New West Network

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Star-Struck States?

Despite appearing as the desperate half in the relationship, Montana’s courting of Hollywood will continue for some time. In 2007, the Legislature voted to extend “The Big Sky on the Big Screen Act” until 2015 and sweetened the incentives offered to filmmakers in hopes of luring more movies here. And, although the rewards are dubious, the state recently announced that it would take it one step further.

The Montana Department of Commerce Film Office has launched a new campaign dubbed “Studio 406” that bundles incentives with more resources aimed at attracting even more movies. Now, for a Hollywood film, along with tax breaks, the state is offering everything from free location scouting to free police protection.

“Since the Big Sky on the Big Screen Act was implemented in 2005, film productions have contributed over $38 million to Montana’s economy and helped employ 183 people a year,” Gov. Brian Schweitzer said. “That’s a significant impact – and Studio 406 is going to capitalize on the progress we’ve already made.”

I’m all for jobs in Montana, and really enjoy a good flick. But the fact remains that measuring the economic impact of movies made in Montana is subjective at best. And now, with more than 40 states tripping over each other to give Hollywood the best deal, the benefits are even more elusive. [more]

Commentary

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has come out of hiding. He’s putting pressure on Montana lawmakers to begin crafting a state budget as only he can – by comparing himself to an off-road vehicle: “I was in 2-wheel drive, and now I have put it in 4-wheel drive. I am going to use the strength of the 4-wheel drive I have in the governor's office to move things forward." But to what end?

Legislators are clearly tentative to make any spending decisions until the Obama administration pushes a massive stimulus plan through Congress. Montana, like every other state, is poised to receive billions in federal dollars, which lawmakers say could influence how some state programs get funded. So what’s the big hurry?

Maybe Schweitzer is having a flashback to the last session, when lawmakers skirted their primary responsibility by failing to agree on budget within 90 days. Then, the governor successfully prodded moderate Republicans in a secret meeting to sign off on his spending requests at a special session.

Schweitzer, premature and seemingly out of nowhere, has decided he must save the budget again. [more]

watching the polls

A poll conducted by Montana State University-Billings and released Thursday shows that Democrat Barack Obama is now leading Republican John McCain by 4 points in Montana. A day prior, the Associated Press reported that nationwide Obama’s lead on McCain had dwindled to 1-percentage point, well within its poll’s margin of error. Neither can be right. Right? [more]

more timber cuts

Plum Creek Timber Co. announced Tuesday that it is suspending operations at its finger-joint stud manufacturing facility in Kalispell for the rest of the year, leaving 24 employees at the plant out of work.

“This specialty wood product is used almost exclusively in new residential construction,” Hank Ricklefs, vice president for Northern Resources and Manufacturing, said in a prepared statement. “Market prices are depressed and don’t currently cover the costs of production. We reduced shifts in January, hoping to avoid a production stop, but unfortunately the market has not changed. We will re-evaluate the FJ Reman business throughout 2009 to determine if we can resume production at this facility.” [more]

Timber Cuts

Plum Creek Timber Company, citing a flat housing market and declining demand for wood products, announced Thursday that it was eliminating 35 jobs at its Medium Density Fiberboard plant in Columbia Falls.

The company will reduce the number of rotating shifts at the plant from four to three, which will cut its current staff of 185 by almost 20 percent. Employees at Plum Creek, the largest private landowner in the nation with about 8 million acres of timberland, have been told about the change, which will go into effect Sept. 29. [more]

Company pledges to be more “forthcoming”

A sluggish housing market, skeptical politicians and an increasingly cynical media have tarnished both Plum Creek Timber Company’s profits and image in recent months. While CEO Rick Holley acknowledged he doesn’t foresee a short-term fix for the former, his presence in Western Montana – meeting with newspapers and municipalities, and emphasizing a need for renewed “transparency” – showed the company is approaching public relations with renewed zeal.

Holley fielded a wide range of questions last week during a visit to the Flathead Beacon office in Kalispell. Click here for a transcript of the interview. [more]

obama vs. clinton

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, emphasizing good news on a bad night, told supporters in the early goings of Super Tuesday to cheer up. He may have been trounced by his opponents in several states, but things were looking up in Montana.

Montana? Mitt mentioned Montana? It was a desperate attempt to highlight good news; after all, Romney quit the race two days later as Arizona Sen. John McCain solidified his frontrunner status. But Montana’s first GOP caucus did what most party leaders had hoped: made them relevant – something that the state’s Democrats didn’t expect this year. They vote dead last for their presidential preference on June 3 alongside South Dakota. [more]

The Unfamiliar Addict

This addiction wears an unfamiliar face. It’s flush and healthy, instead of gaunt and haggard. It’s middle class, not poverty-stricken. In the greater Flathead Valley, as methamphetamine abuse has slightly decreased, the illegal pain pill market has catered to a new kind of drug abuser.

“This is something that’s partially taken (meth’s) place,” Geno Cook, commander of the Northwest Drug Task Force, said. Oxycodone, hydrocodone and other painkillers are increasingly common in the drug trade.

The Associated Press recently analyzed U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration statistics and found that oxycodone sales increased by 1,746 percent in Northwest Montana and hydrocodone-based drugs by 205 percent. That’s not unusual. Across the country the percentage of people using painkillers has jumped. [more]

real estate

As bad news pounds the national real estate market, Montana, while taking some punches, has proven to have a tough chin.

The pace of second-quarter existing home sales fell in 44 states – including by 7.1 percent in Montana – compared to the same time in 2006, according to numbers released last week by the National Association of Realtors. But NAR spokesperson Walter Molony put the Big Sky state’s apparent woes in perspective: “You’re in pretty good shape.” [more]

election 2008

Cross-posted from the Flathead Beacon

Former Massachusetts governor and current presidential candidate Mitt Romney will headline the GOP's annual convention in Helena later this month.

"We're very excited to have Governor Romney in Montana to talk about the important issues facing our nation," convention organizer, Jake Eaton, said in a prepared statement. "Attracting a top presidential contender is a great thing for Montana. Governor Romney's attendance at our convention speaks to the growing importance of Western issues on the national stage."

The convention will be held at the Red Lion Colonial Hotel in Helena on June 21 to June 23. Secretary of State Brad Johnson, Congressman Denny Rehberg and Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams will also be speaking.

In recent polls, Romney trailed both former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain for the GOP's nomination, according to RealClearPolitics.com.