NewWest.Net Missoula

• Mr. Coffee, Meet Mr. Fist

  For most of us functioning adults, we just can't start the day without that steaming mug of joe. It's not just the caffeine, but it's also the ritual, the comfort of the warm cup between the hands, the jolt of heat and aromatic bitterness with every sip. There's also the' [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 6:32pm EST
  

• Mr. Coffee, Meet Mr. Fist

  For most of us functioning adults, we just can't start the day without that steaming mug of joe. It's not just the caffeine, but it's also the ritual, the comfort of the warm cup between the hands, the jolt of heat and aromatic bitterness with every sip. There's also the' [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 6:32pm EST
  

• Moonlight Bankruptcy: is it Yellowstone Club, or is it Tamarack?

  For U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Ralph B. Kirscher, the opening hearing in the Moonlight Basin bankruptcy case, scheduled for this Tuesday in Butte, promises more than a little bit of deja vu: it was just a year ago that some of the same lawyers appeared in the same courtroom to [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 11:09am EST
  

• Moonlight Bankruptcy: is it Yellowstone Club, or is it Tamarack?

  For U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Ralph B. Kirscher, the opening hearing in the Moonlight Basin bankruptcy case, scheduled for this Tuesday in Butte, promises more than a little bit of deja vu: it was just a year ago that some of the same lawyers appeared in the same courtroom to [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 11:09am EST
  

• Moonlight Bankruptcy: is it Yellowstone Club, or is it Tamarack?

  For U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Ralph B. Kirscher, the opening hearing in the Moonlight Basin bankruptcy case, scheduled for this Tuesday in Butte, promises more than a little bit of deja vu: it was just a year ago that some of the same lawyers appeared in the same courtroom to [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 11:09am EST
  

• Young Men and Fire: Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn"

  The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 324 pages, $27 In August of 1910, the largest fire ever to sweep across forests in the United States claimed trees, buildings, and lives across a stretch of three million acres in the Rocky Mountains.  Timothy [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Young Men and Fire: Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn"

  The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 324 pages, $27 In August of 1910, the largest fire ever to sweep across forests in the United States claimed trees, buildings, and lives across a stretch of three million acres in the Rocky Mountains.  Timothy [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Young Men and Fire: Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn"

  The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 324 pages, $27 In August of 1910, the largest fire ever to sweep across forests in the United States claimed trees, buildings, and lives across a stretch of three million acres in the Rocky Mountains.  Timothy [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Young Men and Fire: Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn"

  The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 324 pages, $27 In August of 1910, the largest fire ever to sweep across forests in the United States claimed trees, buildings, and lives across a stretch of three million acres in the Rocky Mountains.  Timothy [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Grizzlies On the Move, Back to the Wide-Open Prairie

  Montanans living along the winding Teton River, well east of the Rocky Mountain Front were quick to notice their new neighbor this summer. As early as the beginning of July, ranchers and other landowners along the prairie began intermittently spotting a solitary grizzly bear journeying east away from the mountains. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:47pm EST
  

• Grizzlies On the Move, Back to the Wide-Open Prairie

  Montanans living along the winding Teton River, well east of the Rocky Mountain Front were quick to notice their new neighbor this summer. As early as the beginning of July, ranchers and other landowners along the prairie began intermittently spotting a solitary grizzly bear journeying east away from the mountains. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:47pm EST
  

• Flu Update: H1N1 Cases Down, But is Uptick Ahead?

  As flu pandemics go, H1N1 sometimes seems hard to compute, given all the information flooding our way. Is it a panic? An impending storm? A party theme? Yes, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that some people are hosting "swine flu parties" where people who know someone with H1N1 purposely [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:01pm EST
  

• Moonlight Basin Files for Bankruptcy Protection

  Moonlight Basin, the troubled Big Sky, Montana ski resort, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, just a day before a foreclosure hearing that could have put the property in the hands of its primary lender, Lehman Bros. Moonlight took a loan of $100 million from Lehman Bros. in [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:15am EST
  

• Moonlight Basin Files for Bankruptcy Protection

  Moonlight Basin, the troubled Big Sky, Montana ski resort, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, just a day before a foreclosure hearing that could have put the property in the hands of its primary lender, Lehman Bros. Moonlight took a loan of about $100 million from Lehman Bros. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:15am EST
  

• Moonlight Basin Files for Bankruptcy Protection

  Moonlight Basin, a new ski and golf resort in Big Sky, Montana that just a few years ago was one of the hottest properties around, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday in its latest effort to avoid a shut-down of the property. In the bankruptcy filing, Moonlight seeks [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:15am EST
  

• Grizzlies On the Move, Back On to the Wide-Open Prairie

  Montanans living along the winding Teton River, well east of the Rocky Mountain Front were quick to notice their new neighbor this summer. As early as the beginning of July, ranchers and other landowners along the prairie began intermittently spotting a solitary grizzly bear journeying east away from the mountains. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:47am EST
  

• Grizzlies On the Move, Back On to the Wide-Open Prairie

  Montanans living along the winding Teton River, well east of the Rocky Mountain Front were quick to notice their new neighbor this summer. As early as the beginning of July, ranchers and other landowners along the prairie began intermittently spotting a solitary grizzly bear journeying east away from the mountains. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:47am EST
  

• Grizzlies On the Move, Back On to the Wide-Open Prairie

  Montanans living along the winding Teton River, well east of the Rocky Mountain Front were quick to notice their new neighbor this summer. As early as the beginning of July, ranchers and other landowners along the prairie began intermittently spotting a solitary grizzly bear journeying east away from the mountains. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:47am EST
  

• Grizzlies On the Move, Back On to the Wide-Open Prairie

  Montanans living along the winding Teton River, well east of the Rocky Mountain Front were quick to notice their new neighbor this summer. As early as the beginning of July, ranchers and other landowners along the prairie began intermittently spotting a solitary grizzly bear journeying east away from the mountains. [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:47am EST
  

• Kids, Road Rage, Gun Laws, Union Conservationists, and More

  I used to play basketball, but not too much since the day my coach took me aside, patted me on the head, and said, "Bill, you're short, but you're slow, and you really need to follow your shots." Well, that was a long time ago, and I admit to never [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:14am EST
  

• Kids, Road Rage, Gun Laws, Union Conservationists, and More

  I used to play basketball, but not too much since the day my coach took me aside, patted me on the head, and said, "Bill, you're short, but you're slow, and you really need to follow your shots." Well, that was a long time ago, and I admit to never [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:14am EST
  

• Kids, Road Rage, Gun Laws, Union Conservationists, and More

  I used to play basketball, but not too much since the day my coach took me aside, patted me on the head, and said, "Bill, you're short, but you're slow, and you really need to follow your shots." Well, that was a long time ago, and I admit to never [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:14am EST
  

• Denver Writer, Formerly an Out-of-Shape Hiker, Wins the National Outdoor Book Award

  The Denver Post reported this weekend that Denver writer Mark Obmascik's Halfway to Heaven: My White Knuckled and Knuckleheaded-Quest for the Rocky Mountain High won this year's outdoor literature prize from the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation: "The book is about climbing Colorado's 14,000-plus foot mountains, all 54 of them, [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Denver Writer, Formerly an Out-of-Shape Hiker, Wins the National Outdoor Book Award

  The Denver Post reported this weekend that Denver writer Mark Obmascik's Halfway to Heaven: My White Knuckled and Knuckleheaded-Quest for the Rocky Mountain High won this year's outdoor literature prize from the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation: "The book is about climbing Colorado's 14,000-plus foot mountains, all 54 of them, [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:00am EST
  

• Mad Dog and the Pilgrim Booksellers

  Sweetwater Station, Wyo.--If you blink once or your attention drifts for an instant on the two-lane highway between Muddy Gap and the Lander, Wyoming, you may miss one of the world's great road signs, a weathered, wooden square flanked by an American flag:  "Old Books Fresh Eggs For Sale." And if [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 11:27am EST
  

• Buying Music I Love At the Store I Hate

  A friend of mine gave me the new KISS album, "Sonic Boom," for my birthday this weekend. We're both fans, and it was a thoughtful gesture of rock 'n roll solidarity as well as friendship. But when I unwrapped the package, my first thought was not, "Wow, the cover looks [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:20am EST
  

• Buying Music I Love At the Store I Hate

  A friend of mine gave me the new KISS album, "Sonic Boom," for my birthday this weekend. We're both fans, and it was a thoughtful gesture of rock 'n roll solidarity as well as friendship. But when I unwrapped the package, my first thought was not, "Wow, the cover looks [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:20am EST
  

• Montana Children: the Healthy, the Needy, and the Sad

  Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation supports an amazingly comprehensive and important look at the well-being of the nation's children, taking into account, state-by-state, the factors that help or hinder children's welfare. The foundation's "Kids Counts" reports look at leading indicators like poverty rates, the availability of daycare, school [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 5:02pm EST
  

• Montana Children: the Healthy, the Needy, and the Sad

  Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation supports an amazingly comprehensive and important look at the well-being of the nation's children, taking into account, state-by-state, the factors that help or hinder children's welfare. The foundation's "Kids Counts" reports look at leading indicators like poverty rates, the availability of daycare, school [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 5:02pm EST
  

• Funding for Land Conservation Makes Good Economic Sense

  Many of us will be afield this fall spending time in our favorite hunting and fishing spots. We will be enjoying the tradition of these field sports so important to our lives. But as you head out to the fields, rivers and streams we want you to be aware of [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 2:34pm EST
  

• Montana Wolf Hunt is Over: Quotas Filled Early

  A half-hour after sunset tonight, Montana's first official wolf hunt--arguably the most controversial hunting season in recent history--will be over. Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks department announced the shut-down after reports came in that 72 wolves had been killed as of Sunday evening, meaning that hunters were fast closing in [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 1:28pm EST
  

• Montana Wolf Hunt is Over: Quotas Filled Early

  A half-hour after sunset tonight, Montana's first official wolf hunt--arguably the most controversial hunting season in recent history--will be over. Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks department announced the shut-down after reports came in that 72 wolves had been killed as of Sunday evening, meaning that hunters were fast closing in [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 1:28pm EST
  

• No Easy Answers in Flathead Truck Traffic Debate

  At a public meeting following the October crash of a tractor-trailer along the east shore of Flathead Lake, Montana Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch told the audience a community effort to increase safe driving along Highway 35 would ultimately be more effective than attempts to restrict truck traffic along [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:39am EST
  

• Battle in Seattle, Ten Years After

  With the 10th anniversary of the "Battle in Seattle" coming up Nov. 30, expect a lot of stories about WTO. The Seattle Times, for example, is already asking you to send in your memories of 1999. Coverage will include "then-and-now" looks at how the world has and hasn't changed. One interesting' [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 12:10pm EST
  

• Battle in Seattle, Ten Years After

  With the 10th anniversary of the "Battle in Seattle" coming up Nov. 30, expect a lot of stories about WTO. The Seattle Times, for example, is already asking you to send in your memories of 1999. Coverage will include "then-and-now" looks at how the world has and hasn't changed. One interesting' [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 12:10pm EST
  

• Parkour: We Ain't Afraid Of No Concrete!

  If you see a sweaty young guy sprinting past you downtown or on the University campus, jumping over trash cans and picnic tables and doing flips over concrete barriers or other architectural features, relax. He's not a purse snatcher, he's just practicing parkour. Rusty's latest obsession has Barb and me cringing [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:40am EST
  

• Parkour: We Ain't Afraid Of No Concrete!

  If you see a sweaty young guy sprinting past you downtown or on the University campus, jumping over trash cans and picnic tables and doing flips over concrete barriers or other architectural features, relax. He's not a purse snatcher, he's just practicing parkour. Rusty's latest obsession has Barb and me cringing [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 11:40am EST
  

• Reappraisal Process Works, But Will Ire Catch Fire?

  In late summer and early fall, many Montanans were unpleasantly surprised to receive notices telling them their property values had skyrocketed. The reappraisals, due every six years from the state Department of Revenue, meant their property taxes would take a big leap forward, too. In areas like Gallatin and Flathead [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:32am EST
  

• Reappraisal Process Works, But Will Ire Catch Fire?

  In late summer and early fall, many Montanans were unpleasantly surprised to receive notices telling them their property values had skyrocketed. The reappraisals, due every six years from the state Department of Revenue, meant their property taxes would take a big leap forward, too. In areas like Gallatin and Flathead [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:32am EST
  

• Upside of Real Estate Bust? Buying Ops for Flathead Land Trust

  The abrupt drop-off in land development throughout the Flathead Valley over the last year has caused its fair share of negative consequences, but it has resulted in some benefits as well -- particularly for those focused on conservation. With little or no pressure from developers to buy up the agricultural [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 10:32am EST
  

• An Open Letter to Warren Buffett

  Dear Mr. Buffett: I read with interest and glee about your recent acquisition of the majority ownership in Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). Congratulations on buying a great company--investment wise, I should clarify, because BNSF is a not-so-great company on the public relations front. Now that you own the railroad, you can [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 8:27am EST
  

• An Open Letter to Warren Buffett

  Dear Mr. Buffett: I read with interest and glee about your recent acquisition of the majority ownership in Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). Congratulations on buying a great company--investment wise, I should clarify, because BNSF is a not-so-great company on the public relations front. Now that you own the railroad, you can [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 8:27am EST
  

• An Open Letter to Warren Buffett

  Dear Mr. Buffett: I read with interest and glee about your recent acquisition of the majority ownership in Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). Congratulations on buying a great company--investment wise, I should clarify, because BNSF is a not-so-great company on the public relations front. Now that you own the railroad, you can [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 12, 2009, 8:27am EST
  

• An Open Letter to Warren Buffett

  Dear Mr. Buffett: I read with interest and glee about your recent acquisition of the majority ownership in Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). Congratulations on buying a great company--investment wise, I should clarify, because BNSF is a not-so-great company on the public relations front. Now that you own the railroad, you can [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 8:27am EST
  

• An Open Letter to Warren Buffett: Ideas For Burlington Northern

  Dear Mr. Buffett: I read with interest and glee about your recent acquisition of the majority ownership in Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). Congratulations on buying a great company--investment wise, I should clarify, because BNSF is a not-so-great company on the public relations front. Now that you own the railroad, you can [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 8:27am EST
  

• Pollution Altering Alpine Lakes

  What seem to be pristine alpine lakes high in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park are getting greener, and not in a good way. A report in the current edition of Science finds that those lakes are being swamped with nitrogen from the atmosphere, caused by pollution from cars, factories, feed lots [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 4:06pm EST
  

• Pollution Altering Alpine Lakes

  What seem to be pristine alpine lakes high in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park are getting greener, and not in a good way. A [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 4:06pm EST
  

• Pollution Altering Alpine Lakes

  What seem to be pristine alpine lakes high in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park are getting greener, and not in a good way. A report in the current edition of Science finds that those lakes are being swamped with nitrogen from the atmosphere, caused by pollution from cars, factories, feed lots [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 4:06pm EST
  

• Pollution Altering Alpine Lakes

  What seem to be pristine alpine lakes high in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park are getting greener, and not in a good way. A [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 10, 2009, 4:06pm EST
  

• Pollution Altering Alpine Lakes

  What seem to be pristine alpine lakes high in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park are getting greener, and not in a good way. A report in the current edition of Science finds that those lakes are being swamped with nitrogen from the atmosphere, caused by pollution from cars, factories, feed lots [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 4:06pm EST