Day: May 6, 2024

by Travis Mateer

I took this picture earlier today after walking from where I was parked to where all the sirens were responding. The path of this south-bound truck down the embankment of the north end of the Orange Street bridge wasn’t as obvious as you might think, and from the initial response, I don’t think anyone was seriously injured.

Unfortunately the motorcyclist involved in the accident over the weekend doesn’t appear to have been as lucky was the driver of this truck was. Is this just your typical spring-time craziness taking hold, or could something else be swirling in the ether?

Since I don’t shy away from engaging in wild speculation from time to time, I’ll throw out a few data points that make me go hmmmmm, like the FREE concert series happening at the Top Hat, owned by Nick Checota.

Maybe it’s the fact this river-bound truck drove off the road where Checota’s dream of building THE DRIFT once seemed viable, or maybe it’s my current work exposing a different developer, that has me thinking weird thoughts about what it takes to pull off large development projects, like, is there a non-corporeal constituency that must be appeased?

Last October I wrote a post with a question for the title, and the question was this: Does Nick Checota Have A Reason To Be Celebratory?

While those free concerts are still happening, NOTHING continues to happen in terms of development at the riverfront property known as the Fox Theater Site, despite a story two years ago about renewed interest. From the link:

A new group of developers is looking at taking on the development of Missoula’s Riverfront Triangle, although the proposal is still in the very early stage.

City leaders have been working with a host of developers over the past three decades, hoping to find someone interested in the old “Fox Theater” site along the Clark Fork River west of Orange Street. But it seems like the ideas, while often grand, always seem to run into problems.

Yes, and the local uprising this local documentary covers in detail was ONE of those problems.

Upstream of today’s accident the TAAAAAZ 2.0 is going great! When the weather gets nicer, I may try to show that documentary, and I’m also working on a puppet show. More on that later this week.

Thanks for reading!

UPDATE: I just went to post this on Facebook and saw footage of the truck trying to pass another truck aggressively, then going off the road like an idiot. I have seen A LOT of aggressive driving in this town, stay safe out there!

by Travis Mateer

To outright say a white man like myself should publicly claim to have pride in one’s Caucasian hue is a real David Duke thing to say, but since I just finished watching a Spike Lee joint about a BlacKkKlansman, well, I was reminded that with the RIGHT white man, you can do anything!

You mean like coming to the rescue of a struggling ALPHA who probably thinks LION when the word PRIDE comes up?

Words are fun, but taking action can be EVEN MORE fun–even if that action is picking up trash from an over-flowing trash can, which I documented in yesterday’s post. Is this because I take PRIDE in my community? Is that allowed? Or is this the only kind of PRIDE Missoula will tolerate?

I think flags are cool, but until I have something to fly from behind the hedge, a few pieces of wood and screws purchased for a dollar from Home Resource will have to do the trick. If Aaron Wagner’s spirit animal is Andrew Tate, then mine is MacGyver!

The previous blanket-sign didn’t seem to work very well, so I’m glad I TOOK ACTION and found a fix. I’d also like to find, and train, some helpers, and those helpers will need a name, something to identify with. Also, it’s important to be COOL, and based on my study of the occult, kool kids like to put K’s in things where they weren’t previously, like MAGICK!

I hope the Kraigslist kreativity I honed at the University of Montana will ensure I find the RIGHT kind of rekruits for my klub!

If I’m able to stand-up a trash battalion to secure this property in Missoula, perhaps our struggling alpha, and his pals at AXIA, will leverage their Brandan Fugal power to revive the condo dreams for Missoula’s riverfront.

I don’t really care if the real estate juice of Brandan Fugal works out or not because all these dudes are playing developer in Utah, far from the nice Hip Strip view I have from the back of my tailgate. Isn’t this a nice view?

If I start getting recruits this week my first test will be to see how they respond to the kind of language that would put an elected official on a fainting couch (if we still used that kind of practical furniture).

The problem, though, is that I don’t have a piece of furniture like this to tell someone to go and have a time out in order to THINK about why they’re triggered, so I guess I’ll have to get creative. Since I found a sign within my TAAAAAZ that has already been modified, it was suggested that I use the spot around this sign for a time-out spot. Let’s call it the KONCENTRATION KORNER!

What would Wags and his fellow ALPHAS think of all this? I don’t know, but maybe I’ll get a chance to actually TALK to this developer about his plans for this piece of PREMIER real estate in Missoula, Montana. What do you say, guys?

If you appreciate my unique style and approach to determining what’s happening in my community, then please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). Running an autonomous zone takes RESOURCES, and with your help, this spot will be TRANSFORMED!

Thanks for reading!