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Missoula Features
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A Meadow Hill Middle School student has been suspended after voicing threats to classmates, and school officials have mailed an explanatory letter to parents.
The student did not bring a weapon to school, and nothing was written to identify targets. The incident is under investigation, says a press release from Missoula County Public Schools.
A Reminder
Regular Voter Registration Ends Oct. 6If you haven't registered to vote -- and you want to avoid lines on election day -- you have until October 6.
That's the day -- 30 days before the general election -- that marks the end of the regular voter registration period. Afterwards, eligible voters will need to use the late registration process, which involves a trip to the county election office, says an announcement from Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson.
Late registration is different from regular registration. To begin with, eligible Montanans can't simply fill out and mail a voter registration card but instead must go to the county election office. It won't work for late registration applicants to go to a polling place,. Montanans who wait for late registration will likely also face longer lines.
Sen. Barack Obama chose to celebrate the Fourth of July in Butte with his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Malia and Sasha. The Obama family attended the Independence Day Parade and hosted a "family picnic" at Montana Tech where Obama gave a brief speech, cooked hamburgers and chatted casually to fans. Photos by Alexia Beckerling
Column: Making it in Missoula
Politics + Spring + Butte = Montana Democrats’ Prom
On Saturday I attended that time-honored American spring ritual: the prom.
Granted, I'm ten years too old for the real thing. But the beauty of this particular prom is that the older you are, the cooler you are—because this was the Montana Democrats’ version of prom, the annual Mansfield-Metcalf dinner in Butte.
This prom featured coiffed mullets, shiny curls, and stiff Stetsons. Diamonds set off battered-looking bolo ties. Ballgowns swished next to Wranglers, and minks sat next to Carhartt coats—usually on different people, too. My take on the night's theme: “sequins and denim.”
As Hillary Clinton said in her speech at the dinner on Saturday night, the only party to rival Butte’s infamous Saint Paddy’s Day is the Democratic Party. And, boy, was she ever right.
Column: Making it in Missoula
What the Heck is a Missoula-tarian?When I first came to Missoula, I heard the phrase “Missoula-tarian” often, generally used in serious tones of voice without giggling. Apparently Missoula-tarianism was an institution recognized far and wide (from Bonner to Frenchtown).
Missoula-tarians are people (they live in Missoula, obviously; this phenomenon probably wouldn’t happen anywhere else in the West, except maybe Durango) who refuse to eat any meat unless it’s local, they know where it came from, or it’s wild game—shot by anyone, no acquaintance necessary.
This is definitely a good way of trying to eat within your foodshed, but probably difficult to stick to if you’ve eaten meat all your life. I’m sure that sometimes you just crave that Old Post burger that came from a cow in an undisclosed location that most likely decimated the entire Brazilian rainforest through its very existence. No wonder you’re a Missoula-tarian.
Column: Making it in Missoula
Perils of Dog-Sitting in MissoulaAs mentioned before, my sweetie is the proud owner of a yellow lab retriever. Let’s call her Spot. And after more than a year, I’m finally allowed to dog-sit Spot while he’s off milling wood in the middle of nowhere and doing other things not conducive to doggy presence.
We had a dog the whole time I was growing up, but there are a few reasons why dog care was a little different in my California neighborhood. You can leave your dog outside for hours on end because the temperature never drops below a tropical 60 degrees. Everyone around us had huge yards, so walking the dog is not nearly as common. I have to admit, I thought the concept of picking up your dog’s poop in a plastic bag was a little ridiculous when I moved here, until the thaw hit and running through Pineview Park was an activity reserved to brave athletes with fancy footwork. Plus, my dad taught our dog not to lick, jump, bark, hang around the kitchen, or poop on the lawn. She was pretty low-maintenance.
