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David Erickson

@David__Erickson

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Reporter @Missoulian Housing, business, healthcare, politics, crime, outdoors and government. David.erickson @missoulian .com.

Missoula, MT
Joined July 2012
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
The train that derailed today on the Clark Fork River spilled hundreds of cases of beer and the Missoulian’s Ben Smith got this legendary photo
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
I’m rushing out to the scene “help” with cleanup efforts.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Rep. Zooey Zephyr of Missoula speaks at the rally in Caras Park
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
6 months
Student “ Disclose/Divest” walkout/protest at the University of Montana today
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
A Missoula restaurant worker says the “Yellowstone” show crew ordered 100 sandwiches but couldn’t tip “for tax reasons”
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
I’m no crowd size expert but there might be 7-10K in downtown Missoula for Pride Parade. Same-sex marriage was banned in Montana until late 2014
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
At left is a sentence, presented without attribution, from a press release sent by the Montana Attorney General's office yesterday. At right is the lede of a New York Times article from an author that apparently took the AG's press release at face value.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer just called me unsolicited to talk about Engen. Here’s his quotes:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Carlos Santana dined at El Caz in Missoula yesterday, then raved on stage about how good the shrimp enchiladas were. Also his wife Cindy is just unreal on drums.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Chick-fil-A opened its first restaurant in Missoula at 6 a.m., photographer Ben says there is still a line of 70 cars wrapped around a huge parking lot with cops directing traffic as of 1 p.m. One guy told him "now I don't have to drive to Kalispell for Chick-fil-A" The horror.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
New Missoula bridge just dropped. Amazingly wide
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
From Missoula to Great Falls to Billings, out-of-state private equity firms disguised by LLCs are quietly snapping up mobile home courts in Montana, raising lot rents for people on fixed-incomes. Part 2 of my housing series:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
SJ Howell, a state Legislator from Missoula, speaks during the rally in Caras Park
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Rep. Zephyr then announces she’s running again in 2025. “They’re not gonna get rid of me,” she said.
@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Rep. Zooey Zephyr of Missoula speaks at the rally in Caras Park
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
INSANE little windstorm in Missoula just now, can’t imagine what it’s doing to fires or people living unsheltered. Video doesn’t even capture its intensity
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
@WoobieTuesday Powdered clay
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Nurses at St. Pat’s hospital in Missoula and the MT Nurses Association union recently fought, and won, against a proposal to increase the nurse-to-patient ratio from 1/4 to 1/6. Hospital admin did not want me to write this story
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
6 months
Did not realize till today Montana and North Dakota are the only U.S. states to see the 2044 eclipse totality. See you at the Sip ‘n Dip!
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
When the new $67M Missoula Airport terminal opens this spring, it’ll feature a Black Coffee Roasting Co., a Kettlehouse bar, a new restaurant and the only escalator in western MT
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Happy Friday. Would urge you to read this story about absolute mayhem on NYE 2000 in Whitefish, MT:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Sad news: Missoula mayor John Engen has passed away. Story to come.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
I spent a good chunk of the last few weeks investigating Sharyl Allen, a candidate for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction. She's left multiple jobs under murky circumstances:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Oscar winner J.K. Simmons is filming a movie in Missoula and posing in front of dive bars and arts nonprofits. Fun fact: His mom started “Out to Lunch” here
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
This happens often, but here’s the clip yesterday at the Montana Legislature when the room was asked (during 2nd reading on a pro-landlord bill sponsored by a landlord) how many lawmakers are landlords/have a financial interest. Bill then passed 60-40. MT
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Breaking: The Montana Public Service Commission has voted 3-2 to end Republic Services’ decades-long monopoly on garbage hauling services in Missoula County. A competitor, L&L Site Services, will now be allowed to enter the market. Story tk
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
I din’t think I’ve ever seen a storm like this in Missoula. Huge trees on cars, houses and buildings, people driving through intersections with no traffic lights
@NWSMissoula
NWS Missoula
3 months
Gust of 109 mph reported at the top of Mount Sentinel with #Missoula 's thunderstorm. #mtwx #Montana
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
4 months
Here’s the moment Missoula city council member Kristen Jordan stormed out of a committee meeting yesterday and yelled “fu***** bull****”. They were discussing a resolution to prohibit homeless people from living unsheltered in certain areas, which Jordan opposes.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
10 of 12 members of the Missoula City Council released a state in support of Rep. Zooey Zephyr @ZoAndBehold . Conservative members Sandra Vasecka and John Contos did not sign:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
Went on a reporting trip to the bottom of Flathead Lake this weekend…check out the Missoulian this week to find out what we were up to:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
NBA star Kyrie Irving donated $50K to a fundraiser for refugee childcare educators in Missoula, after the state announced that their copay bills will be going up from $10 a month to roughly $1,000 depending on income. 100 donors chipped in a combined $15k
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Paywall free story: A tweet from Rep. Rosendale opposing a “flood of unvetted” Afghan refugees to Missoula (75 scheduled to come here) spurred $10K in donations in 24 hrs from 38 states to a refugee aid org in Missoula.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Here’s a picture of the lunch I had at Ragheef in Missoula today. Just reporting the facts
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Hey Starbucks employees of Missoula, I know the several of you that I’ve talked to are too afraid of losing your job to go on the record about alleged union-busting tactics by your employer. But if anyone out there wants to chat my DMs are open and today is deadline day...
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
5 months
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaking inside the currently-under-construction addition to the Missoula airport. The $50 million East Concourse will be done by next May. Buttigieg said the federal government has sent $41M to the airport since 2021.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
9 months
I've been looking into issues at one of Missoula County's largest employers, Community Medical Center. Nurses say morale has never been lower. A total of 66 nurses and 36 technicians have quit over a 3-year period:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Someone stole the Lady in the Beer Glass statue from KT’s Hayloft Saloon in Lolo and the Sheriff’s Office had to blur the nipple and put out an alert!
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
This is what the legendary Missoula music venue Jay’s Upstairs looks like now. The White Stripes once played this room (in June of 2000). Now a nonprofit center
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
These two shirtless dudes on bikes in a pizza drive-thru are now my spiritual guide for the rest of the summer
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
I’m hearing from a reliable source that Northwestern Energy believes there are over 300 power poles down in the Missoula area and it may take up to 5 days to get power back in places like Turah
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Here's my little mini-investigation into how wealthy out-of-staters avoid sales taxes in their home states by registering their sportscars and RVs in Montana. An Italian sportscar worth $2.5M was once registered in Anaconda. It's also led to a lawsuit:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
So Bozeman and Missoula's housing markets have always been hard to compare because Bzn breaks out single family homes and Msla hasn't. Finally got my hands on Msla city limits: Median sale price of a SFH in June '21 was $505K, while the median sale price in Bzn city was $720K.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Any lawyers out there want to talk about the longstanding industry of registering out-of-state expensive cars and RVs here in Montana (often using LLCs) for people who don't want to pay sales taxes or do emissions testing in their own state? DMs open
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
9 months
THAT’S when you know it’s cold!
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
Still no power for large chunks of Montana’s second-largest city 36 hours after the windstorm, many busy intersections without traffic lights. Liquor store across the street from my house got restored quickly. Heard chainsaws have been selling out at local stores
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Scenes from Missoula’s first big snow day this winter: A van for Paws Up (luxury “ranch” resort for the ultra-wealthy) with tires so bald I had to push it out. Also a guy skiing around my neighborhood. Be safe out there it’s icy!
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
A reporter ( @TomLutey ) tried to get accountability about taxpayer-funded travel expenses by members of the MT Public Service Commission. They tried to stymie him with exorbitant legal fees. Newspaper sues, wins:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
I quoted a skydiver and wrote “You’re gonna be fu**ing scared” in a story and I have corrupted the youths
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Missoula’s “beagle guy” thought his dogs were having seizures. Turns out a new polymer material on Higgins Bridge gets up to 147 degrees, much hotter than concrete, on hot sunny days:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Missoula health dept. agrees with Montana Nurses Assn. statement about Gov. Gianforte’s rule to encourage schools to give parents final say on masks. (Nurses statement said Governor was spreading disinformation that continues to confuse and divide communities)
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
NEW report from MT Dept. of Public Health and Human services finds unvaccinated are far more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
4 months
The Import Market in Missoula has posted ANOTHER security video of someone ripping down a Pride flag
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
This quote from a lifelong Missoula resident making $13 an hour plus shared tips, who has seen housing prices surge over the last several years, really illustrates the tension here among low-wage workers:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
6 months
The Postal Service announced today it is indeed moving outgoing mail processing from Missoula to Spokane. If you send a letter from Missoula bound for Missoula, it will travel 200 miles over a mountain pass first:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
A tree fell on the vehicle of people sleeping in the vehicle near the Poverello Center homeless shelter. I’m told they’re ok. One woman is sleeping on the sidewalk now after escaping. The Pov, Montana’s largest shelter, is without power
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
10 months
Delta has added an extra nonstop Missoula-to-Dallas flight for people wanting to see the @UMGRIZZLIES football squad play the national championship game. The flight will leave Saturday, Jan. 6, (game is Jan. 7) and the flight will return Monday, Jan. 8. Per @MissoulaAirport
@MaritsaGeorgiou
Maritsa Georgiou
10 months
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
BREAKING: A team of developers have announced plans to revive a huge ~$100M development at the downtown Riverfront Triangle in Missoula, including a hotel, events center, commercial and retail as well as "much-needed housing options" for "families of all income levels." Story TK
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Nate Creek on Facebook posted this video of the Carbella Bridge (on Tom Miner Road just north of Gardiner on the Yellowstone River) washing away this morning
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
I got a lot of feedback on this one. A group of tenants believed they could come up with $1.3M to buy their complex. They just needed 6 months. It sold in 5 days. No MT law gives tenants right to make 1st fair offer when their housing is sold:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Presented without comment:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Story from ⁦ @AP ⁩, the phrase that got a Missoula lawmaker silenced by the GOP at the Montana Legislature has been used by many prominent GOP politicians with no repercussions:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 months
Do you live in small-town Montana? Has a community Facebook group ever felt like it was polarizing, pitting neighbor against neighbor? People saying things they never would face-to-face? Want to talk? Lincoln, Dillon, Havre, Browning, Libby I’m looking at you…email in my bio!
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
4 years
That margin, uh, concerns me
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Lawsuit filed in Missoula on behalf of 38 inmates in the Lake County jail, many of whom are Native American, alleges they have to sleep on the floor in bug-infested conditions and don't have access to fresh air or sunlight:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Indigenous Peoples Day in downtown Missoula
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Almost 25% of homes sold now go to all-cash buyers. Median home sales price has gone from $350K in ‘20 to now $500K. Wages not rising:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
UPDATE: These two dudes I saw drinking straight from the pitcher in the sunshine at Snowbowl last weekend are my spiritual inspiration for the rest of the winter. (Same dudes??)
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
These two shirtless dudes on bikes in a pizza drive-thru are now my spiritual guide for the rest of the summer
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
I don't know if Amazon is building a warehouse near Missoula. I do know that a mysterious LLC is spending $8.1M on a warehouse near Missoula using the same insulated, precast concrete that Amazon uses, and the entire site is covered in razor wire.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
This morning, Missoula mayor Jordan Hess declared a houselessness and shelter State of Emergency, calling it an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the city, in MT and the region
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
5 months
The directors of some of Montana's largest homeless shelters gathered in Missoula last week to talk about the issue, and some of their quotes were 👀. Here's a few...first up the director of the Bozeman shelter:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
This is a good example of a story that wouldn't have happened without a conversation during non-work hours, outside the office...playing volleyball with Egyptians and Afghans who've settled in Missoula.
@ibrahimhooper
Ibrahim Hooper
1 year
Missoula's large and ever-growing Muslim community urgently needs a new place of worship as they've lost access to the space they've been using for years. @David__Erickson @missoulian @WinterForMT
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
A source says Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters ate at the legendary Oxford Cafe in Missoula last night. Keep your eyes peeled Missoulians! 👀👀
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Missoula sporting goods store confirms that Kevin Costner is indeed a “sunglasses indoors guy”
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Today, Gov. Gianforte vetoed the bill (mentioned in my story) sponsored by Missoula Rep. Jonathan Karlen that he called a "Montana mobile home tenant bill of rights." Statements by Karlen and Gianforte:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
From Missoula to Great Falls to Billings, out-of-state private equity firms disguised by LLCs are quietly snapping up mobile home courts in Montana, raising lot rents for people on fixed-incomes. Part 2 of my housing series:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
Staff at the Missoula Food Bank are working with no power to distribute grab’n’go meals
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
7 months
Huge breaking news for the Missoula economy: Roseburg Forest Products, which employs 170 people at a 200-acre factory in the middle of Missoula, announced that it will be closing permanently today Missoula factory to close, affecting about 170 jobs
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Whoa. Missoula County to distribute nearly 26,000 free at-home COVID tests:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
After 19 years in what she calls a "religious cult" ( a polygamist Mormon fundamentalist sect in the Bitterroot Valley) Melissa Allred risked everything and escaped. Her garden was always her "safe place," so she started Montana's largest honeyberry farm:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
7 months
Wow huge news out of Seeley. Pyramid Mountain Lumber, the town’s largest employer for 75 years, is shutting down
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
A Missoula renter got an email at 10 p.m. on a Saturday with the ominous subject line “Rent increase.” His rent was going up by $510 per month (86%) in 30 days:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Front Street in downtown Missoula, 1915 vs now. I feel sick…
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
If you think Missoula’s losing its artistic edge, remember you can still see beautiful wild things like this downtown
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Some kind of major infrastructure break on Pine Street in Missoula, near Broadway…whole corner is flooded
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
4 months
For at least 10 years, one could easily read emails sent to the Missoula city council. Business groups attempting to influence policy, people complaining about potholes, councilors arguing with each other or emailing each other during meetings, etc. That changed quietly recently:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
University of Montana students are angry about being displaced from UM-owned housing, distracting them from schoolwork. They've been told they're being renovicted. UM says it's to possibly make way for high-level admin staff housing.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 months
Spoke with a few residents of the Hollywood Trailer Court in Missoula. Their homes are particularly susceptible to wind damage and power outages, but miraculously nobody’s home was seriously hit
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
6 months
BIG UPDATE: Complaint alleges Sharyl Allen, a GOP candidate for Supt. of Public Instruction in Montana, "unlawfully obstructed a criminal investigation by unlawfully preventing a MT. Dept. of Criminal Investigations agent from interviewing students at Harrison School (THREAD)
@David__Erickson
David Erickson
6 months
Sharyl Allen, a GOP candidate for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction, was charged this week with misdemeanor obstruction of a peace officer. It's only thanks to a tipster that we know. She previously served under current Supt. Elsie Arntzen.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
4 years
I was wondering why Great Falls lawmaker Sen. Fitzpatrick has so many bills that would benefit NorthWestern Energy at the expense of ratepayers. He’s the son of NWE’s former director of government affairs. Also proposed hiding Public Service Commission memos from the public
@TomLutey
Tom Lutey
4 years
NorthWestern, which bought into Colstrip in 2007 for $187 million, had originally suggested the power plant would run until 2042, but now says Colstrip will likely close in 2025 without government intervention.
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Wow. Quote👇from a Whitefish billionaire who says he wants to donate $1M to an affordable housing project next to a sewage treatment plant, but will pull that $ if a separate affordable housing project-that he says will increase traffic at the base of the ski hill-gets approved
@tristanscott
Tristan Scott
3 years
“I oppose the development and want the city to understand that a decision to approve it will come with collateral costs.” #mtnews
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
6 months
Sharyl Allen, a GOP candidate for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction, was charged this week with misdemeanor obstruction of a peace officer. It's only thanks to a tipster that we know. She previously served under current Supt. Elsie Arntzen.
@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
I spent a good chunk of the last few weeks investigating Sharyl Allen, a candidate for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction. She's left multiple jobs under murky circumstances:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Shelters for houseless in Missoula putting out an urgent call for bedding
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
Missoula mayor John Engen on CNN: Lack of local government’s ability to implement mask mandate is “tragic and some of the dumbest politics I’ve experienced in 16 years as the mayor of the city of Missoula.”
@cranberryhorn
Mar Ten
3 years
Missoula mayor asking for help due to GOP restrictions
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
8 months
Tester writes to US Postmaster over Missoula mail delivery issues
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
8 months
The prez of the Missoula chapter of the Postal Workers union says workers here are concerned about the possibility of outgoing mail getting shipped from Missoula to Spokane for sorting, which might delay mail and eliminate jobs here:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
10 months
Several Postal workers in Missoula say they've been essentially mandated to work 50-60 hours a week (w/o overtime) for over a year because they're so understaffed. They've also missed a paycheck and there's been 5 different Postmasters recently:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
3 years
😢
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Lotta horror in this world, but here’s a wonderful story in the NYT by Missoula’s own @kbernot on the refugee kitchen here. (I’ve written about the program and am quoted!) You can also learn what “baba ghanouj” means!
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
1 year
Citing death threats, Holland Lake Lodge's owner has cancelled expansion plans and ended a partnership with Utah-based POWDR to build new structures. He has withdrawn his Forest Service applications and plans to sell the lodge:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Researching a story on out-of-state investors in Missoula's real estate market, came across this great reporting by @mlcarmel . It's happening here too. If your landlord/property owner seems to be an out-of-state company, DM me!
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Here is a text statement from conservative former Missoula city council member Jesse Ramos:
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@David__Erickson
David Erickson
2 years
Sad news: Missoula mayor John Engen has passed away. Story to come.
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