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My Page: Emily Darrell

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asum forum

Affordable housing, particularly affordable rental housing, was the main topic of the evening at a public forum of Missoula City Council candidates held at the University of Montana’s UC Theater Monday night.

The forum, co-hosted by the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) and the Montana Public Interest Research Group (MontPIRG), was open to both students and the general public, though only 50 or so people attended.

The question put forth by the forum’s moderator, ASUM senator Jake Childers (no relation to Ward 6 incumbent Ed Childers), was: “What do you plan to do to ensure students have access to affordable housing?” [more]

real estate & development in the northern rockies

In an opening statement before a panel discussion Friday at the NewWest.Net Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference titled “The New Western City,” Missoula Mayor John Engen summed up one of the biggest conundrums facing development in Missoula and throughout West: “People don’t like density and also don’t like sprawl.”

While the Mountain West is often thought of as a rural region, a higher proportion of people in the Northern Rockies live in cities than do people in any other area of the country. Relatively small cities like Missoula and Bozeman are beginning to think of urban approaches such as condo development, infill, and mass transit to solving their development problems. Yet the question of whether to build up or build out is an inherently difficult one. The scarcity of affordable housing in many Western cities is also an important issue, as is the need to find safe, effective, and affordable solutions to the transportation troubles that increase with new development. [more]

NASA Scientist James Hansen Lectures at UM

Montana – a state often thought of as somewhat remote by much of the country – may soon find itself playing a central character in a drama of not just national, but global, proportions. The drama? Much Ado About Climate Change.

On the University of Montana campus Monday night, two separate but related events highlighted Montana’s vast coal reserves and the importance of what the state government ultimately decides to do with these reserves.

The evening’s first event, a rally at the University’s Oval, was staged to protest Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s support – and to a lesser degree the support of Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester – for so-called clean coal. The search for oil alternatives has caused every state to seek out its own energy destiny, and while Iowa looked into a crystal ball and saw ethanol, Schweitzer and other Montanans see the bituminous berry as the best solution to the state’s, and nation’s, energy woes. [more]

Rally Preceeds NASA Climate Lecture

Demonstrators gather at the University of Montana's oval Monday night to protest proposed construction of 11 new coal plants in the state. The rally took place before NASA's top climate change scientist, James Hansen, took the stage at the University Center to give a lecture on "The Threat to the Planet: How Can We Avoid Dangerous Human-Made Climate Change?”

As the New York Times highlighted in a story over the weekend, opposition is building across the West to coal plants. The story focused partly on the partnerships forming against the most visible project in the state: The coal-fired power plant near Highwood.

Photo by Emily Darrell [more]

Roadways and Infrastructure

The planning to revamp Russell and South Third West began seven years ago, but actual work on the two major roadways still remains years away, said Missoula Public Works director Steve King.

King and Jennifer James of the Helena office of HKM Engineering spoke about the project with the City Club Missoula at the Doubletree Hotel on Friday. HKM is the firm working with the city to finish the environmental impact statement. The two gave an overview of what the reconstruction project will likely entail - up to 20 years and at least $44 million.

“(This is) one of the most significant public works projects in Missoula in our lifetime,” King said. “(Russell Street) is the core of our city. It’s the heart of Missoula.” [more]

Let the Sunshine In

“The greatest problem in 21st century chemistry,” said Harry B. Gray during a lecture at the University of Montana Monday night “is how to make clean energy from sunlight and water.”

Gray, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, said that of the five sustainable, carbon-neutral energy options -- wind power, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, biofuels, and solar power -- “solar is the one we have the most hope for in the long run on this planet.”

“I say that,” Gray said, “because there’s a lot of sun.” [more]

that neighborhood feel

Charlie Beaton and Leif Bjelland, owners of Big Dipper Ice Cream and Le Petit Outre bakery respectively, are opening a joint venture on Third Street, near the intersection of Third and South Reserve by the Orchard Homes neighborhood. The new location will offer beer and wine along with ice cream and baked goods and will have both indoor and outdoor seating. The owners hope that it will serve as a meeting place for locals.

“The idea is to create a neighborhood feel,” Beaton said.

The businesses will be in an area mostly known for its industrial buildings and big box stores. Although there are several independent businesses on South Reserve in proximity, there are no bars or restaurants in the neighborhood. [more]

local politics can be fun!

After paying my cover and receiving my complimentary heart-shaped confetti, I walk into a dimly lit room. There’s an afro-wigged DJ spinning groovy trance tunes and the mirror over the bar reflects a sea of pink bunny ears. Wait, is that Hugh Hefner over there?

No, it’s Ed Childers, Missoula city council member, Ward 6. It’s Wednesday night and I’m at the Elk’s Lodge for Candidates Gone Wild, an event put on by Forward Montana, a group aimed on “recruiting and training young Montanans to lead in the 21st century.” In an effort to make politics more palatable, and to get folks fired up about the pending city council elections, they’ve lured us here with promise of a full bar, some good music and a comedy troupe. [more]

corporate environmental responsibility

Sally Jewell, president and CEO of outdoor-gear giant REI, came to Missoula Monday to speak as the fourth presenter in the Gilkey Executive Lecture Series. At a question and answer session held prior to the lecture, Jewell explained her views on corporate environmental responsibility, the REI co-operative philosophy, and the future of REI’s expansion.

Jewell, a Seattle native, became chief executive officer of REI in 2005 after five years as a chief operative officer for the company and says that in REI she has found her “soulmate.”

“Finally,” Jewell said, “my vocation matches my avocation.” [more]

public discourse in the digital age

In the Missoula City Council there has been recent friction over some members emailing each other, and others, during meetings. The content of the email communications have varied widely, from refuting public testimony and deriding other Council members to jokes, quips, and personal messages to family or friends.

Laptops made their way into council chambers as a way to quickly retrieve documents and to cut back on paperwork. But some members of the council claim that the emailing of messages relating to agenda items excludes the public from its right to participate and violates open meeting laws. The email messages are, typically, a matter of public record and can be obtained by making a request to Marty Rehbein, the City Clerk. (To download the City Council email correspondences from August and part of September, click here.) [more]

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