A woman who scared off a bear while camping in Montana died later that night when the animal returned and killed her.
Leah Davis Lokan had traveled to Montana from her home in Chico, California, as part of a cycling trip with her sister and a friend when they decided to spend the night in Ovando on July 5, 2021. While the attack happened last year, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) <a href="https://igbconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/20220628_FINAL-BOR-Ovando.pdf">released</a> its review of the incident earlier this month, which is just now gaining media attention.
Lokan’s sister stayed at a hotel nearby, but Lokan decided to sleep alone in her tent alongside the tent of Joe and Kim Cole, whom she had met in Texas during her trip. Around 3:00 a.m. on July 6, the three campers woke up due to noise at the campsite, with Lokan yelling “bear, bear.” All three began making noise and screaming to scare the bear away. After it left, Lokan moved the food she had in her tent to a nearby building in the hopes the bear would not return. She also brought back a can of bear spray.
The Coles later told investigators that they asked Lokan if she would rather stay in the hotel with her sister, but she declined, and the three went back to sleep.
Less than an hour later, just after 4:00 a.m. Joe Cole woke up to a noise that he knew meant Lokan was being attacked, though she didn’t scream. He began screaming “bear, bear” and rushed out of his tent to use bear spray against the animal, while his wife blew her whistle. The couple saw the bear “pouncing up and down” on Lokan and her tent as Joe continued to use the bear spray. Joe said the bear made eye contact with him before turning and leaving the site.
The Cole’s realized Lokan’s tent had been dragged about 10 feet and found her lifeless body half out of the tent, still in her sleeping bag. The Coles ran to a nearby store for help. Emergency responders performed CPR in an attempt to revive Lokan, but those attempts failed. An autopsy report found that Lokan had died instantly, suffering a broken neck and severed spinal cord.
The IGBC reported that after the bear killed Lokan, it found a chicken coop and ate chickens and their feed. Wildlife service officials tracked the bear for days, finally finding it at a different chicken coop on July 9 and killing it. DNA evidence determined it was the same bear that had killed Lokan.

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)

A Woman Scared Off A Bear While Camping. It Returned That Night And Killed Her.

Animals

Death

Montana

Two children and four adults were killed in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/car-crash">car crash</a> on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana">Montana</a> highway late Friday after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/weather">dust storm</a> severely reduced visibility.
According to <a href="https://wgme.com/news/nation-world/2-kids-among-6-dead-in-montana-highway-pileup-8-others-hurt-dust-storm-blackout-conditions-inclement-extreme-weather-zero-visibility-traveling-commuting-traffic-commercial-semi-trucks-montana-highway-patrol-interstate-90">the Associated Press</a>, 21 vehicles — including six semi-trucks — were involved in the accident, which occurred as winds raging at 60 miles per hour drove a dust cloud that caused drivers to lose control.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A dust storm led to a massive pileup on a Montana interstate. <a href="https://t.co/BKUKBYLeJl">https://t.co/BKUKBYLeJl</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fl00rGS9sf">pic.twitter.com/Fl00rGS9sf</a>
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAY/status/1548357795573112832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson characterized the incident as among the worst he has seen in his 24 years of work, adding that the storm reduced visibility to near-zero during rush hour traffic. “Everything is indicative of an isolated extreme weather event,” Nelson said, per the AP. “What could people do? It really was just panic.”
Hundreds of vehicles were backed up for miles on Interstate 90, according to <a href="https://billingsgazette.com/news/national/6-people-die-after-storm-causes-montana-highway-pileup/article_56ff0aa9-fd12-54f4-aaa1-967663730cb3.html">The Billings Gazette</a>. National Weather Service meteorologist Nick Vertz told the outlet that storms began appearing early in the afternoon and moved eastward.
&#8220;If they looked up in the sky while they&#8217;re in Hardin, they probably didn&#8217;t see much of what you&#8217;d think of for a thunderstorm cloud, maybe not even much at all,&#8221; Vertz explained. &#8220;It was just a surge of wind that kind of appeared out of nowhere.&#8221;
According to the National Weather Service, dust storms <a href="https://www.weather.gov/safety/wind-dust-storm">most commonly occur</a> in the American Southwest, often arriving “suddenly in the form of an advancing wall of dust and debris which may be miles long and several thousand feet high.”
“They strike with little warning, making driving conditions hazardous,” the agency says. “Blinding, choking dust can quickly reduce visibility, causing accidents that may involve chain collisions, creating massive pileups. Dust storms usually last only a few minutes, but the actions a motorist takes during the storm may be the most important of his or her life.”
Ariel Dehart told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/16/us/hardin-montana-dust-storm-crash/index.html">CNN</a> that she drove by the accident moments after it occurred. “The visibility was so poor and scary,” Dehart said. “The air was warm and eerie. It was like wearing sepia-colored glasses. It was so crazy.”
Dehart, who was driving in the westbound lane, recounted seeing a camper torn open by the accident.
“When I saw the ripped-open camper, my gut dropped,” she said. “But the owner just was frantically putting his decorative pillows back in the camper, and it was so sad because he was obviously so in over his head with what just happened.”
Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) mourned the accident. “I&#8217;m deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/GovGianforte/status/1548113948561383432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1548113948561383432%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenationaldesk.com%2Fnews%2Famericas-news-now%2F2-kids-among-6-dead-in-montana-highway-pileup-8-others-hurt-dust-storm-blackout-conditions-inclement-extreme-weather-zero-visibility-traveling-commuting-traffic-commercial-semi-trucks-montana-highway-patrol-interstate-90">said</a> on social media. “Please join me in prayer to lift up the victims and their loved ones. We&#8217;re grateful to our first responders for their service.”
“The Montana Highway Patrol is on the scene with other first responders and investigating the incident,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R-MT) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AGAustinKnudsen/posts/pfbid0WXwZPf7GpkosNDZ4ogVpGkciFdgueTS9BPUiuLeeTk5TCqE3XmmrVRsNWUdFJGuTl">added</a> in a statement. “We will release more information as it becomes available and is appropriate out of respect of the lives lost and their loved ones.”
If a dust storm occurs, the National Weather Service recommends that drivers pull off the highway, engage the emergency brake, and turn off the lights. Drivers are also advised to avoid stopping on the traveled portion of the highway and, if it is impossible to exit the roadway, to drive slowly while occasionally honking the horn.

Truck driving down road in dust storm

‘Appeared Out Of Nowhere’: 2 Children Among Dead After Dust Storm Causes 21-Car Pileup

2 Children, 4 Adults Killed In Car Wreck After Montana Dust Storm Causes Blackout

Car Crash

Weather

State taxpayers reportedly picked up the tab for California Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom">Gavin Newsom</a>&#8216;s security detail during his recent vacation to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana">Montana</a>, despite a ban on state-funded travel to Big Sky Country and 21 other states whose laws offend Left-coast liberals.
The development, buried in a Thursday New York Times article about President Biden, could at least be a violation of the spirit of <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887">California Assembly Bill 1887</a>, which Newsom&#8217;s predecessor, Jerry Brown, signed into law in 2016 to ensure state funds don&#8217;t help the economies of an ever-growing list of states whose laws California deems discriminatory.
“His kids are visiting their grandparents for his daughter’s birthday, as they do every year,” Newsom&#8217;s spokesman, Anthony York, told the Times. “On the security side, the law explicitly states there is an exemption for public safety, and the governor has to travel with security.&#8221;
Indeed, the law contains exceptions for taxpayer funded travel, including one for &#8220;the protection of public health, welfare, or safety, as determined by the affected agency, department, board, authority, or commission.&#8221; But York&#8217;s initial deflections about funding of the trip to Newsom&#8217;s in-laws’ ranch in the Bitterroot Valley, first <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/gavin-newsom-montana/">reported</a> Wednesday by CalMatters’ Emily Hoeven, only seemed to spur confusion.
&#8220;SCOOP! The travel ban applies to using state funds,&#8221; York tweeted. &#8220;The Governor’s travel is not being paid by the state. Connecting the two is an attempt at gotcha journalism that is neither gotcha nor journalism. The governor is on a vacation with his family. He will return later this week.&#8221;
Jennifer Van Laar of <a href="https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/07/06/it-sure-seems-gavin-newsom-broke-ca-law-by-making-his-security-detail-travel-to-montana-n589555">RedState</a> said it appeared that Newsom&#8217;s travel arrangements did not comply with the law and wondered if the millionaire governor intended to reimburse taxpayers.
“It’s important to note that York did not say that Newsom planned to reimburse the state for the cost of that travel, and even if he did, that wouldn’t satisfy the law, since the law specifically states both that the state cannot require an employee to travel to any of the states on the list and that the state cannot approve a request to fund such travel,” she <a href="https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/07/08/newsom-admits-state-paid-for-his-security-details-travel-to-montana-laughably-claims-public-safety-exception-to-law-n590988">noted</a>. “So, Newsom’s only way out is to claim an exemption.”
Whether Newsom&#8217;s personal safety justified an exception to the ban or not, the optics of a trip to a state on California&#8217;s naughty list were just the latest example of Newsom&#8217;s &#8220;rules for thee, not for me&#8221; image. The governor was roundly accused of hypocrisy when he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ritzy-restaurant-where-ca-gov-newsom-was-caught-dining-received-millions-in-covid-19-relief-funds-report">caught attending a dinner party at French Laundry</a>, a posh Napa Valley eatery, at the height of the COVID pandemic. At the time, the state forbade large indoor gatherings.
The controversy, fueled by leaked photos of Newsom and the other guests maskless and eschewing social distancing recommendations, helped prompt an ultimately unsuccessful recall effort against Newsom. Perhaps just as galling to ordinary folks as the images of Newsom and his pals flaunting COVID restrictions was the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-masks-all-indoors-award-winning-journalist-claims-22-people-attended-newsom-dinner-not-12-15k-bar-bill">reported size of the bar tab</a> they ran up: $15,000.

Governor Newsom Signs Covid-19 Recovery Package

Taxpayers Footed Newsom’s Security Bill On Vacation To State On California’s Banned List

Taxpayers Footed Newsom’s Security Bill On Vacation To State on California's Banned List

4th of July

Gavin Newsom

Hypocrisy

Comedian Adam Carolla of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/adam-carolla-truth-yeller">The Daily Wire&#8217;s &#8220;Truth Yeller&#8221;</a> called out California Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) recent hypocritical actions on Wednesday.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Carolla <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/adam-carolla-gavin-newsoms-latest-hypocrisy">said</a> he lives “under Gavin Newsom’s thumb.”
Referencing Newsom’s recent trip to Montana — a state that is under a travel ban for state travel in California, Carolla said, “…let’s just really distill this down. Alright. There’s a travel ban against Montana because Montana&#8217;s evil because of their stances on LGBT, whatever.&#8221;
“They’re probably not handing out free sexual assignment reassignment surgery to all inmates or something insane,” he said. “But either way, let’s just break it down. Montana is an evil place because of the way they treat the gay and lesbian community. Fine. Then who cares who’s paying for your travel, Gavin?”
“Why would you go to an evil place? Why are you trying to be evil on a technicality? You’re the one who said &#8230; this is a bad place, this is bad policy, so don’t go fly-fishing then. Don’t go there,” Carolla said.
“I mean, it&#8217;s the same with the French Laundry, it was the same with the SoFi stadium where he’s taking pictures with Magic Johnson with his mask in his hand. He doesn’t believe it, he’s a carpetbagger, he’s full of crap. He doesn’t believe anything he’s saying,” Carolla added.
&#8220;He doesn’t believe COVID&#8217;s dangerous, or he wouldn’t be out with 31 of his closest friends drinking 40 grand worth of wine, and he wouldn&#8217;t be standing around SoFi stadium with no mask on if he believed it. He doesn’t believe it, he doesn’t believe Montana, he doesn’t believe anything he says, and I don’t believe anything he says, either,” he said.
After discussing Newsom’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-buys-ad-space-in-florida-desantis-campaign-responds">recent ad purchase</a> in Florida, Carolla said, “no one is leaving Florida and going to California. … people are voting with their feet.”
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-vacations-in-state-ca-banned-from-state-funded-travel-hasnt-said-who-paid-for-his-security">reported</a>, Newsom was visiting family in Montana, according to <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/gavin-newsom-montana/">Cal Matters</a>. Montana is one of at least 20 states prohibited from travel funded and sponsored by the state, per <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887">California Assembly Bill 1887</a>.
Anthony York, Newsom’s senior advisor for communications, told Cal Matters, “We don’t comment or provide details on the governor’s security.”
“We don’t legislate where people vacation,” York added. “Never have. The travel ban applies to expending state funds. The Governor’s travel is not being paid for by the state.”
Erin Mellon, communications director for Newsom, <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/gov-newsom-is-visiting-family-in-montana-a-california-travel-ban-to-the-state-doesnt-apply-his-team-says/40532556#">told</a> KCRA, “It’s a personal trip,” adding, “The ban is on state-funded travel which this is not.” She said California’s ban on travel is applicable to “expending state funds.”

768C0D19-915B-496B-815E-A6729F80BC39_1_201_a

Adam Carolla Calls Out Gavin Newsom: ‘He Doesn’t Believe Anything He Says’

Adam Carolla

California

Fox News

California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, famed for <a href="https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1328932610169561090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1328932610169561090%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxla.com%2Fnews%2Ffox-11-obtains-exclusive-photos-of-gov-newsom-at-french-restaurant-allegedly-not-following-covid-19-protocols">eating out</a> at the French Laundry while his state was shut down during the COVID pandemic, visited Montana — which California has banned from state-funded travel — and his staff has not yet answered who paid for his security on the trip.
Cal Matters <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/gavin-newsom-montana/">reported</a> that Newsom was visiting family in Montana, one of 20 states banned from state-funded and state-sponsored travel by <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887">California Assembly Bill 1887</a>.
But when asked if the state is paying for Newsom’s security while he is in Montana, Anthony York, Newsom’s senior advisor for communications, told Cal Matters, “We don’t comment or provide details on the governor’s security.”
“We don’t legislate where people vacation,” York protested. “Never have. The travel ban applies to expending state funds. The Governor’s travel is not being paid for by the state.”
The parents of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, own a ranch in Montana.
Newsom’s office was not initially disposed to revealing where Newsom had gone, Cal Matters reported, adding that his office disclosed his vacation <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/03/gavin-newsom-vacation/">in Central and South America</a> from March 30 to April 12 and his Thanksgiving trip last year to Mexico.
“Gavin Newsom is <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/mass-shooting-california-gun-laws/">running campaign ads</a> in better-run states and refusing to tell the taxpayers where he is or when he will return to his overtaxed, under-served constituents,” famed attorney Harmeet Dhillon stated. “We’d love to know the gas prices and the COVID emergency status where the Governor is. Most Californians can’t afford to take their normal holidays this year, thanks to Gavin Newsom and his party’s lack of leadership of our state.”
In November 2020, Newsom was caught violating COVID restrictions as he and a group of acquaintances dined together at the expensive French Laundry restaurant in Napa, California. At the time, indoor dining was prohibited. Newsom first insisted the group had dined outside but later <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-16/gavin-newsom-apology-french-laundry-dinner-covid-19">admitted</a>, “I should have stood up and drove back to my house.”
Radio host and former gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/watch-elder-attacks-newsom-slammed-down-the-hopes-and-dreams-of-californians/">ripped Newsom</a>, saying, “He slammed down the state of California in a way more severe than any of the other 49 governors.  Ignoring science, his own kids enjoying in-person private education, he exempted his own winery from the mandate he was forcing down the throats of everybody else, sitting up there at that French Laundry.”
“By the way, had anybody ever heard of the French Laundry?” Elder asked rhetorically. “I looked it up. I thought it was one of the most elite restaurants in California; it’s not. I thought it was the most elite restaurant in America; it’s not. It’s one of the most elite restaurants in the world. He’s incurred a $12,000 wine tab, that’s just for the wine. What’s in the wine? What happened to the wine, a TV set? What’s in there?  And he was sitting with the very same lobbyists and medical professionals who drafted the mandates they were violating by not wearing masks and not socially distancing. It’s the hypocrisy.”
&nbsp;

Newsom Vacations In State CA Banned From State-Funded Travel, Hasn’t Said Who Paid For His Security

Newsom Visits State CA Banned From State-Funded Travel, Hasn't Said Who Paid For His Security

Security

A Montana zoo faces backlash after scheduling a &#8220;Drag Queen Story Hour&#8221; for Pride month.
ZooMontana in Billings, Montana, has planned the June 22 event, upsetting some in the local community.
&#8220;Why are we putting such a contentious issue right in the heart of that area?&#8221; the founder of the Montana Family Rights Alliance, Jenna McKinney, <a href="https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/zoomontana-not-backing-away-from-drag-queen-story-hour-after-community-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Thursday in a video call.
&#8220;This is not appropriate. We really don’t appreciate this in our community and especially at this venue,&#8221; she added.
Despite concerns from McKinney and others, ZooMontana&#8217;s Director Jeff Ewelt has no plans to cancel the event.
&#8220;We have heard from many of you in regard to the 406 Pride Drag Queen Story Hour being held at the Zoo later this month. Let me be clear &#8211; ZooMontana prides itself in being inclusive of all living beings. 406 Pride is a respected and valued community asset, one we are proud to support and host at ZooMontana,&#8221; the director <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ZooMontana/posts/388972736598579?__cft__[0]=AZU-SN_FQbeoD0wTvF4xJZIuFbazD4CdRR2IgmYcHLr0slPs5U9LE-aYoE4-MmQ8IqPJPLmIYzqes03Na2y6q6eMoxA_ne22TTgtsGSXIRrQwVtYMsjjW8mUKZNQMgSzYFnDckpvHF4o_Hpn8o9tUzlvi9I67vxOpiZuAdD-4aUZQA&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a Facebook post on Thursday.
&#8220;While personal threats and threats of no longer supporting the Zoo are concerning, we will not let unwarranted fear and hate deter our decision to move forward with this harmless and fun reading event that is held throughout the country. At the end of the day, if your personal agenda does not fit this event, we simply ask that you do not come to the Zoo that day. It would be a shame to never allow your children back to the Zoo because of one simple event. Happy Pride month,&#8221; the post added.
The report follows a string of Drag Queen Story Hour events during Pride Month nationwide.
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/four-colorado-elementary-schools-dei-groups-teamed-up-to-promote-drag-queen-story-hour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that four Colorado elementary schools’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion groups joined forces to promote a drag queen story hour earlier this month.
Erie, Colorado’s Meadowlark Elementary School’s Parent, Teacher and Student Association committee announced that its DEI committee would team up with the DEI groups at three other elementary schools in Erie to participate in the town’s first Pride celebration.
“Happy Pride Month! Please join and celebrate with us!!” Meadowlark Elementary’s DEI committee wrote in a June 1 Facebook post, adding that “all are welcomed to join in the celebration.”
In some cases, public outcry against such events has led to recent cancellations. For example, a mayor in North Carolina announced earlier this month that a proposed “Drag Queen Story Hour” event had been called off.
Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert, a former captain of the Apex Police Department, said in a Facebook message that the event was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mayor-announces-cancelation-of-drag-queen-story-hour-after-community-backlash-ensure-that-all-voices-are-represented" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut down</a> after he relayed feedback from the community to the festival commission hosting the event.
“Given that this part of the event was not originally presented when the event was proposed, I met with representatives from the organizations hosting the event, the Apex Festival Commission, and presented the feedback I have received from citizens,” Gilbert wrote. “Today I was notified that the Apex Festival Commission has taken the feedback into careful consideration and has decided to remove the Drag Queen Story Hour from the event.”
“It continues to be my goal to ensure that all voices in our community are represented,” the mayor told his constituents, adding that he had “received a variety of feedback regarding the Drag Queen Story Hour.”  
A “family-friendly” drag event scheduled to take place in Jasper, Indiana, was also recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-town-cancels-family-friendly-drag-show-after-being-exposed-by-libs-of-tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceled</a> after the Twitter account Libs of TikTok included it in the “mega thread” of drag events for kids.

MassResistance Activists Protest “Drag Queen Story Hour” In Los Angeles

Montana Zoo Faces Controversy Over Upcoming Drag Queen Story Hour Pride Month Event

Drag Queen story hour

LGBTQ

Pride Month

A former member of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Trump</a> administration has narrowly won a primary race in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana">Montana</a> to be the Republican nominee for a key seat in an open congressional district. 
Former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/former-trump-interior-secretary-ryan-zinke-wins-montana-house-republican-primary">defeated</a> orthopedic surgeon Al Olszewski by 1,600 votes to be the GOP nominee in Montana&#8217;s new 1st Congressional District. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ryan-zinke">Zinke</a> will now take on Democrat Monica Tranel in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2022-election">November</a> in the district, which <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-2022-maps/montana/">leans</a> about plus 10 Republican. 
“Thank you Western Montana for your confidence that America can be fixed and for ignoring the political BS,” Zinke <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanZinke/status/1535043918940602368?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">said</a> in a statement. “We have a great team and dedicated volunteers who believe in American values.” 
Zinke received the endorsements of former President Donald Trump, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), and Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT). 
Olszewski, who has been a state senator, lost by under 2,000 votes in a primary of 84,500 votes. Both Olszewski and Zinke were hoping to take advantage of Montana’s new congressional district, which it gained by population growth.
During the primary battle, Zinke was <a href="https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/trump-ally-zinke-fights-claim-hes-too-liberal-for-montana/article_d8cf8d27-0b30-5843-90a0-985b1aa7e00f.html">criticized</a> by Olszewski and others for being liberal and receiving too many out-of-state donations. According to the Helena Independent Record, about 80% of donations to the Zinke campaign were from out of state. 
The initial results had been delayed due to ballot printing errors, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-congress-ryan-zinke-montana-38b97d7d854aa9c5c6827654e81c675c">according</a> to the Associated Press. Ballots had been printed on the wrong size paper, leading to Lincoln County hand counting about 6,000 ballots.
While serving as Interior Secretary from 2017-2018, Zinke was hit with accusations of unethical behavior and multiple investigations, one of which said he lied to an ethics agency regarding his role with a real estate company. 
The cabinet official called the investigations and accusations “vicious and politically motivated attacks” while stepping down from his position after two years. Before his role in the Trump administration, Zinke was a Navy SEAL, state senator, and Montana’s congressional representative from 2015-2017.
“Under Ryan Zinke’s leadership at the Department of the Interior, the U.S. achieved Energy Dominance, increased federal energy revenues, and responsibly opened federal acreage for energy production,” Trump said in his endorsement. “He was instrumental in expanding public access to public lands for recreation and rebuilding our National Parks and Forests infrastructure.”
Tranel, an attorney, handily won the Democratic nomination, and has <a href="https://twitter.com/MonicaTranel/status/1534671822850908162">accused</a> Zinke of having a “record of corruption.” On her campaign website, Tranel highlights several issues on her campaign <a href="https://monicatranel.com/issues/">website</a> including her “stand against corporate corruption,” advocacy for federal election law, and commitment to preserving “abortion access” in light of an impending Supreme Court decision some expect to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Ceremony In Montana Honors Airmen Who Died In Crash Almost 60 Years Ago

Former Trump Admin Official Wins GOP Nomination For Open Montana Congressional Seat

Former Trump Admin Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Wins GOP Nomination For Open Montana Congressional Seat

2022 Election

2022 Midterms

Congress

Donald Trump

Ryan Zinke

“Yellowstone” is one of the most popular shows on television, so the concept of a spinoff was probably inevitable. The new series “1883” is a prequel that explores the roots of Montana rancher John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his family more than a century before the “Yellowstone” narrative takes place.
Tim McGraw stars in the new series as family patriarch, James Dutton, alongside Faith Hill as his wife, Margaret, and kids Elsa (Isabel May) and John (Audie Rick). The series premiered Sunday with two episodes and is already generating a lot of buzz.
The proof is in the numbers. The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tv-ratings-sunday-dec-19-2021-1235065829/">wrote</a> that the premiere from Taylor Sheridan scored 6.4 million viewers, which was a series premiere record for Paramount Network. And that’s not even including streaming numbers. This made “1883” the most-watched series premiere on cable in more than six years, falling in behind the 10 million people who tuned in for the 2015 premiere of “Fear the Walking Dead.” 
Fan reviews for the country Western drama are overwhelmingly positive, though audiences can’t help but compare the new series to “Yellowstone.” Overall, the show feels more like a classic Western with less of a focus on interpersonal relationships compared to the original. This is seen as both positive and negative depending on who you’re talking to. 
Meanwhile, some critics are not thrilled with a series that paints early settlers as anything but evil. <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2021/12/1883-review-yellowstone-prequel-1234686366/">IndieWire</a> reporter Tambay Obenson panned “1883,” saying the series “offers little intrinsic value to the narrative chronicling of one of the most transformative periods in U.S. history.” And that critique has a lot to do with how the show depicts Native Americans.
“An opportunity to disrupt present-day comprehension of a transformative period in U.S. history is wasted on yet another narrative from the point of view of white settlers,” Obenson writes in his review.
The writer goes on to discuss how Native Americans have been “neglected” with “maligned characterizations” in most of Hollywood and that this series is no different. 
He compares the new series to “Little House on the Prairie,” saying both depict a “white family’s struggle to build a new life for themselves on the American Frontier of the latter half of the 19th century, with a ‘family values’ conservatism that still resonates among many Americans today.”
Ultimately, the reviewer gives “1883” a D+, concluding that, “stories of those who sought better futures are certainly worth telling; a problem is that they’ve been chronically incomplete. And in what has been described as a global historical reckoning, as statues and monuments to racism, colonization, and legacies of injustice continue to fall around the world, ‘1883’ just feels like a series out of time.”
It’s a sentiment that’s likely shared across Hollywood, but with the audience that “Yellowstone” and “1883” command, it’s clear that the general public has a different take on classic Westerns. “1883” currently has an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also rated as 86% fresh.

Wagon with mesa out west

‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’ Dominates Ratings Despite Critic Calling It, ‘Family Values Conservatism’

Hollywood

Kevin Costner

Montana State University (MSU) professors and other faculty members have taken it upon themselves to verbally accost students protesting MSU’s mask mandate. In emails obtained by The Daily Wire, at least five MSU professors and faculty used their work emails to harass and swear at engineering student and Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) Chair Dylan Dean. Their responses were prompted by Dean’s invitation for staff to sign YAL’s petition on ending the mask mandate. A coalition of unidentified professors, Concerned MSU Faculty, also targeted Dean on social media.
A previous director and substance abuse counselor at MSU, Rick Winking, emailed Dean that he was a “stupid f***.” Winking told Dean in a subsequent email that his September 1 retirement had afforded him plenty of time to “f*** with dumb s*** whiners” like Dean. MSU IT programmer Edwin Little told Dean that students don’t have freedom when it comes to masks and called him “an ignorant a**hole.”
“Your freedom stops when it affects my health,” wrote Little. “This is a horrible, self-centered idea. You are an ignorant a**hole.”
Greg Lutgen, a plant sciences and plant pathology research associate, told Dean to “frigg off ya hoser.” “Hoser” is a Canadian derogatory term that can mean “idiot” or “loser.”
Seth Pincus, a chemistry and biochemistry professor, said Dean was a “selfish idiot” and blamed him for the necessity of mandates.
“Honestly, I think you are a selfish idiot who cannot even consider the potential suffering you can cause others, particularly the immunocompromised and children too young to be immunized,” wrote Pincus. “This is a serious disease. We have the tools to stop it. If you behaved as a citizen concerned about others, loved thy neighbor, and believed in the golden rule, we would not need mandates.”
MSU Montana Manufacturing Extension Center Senior Business Advisor Alistair Stewart told Dean to “grow up, and act your age.”
On Twitter, Concerned MSU Faculty <a href="https://twitter.com/ConcernedMSU/status/1433215348187095041">told</a> Dean that he wasn’t welcome on campus.
“Then go to another school,” wrote the coalition. “We don’t want your kind at MSU.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Then go to another school. We don&#39;t want your kind at MSU.
&mdash; ConcernedMSUfaculty (@ConcernedMSU) <a href="https://twitter.com/ConcernedMSU/status/1433215348187095041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It appears that the administration hasn’t been receptive to the students’ opposition, either.
Last week, YAL members and other MSU students attempted to deliver a petition opposing the mask mandate with over 1,100 signatures to MSU President Waded Cruzado. In footage obtained by The Daily Wire, two armed officers stopped MSU students at the entrance of Montana Hall, the administrative building housing Cruzado’s office.
“So, you have the right to do what you’re doing out there. You do not have a right to en masse – I started to smell some alcohol out there,” said one of the officers.
The students responded with confusion, saying they didn’t smell any alcohol.
“I’m just saying what I smell, okay?” reiterated the officer. “You want to make a delivery, you want to drop something off for somebody, you can make an appointment, that’s it.”
Dean explained that the administration had refused to make an appointment for two weeks and offered to show the officers the emails.
The officer explained that Cruzado wasn’t there. He repeated to the students that they could make an appointment to turn in the petition; Dean repeated that the administration had refused appointments with them.
“That is between you and them,” said the officer. “Today, you will not be coming in here. I strongly suggest that you make that appointment.”
At that point, Dean of Students Matthew Caires came out of Montana Hall and told the students he’d been directed to take the petition inside for them. Dean said he felt more comfortable accompanying Caires inside to deliver the petition. Caires said that couldn’t be done but promised “on his word” that the petition would be delivered to Cruzado’s secretary; the second officer further promised that their body cameras would record the delivery.
Dean turned down that offer. He promised to come back at a later time to deliver the petition himself.
In a separate interaction that wasn’t recorded, Dean alleged that one of the officers explained that school officials had ordered Montana Hall to be shut down prior to YAL’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUGfU8nLl6G/">protest</a>.
Dean also revealed to The Daily Wire that he’d encountered Cruzado after the incident. The president reportedly told him that she’d been on vacation when the incident occurred, and wasn’t aware of why her colleagues had shut down Montana Hall.
YAL Chief of Staff Sean Themea told The Daily Wire that the pushback from MSU’s professors, faculty, and leadership hasn’t deterred them.
“This week, starting today, we’re having a group of students who are inspired by this fight to call the administration and start phone banks. We’re not going to quit,” stated Themea. “We just want students to be able to choose what’s best for their health.”
MSU didn’t respond to our inquiries by press time.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for The Daily Wire and AZ Free News. Have something you think the mainstream media won’t cover? Send tips to <a href="mailto:corinnejournalist@gmail.com">corinnejournalist@gmail.com</a>.

Montana State University Professors, Faculty Harass Students Over Mask Mandate Protest

Face Masks

A peaceful pro-life advocate from Missoula, Montana, was vindicated last week when charges against her were dropped after a nonprofit conservative law firm stepped in to advocate for her.
The charges against Marilyn Hatch, who was charged with “Obstructing Health Care Facility Access,” were dismissed after attorneys for the <a href="https://thomasmoresociety.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thomas More Society</a> sent a demand letter to the senior deputy city attorney of Missoula explaining that the ordinance the charges were based on is unconstitutional.
&#8220;All people have the right to peacefully give their opinions about the dignity of unborn human life outside abortion facilities. The City of Missoula&#8217;s  decision to criminally charge Mrs. Hatch for engaging in speech protected by the First Amendment was itself unconstitutional,” Thomas More Society Senior Counsel Matt Heffron said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
“We have to be vigilant in fighting for these rights, each and every time they are violated,” he continued.  “That’s what the Thomas More Society is here for.”
In the letter to the senior deputy city attorney, Heffron <a href="https://thomasmoresociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nugent-4-21-21.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explained</a> the situation:
<blockquote>Hatch regularly participated in prayer and peaceful counseling outside of the Blue Mountain abortion clinic in Missoula, offering information about life-affirming alternatives to abortion bound women. A City of Missoula police officer cited her for obstructing access to the clinic, but the Thomas More Society intervened on her behalf, insisting that the city dismiss the charges or face a lawsuit. In response, the city moved to dismiss the charges on May 26, 2021.
&#8220;My client from time to time conducts peaceful, prayerful sidewalk counseling at the Blue Mountain abortion clinic [in] Missoula. Mrs. Hatch is well-aware of her responsibilities in her activities at the abortion clinic. She has counseled and prayed peacefully on those same sidewalks for approximately two decades. Until now, neither Mrs. Hatch nor anyone she knows ever has been cited for violating the statute involved, which was enacted 16 years ago.</blockquote>
The letter went on to explain how the police officer cited Hatch for obstruction even though she was outside Missoula&#8217;s stated boundaries. The letter also detailed the unconstitutionality of the city ordinance under which Hatch was charged, citing U.S. Supreme Court decisions in McCullen v. Coakley and Hill v. Colorado, which dealt with the particulars of “buffer zones” and content-based speech outside of abortion businesses. The high court ruled neither is an acceptable excuse to violate the First Amendment.
“This was a bad idea by the City of Missoula from the start,” said Heffron. “It was a wise decision on their part to dismiss this case. If they had persisted in the charges against Mrs. Hatch, they would have lost.”
“The government didn’t even apply the cited statute correctly, according to the plain words of the statute,” Heffron added. “They also applied the statute as if it created a buffer zone, which would be unconstitutional. And the statute itself, as written, is unconstitutional. The statute simply has never been constitutionally challenged…yet. When it is finally challenged, it will be stricken down. This would have been a mess of a case for the City of Missoula. I am glad the city did the right thing.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-unique-problem-u-s-catholic-bishops-may-demand-biden-other-pro-abortion-politicians-stop-taking-communion" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘A Unique Problem’: U.S. Catholic Bishops May Demand Biden, Other Pro-Abortion Politicians Stop Taking Communion</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tv-networks-reject-pro-life-groups-ad-asserting-humanity-of-unborn-unacceptable" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TV Networks Reject Pro-Life Group’s Ad Asserting Humanity Of Unborn: ‘Unacceptable’</a>

Poland: Images On Pro-Life Billboards Used Against Artist’s Intention

Peaceful Montana Pro-Life Advocate Vindicated After Erroneous, Unconstitutional Charges

Abortion

Pro-Life Movement

The Montana legislature on Tuesday passed a bill prohibiting employers from requiring their employees to receive a coronavirus vaccine as a condition of employment.
The bill bars employers from denying employment opportunities, educational opportunities, privileges, licensing, goods, or services based on vaccination status or whether someone has an immunity passport. Employers are still permitted to strongly recommend that workers get vaccinated.
The bill was amended so it would not affect vaccine requirements at public schools, but individuals can seek religious or medical exemptions to those vaccination requirements.
The bill now gets sent to Republican Governor Greg Gianforte for his signature.
&#8220;Up to now Montana employers have respected the fundamental, personal, medical and religious freedoms of Montanans,&#8221; GOP state senator Tom McGillvray, who presented the bill, <a href="https://www.abc10.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/bill-prohibit-work-discrimination-based-vaccine-passport/507-e3f2bb38-9077-4fd7-9018-c0362be40011">said</a> last week, according to the Associated Press.
“However, that&#8217;s not the case anymore,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There are employers &#8230; that are requiring and coercing employees to get vaccinations under threat of termination and intimidation.”
Some health care organizations voiced their opposition to the bill, the Montana Hospital Association expressing concerns that &#8220;will prevent healthcare facilities from screening potential employees in the hiring process without violating the newly created discrimination provisions in the bill.”
The law “unravels more than 50 years of medical science and expert guidance in protecting patients and health care workers from infectious diseases,” Rich Rasmussen, president and CEO of the Montana Hospital Association, <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/montana/articles/2021-04-27/bill-to-prohibit-work-discrimination-based-on-vaccine-status">said</a>.
However, Republican state representative Jennifer Carlson, the bill&#8217;s sponsor, said the bill &#8220;does not in any way prevent any employer from taking reasonable safety precautions, just as any hospital currently does, with an employee who does not have a flu shot.&#8221;
Montana&#8217;s move comes just after Gianforte issued an executive order earlier this month banning the use of vaccine passports or documentation of someone&#8217;s coronavirus vaccination status in the state.
&#8220;I strongly encourage Montanans to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Receiving one is entirely voluntary and won’t be mandated by the state,&#8221; the governor <a href="https://twitter.com/GovGianforte/status/1382077033572925448">wrote</a> in an April 13 tweet. &#8220;That’s why today I issued an executive order prohibiting &#8216;vaccine passports,&#8217; and I’ll continue protecting individual liberty and personal privacy.&#8221;
Several other states have recently banned vaccine passports. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have all taken action against mandatory vaccine passports in some form, arguing that it violates the privacy and civil rights of residents.
&#8220;It&#8217;s completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society,&#8221; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said early this month in announcing his executive order banning the use of vaccine passports in his state.
“As I have said all along, these vaccines are always voluntary and never forced,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said days later in a video message announcing his similar executive order prohibiting government-mandated vaccine passports.
“Government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal private health information just to go about their daily lives,” Abbott said.

Vaccine

Montana Legislature Approves Bill Barring Employers From Requiring Workers To Get Vaccinated

Vaccines

Some Republican-controlled state legislatures are attempting to enhance restrictions on the ability for people to obtain abortion pills through the mail.
The move comes after a year of patients choosing to see a doctor from a computer screen in their home rather than going to a physical location. The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6943a3.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> reported that telemedicine spiked in the last week of March 2020 compared with the same period of time in 2019, going up by an increase of 154%.
The rates at which people use medications to induce abortion have become prevalent in recent years, with the most recent <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2019/09/medication-abortion-and-changing-abortion-landscape">research</a> from the Guttmacher Institute showing that 39% of all abortions in 2017 were done through the use of medication.
Opponents of the use of telemedicine for abortion pills say that it is unsafe for women to take the drugs without being seen by a doctor, while supporters argue that it is unnecessary for women to have an in-person visit to take the drugs and might put them at personal risk. Supporters also say that limiting the use of abortion by mail would put people who live in rural communities at a disadvantage to receive the procedure, The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/medication-postal-service-legislation-abortion-coronavirus-pandemic-ecd8841541bcb46ec6a15bda3e1c3682">Associated Press</a> reported.
Montana and Ohio recently saw efforts by the GOP-led legislature to place restrictions on the ability for people to obtain abortion pills through the use of telemedicine.
<a href="https://legiscan.com/MT/text/HB171/2021">HB171</a> is a bill that was recently passed in Montana and is set to be signed by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte. It addresses the issue of chemical abortion and telemedicine. The language of the bill states that its purpose is &#8220;ensuring that a medical practitioner examines a woman prior to dispensing an abortion-inducing drug in order to confirm the gestational age of the unborn child, the intrauterine location of the unborn child, and that the unborn child is alive because the routine administration of an abortion-inducing drug following spontaneous miscarriage is unnecessary and exposes the woman to unnecessary risks associated with the abortion-inducing drug.&#8221;
Among other requirements, the bill states that a woman who is considering a chemical abortion should get &#8220;comprehensive information on abortion-inducing drugs, including the potential to reverse the effects of the drugs if the woman changes the woman&#8217;s mind, and that a woman submitting to an abortion does so only after giving voluntary and fully informed consent to the procedure.&#8221;
State Rep. Sharon Greef (R) is the sponsor of the Montana bill and has said that medication abortions are &#8220;the Wild West of the abortion industry&#8221; and that the medication should be done under close watch of medical personnel, &#8220;not as part of a do-it-yourself abortion far from a clinic or hospital,&#8221; the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/medication-postal-service-legislation-abortion-coronavirus-pandemic-ecd8841541bcb46ec6a15bda3e1c3682">AP</a> reported.
According to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/medication-postal-service-legislation-abortion-coronavirus-pandemic-ecd8841541bcb46ec6a15bda3e1c3682">outlet</a>, Elisabeth Smith, chief counsel for state policy and advocacy with the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, “When we look at what state legislatures are doing, it becomes clear there’s no medical basis for these restrictions &#8230; They’re only meant to make it more difficult to access this incredibly safe medication and sow doubt into the relationship between patients and providers.”
Ohio also sought a ban on the use of telemedicine for chemical abortions. It was scheduled to take effect last week but was halted by a judge who granted a restraining order in a case brought by Planned Parenthood against the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio&#8217;s Medical Board and prosecutors from some counties, The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-coronavirus-pandemic-aa8a54cee3a950f5517b30cd89153f36">Associated Press</a> reported.
Abortion pills were first approved by the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/mifeprex-mifepristone-information">U.S. Food and Drug Administration</a> in 2000 with an approved regimen included in 2016.
During the coronavirus pandemic, abortion pills were allowed to be sent through the mail, but the U.S. Supreme Court removed that ability in January. Women who seek to use medication in order to induce an abortion are now required to physically go to a location to receive the drug.

Birth control abortion drug, morning after pill

GOP State Legislatures Move To Ban Chemical Abortion By Mail

Ohio

Planned Parenthood

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