Day: August 6, 2021

by Travis Mateer

This morning, on my way to the studio, I noticed several police cars rushing to Reserve Street. I changed my trajectory to see what was going on, parking at the Pawn Shop on the Northwest side of the bridge.

I went under the bridge, where I know one of the campers, and when I emerged on the other side a female officer with a long gun commanded me to stop and identify myself, which I immediately did. I stood there with my arms up while she radioed in my name and I was only allowed to leave when it came back that I didn’t match the description of whoever they were looking for.

At this time I can’t say anything more because it could be relevant to whatever happened at the Reserve Street camps. Stay tuned for further updates if there is more I can share.

UPDATE: according to NBC Montana, police were responding to a report of shots fired.

by Travis Mateer

The University of Montana is once again in the spotlight due to allegations of sex-based discrimination. For a University that has experienced one of the worst enrollment implosions of any public university in the nation over the past decade, this latest scandal just adds more fuel to the never-ending enrollment conflagration.

Here is what’s being alleged:

Describing a “good ol’ boys” mentality, four female plaintiffs — one current and three former employees of the University of Montana — allege the flagship created a “discriminatory and hostile educational environment,” and that UM President Seth Bodnar allowed a “retaliatory culture” against women, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

“University of Montana-Missoula (UM) has long fostered and encouraged a culture, and the resulting actions, that ‘on the basis of sex’ denied female employees the benefits of their long dedication to UM’s educational programs,” the lawsuit said. “UM did not create a glass ceiling for these women’s careers. UM created a brick wall for these women’s careers.”

The plaintiffs are former vice president of enrollment management and strategic communications Catherine “Cathy” Cole; former director of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture Barbara Koostra; current tenured associate professor Mary-Ann Sontag Bowman; and former Dean of Students Rhondie Voorhees. The lawsuit said the plaintiffs suspect other women have similar experiences and reserve the right to amend the complaint to include class allegations.

I bolded the name of Barbara Koostra because I want to remind RD readers of what I discovered about this privileged landlord who suddenly and without warning terminated the month-to-month lease of City Council candidate Daniel Carlino.

When Barbara Koostra used her privileged position as a landlord to make a council candidate temporarily homeless, no one in the media (other than me) reported on it.

But now that THE KOOSTRA is joining forces with other women to litigate their alleged discrimination at the hands of THE BODNAR, who supposedly prefers to surround himself with fit hotties, there will be LOTS of headlines.

And some of them will be featured on this humble blog, so stay tuned.