Montana

Senate leader says Montana judges are doing such a great job, they need more investigating • Daily Montanan

Published

1 year ago

September 19, 2024

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Senate leader says Montana judges are doing such a great job, they need more investigating • Daily Montanan

Being confused by government is an American birthright.

That’s where journalism comes in — to explain the process and the procedure.

But even I can’t tell you what, exactly, happened at a recent legislative audit committee meeting, and from the sounds of others on the committee, they may have been equally flummoxed by Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth, a Republican from Hamilton.

Here’s my summary:

During a meeting last Wednesday, Ellsworth appreciated the legislative auditing staff’s work so much he couldn’t accept it.

Ellsworth thinks that the “vast, vast, vast majority” of judges in the state work hard and make great decisions.

He even believes that the majority of complaints filed against judges at the Judicial Standards Commission are frivolous.

But he just can’t accept that the commission can function on its own without the approval or oversight of the Legislature. And in an odd and contorted meeting last week, he got fellow Republicans to go along with not approving a Legislative Audit Committee report that, according to Ellsworth, did a 100% correct job in its totality of reviewing the Judicial Standards Commission. (The committee deadlocked 6-to-6, an unusual, but not unprecedented outcome.)

To attempt summarization here, which could give you the mistaken impression that I understood Ellsworth’s position completely, the legislative auditors had opened his eyes to the fact that the judiciary is a separate branch of government, not beholden to the expectations of any political party.

The audit process is laid out in state law, so Ellsworth and Republicans’ disapproval of the report is largely symbolic because the audit happened and was released regardless. The deadlocked vote was merely another display of petulance by Republicans who have registered their dissatisfaction of the judiciary in numerous ways throughout the past few years, including seizing emails of the judiciary and then not giving them back, despite orders to do so.

But, you know, in case anyone was wondering: The Republicans are mad at the judiciary.

Still.

During the meeting, Ellsworth didn’t gin up outrage so much as confusion, as he had repeatedly tried to explain his rationale, and attempted a parliamentary trick of using a substitute motion, which had members scurrying to find their rulebooks and one representative to ask for a parliamentarian like a burning man would request water.

“It’s established in our rules. We would need parliamentarian … it’s just an alternate motion. But per our rules, it’s a non-debatable motion,” Ellsworth said, trying to cut off any conversation.

Rep. Emma Kerr-Carpenter, D-Billings, asked for some clarification, which didn’t go well.

“I’m not asking for debate, just clarification from legal counsel, who is our de facto parliamentarian, about what this actually does,” she said.

“It’s a non-debatable motion. So the rules are the rules are the rules. I made it because I sat on rules committee,” Ellsworth said.

How ironic is it that Ellsworth, who has been a one-man vendetta against the judiciary because they are following the law, would chastise another member of the Legislature with the “rules are the rules” when that’s exactly what the audit report found the judges to be doing — following the rules?

He insults the people of the state who judiciously decided that they wanted their judges and courts to be beyond the reach of garden-variety politics.

Ellsworth seems to forget that for the first century of Montana politics, the judiciary was never far from the reach of rich corporations and the politicians who could manipulate the courts. He forgot that one of the copper kings, F. Augustus Heinze, was said to have more lawyers on staff than geologists. Or that citizens had to rise up in 1911 and 1913 to demand a ballot and initiative process to get around a court system that had been corrupted by the political system.

The audit that Republicans asked for showed that next to Wyoming and Tennessee, Montana has one of the highest rates of judicial discipline in the nation, certainly something that doesn’t fit very conveniently into a narrative that Montana’s judiciary has somehow gone rogue or is beyond the reach of discipline.

The auditors found that most of Montana’s practices mirror other states, and that if there is a flaw, it’s that more information isn’t released when the members of the JSC mete out some sort of corrective action.

Ellsworth wants to convince voters that the judiciary gets to police itself via the Judicial Standards Commission, but that, too, is nifty sound bite because citizens hold two seats on the five-person commission and a lawyer also sits on it, making the judges outnumbered.

Watching Ellsworth try to twist his mangled logic into some sort of coherence on Wednesday was poor political theater as even members of his own party asked repeatedly for him to explain the motion and his rationale. One member even joked that he wanted to vote “maybe,” because he was as apparently as confused as the rest of us.

What we’re seeing has two problematic outcomes, though.

First, these stunts discredit the work of judges and the judiciary. Constantly questioning the judiciary’s motives, especially when politicians know that some of the court’s work must be done privately and confidentially to protect those who are vulnerable or whose privacy is not a political football, has a corrosive effect. We have heard so often that we cannot trust judges or the courts that it becomes a sort of urban legend.

Second, we’re seeing in real time what happens when politicians don’t get the answers they want — it’s apparent they’ll keep wasting our time and money investigating something that’s simply not there.

But if you don’t believe my words, then at least listen to Ellsworth’s:

“We know vast majority of complaints are not legit. But there are legit complaints. I have met a constituent with a complaint on a judge. It’s very rare because I think judges do a great job in this state. I want to be able to tell them we’re taking it serious.”

Yes, judges are doing a great job in this state, Sen. Ellsworth.

But, can the same be said for the Legislature?

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Montana

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

Published

3 hours ago

December 12, 2025

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Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

A band of moderate snow has formed from the Cut Bank area, extending southeast across Chouteau, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties. Be alert for low visibility and slick road conditions. Icy conditions continue in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties, where snow fell on top of ice after some freezing rain overnight. Up to a 1/4″ of ice has been reported on cars and sidewalks. Freezing rain may mix in again this morning as milder air begins to move back in.

Today’s Forecast:

Frigid Friday, several inches of snowfall in parts of the area-Friday, December 12

It will be a frigid today, with high temperatures in the 0s and lower 10s across central and eastern Montana, and mid to upper 30s in Helena.

The snow band will continue throughout the day, bringing several inches of snow to areas east of I-15. The band of snow will gradually push east tonight, impacting Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties overnight. Snow showers taper off by Saturday morning.

MTN News

Expect difficult driving conditions through Saturday morning, especially east of I-15 and into the mountains.

Arctic air slowly retreats north on Saturday. Temperatures start off in the -10s to near 0 on the Hi-Line and in the 0s for central Montana, then climb to the 0s and 10s for the Hi-Line and 10s to 20s in central Montana by Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, it will be a pleasant weekend in Helena with temperatures in the low 40s. A gusty breeze develops on Sunday, as temperatures warm nicely into the low to mid 40s in central Montana and into the 30s in northeast Montana.

Looking ahead to next week, mild and windy conditions kick off the workweek, followed by active weather returning midweek.

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Montana

Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Published

15 hours ago

December 12, 2025

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Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Warm temperatures and an “atmospheric river” of precipitation that flowed into northwestern Montana this week have generated a state of emergency in Montana’s northwesternmost county, Lincoln, as local waterways run unseasonably high.

Around 12 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service started issuing flooding watches as area snowpack sites reported 24-hour precipitation totals that were approaching record levels. NWS meteorologist Dan Borsum told Montana Free Press Thursday that the “rain-on-snow” nature of the recent precipitation has led to widespread flooding.

Borsum called the weather pattern “unusual” for mid-December, instead likening it to a warm April.

Zach Sherbo, the public health manager for the Lincoln County Health Department, said in a Thursday afternoon phone call that additional precipitation is expected through Thursday evening, so rivers could continue rising into Friday.

The Lincoln County communities of Libby and Troy have been hit the hardest by the deluge, which prompted emergency services personnel to issue a state of emergency Thursday afternoon. Residents are cautioned against unnecessary travel and those served by the Libby city water supply are under a boil-water order as a precaution in the event of water supply contamination. School has also been canceled for students in Libby and Troy, Sherbo said.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has identified a handful of bridges that have been compromised or are washed out as a result of flooding. It suggests residents looking for information on road closures and bridge conditions review an interactive map that is available online and linked in a press release posted to the Lincoln County Health Department’s Facebook page.

“It’s going to take a long time to recoup from this, just structurally, just with the bridges we’ve lost already and the condition that they’re in and going toward,” Sherbo said. “It’s a pretty big combined local effort right now.”

Justun Juelfs, the Kalispell-area maintenance chief with the Montana Department of Transportation said three stretches of state-managed roadways were closed or under monitoring status as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

An approximately 80-foot section of the Farm to Market Road south of Libby has washed out as Libby Creek carved a new channel. MDT is also monitoring erosion that is occurring along a U.S. Highway 2 bridge southeast of Libby and along a section of Highway 56 near Bull Lake. Juelfs encouraged motorists to review MDT’s road conditions report for up-to-date information on impacts to state highways.

The Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with sandbag-filling and distributing efforts and the Red Cross has set up a shelter for those in need at the Assembly of God Church in Libby, according to Sherbo.

The Montana Disaster and Emergency Services agency is also lending a hand with the flood response. In an email to MTFP, Anette Ordahl with DES wrote that a district field officer and a recovery coordinator are on the ground in Libby to offer assistance.

In a Thursday afternoon press release, Gov. Greg Gianforte noted that Sanders and Flathead counties have also recognized the flooding by issuing emergency or disaster declarations. Up to four inches of additional rainfall are expected across western and south-central Montana, according to a disaster declaration Gianforte’s office included in a 3 p.m. press release.

The National Weather Service reported Thursday morning that the Bear Mountain snowpack monitoring site, located just across the border in Idaho, received 6.5 inches of precipitation as of this morning, making it the third-wettest 24-hour period for the site in its 44-year monitoring history. The six-day precipitation total for Dec. 6-11 is 13 inches.

Borsum, with the National Weather Service, said the recent, unseasonable warm spell in western Montana combined with the “super strong” atmospheric river to melt early season snowpack and drive flooding. A similar rain-on-snow event in early June of 2022 led to widespread flooding in parts of south-central Montana that required extensive repairs to roadways and bridges.

Thursday, the Yaak River near Troy surpassed its official flood stage, running at more than 7,500 cubic feet per second. Its usual volume for this time of the year is about 200 cfs.

The Fisher River near Libby was also nearing flood stage. As of Thursday afternoon, it was running at nearly 4,000 cfs, more than 20 times its usual volume for mid-December.

Zeke Lloyd and Jacob Olness contributed to this reporting.

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Montana

Nestled Next To Glacier National Park Is Montana’s Charming Town With Casinos And Ethereal Mountain Views – Islands

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

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Nestled Next To Glacier National Park Is Montana’s Charming Town With Casinos And Ethereal Mountain Views – Islands

Roel Portraits/Shutterstock

Montana’s Glacier National Park is full of beautiful destinations, from stunning waterfalls to a hidden mountain passage with breathtaking alpine views. But when you visit this legendary national park, don’t miss the hidden gems right outside the park’s limits — like the charming small town of Browning, located on the Blackfoot Reservation, which boasts magnificent mountain views as well as a casino to try your luck at. This delightful town also has a wealth of outdoor activities and cultural sites on offer — and that’s not to mention its prime location just 15 minutes away from the eastern edge of Glacier National Park.

To get to Browning, you’ll likely want to fly to Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, about 91 miles away, then rent a car and enjoy a beautiful drive the rest of the journey. Alternatively, you can grab a taxi from the airport to the nearby Whitefish Amtrak Station, before embarking on a 2.5-hour Amtrak train ride that will take you to Browning. Either way, one thing is for certain: you’ll be treated to unbeatable scenery out the window along the way.

Visiting the Glacier Peaks Casino in Browning, Montana

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Who needs the overpriced games and bad vibes at Las Vegas’ Bighorn Casino when you’ve got Browning’s Glacier Peaks Casino as an option? If you’re over 18 and in the mood to take a gamble, you won’t want to miss out on visiting this entertainment hotspot. Open all hours of the day and night, this casino wonderland contains over 500 slot machines as well as table games, a bar, and a restaurant. Keep an eye on their website to see what special events are in the pipeline, from poker tournaments to the weekly “Jersey Monday” deal, where visitors wearing football jerseys get $10 of free play.

Adjacent to the casino is the Glacier Peaks Hotel, which boasts a business center, gym, indoor heated swimming pool, and other amenities, making it a modern and comfortable accommodation whether you’re in town for fun or for work. If you’re staying in the hotel — or if you simply want a break from the casino floor — the aptly-named Jackpot Restaurant onsite serves up classic American cuisine all day. Fuel yourself for more fun and games with everything from delectable biscuits and eggs to nachos to smash burgers and pizza.

Outdoor activities in Browning, Montana

Wild Goose Island at sunrise in Glacier National Park

Weidman Photography/Shutterstock

A trip to this scenic locale wouldn’t be complete without making the most of the incredible natural views on offer. One particularly worthwhile lookout point from which to enjoy panoramic views of the area is Wild Goose Island Lookout. Park at the pullout and walk to the nearby overlook to get a view of Wild Goose Island. This tiny isle rises just 14 feet above St Mary Lake in a perfect postcard-worthy image, and is dwarfed by towering mountains.

Visitors eager to earn a mountain view with some movement can opt for one of the many trails in and around Browning. For a short (and handicap-accessible) walk, try Running Eagle Falls. While this out-and-back route clocks in at just 0.7 miles in total, it punches above its weight when it comes to payoff with a stunning waterfall. Experienced hikers in search of a challenge can consider tackling Triple Divide Pass, a difficult 14-mile hike that will take you through the less-heavily-trafficked Cutbank portion of Glacier National Park. After steep mountain uphills, you’ll find yourself overlooking Medicine Grizzly Lake. Note that if you choose to embark on this route, you’ll want to download offline maps, as cell signal in the park is extremely limited.

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