Month: June 2022

by Travis Mateer

According to 2020 US census data, Mineral County has a population of around 4,500 people and the County seat is in Superior, Montana.

For today’s post I’ll be taking a look at who may be the SUPERIOR candidate for Sheriff, Wayne Cashman or Ryan Funke? Let’s begin with Wayne.

In a Q&A administered by Clark Fork Valley reporter, Monte Turner, a question is asked that carries obvious undertones of the Rebekah Barsotti missing person case.

Here’s the question: What kinds of situations would you call in other law enforcement agencies to assist with an arrest or an ongoing investigation? Specifically, which agencies would you be willing to coordinate with on a state or federal level and for what kinds of criminal activity?

And here’s Cashman’s answer: We have had many outside agencies assisting us over the past 16 months we have been here. At the county level, Missoula County and Flathead County have assisted us in a missing person case, assisted in a fugitive recovery operation, brought in their Swat Teams to assist along with Flathead County Sheriff SWAT. DCI (Department of Criminal Investigations) has assisted with murder a suicide case and found remains investigation. At the federal level Homeland Security form interdiction and human smuggling cases. We maintain working relationships with local, state and federal agencies to help protect the citizens of Mineral County.

Now, since this question was asked of BOTH candidates, let’s see how this guy responded.

Here is Ryan Funke’s answer: Situations that are large scale and above our agency capacities. The Department of Criminal Investigations is a state agency that assists Montana law enforcement agencies in a wide variety of investigations. This is at no cost to the requesting agency. Other agencies that I would be willing to coordinate with include, but are not limited to: Montana Highway Patrol Interdiction Team, DCI, DEA, CSKT Drug Detectives, NWDTF, ATF. Working relationships with surrounding agencies include Sanders County SO, Missoula County, Shoshone County, and Montana Highway Patrol. 

When I read Funke’s answer I think to myself, is there a dog NOT barking here? Like maybe a dog who lives in Lake County and is pretty familiar with the embarrassment of the Coyote Club? For those not familiar, that link gives a very brief, broad overview of this long investigation into a group of LEOs who liked to shoot things out of season, and in places they weren’t supposed to. Here’s a little context from the link:

The “coyote club” was brought to the limelight in 2010 as a result of an investigation by Frank Bowen, a longtime Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game warden, in which he alleged that several area law enforcement officers were taking game out of season in prohibited places through the “club.”

No charges were ever brought against most of the officers, although many of those embroiled in the controversy wound up in court.

In one case, former Lake County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy Jesse Jacobs was charged with two counts of illegal possession of a game animal — a moose — but those charges were dismissed in May 2011. Assistant Attorney General Deborah Butler requested the charges be dismissed without prejudice due to insufficient evidence.

Some of the parties involved in the matter ended up suing each other, along with a few others in three different cases. Two of the three cases have been dismissed. Though final judgment in the last civil suit brought against the LCSO is pending, U.S. District Judge Richard W. Anderson recommended on Jan. 12 that the case be dismissed in its entirety.

Yes, this embarrassing period of law enforcement history included some additional litigation, like Mike Sargeant and Ryan Funke suing Don Bell. I’m not sure exactly why, but after reading the document in the link, I think it had something to do with emotional distress from having people look at your dead animal heads mounted on the wall (emphasis mine):

Detective Lenz seized seven whitetail deer mounts and a black bear rug from Sargeant’s residence. Around this time, Sheriff Bell discussed the ongoing investigation with Funke, and Bell provided Funke with a copy of the search warrant but did not execute the search warrant at his residence. Funke voluntarily invited Bell into his residence. Bell took photographs of deer mounts, but nothing was seized from Funke’s home.

As a result of these activities, Sargeant and Funke both claim that they have experienced debilitating stress and emotional and mental damages. Plaintiffs filed a civil rights petition against LSCO in Montana’s Twentieth Judicial District Court, which was removed to federal court. Sargeant and Funke alleged four claims: Count I: Violation of Plaintiffs Rights under the Montana Constitution; Count II: 42 U.S.C. §1983, Violation of Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments by Sheriff Bell and John Does 1-5 in their individual capacities; Count III: Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress; Count IV: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress; and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. LSCO moved for summary judgment on all counts, which Judge Anderson granted.1

Well, Mineral County voters, I guess if you’re ok with a guy who gets this bent out of shape when his boss shows up at his house with a search warrant, then vote for Funke.

Since I don’t live in Mineral County, I don’t really have a dog in this race, but for the purposes of some stories I’m following, my narrative topography certainly seems to be expanding to counties that border states that look like guns.

I’m thinking of guns because Rebekah Barsotti had one, it was in her car, and the Mineral County Sheriff Deputy who wants to be Sheriff didn’t secure items like those when he responded to the 911 call that STILL hasn’t been released, even though Rebekah has been found deceased.

Speaking of finding Rebekah, you can listen to the interview of the 26 year old man, Nate, who discovered the body on May 17th. Nate is the son of Tina Alexander, a real estate agent who sold David Barsotti his house. I’m sure that’s just a weird coincidence. If you want to know more about that connection, and how Sheriff Toth is being called a liar by the PI, listen to this interview.

As I think about the dumpster fire being generated by PIs, hitmen with gunshot wounds, and a wide range of other colorful characters, I want readers to know this shit show is a direct result of law enforcement NOT doing their job early on in this case.

The behavior of Mineral County law enforcement might seem strange to outsiders, especially outsiders who think they deserve answers about WHY their daughter’s missing person case was NEVER investigated as anything other than a river accident/recovery effort. Here’s Angela Mastrovito describing Sheriff Toth’s continued efforts to lie and manipulate the family of Rebekah Barsotti:

How can Sheriff Toth lie so blatantly without consequence? Is there something we’re missing here?

If Ryan Funke makes it past the primary today, questions about his role in the Coyote Club will more than likely persist. Maybe that’s where Ryan Funke’s wife, Danica Funke, can help her man out, which she did recently on Facebook:

While we may not know much about Ryan Funke and what he’s done to help people, we DO have a statement from the man who paid a heavy professional price for trying to hold law enforcement accountable during the Coyote Club saga.

Here’s one of the statements Frank Bowen took during his investigation before being run out of his position due to death threats:

‘You can’t break the law if you are the law.’ 

Yep, that about says it all, doesn’t it?

There will be more to report on regarding the Rebekah Barsotti case after today, so stay tuned to this blog because legacy media has abdicated their duties in the coverage of this non-investigation story.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

When government starts complaining about something, watch out. And when they offer a solution, be VERY skeptical. That’s what I’m doing with the attempt to get citizens in this town comfortable with a citywide parking district.

The power play coming from the Parking Commission is quite impressive. The strategy to con citizens into accepting this power play is the unlikely use of parking as leverage to compel affordable housing development. Here’s how Marin “Gomer” Kidston is setting up his readers for this convoluted scheme:

Citing the city’s goals around housing and transportation, the Missoula Parking Commission this week agreed to hire a consultant to explore the creation of a citywide parking district.

The commission currently regulates parking in the downtown area and permit parking in some residential neighborhoods. But with Missoula’s growth and its quest for greater density, regulated parking will be needed in other parts of the city, the commission agreed.

Yep, a consultant is being hired, which sends the signal to me that public opinion will probably be told to go fuck itself if public opinion in any way deviates from the QUEST of our local gentrification enablers to pack people into the sardine can future all the MASTER plans say must happen.

Here’s how a Parking Commission foot soldier by the name of Glenda Bradshaw sees the sense of what is being proposed:

“It makes a lot of sense – though there are a lot mechanics to be worked out – to expand citywide instead of doing it piecemeal,” said commission member Glenda Bradshaw. “Doing it on a citywide basis would allow us to do a better job on behalf of the citizens and visitors to this community instead of just looking at it by location.”

Hey, Glenda, I’m sure you think you’re correct, but maybe consider explaining WHY “doing it on a citywide basis would allow us to do a better job…” Is it because MORE MONEY? Is that why citywide control is suddenly so important to push?

Here’s more from the Gomer fluff piece declaring the inherent GOODNESS of making this move:

Creating a citywide district positions the commission to address a number of future scenarios while making it more proactive as needs and opportunities arise.

“We would be best served – the citizens would be best served – if we had jurisdiction over the entire city with the understanding that we’d always be intentional with deliverance and any plans that would impact folks as part of the managed parking process,” Bradshaw said.

The emphasis I added on being INTENTIONAL is to highlight a bullshit buzzword that immediately raises red flags for me. It’s important to identify and ignore the empty PR language as it’s being used to lull readers into a sort of cognitive complacency.

Now, here’s how the housing gambit COULD be deployed by our city leaders:

Parking could play a key piece in the city’s code reform efforts, which are set to begin this year. Providing parking in new developments consumes land and costs money, driving up the price of the end product. 

When it comes to housing, reducing parking requirements could help address housing costs, and it’s a tool the city is considering as it moves forward. The parking commission could help advance those goals with citywide jurisdiction.

One scenario could see the commission help fund a set number of parking spaces in exchange for a set number of affordable housing units. It believes the Missoula Redevelopment Agency could help, and the city is currently exploring other incentives around parking and housing affordability.

Ok then, great ideas! Let’s make sure the public just accepts these dictates and asks no questions as these government foot soldiers speculate on potential hiccups, like their sad lack of enforcement capacity.

As parts of Zoom Town become a meth-fueled dystopia, it’s nice to think law enforcement could be tasked with more vehicle problems in a future citywide realm controlled by Parking Nazis. Here’s how our luminaries are anticipating this particular challenge:

Enforcing the parking it provides will be required. 

“We have engaged in public-private partnerships in the past – Roam is an example,” Easton said. “There are limitations in what we can invest in and bond, and other entities have to participate. But I don’t think investing in private parking as a blanket statement is off the table, and there are public-private partnerships that are available to parking commissions.”

While creating a citywide parking district has its benefits, it also comes with challenges, the commission said. Among them, the commission doesn’t have the resources to enforce parking violations across the city, and it’s unlikely that the police department would willingly take that on, members suggested.

Ah, yes, MORE glorious PPP relationships to consider. Who cares if MORE public/private partnerships will produce MORE reliance on things like private security? And therefore LESS accountability?

Ultimately I’m pleased to see the Parking Nazis telegraphing their citywide ambitions because what’s coming, eventually, is the incremental removal of vehicular freedom from the transportation grid, and THAT is something that needs a little more public input before it’s too late.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

These are fighting words, I thought.

If County Commissioners and Mayors are allowed to define a three decade cultural shift in Missoula, future generations won’t understand the inversions and manipulations that had to be deployed to enrich the same parasitic takers spreading their soulless development across the entire globe.

Before launching into culture war mode, it’s important to note that no one sees themselves as the bad guy in the story playing in their heads, especially when one is receiving official accolades for the supposedly AMAZING things you’ve accomplished, like rainbow crosswalks and Yellowstone tv show scenes getting shot downtown!

Those specific examples of cultural achievement were recently referenced in a Missoulian article that’s kind of like a pre-obituary for our dying Mayor. This seems quite appropriate coming from the embodiment of the same dying legacy media that spawned both our Mayor and his communication bulldog, Ginny Merriam (provenance is important).

Here’s the sad cheerleading, promoted by Tom Bensen and the failed leadership of United Way’s Susan Hay Patrick:

“John truly believes in, supports and champions a strong and vibrant arts scene. He sees the arts and cultural organizations, not just as amenities and things that are nice to have in one’s community, but they’re essential,” Bensen said.

Engen’s contributions are too long to list here — they include efforts like the rainbow crosswalk at Pattee and Pine streets, the “Yellowstone” TV show location shoots, sitting on many boards, official support for projects, and working with individual numerous organizations.

Susan Hay Patrick nominated Engen. Reading from her letter, Bensen said, “As Missoula’s best-loved emcee and auctioneer, John has donated hundreds of hours over many years to serving in these roles for our local arts, cultural and nonprofit organizations. John Engen exemplifies the term cultural ambassador, enthusiastically championing the arts and culture of the hometown he leads and loves.”

Because history is important, it’s important to understand that Engen and his cabal of enablers emerged from the soup of New Party politics that was being seeded during the 1990’s. Here’s a peek from wikipedia (emphasis mine):

The New Party was founded in the early 1990s by Daniel Cantor, a former staffer for Jesse Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign, and by political science, sociology and law professor Joel Rogers as an effort to break with the largely unsuccessful history of progressive third parties in the United States. Their strategy was to run candidates only where they had a reasonable chance of winning, and to nominate on their ballot line (or where this was not legally possible, to endorse) the candidate they favored more from another party.[4]

After a false start in New York, the New Party built modestly successful chapters in several states. Some of these chapters—such as those in Chicago and Little Rock, Arkansas—had their main bases of support in the low-income community organizing group ACORN, along with some support from various labor unions. Other chapters—such as those in Minneapolis; Missoula, Montana; Montgomery County, Maryland; and Dane County, Wisconsin, received institutional support from a variety of other labor unions and community organizations. These chapters built local political organizations that ran or endorsed candidates, primarily in local non-partisan races but with occasional forays into Democratic Party primaries or (more rarely) traditional third party-style independent candidacies as well. Some New Party chapters introduced the idea of signed candidate contracts (saying the candidate agreed with the party’s principles and would meet with party members after election) before endorsement, to encourage accountability after election—this was criticized by some of the party’s detractors.[5][6][7] Party chapters were also active between elections, pressuring elected officials to pass legislation on issues such as living wages and affordable housing.

I’ve been aware of the New Party for years, but never actually looked it up, so this Wikipedia entry is pretty mind-blowing to me. Having a Jesse Jackson staffer involved in the origin story of this political cancer gives me a better understanding of why dead black men don’t seem to negatively impact Democratic political careers in this town.

Hands down the most offensive (and recent) attempt to define the cultural shift of the last 30 years comes from County Commissioner, Josh Slotnick. If you can stomach it, click here for his op-ed, but I warn you, shit like this will greet your brain sponge (more of my emphasis, yes):

For decades we were a lunch-bucket blue collar town. Four mills ran 24/7, and our neighborhood bars, corner stores and elementary–schools–that–kids–walked-to kept the rhythm of a working town’s beating heart. The rotten-egg air and our copper-green river bore the scars of our livelihoods, like the air and water of so many industrial places. 

However, alongside that work-a-day nature, we had an artistic vibrancy unlike any Pennsylvania steel city or Pacific Northwest mill town. Writing, ceramics, poetry, theater, music, sculpture, political criticism, the place thrummed with a palpable, almost electric, creative energy. That creativity, spawned at a low-cost, high-quality, classic liberal arts university that attracted people from all over, fueled a cultural shift in the 90’s.

HAD? Maybe if I wasn’t such a VIBRANT poet/journalist/creative Lego Master, I wouldn’t take offense to Slotnick’s use of the past tense, but I am pretty vibrant. So vibrant, in fact, I got to chat to a security dude after being TOO vibrant recording a piece of on-the-ground reporting while Kevin Fucking Costner was nearby filming scenes for Yellowstone.

If you’re not convinced how AMAZING having our town disrupted for a tv show that ITSELF exploits the tension between gentrifying wealth and local wage-slaves, then this tweet will definitely NOT help convince you it’s worth it, no matter how many rushed lifetime achievement awards the sycophants toss our Mayor.

While the above Missoulian reporter throws shade on members of the “Yellowstone” crew, here’s NBC Montana reporting on the public’s “mixed reviews“:

Stores like the Import Market across from the courthouse told us the limited parking is slowing down business because customers can’t reach the store.

Other local businesses told us they’re seeing a surge in business thanks to the project.

“There’s a lot more foot traffic and spectators because of it, and the crew over there did support our business and placed an order for their crew for lunch, so we definitely got some increased business from them, which we definitely appreciate,” said Jeremy Delano, the general manager of Bagels on Broadway.

The filming for the show has brought in more than $10,000 in revenue for the county alone.

After reading that article I’m left to wonder, how much of this revenue is coming from things like paychecks for private security?

The reason I’m asking this question is because of two run-ins I’ve had with the same security dude. The first interaction happened during the day of the Yellowstone filming that shutdown the Courthouse. I was wrapping up my journalistic documentation of the event when a plain clothes guy stopped me, acting like he had some kind of official jurisdiction to halt my progress on a public sidewalk.

I was going to include a picture of this alleged security dude, which I took with my phone on Friday night, sparking an incident that resulted in my having to call 911, so until I can better understand the dynamics at play, I’m holding back for now.

Maybe this security guy is just seizing opportunities in order to live in Zoom Town. Let’s return to Commissioner Slotnick’s perspective on the rapidly accelerating cultural changes to see if any insights can be extracted.

In the 90’s and 00’s, our low-budget economics allowed for young people to make this cultural/economic shift happen; to live on little, so they could use their energy to spin dreams into viable realities – cultural, artistic and entrepreneurial. Much of the fruit of that labor exists now in businesses, non-profits and personal careers that seem so well established it’s hard to imagine they were once merely the passions of scrappy young people with no real money. They were. We bounced back from the end of our mill-town era because you could rent a place for not much, get by, and throw your efforts toward your dreams. And when those dreams grew, we all benefited, not just the folks who did the work. We left the 00’s far economically stronger and culturally richer than we went into the 90’s. 

Through all of that, two economic arcs remained roughly parallel – wages and house prices. When those lines move in parallel, it means people who work here can afford to live here. Like so many have noted, Covid both shined a light on an existing reality and simultaneously exacerbated it. The parallel rise in wages and housing costs had already begun to fall apart pre-Covid, but when remote work made Missoula a possibility for people from all over the country, the two lines went in different directions.

This statement from one of our County Commissioners is a great reminder that WITHOUT COVID–or, more specifically, the retarded policies and experimental “vaccine” solutions that Big Pharma used every trick to impose on us–today’s inequality might land FULLY on intentional policy decisions, and not the THE SCIENCE of the convenient pandemic.

If my use of militant war language makes you squeamish, try absorbing the reality of what the families of Sean Stevenson and Rebekah Barsotti have been experiencing in this upside down world, where the helpers are so actively hurting and hiding what’s actually going on. I guarantee what is at stake will become more clear if you truly open your eyes to seeing the systemic re-traumatizing as part of an intentional pattern of control.

In my NOT humble opinion, officials like Commissioner Slotnick are intelligent idiots who cannot see how their good intentions have been hijacked, so they say shit like this:

Essentially, that’s the backdrop to our current shift, and the reality Covid’s light illuminated; inequity has become The Socioeconomic Problem of this historical moment. Turns out, our relaxed, genuine and creative culture, and easy access to beautiful public land, have mass appeal. And now, you too can get a slice of it without having to find a job here (or, better yet, make one), because you can bring your current job with you! People have left the madness of overpopulation on the coasts, trading the bovine feel of mass-transit commuting and paying to park at overused trailheads for biking from the lower Rattlesnake to a coffee shop downtown and hiking in the Swan Valley on the weekend.  

Can you blame them?

No, Josh Slotnick, if blame is going to be directed anywhere, it should be toward POLICY makers like you and our “auctioneer” Mayor who obscure gentrification behind woke buzz words, human shields, and fat jokes (sorry, now they’re “retirement” jokes, I hear).

I also blame myself for spending so many years believing and promoting the stated intentions of serial liars and skilled manipulators while putting myself in harms way during the 7 years I worked at our local homeless shelter, the Poverello Center.

I’m not sure how productive blame is, since it tends to keep one’s perspective looking back toward things that have already occurred. And the forward thinkers seem more adamant than ever, despite current indicators their policies aren’t producing the desired results of unity and harmony, that it’s full steam ahead to progressive Wokeville.

The war I see being waged is a narrative information war, and there’s no clearer disparity in my mind than a progressive liberal town like Missoula in near total ignorance of the things happening in their own backyard.

I’m working every day to change that ignorance into action. If you want to help me, stay tuned for some opportunities I’m working on that might even be FUN to do!

Until then, thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

Closure?

No. With the ID’ing of Rebekah Barsotti’s body yesterday, a race is now on to establish a narrative of how that body came to be “placed” on the river bank 10 months after the supposed “river accident” that triggered 2,000 hours of fruitless searching by all the agencies congratulated for failing to find the body.

Here’s the statement Sheriff Mike Toth released that for some reason does NOT acknowledge the 26 year old with a fishing pole who apparently found Rebekah.

This statement represents the first shot in the race to control the public’s view of the circumstances surrounding Rebekah’s death. So, before eager members of the public rush forward with theories speculating about what’s happening TODAY, let’s go back to July 2021 to review some basic assumptions about this case.

First, what was going on with Rebekah in the days and weeks leading up to her disappearance? Who were the last people to see her in those final days? Should any assumptions about the basic facts in this case be challenged? If so, which facts?

For example, I, myself, have never seen footage, or reviewed still images, of Rebekah meeting the person at Town Pump on the supposed last day of her life. I HAVE spoken with one of David Barsotti’s caregiver’s, Brandy Walker, and that conversation left me with quite a few questions.

One of the biggest questions is WHO made the 911 call? And why? Did a person, persons, or a family traveling from Oregon, REALLY make a 911 call because they saw some personal items stacked on the riverbank in the middle of a hot summer day in July?

The temperature that day was in the 90’s, and Rebekah’s car was parked somewhere near the river. I have taken my own dogs to this spot on the Clark Fork, and they’ve chased a few sticks into the river, and not once was I worried about the dangerous water down stream threatening their safety.

After reviewing some of these basic assumptions about the facts of the case, where should we go? Into the weeds of jurisdictions and how 2,000 hours of searching and rescuing were directed by local law enforcement, or somewhere else entirely?

How about the hitman? What, you haven’t heard about the hitman hired to kill Rebekah’s family? He’s blowing up North Dakota Facebook radio and a Youtube True Crime channel.

If, at this point, you think the introduction of a hitman might somehow undermine the idea of a river accident, welcome to the last 10 months for those paying attention. For those of you who are new, this hitman even comes with a slew of corroborating audio files, like 92 of them, documenting David Barsotti plotting to kill.

Other places we might go haven’t been prepared for public consumption yet, but at least I was told by a nice member of local PD that the hitman, who got shot in the leg last week in New Mexico, is no threat. That made my pancakes and eggs more palatable.

I mention breakfast because it was at a local eatery, right before the news broke that an ID had been announced, where I got a raw opinion from the waitress about who she thought was responsible for Rebekah’s death, then compared the case to Jermain Charlo.

One thing I learned from watching the hitman have his moment in the North Dakota spotlight (are you hearing me, Montana media?) is that PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING. While the public may perceive that a positive ID provides closure for the family, does it?

Instead of trying to answer that question, I’d like to shine the hitman’s wisdom on the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and how Rebekah’s mother may have been perceived BEFORE her plane landed in Montana. I think there’s a bigger story there, but for now I’ll just say this:

MCSO didn’t expect Angela Mastrovito.

by Travis Mateer

Some recent articles that I find to be curiously well-timed caught my attention this week. The most obvious one is titled Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula recognized for fast case turnarounds. After a bout of cynical laughter, I clicked on the article to read how an agency that STILL hasn’t identified the body found on May 17th (it is now June 2nd) is being recognized for being “fast”.

The Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula has been recognized for its efficiency by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors for the second year in a row.

Montana State Crime Lab administrator Travis Spinder said in the annual report that the Montana Department of Justice’s Forensic Science Division “underwent a major change in 2021 with the departure of our division administrator, Scott Larson.

Spinder was hired as Larson’s replacement in October. Despite the shake-up, in almost all areas the department’s analysis turnaround times either dropped or stayed the same in 2021.

I’ll be filing this one in ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

Now, on to the benevolent actions of Two Bear Air, a search and rescue business that emerged from the DEEP pockets of Mike Goguen. Before getting to the POSITIVE article about Two Bear Air, let’s take a look at the billionaire who owns this outfit:

A tech billionaire allegedly kept a spreadsheet of 5,000 women he has had sex with, one of them a teenager he paid off to keep quiet, despite losing his high-profile job over a sexual misconduct allegation in 2016.

Michael Goguen, 57, a former partner at Sequoia Capital who now heads his own firm, has been sued by four former employees who say they helped manage his ‘harem’ of women.

The explosive lawsuit claims the investor met with the women at various safe houses or at a ‘boom boom’ room in the basement of his bar in Whitefish, a small town in Montana where he now lives.

When this tech billionaire is NOT being accused of banging women in his boom boom room, he’s playing Batman with his helicopter, helping to recover a man killed in a kayaking incident. From the link:

Two Bear Air of Whitefish helped recover an Idaho man killed Monday in a kayaking accident in the Salmon River. 

The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office reports its office received a notification from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center about an SOS call from a Garmin inReach device advising a kayaker had died. 

The coordinates given were in the Fall Creek area. This area is not accessible via road.

When Life Flight was unable to fly, Two Bear Air responded.

In a BIG state like Montana, with dangerously incapable Sheriffs (like Mike Toth), billionaires with superhero complexes get to have LOTS of fun doing hero shit. So what if they bang a teen every now and then in a boom boom room? Just think of it as the price we have to pay to get philanthrop’d by billionaires.

Thanks for reading!