Zoom Chron Blog

by Travis Mateer

I mentioned Mineral County two days ago in this post about a woman doing a classic rant in downtown Missoula. Well, shenanigans continue in this part of Montana, but DO NOT WORRY because the trusty Sheriff, Ryan Funke, is making sure the public knows about the threats his office is responding to.

I was interested in seeing who got arrested for this incident, but Mineral County’s jail doesn’t display inmate information the way Missoula County does, so I didn’t find anything pertinent. Instead I perused the minutes of past meetings where I found an example of what a low-population County in Montana deals with when it comes to things like 911 dispatch.

The Sheriff spoke about how currently dispatch is set up in a horseshoe shape where they can observe around them the windows and separate jail holding areas. The dispatchers are often watching, opening doors for the detention officers, and getting up to answer the public at the walk-up window. The Sheriff feels that this system is becoming a safety issue for people since their time is not solely focused on 911 calls and radio dispatching. There is a national movement to separate dispatch away from jails and be managed under the DES coordinator, not the Sheriff. And he feels Mineral County should also remove dispatch from under the law enforcement building and into its own work environment. Scott Dodd said at this time the only real request being made is for a lateral transition of managing dispatch personnel from the Sheriff to DES, currently no funding for a full transition with a new building is available. Jerry Doktor spoke how DES doesn’t really have that much money and the prospect of even a future building or new employee positions. Sheriff Funke replied that dispatchers would still be paid, but under the DES oversight manager, and that the only new employees needed would be for a Detention officer who only opened the doors and disseminated the daily medications for inmates. This employee would be needed to replace dispatch who currently runs the entry doors for detention officers to move throughout the jail at meal time and medication dispensary times. Commissioner Zylawy clarified that the request today was only for new management and oversight of dispatch employees: not increased pay, not new positions, and not a new building.

Yes, that’s right, Sheriff Funke wants to offload 911 dispatch duties to Disaster and Emergency Services while he hires a Sheriff Deputy to open a door and hand out meds. Really? Does that mean the County Attorney’s Office has finally got that investigator they so sorely needed? Because I would hope THAT would be a priority before hiring a door-opener and med-distributor for the Sheriff’s Office.

For more entertainment, remember when Don Junior said EVERY elected office is important, even DOG CATCHER? Well, here’s a Sheriff Funke idea about dog catching I found intriguing:

Great idea, Ryan! Especially considering you have a man in your County by the name of David Barsotti who tends to SHOOT dogs that give him trouble.

If you find this County in Montana to be as fascinating as I do, then check out some of my other posts, you won’t be disappointed:

If Mineral County Sheriff, Mike Toth, Went Missing, Would Anyone Notice? (March 6th, 2022)

The Race For Mineral County Sheriff (June 7th, 2022)

How Many Sheriffs Does It Take To Release An Autopsy? (August 2nd, 2022)

Was The Writ Of Mandamus A Ploy To Destroy The Candidacy Of A Political Outsider In Mineral County? (October 27th, 2022)

The First Reports Of A Prisoner Suicide Inside The Mineral County Jail (November 27th, 2022)

What The Funke Is That Disparaging Smell, Ryan? (January 10th, 2023)

Serious Question For An Unserious County Government: Does David Barsotti Have Rabies? (January 27th, 2023)

Who Dares Challenge Their Hero Narrative? (March 22nd, 2023)

Introducing Zoom Chron Readers To Mineral County Commissioner, Roman Zylawy (March 24th, 2023)

Mineral County Is At War With Itself, Assisted By A Law Firm Specializing In Money Shakedown Schemes For Badges Across Western Montana (April 21st, 2023)

Why Are Two Sheriff Offices Now Failing To Call Me Back Or Acknowledge Any Investigation In The Death Of Joey Thompson? (May 28th, 2023)

Mineral County: The Fucked Up Western Gateway To The Failed State Of Montana (April 10th, 2024)

If you find this context about our little fucked up gateway to western Montana valuable, then please consider supporting Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). My current need is to fix my flat tire, which has stranded my Trash Truck on Higgins, so help a journalist out!

And, as always, thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

As an English Major with a double-emphasis in literature and creative writing, I know that the word RESILIENT is an adjective, not a noun, which makes the Missoula Current headline I took a screenshot of a little confusing.

The Missoula Current isn’t the only local media outlet publishing incoherent headlines, here’s another one from KGVO that I saw recently:

Shoplifting numbers are…are WHAT, Peter Christian? I had to click on the article to see what those numbers were doing, which is exploding. Is this some new form of click bait? Or just sloppy, shitty local media?

I went to check the new kid on the block, The Pulp, to see what this “non-profit” is up to, and while I didn’t see any glaring grammatical errors upon first glance, I did see the VERY important article on girls riding skateboards, which features a cool, relatively new word that signals how very woke The Pulp is trying to be (emphasis mine):

Skateparks have historically been dominated by cisgender men and boys for all kinds of reasons. In some worst-case scenarios, women and girls have faced actively hostile boys-club attitudes rooted in obvious sexism. But a lot of times, the issue has been more nuanced. Women and girls who broke into the scene often did find acceptance and camaraderie with the boys—it’s just that they were still an anomaly. Girls on Shred is working to change the culture, and they’ve found support over the years with the Montana Skatepark Association and Missoula’s iconic Hip Strip snowboarding/skateboarding shop Board of Missoula. Volunteers—of all genders—that come out to help at Girls on Shred events are often at the skatepark a few times a week, which means they become a friendly face to the newbies.

“That helps build confidence,” says Veysey Gibbons. “I think Missoula is pretty lucky. A lot of the guys at the skatepark are really quite nice. But, you know, it’s still good to have a few buds in your corner, just in case.”

What does it mean to have “a few buds in your corner, just in case?” In case of WHAT? In case violence breaks out, like it did last July, when GIRLS, plural, allegedly ganged up on another girl, who had to use a knife to defend herself, and is now being charged for a crime?

One of the commenters in the post made some interesting points about what was NOT included in the news story from local media:

From sloppy headlines that make no sense, to woke messaging, local media doesn’t offer the public much of a reason to read and watch, so guess what? They DON’T, and because they don’t, they don’t know what’s actually happening in their own damn community.

Readers of THIS blog are different, because the content here is different. If you’re a regular, then you probably know more about local headlines than non-Zoom Chron readers do, like the recent headline about the mentally ill woman who knocked on some random door, then grabbed the 11 year old girl who answered.

From the link:

On April 29, 2024, Missoula Police Department Officers were dispatched to a purported disturbance at Jane Doe’s residence. The complainant, Doe’s mother, reported to officers that she and her family were at their residence. Doe is 11 years old.

Doe heard someone banging on the front door. Believing it to be her friends, Doe opened the door. The door to their apartment is an inward-opening door. To Doe’s surprise, an unknown adult female was standing at the door. The female reached forward inside the door into the apartment, grabbed Doe by the hair, and began pulling her.

Doe’s mother and father intervened, and the female left their home. Doe’s mother then observed the female enter a blue Subaru vehicle. The woman then left the Subaru and proceeded to walk away. Doe’s parents lost sight of the female at that time. They began searching the area for the female and located her at the Pattee Creek Market.

When I saw the name of the woman who tried grabbing the girl I immediately thought of the short video clip I recorded in October of 2022 for this post. Here’s the video:

Do you WANT uncompromising journalism, Missoula? Because if you do, you’re not going to get it with conventional platforms that struggle just to put out accurate headlines DESPITE having stuff that I don’t, like a budget and support staff.

I got a nice comment recently on a post from March that asks the following question about a local non-profit: Is The Political Timing Finally Right For Legacy Media To Ask The LifeGuard Group Tough Questions? Here’s the comment:

If you appreciate my FEARLESS journalism, please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) because I’ve got some interesting stuff up my figurative dress that I’ll be sharing soon.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

During my initial investigation of this UNAUTHORIZED sign removal and subsequent theft, I’ve determined that my concerns regarding this piece of special geography on the Hip Strip in Missoula should be going to Cole Bergquist.

Ok then. Here’s the letter:

***

Dear Cole,

It has come to my attention that my investigative attention toward your former partner, the White Lion, has been for naught because it was YOU I should have been seeking the whole time.

Who am I? There should be a simple answer to that question, but these are NOT simple times, so lets just say I’m a Renaissance Man with many talents aimed at the simple goal of helping protect my community from societal collapse, which is currently ongoing.

Did you know, Cole, that vandalism is now occurring on your Belle LLC property where once upon a time a newspaper was produced? Let’s put aside for the moment the irony that an unpaid local journalist with a box-house on wheels is telling you this from the state where you played football but do not live because I’m not reaching out to you in the capacity of a journalist anymore. No, I’m a TRASH ALCHEMIST, and I’ve been looking for a special place to do my work, like conducting narrative experiments with hand-puppets and building plastic brick masterpieces.

When I say “vandalism” I do not include the sign I made with two pieces of wood and two screws, which I regret to inform you has been STOLEN! Who could have perpetrated such an UNcreative crime? That, Cole, is what I’m currently investigating.

Before I get to results of the first day of my investigation, I should probably explain what the sign said, and why I found it necessary to create and affix it to the rock and metal that describes what no longer exists at this vacant location on the Hip Strip.

The sign said TAAAAAZ, which stands for the Trash Alchemist Awesome And Amazing Autonomous Zone, and there is absolutely no value, just my curiosity, along with some questions, that I’d like to pose to whomever put forth the effort to UNscrew what I screwed with such joy, hope, and optimism.

Question 1—does your skillset include placing trash items in trash bags? If so, I could use some help cleaning up this community!

Question 2—do you have a lawn mower? There’s some grass that needs mowing!

Question 3—would you like a free ticket to the first show of the Broken Windows Theory as told by hand-puppets?

Question 4—how many more years will this property attract the entropic power of blight like a blackhole sucking weaker matter into its annihilating void of nothingness?

These are the kind of questions I’ll be pondering as I stand on the back of my open tailgate gazing at the few storefronts left inviting customers to engage in commerce, like the weed shop that finally replaced my favorite bead store (Bathing Beauties), Betty’s Divine, and the obnoxious declaration of GILD where the Crystal Theater once stood.

At Float (where I enjoyed time in one of their sensory-deprivation tanks back when I had money) I learned that it appeared to be high schoolers who got arrested for acts of hooliganism on the property of Belle LLC, but I did NOT learn who removed my sign.

I continued making inquiries downtown, including at your office, where your assistant, Jeremy, kindly listened to my tales of blight and fright, but so far the results of my investigation have been disappointing. Like so many things happening in this town, which includes disposing of human beings like trash, it appears like this troubling behavior might never be properly addressed.

Anyway, I hope the weather is nice in California, because it’s COLD in Montana, and when it’s cold my fingers get sore, which makes constructing scenes with plastic bricks VERY difficult.

Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,

Your Trustworthy Parking Lot Sovereign, the TRASH ALCHEMIST!

by Travis Mateer

Last Saturday, while seasonal markets in downtown Missoula opened for the first time, a Native woman was doing some classic ranting about drug trafficking, Poverello staff, and our Attorney General, Austin Knudsen. Here’s the video clip:

Hearing about our AG from this lady reminded me that an article about a suspect going from Shoshone County into Mineral County recently. From the link (emphasis mine):

The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop on eastbound Interstate 90 at approximately milepost 59 Sunday afternoon.

The suspect vehicle didn’t stop and continued to drive east, crossing the state line.

Officials say the driver left the suspect vehicle after they drove off the road and crashed into the trees and then fled into the woods, according to Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke.

According to Funke the suspect is not believed to be in the woods anymore but confirmed they do not pose a threat to public safety.

Ok, Sheriff Funke, I’ll ask the obvious question: WHERE IS THE SUSPECT? And how can you determine that this suspect, who doesn’t appear to be caught yet, poses no threat to the public?

Those kind of questions seem important to ask, but I’m not sure readers of this blog actually see the value of non-conventional media doing the asking, since I received exactly ZERO donations during the period of time known as Missoula Gives.

Oh well, I know what I’m documenting in this town is important, so I’ll keep doing it, regardless of how little this community supports it. And I’ll do it with STYLE!

If you feel guilty because you read all this great content for free from the comfort of your housing while I prepare to live in my Trash Truck, then alleviate that guilt by supporting Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). I guarantee you won’t regret it!

Thanks for reading!

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!