Montana
Handlers put best steer forward in high-stakes competition at Northwest Montana Fair
![Handlers put best steer forward in high-stakes competition at Northwest Montana Fair Handlers put best steer forward in high-stakes competition at Northwest Montana Fair](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_1_r1200x630.jpg?b7d505e466ff31ef2a911eceee85296b69915698)
The grassy lawn outside the Flathead Fairgrounds’ Trade Center occasionally turns into a steer spa.
Competitors gathered Wednesday morning hours before they were set to walk their calf before a judge to wash, blow-dry and apply adhesive to the animal’s hair, making them look their best. It’s called fitting the calf, Brady Boll said.
The process of raising and showing an animal is integral to the Northwest West Montana Fair, where hundreds of young people — often through 4-H or FFA — gather after months of hard work in hopes of winning a blue ribbon.
“It’s not just a big part of the fair though,” said 18-year-old Boll. “It’s a big part of my life.”
Boll, a graduate of Flathead High School, has been showing steers for the past eight years. This year, her steer, Stetson — with a filled-out belly and a black coat — won grand champion.
Showing an animal at the fair teaches a kid, early on, how to take constructive criticism and apply it to their lives, she said. Boll looks forward to taking those lessons and applying them to her work at a private trade school in the future.
“Any kid that goes through 4-H or FFA makes the world a better place,” she said.
Boll stood outside of the Trade Center early Wednesday morning, washing Stetson and preparing to show him in front of Sierra Meyers, the judge of the beef show, who is also judging other events this year.
There are two main aspects for judges to look for when it comes to steers, Meyers said. The first of those is showmanship, or a judgement based on the individual showing the animal themselves. Things like maintaining eye contact and intentionally setting the animal up well are good things.
The second is how marketable the steer is. Muscle equates to meat, Meyers said, so the more muscle the better.
One of the coolest aspects of the fair’s showmanship events is the advocation for agriculture, according to Kaitlyn Bennett, the beef and dairy superintendent of the fair. It is sentimental knowing that the kids today are the upcoming generation of agriculture, she said.
Ryder Clouse, a 15-year-old student at Flathead High School, was also preparing his steer outside of the Trade Center. This year is Clouse’s third year showing steers; he previously would bring pigs to show at the fair. Every year, however, he was drawn to bovines, and now gets opportunities to raise them.
“It’s been an adventure,” Clouse said.
Genetics also play a big role in the success of showing, said Carly Tranel with her steer Alan.
“My favorite thing about him is his conformation and his genetics,” Tranel, 17, said on Wednesday. Conformation is the desirable muscular and skeletal structure of an animal.
Tranel, who is part of Glacier Stars 4-H, started showing animals when she was 8 years old and has shown steers for six years, the inspiration coming from her family and their own history of raising animals on their land.
Last year, Tranel won the grand champion steer title.
While it is a lot of hard work, Tranel said, the competition aspect is a lot of fun. She hopes to bring a calf that she breeds herself to the fair next year.
“It’s great to watch them have success,” said Jannell Plummer of Glacier Stars 4-H. Born and raised in the valley, Plummer has three children of her own — all three are showing a steer this year.
Six classes entered the show ring. Competitors walked their calves around, making sure their chins were pointed up, adjusting their feet to stand square. The event is a series of walking, stopping and setting up.
Come Saturday, buyers come in and bid on the animals while the competitors bid them farewell. In 2023, the Flathead Livestock Market Sale Auction surpassed $1.2 million in sales.
“Stress is high, the animal is big, but sometimes, the payoff is amazing,” said Plummer.
Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_3.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_4.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_5.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_6.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_7.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_8.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_9.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_10.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_11.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_12.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_13.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_14.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2024/08/14/0815_LOC_DIL_Beef_cattle_showmanship_nwmt_fair_15.jpg.1000x666_q85_box-0%2C0%2C2000%2C1333_crop_detail.jpg)
Casey Kreider
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Montana
Providence Montana to open new health care facility in Missoula
![Providence Montana to open new health care facility in Missoula Providence Montana to open new health care facility in Missoula](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/826b547/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2031x1066+0+7/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ypradio.org%2Fsites%2Fkemc%2Ffiles%2F202004%2Fst-patrick-hospital-sign.jpg)
One of the state’s largest health networks plans to open a new health care facility next year in Missoula. The addition is Providence Montana’s response to an increasing population and demand for care.
The new Providence Southgate Health Center will move into Missoula’s former Bed, Bath & Beyond near Southgate Mall. The 20,000 square foot facility will feature urgent and primary care clinics as well as the Providence Heart Institute general cardiology clinic. It will also house radiology and lab services.
The company says the $18 million project has been in the works for two years and is intended to improve access to health care due to rapid population growth in Missoula and Ravalli Counties.
A Providence spokesperson tells MTPR there’s currently a shortage of 14 to 20 primary care physicians in both counties.
The health center is on track to open next summer.
Montana
Montana Supreme Court overturns 2013 abortion consent law
HELENA — After a legal challenge that stretched out for over a decade, the Montana Supreme Court has invalidated a state law that would have required parental consent before a minor could get an abortion.
All seven justices ruled Wednesday that the law infringed on the right of privacy under the Montana Constitution, and that the state had not shown enough evidence to justify it as enhancing protections for minors.
“We also acknowledge that the State has a substantial interest in preserving the family, protecting minors, and protecting the rights of parents to raise their children,” wrote Justice Laurie McKinnon. “However, when weighed against the right of a minor to make the most intimate and personal decision of whether to carry a child to term, the interests expressed by the State must be furthered by and substantially related to the legislation itself, and the legislation must be narrowly tailored to meet only those legitimate legislative goals.”
The court heard oral arguments on this case in March, almost 11 years after the challenge was initially filed.
In 2013, the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 391, which prohibited anyone under 18 from getting an abortion without notarized written consent from their parent or legal guardian. Exceptions would be allowed in a medical emergency or if a minor successfully petitioned a court to waive the requirement.
The bill became law without the signature of then-Gov. Steve Bullock, but it never went into effect, as Planned Parenthood of Montana sued over it and the office of then-Attorney General Tim Fox accepted a preliminary injunction. Over the following years, the case passed through several district court judges, eventually ending up with District Judge Chris Abbott of Helena. Last year, he ruled the law was invalid because it infringed on the right to privacy.
Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office appealed the decision, saying Abbott had used the wrong standard when reviewing the law. State attorneys argued the Montana Constitution grants more authority to make laws that affect the rights of people under the age of 18, so the Armstrong decision – the 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling that said abortion was covered under the state constitution’s right of privacy – didn’t apply in full here.
Attorneys for Planned Parenthood argued the state couldn’t point to a legitimate health or safety risk to justify the law, and that they weren’t applying their interests neutrally because the consent requirement would only apply to abortion, not to other procedures.
In her majority opinion, McKinnon echoed those points. She noted that the court has concluded in cases as recently as last year that abortion is safe and presents minimal health risks. She said the state hadn’t demonstrated requiring parental consent would protect minors from sexual abuse, physical and mental health impacts or immature decision-making.
McKinnon also said applying the consent requirement to minors wanting to get an abortion but not those wanting to continue a pregnancy discriminates against those choosing abortion.
McKinnon’s opinion was joined by Justices Jim Shea, Ingrid Gustafson, Dirk Sandefur and Beth Baker, as well as District Judge Elizabeth Best, who heard the case in place of Chief Justice Mike McGrath after he recused himself.
Justice Jim Rice wrote a concurring opinion. He agreed the consent requirement infringed on the right to privacy and should be found unconstitutional on that basis. He disagreed with McKinnon’s finding that there was an equal protection issue based on whether a minor chooses to get an abortion or continue their pregnancy, but said there was different treatment of those seeking an abortion based on whether or not they were under 18, and that the law still wasn’t narrowly tailored enough to satisfy the state’s interests in that case.
Rice also criticized what he called “the judiciary’s failure to address this case in a timely fashion.”
“While perhaps no single individual or court bears all the blame, the public’s confidence in the judiciary rests on the expectation that the courts will faithfully execute judicial duties,” he wrote. “The public deserves better than what occurred in this case, and courts must do better.”
Click here to read the full court ruling.
Montana
Montana Gov. raked in more than $23 million in income over four years
![Montana Gov. raked in more than million in income over four years Montana Gov. raked in more than million in income over four years](https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2165595641-e1723630472910.jpg?resize=1200,600)
Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte reported more than $23 million in income over four years ending in 2022, as the former technology executive who is seeking reelection to a second term continues to rake in money from investments, according to tax records released by his campaign.
Democrat Ryan Busse, a former firearms industry executive, is challenging Gianforte in November.
Gianforte spent more than $6 million of his own money on a failed bid for governor in 2016. After getting elected to Congress in a 2017 special election, he ran for governor again four years ago and spent more than $7.5 million defeating Democrat Mike Cooney by a wide margin, according to campaign finance reports.
So far this election cycle, he has contributed roughly $47,000 to his campaign, the reports show.
Most of Gianforte’s income since 2019 came from profits on investments, his tax returns indicate. He is paid about $120,000 a year for being governor.
Spokesperson Anna Marian Block said Gianforte was keeping a “commitment to transparency” with Montana residents by releasing his returns.
Since 2005 Gianforte has reported income of more than $265 million, according to previous disclosures. The bulk of that money came after Oracle Corp. bought Gianforte’s Bozeman-based company, RightNow Technologies, for $1.8 billion.
Democrats and Gianforte’s Republican primary opponents sought unsuccessfully in 2020 to turn Gianforte’s huge wealth into a liability, saying he wanted to buy the election.
Busse’s campaign declined to release his tax returns.
-
News1 week ago
The ‘Blue Walz’: How a low-key Midwestern governor shot to the top to be Harris’ VP pick | CNN Politics
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Twisters movie review: no winds of change blowing here – FlickFilosopher.com
-
News1 week ago
Kamala Harris holding rally in Pennsylvania to introduce running mate after securing Democratic nomination
-
World1 week ago
Venezuela launches probe against opposition leaders Gonzalez, Machado
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Minmini Movie Review: A soothing and understated film with characters to root for
-
World1 week ago
North Macedonia on the energy transition path out of coal
-
World1 week ago
The day after in Dhaka
-
World1 week ago
Ex-Catalan leader Puigdemont headed back to Spain despite fear of arrest