After a busy week at the big Energy Expo in Billings, there’s a lot of interesting news to share with you. The most exciting news for me this week? The fact that companies are looking to build new oil refineries in Fairview and Baker, Montana. Hear about all that and much more by listening to both days of our live shows at the Energy Expo sponsored by The Avitus Group. Both shows can be found by clicking here and going to our podcast page (June 25th and 26th audio).
The rest of the Weekend Wrapup is here:
National Journal calls Walsh the “most endangered incumbent.”
National Journal- The Senate Seats Most Likely to Flip: Hotline’s Race Rankings
3) Montana (D, Sen. John Walsh) (Previous: 3)
Steve Daines isn’t Denny Rehberg, John Walsh isn’t Jon Tester, and 2014 is looking a whole lot tougher for Democrats than 2012. That, in a nutshell, explains why Democrats aren’t too optimistic about Montana despite the party’s strong track record of success there. Walsh’s appointment to the Senate in January gives him the benefit of incumbency—sort of—but an internal report from the U.S. Army that the then-adjutant general misused resources has put him on the defensive over his military background, which should be a major strength of his campaign. Just five months into his term, Walsh is clearly the midterm elections’ most endangered incumbent.
w/ Walsh named by @NationalJournal as “most endangered incumbent” & recent neg headlines- why would natls help fund his #MTSen campaign?
— Aaron Flint (@aaronflint) June 27, 2014
KRTV.com- NBA: Great Falls’ Huestis Drafted by the OKC Thunder
Congrats to @jhuestis for being drafted by the OKC Thunder. With pride from everyone back here in Montana. Congrats to Stanford too @McFaul
— Aaron Flint (@aaronflint) June 27, 2014
Video
KRTV- Former CMR basketball star Josh Huestis has his shot at the NBA dream.
Huestis was drafted in the first round Thursday by Oklahoma City. He was the 29th overall pick and went a lot earlier than a lot of experts had predicted.
In other news….
Who thought this would be a good idea? I want to be nice, but what are these “Real Housewives of New York” yahoos even doing in our state? Then again, if they tell all of their friends how AWFUl it is here…they’re less likely to move here and vote here.
Here’s an excerpt from Cosmo: “Real Housewives of New York”…Recap: Montana Turns Ugly
On this episode, Sonja happily suggested that people from Montana have sex with their cousins and completely missed the point on why some people would be angry that she’s letting her facialist spread lies about her friends. Or her “friends,” because Luann doesn’t think Sonja’s being a very good pal right now.
NY Daily News: Montana woman slashes husband’s face with knife after he pees on floor: report
Police say a boozy Shery Lynn Downs, 52, accused her husband of not only peeing on the floor but attempting to scam the cable company into getting them free TV, fueling their Monday night fight, The Billings Gazette reported.
NY Daily News: Montana judge tells fast-food worker to get ‘real job’ to pay back restitution
District Judge G. Todd Baugh handed down a 10-year sentence to Brandon Daniel Turrell, who used a BB gun to shoot out the windows of 100 cars. Turrell, who makes $9.50 an hour, was advised to find something that paid better so he could pay back the damage. Baugh made national headlines after he gave a convicted rapist of a 14-year-old girl — who he said appeared ‘older than her chronological age’ and that she contributed to her own attack — a one-month sentence.
Montana Standard: Montana Tech shooting TV ad starring burro to promote it, city
“… I won’t be the only jackass in the courthouse today.” — Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Matt Vincent
ABC Fox Montana: Montana Moms Learn Football Safety from the Pros
The Atlanta Falcons made some new fans in Montana Tuesday night.
Employees and even players from the team traveled to Livingston to host a Mom’s Football Safety Clinic.
“At the end of the day, the safety of the kid is most important,” said Justin Green, running backs coach for the Griz. “We want the kid to be able to lay in high school. For my level, I want to be able to recruit them for college. So for him, the safest he can be and understanding how that stuff works is the best way for him to not have any injuries.”
Montana Public Radio: Veterans ask Tester to “work on crazy for us” with the VA
“I myself have experienced excessive wait times to get in for medical care. Actually had the patient rep here in Montana look at me and say, ‘this is at best rural medicine.’ No veteran deserves what would be classified as rural medicine. It’s that simple,” Steeley said.
Rene Gardner served in the Navy on aircraft carriers between 1975 and 1980. He said he’s been getting treatment through the Kalispell VA clinic for almost 30 years.
During the listening session Gardner brought up an issue many others spoke of- lost paperwork. He said the law states if the VA can’t find your record, you weren’t sick. Tester called that crazy, and Gardner asked him to “work on crazy for us.”
LAT: U.S. envoy Max Baucus to China: More business ties, less cyber-theft http://t.co/fcYjgESmdO pic.twitter.com/EQOqCm6KBR
— Marc A. Ross (@marcaross) June 26, 2014
From The LA Times…Baucus’ First Public Address
In his first public address on the U.S.-China relationship since taking up the post of U.S. ambassador, Max Baucus said Wednesday that “the U.S. welcomes China’s rise” and that his priorities include pushing for a bilateral investment treaty and increasing cooperation on environmental issues..
But the former Montana senator briefly rapped Beijing on the knuckles over concerns including human rights, cyber-theft of U.S. companies’ trade secrets, and the blocking of American tech firms from the Chinese market.