate over CHIP

i'm in favor of socialized health care, in a slow and careful manner, let me just make that clear. i explain my view at the bottom. from this standpoint though, i have several questions about this specific issue, CHIP:

1. The cost comparison the chronicle makes for insuring a family of 4 ($3,600/yr) is not appropriate because the CHIP program would only cover the children, not the parents. very annoying.

2. the proposed income tiers laid out that define a family's eligibility: $36K (single parent + kid), $55K (family of 4), $84K (family of seven), which are based on a figure equal to 250% of poverty level... i have a few problems here.
- a.) i don't have the foggiest idea how much it costs to raise a kid. it's gotta cost a lot more than just food, clothes, and some schoolbooks. $55K might seem fine, but is it? when it gets to the family of 7 though - why would someone have so many kids, if they couldn't afford to raise them? i think this is a big hole in the legislation,...

A Chronicle Page A3 story on Wednesday, Feb. 25, stated that the bill requiring minors pursuing an abortion to first notify their parents won initial approval from the Montana Senate and will likely be sent to the House for consideration later this week. Do you believe this bill to be in the best interest of Montanans?

Sorry to toot my own horn, but I'm excited about this! One of my logos is going to be featured on an international website. It is nice to see my hard work starting to pay off. Please check out the press release I was just sent:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE ESPERANZA CENTER LOGO AWARDED LOGO OF THE DAY

THE ESPERANZA CENTER, a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides SW Montana youth and their families with equine-facilitated education and therapy, announces that its new logo, designed by David Howlett of Bozeman's Manifest Creative, has been awarded the Logo of The Day award for February 6, 2009 by the internationally-recognized logo-design website www.logooftheday.com. Manifest Creative, a Bozeman graphic design and web development company, has generously donated its services to help share The Esperanza Center's alternative education and therapy vision with the community. The Esperanza Center gratefully thanks Manifest Creative and congratulates David Howlett for the well-deserved, professional...

I want to untangle topic of small business development challenges in Bozeman (or anywhere) from the "life goes on" post because I am interested in hearing other people's experiences.

After moving and expanding a small business very much dependent on brick and mortar, I feel like I could write an epic poem on this topic, but a couple points came up that I will single out.

1) The cost of commercial rental/lease properties in Bozeman IS ridiculous. I think danie pointed this out and you are not joking. We spent four months looking for the right combination of price & value, and to be frank there were times when I almost laughed aloud talking to realtors and landlords.

I mean, it's not 2005 anymore. Do these people not see the number of long-term vacancies of all sorts around town? There must be two dozen commercial spaces within a block of Main between the library and, say, 8th Ave, and rents there come to $19 - $25/square foot before utilities. Some new places like 3rd and Kagy or 19th and Oak go even higher despite...

Business owners,

With slow economic times looming across most areas of Montana, I wanted to give some advice to business owners. After weeks of investigative research, I just recently finished a post on my business blog that I think most Montana business owners will find very useful. Please feel free to check it out the web address below, and if you think it is useful please feel free to share it.

http://www.manifestbozeman.com/blog/2008/11/26/tips-to-help-

Thanks!

The future DC is planned to have triangular-shaped recreational areas at the end of each pod with a retractable door that will serve as a roof so inmates can exercise during inclement weather. -this is a direct quote from the city commissioners. Call and ask them if you question it.

Let's take a guess on that cost. I want to see line by line costs on the jail. Ok, I will give the jail bond issue a rest, but this issue got me fired up. ...sorry

In an attempt to keep this issue current please see the link below. The list is as of Oct. 8th and contains all the inmates in the Gallatin county jail. Please look at the amount of sexual offenders and ask yourself if our proposed placement of the 32 million dollar McMansion is the best placement. Recently a county commissioner told us that the new facility would have a nice workout facility for the inmates, so keep that in mind as you vote. your vote will go towards a nice work out facility for sex offenders. Maybe if there is any lawn left, the inmates can mow the grass and look at all the nice looking 20+ females in the area. Does the jail have a starbucks? and if so will the inmates have swipe cards for their purchases? While we are at it, plasma TV's have come down a ton, let's load up those cells. In a futile attempt I have tried calling the bozeman chronicle to in some way, shape, or form post "the other side" of the jail debate and have come up empty, no call backs, no interest at all. One quick point,...

Our 2008 Montana Voter Information Pamphlet came in the mail today. I spent a nice hour outside today checking it out, and hope that everyone out there take some time to do the same.

Imagine, learning about voter issues from a verifiable source, being able to read the actual text of bills you will (hopefully) be voting on, and equal space given to "for" and "against" opinions given by state leaders whose names you know. All brought to you as a free service of the state! A refreshing change from the election-related trash on the internet, if nothing else.

Some observations, then I will turn over the floor:

1) Any bets on the odds of voters passing a measure to allow up to 25% of public funds like the school trust (C-44) to be invested in stock, considering recent economic news?? Although, in some political spheres this is apparently better for kids than increasing funding for CHIP (I-155).

2) On the other side, does CHIP really need "re-branding" to eliminate stigma associated with being on the dole? If you need...

Wow, two pro jail articles in the Sunday paper. Little or no press on the other side of the jail, also little talk about how we have already voted on this. Seems like the county commissioners are really trying to push this through, please get informed on this topic! Please see the proposed plan, this is not the right site for a jail!
http://www.gallatin.mt.gov/Public_Documents/gallatincomt_com

The proposed location of the new jail complex is
unacceptable. Is anyone else thinking about this?
It would be better to situate such a large
self-contained jail complex far from downtown,
residential and business neighbors. Incarceration
means isolation and separation from normal daily living. If there were escapees, this would terrorize a large neighborhood adjacent to campus. It seems wise to make
doing jailtime as unpleasant as possible so offenders
won't be as likely to repeat.

A letter to the editor published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle last month (June 2008), pointed out that Ted Turner's restaurant's, DO NOT USE MONTANA BEEF. I was a bit surprised, especially since "Ted" not only owns a large Montana ranch, but also has chosen to capitalize on the State of Montana.
I spoke to a local restaurant owner here in the Gallatin Valley/County. I asked him if he had read this letter. He said he had. He also said FEW restaurants and grocery chains in Montana can afford to purchase Montana Beef, as the prices are sky high. Montana Cattle Growers have found it more profitable to export their beef.

So, for the most part the beef we're getting at restaurants and grocery stores is not from our own state. You must inquire at your local market, or restaurant if you want to know where the beef they are using comes from.

On June 11th, the Chronicle ran an AP story about how Montana unveiled a new driver’s license. Now some of you might remember how we had this little “show down” with the homeland security and supposedly the feds backed down. Keep in mind that Montana passed a law preventing us from complying with the Feds. Now in the article there are a couple of paragraphs that stood out for me.

“Roberts said Montana followed recommendations from a national umbrella group of license administrators, which in turn became many of the standards adopted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of its Real ID push.
Roberts said Montana’s early move to secure its license with new identity theft features allowed Montana to tell Homeland Security earlier this year that the state’s license was already moving toward enhanced features.
“Real ID just adopted the standards that the states had set for themselves with the national umbrella group,” Roberts said.”

Now maybe it’s just my cynical nature, but sounds to me like...

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- The state Department of Corrections has backed off from a proposed rule that would bar anyone on parole or probation from obtaining medical marijuana without a judge's approval.

Proponents of the medical marijuana law, passed by voters in 2004, argued during a March hearing that the law does not allow any penalty for using medical marijuana, regardless of a person's criminal history.

"Our hands are tied by the way the initiative-passed law was written," Diana Koch, chief legal counsel for the department, said in a statement Thursday. "As a result, those who have broken the law cannot be subject to this reasonable restriction."

Tom Daubert of Patients and Families United, a medical marijuana advocacy group, said the decision "recognizes that medical marijuana is entirely legal for any Montanan suffering from a qualifying medical condition whose doctor recommends it.

"I think this decision only affects a tiny number of Montanans, but it's hugely important to their quality of life and their ability...

Barack Obama reminds me a little of my Dad , Burl Winchester who was a cattle rancher outside of Bozeman, Both men came from poor families and worked hard to get beyond their limits, and both chose to be truthful, and ethical, even if it was not always the standard way of conducting business . I watch them try to understand each individual , never labeling anyone negatively, just because others claim it. Dad took assignments in Turkey and on Montana Indian reservations , with Montana State University's Extension Service, believing always in the possibility of human achievement.
Mr Obama finds it to be his duty to help his fellow man and will not allow his office to be beholden to the special interests that currently have bound our government.
With Barack Obama's leadership and our hard work, we CAN be part of a better way of doing things. Barack, I'm sure Dad would invite you home for a steak.