Jon Tester for U.S. Senate

Jon was in Missoula on Saturday for the Homecoming Parade. Jess Grennan, our staffer who was there with him, has promised a report and pictures later today. Look forward to it.

This morning, Jon sent an email to people in the campaign explaining his commitment to public access to public lands:

That??s a principle I??m committed to. If we own it, we should be able to access it.
That applies to the rivers and streams of this state. It also applies to our federal lands ??? to the national parks and wilderness areas that dot our state and the huge swaths of land held by the BLM, the Forest Service and other federal agencies.

For most of us, the waters and mountains and forests define what it is to be a Montanan. We??ve all got our memories from public lands ??? catching that first trout, or waking up early in the mountains or on the plains. Fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, floating, and backpacking with our families are part of our heritage.

And if you send me to the U.S. Senate, I pledge to protect that heritage.

A few years ago, one of my best friends and I went hiking into the snow lakes, a difficult hike in the Beartooths out of East Rosebud. If you know the trail, you might have seen the area I’m talking about. Halfway to Elk Lake, the trail crosses a sizeable stream. If you break left and follow the stream, ascend a boulder field, and hike a pass between two peaks, you come to two amazingly beautiful lakes. We made it that night and hiked out early the next morning.

As we entered the canyon to descend back to the main trail, the mountains were glowing in the warm golden glow also encountered occasionally on the rims in Billings. Few colors in nature are more beautiful.

That’s my favorite memory of Montana’s land.

What’s yours?

Today is primary election day in cities across Montana. Make sure you vote.

New West reports on and opines about the sentencing of businessman Dick Dasen in the Flathead. Dasen was convicted of sex-related felonies. He has been held to account in the court of public opinion for financially contributing in a major way to the Flathead’s meth problem.

Mike Dennison (writing for Lee, doesn’t his name look out of place?) reports that the Governor is outlining an agenda to help cover home heating costs, since energy bills keep skyrocketing (sign the petition for a real federal energy policy).

And Missoula is poised to get a Krispy Kreme. Missoula has a noticeable lack of donut shops (I think there’s one on West Broadway that’s pretty decent), but a number of outstanding bakeries. Here in Billings, I typically head to the Donut Hole when I’ve got a craving for a maple bar, but I’m sure Krispy Kremes will be greeted with open mouths, as they tend to be.

With a number of contested primaries across the state tomorrow, voter turnout should be up in these elections. Both Billings and Missoula face crowded 6-way races for Mayor. Numerous contested races for city council will also be narrowed tomorrow.

If you want more information on the candidates, I’d recommend checking the online archives of your local daily newspaper. A number of candidates have also gone online this year, so a google search might take do the trick.

If you have questions about your polling location or if you can’t find any decent information about any of the candidates and want to figure out how to get ahold of them, the next best step is probably to call your county election office. A complete list of those offices is available from the Secretary of State’s office.

Feel free to discuss the upcoming municipal elections in comments.

According to the Billings Gazette, the Montana Red Cross has raised over $200,000 since Hurricane Katrina. Montanans earlier donated $500,000 during the Asian tsunami. Since many of us are donating to other charities or directly to the American Red Cross, that number comes nowhere close to showing the real generosity in the state.

Our Senior U.S. Senator has put together a relief package for the Gulf states that the Tribune reports on this morning. The package includes relief for states hit hard by Medicaid costs, unemployment assistance, and other money to help the people of the Gulf states hit hard by the storm. Senators are predicting the total federal tab for the storm may top $150 billion.

According to the Chronicle, the Bozeman City Commission, at the urging of former Democratic Congressional candidate and current party Vice Chair Tracy Velazquez, is considering ways that their city can lend a hand in relief efforts.

Finally, while Senator Baucus, Ms. Velazquez, and Montanans across the state have been hard at work trying to lend a hand to the people of the Gulf Coast, former U.S. Representative Rick Hill, former Governor Judy Martz, and Secretary of State Brad Johnson are busy working on a Supreme Court appointment, the Billings Gazette reports.