-
Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Grey, Liva and Mattie Stepan
Butte High Bulldogs Raeder Grey, Peyton Liva and Mattie Stepan are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Grey receives the boys’ honor, while Liva and Stepan share the girls’ accolades.
Grey, a 6-foot, 165-pound junior quarterback had a hand in three touchdowns Thursday to do something his father could never do. He won a game in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
In a 36-10 win over Missoula Hellgate at the home of the Montana Grizzlies, Grey passed for 174 yards and ran for 63 more. That includes a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down. He threw touchdown passes to Kodye Kjersten and Hudson Luedtke.
Grey also played a solid game on defense, registering a pair of tackles.
Liva and Stepan are both seniors on the Butte High girls’ soccer team. They were nominated for their outstanding play and leadership for the Bulldogs.
“Mattie’s growth through the year has been impressive,” Butte High coach Geno Liva said. “She also plays hard and physical every game. Peyton’s willingness to move positions at any time is a great benefit to the team. Her positive attitude and her ability to be a coach on the field is a help to her coaches.”
Both girls are also standout wrestlers for the Bulldogs. Stepan is a key contributor for the Butte High softball team.
For the third year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Photos courtesy Alycia Holland Photography. They are, from left, Grey, Liva and Stepan.
-
Hoop Shoot set for Nov. 8 at MAC
The Elks Lodge Hoop Shoot Contest will be held Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Maroon Activity Center. The registration deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
The age groups are 8 and 9 years old, 10 and 11 years old, and 12 and 13 years old. The shooter’s age group is determined by their age on April 1, 2026. There are separate contests for boys and girls. The competition will start at 10 a.m.
The detailed schedule will be published after entries are finalized. To enter, call or text Don Foley at (406) 490-8668 or email him at dfoley71@yahoo.com. Include the shooter’s name, gender, school, birthday, and parent/guardian contact information when registering.
Click here for more general information about the Elks Hoop Shoot program.
Rules Summary
1. Each shooter gets 25 free throws, split between two rounds. This will be 10 in the first round with up to 5 warmup shots, and 15 in the second round with no warmup shots.
2. All shooters will use a 28.5-inch ball, except for 12-13 Boys, who will use a 29.5-inch ball.
3. The 8-9 age group will shoot from a line 4 feet in front of the free throw line.
4. A shooter has ten seconds to shoot the ball after the line judges give it to them.
5. Age groups are determined by a players age on April 1, 2026. So, all shooters must be born between April 2, 2012 and April 1, 2018.
6. Age group winners will advance to the district contest in Dillon in January.
-
KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball schedule for the week of Oct. 20.
Monday
7 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Jellyfam
8 p.m. — Ramchmens vs. Rosary Rattlers
9 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. HoopballasTuesday
7 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Parish
8 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Poi TimeWednesday
7 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Poi Time
8 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Jellyfam
9 p.m. — Ramchmens vs. ParishThursday
7 p.m. — Hoopballas vs. Rosary Rattlers
8 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Washington Generals
-
Sophia Houchin sets school 5K record as Bulldog runners tune up in Gallatin
BOZEMAN — Butte High freshman Sophia Houchin had a record-setting day Thursday as the Bulldog cross country team competed in the Gallatin High Invitational at the Cottonwood Hills Golf Club. (Results)
The race was Butte High’s final tune up before the State meet next Saturday in Missoula.
Houchin led the Bulldog girls, placing seventh in 19 minutes, 16 seconds. Her time is the fastest for the Bulldog girls since races were changed from 3 miles to 5 kilometers in 2017. Her time eclipsed the previous best set by Aubree Corcoran in 2017 with 19:23.
The Bulldog girls placed fifth. Gallatin won the girls’ team title. Other Bulldog runners were Elsa Theiszen 17th in 20:23, Pippi Luebke 24th in 20:49, Kherington Adams 22:14, Wakely Burleson 22:23, Kellie Jo Carpenter 22:55, Cambree O’Neill 24:06, Lainee Walsh-Hill 29:14, Evelyn Hardman 29:15, and Hayden Hiltunen 33:20.
The Bulldog Boys placed fourth, while Bozeman captured the team title. Camden Houchin led the boys team placing fifth in 15:54. He was followed by Levi Wiltse 12th in 16:31, Lincoln Zell 17th in 17:04, Bridger Luebke 28th in 17:31, Charles Killebrew 33rd in 17:43, Colton Yoakum 35th in 17:50, Nathan Knopp 38th in 18:01, Ryan Hanson 18:28, Jason Real 19:17, Johan Theiszen 19:33, Kai Schuler 19:38, Brian Moen 19:56, Sawyer Howell 20:57, Rowan Poole 21:03, Jack Taylor 21:40, Alex Cranney 21:45, Lyric Haston 22:16, Case Richardson 23:35, Emmett Hedval 25:29, Brian Poole 25:48, Caelum Moore 26:47, and Kyle Van Elsberg 26:50.
Butte Central sent three boys to run in the Western A Classic Friday at the Hamilton Golf Course. (Results)
Juniors Jack Holmes (26:04.04), Joe Bradshaw (26:05.13) and Conan Holmes (26:08.44) finished together for BC, which will also be running at the State meet next week in Missoula.
-
Bulldogs pound Knights at Wa-Griz
Grey has hand in three touchdowns
MISSOULA — Raeder Grey passed for two touchdowns and ran for one more Thursday night, and the Butte High Bulldogs kept their football playoff hopes alive with a 36-10 Western AA win over Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Butte High never trailed in the victory that snapped a five-game losing streak,
Bradey Doyle booted a 33-yard field goal to cap Butte High’s opening drive to put the Bulldogs up for good.
Later in the first quarter, Hudson Luedtke returned a punt to the 1-yard line, setting up ta 1-yard touchdown plunge by Gunner Bushman, the first of two scores for the senior.
Vince Paffhausen found Evan Pyron for a 49-yard completion early in the fourth quarter. One play later, Pyron carried it in for a 1-yard TD run to cut the lead to 10-7.
Grey scored on a 1-yard run on fourth down before Jaxon Mund booted a 40-yard field goal to make it a 16-10 Bulldog lead. Then Grey hit Kodye Kjersten for a 30-yard touchdown 12 seconds before halftime, and Butte High took a 23-10 advantage into the break.
Bushman added a 7-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to extend the lead to 29-10. Then Grey looked to scramble, stopped and hit Luedtke over the middle for a 21-yard TD in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
Grey completed 17 of 24 passes for 174 yards. He also scrambled for 63 yards.
Peyton Johnson ran 24 times for 98 yards, and Bushman picked up 20 yards on 11 carries.
Luedtke caught six passes, while Brady Walsh grabbed five. Both finished with 52 yards. Koda Schleeman caught two passes.
Paffhausen ran for 80 yards and passed for 61 before leaving the game with an injury.
Defensive stats are not available, but Bridger Brancamp registered a pair of sacks, and Mitch Verlanic picked off a pass to set up a score. Jacob Galle also got in a sack. Walsh blocked a punt.
We will have more on the defensive stats once coaches go through game film.
The Bulldogs will close out the regular season next Friday night against Helena Capital at Naranche Stadium. Butte High will be celebrating Senior Night.
Butte Central beat Ronan 40-0 earlier this season at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, meaning Butte teams are 2-0 on the Montana Grizzly turf in 2025.
-
Podcast No. 297: Tom Mullen
Tom Mullen is a 1994 Helena Capital graduate and former sports editor and editor of The Montana Kaimin, the University of Montana student newspaper.
Today, Tom lives in the Hollywood Hills, where he can look out his window and see part of the iconic Hollywood sign. Among other things, Tom is a screenwriter. He is known for the 2021 movie “Vacation Friends” and the 2023 sequel “Vacation Friends 2.”
Both movies are on Hulu, and I promise that I will someday watch them. I know they will be funny because Tom is the funniest writer I have ever known.
His process of his writing is also funny. I got to see that first hand when we worked together at the Kaimin nearly 30 years ago. He would do his famous 20-minute columns.
I’m proud of the career Tom has put together, and I want to show him off a bit. I also wanted to catch up with him because we really had not talked, other than a few Facebook notes, since 1997.
I first knew of Tom when he was the Kaimin sports editor who was lucky enough to cover the 1995 Montana Grizzlies on their way to the NCAA-IAA national championship. I only knew him by his byline.
A few semesters later, I got to work next him, and we had so much fun that it should have been illegal.
After college, Tom worked for The Associated Press. Then, he attended a Hollywood party while visiting his brother, and he came to the realization that he had to move to Los Angeles. It turned out to be the right move.
Listen in to this episode as Tom talks about Helena Capital and his days at college. Listen as he talks about working at the AP and some of the stories and teams he got to cover.
Listen as he talks about covering the 1995 Grizzlies and how Head Coach Don Read used to take the phone off the hook to give Tom his full attention during interviews. Listen to the photo project the late coach authorized Tom to take part in.
Listen as he talks about getting into the Hollywood scene and how he is hoping to be in Dodger Stadium for another World Series.
Today’s episode is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today. Watch the episode on YouTube:
-
Bulldogs look to turn season around at Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Butte High volleyball grabs victory
The 2025 football season has seen the Butte High Bulldogs fall short on luck, to say the least.
Butte High cannot seem to get a break, a bounce or a call. That has resulted in a five-game losing streak, with all defeats coming in conference games. The latest loss was a 23-22 heartbreaker Friday night at Kalispell Flathead.
The last three Bulldog losses came by a total of 11 points.
Butte High is hoping to turn that around Thursday as the Bulldogs head to the biggest stage in the state — Missoula’s Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Bulldogs (1-6 overall, 0-5 conference) will take on Missoula Hellgate in 7 p.m. Western AA game on the University of Montana turf.
At 2-5 and 2-3, the Knights enter the game fresh off a huge victory. Hellgate senior quarterback Vince Paffhausen, whose father Todd quarterbacked the Bulldogs to the Class AA State championship game in 1987, had a hand in four touchdowns as the Knights thumped Helena Capital 35-14 in Missoula. The 6-foot, 180-pound Paffhausen passed for 139 yards and two TDs, and he ran 19 times for 131 yards and two scores.
He threw TD passes to senior Parker Link and sophomore Everett Roberts.
Paffhausen also grabbed one of three Hellgate interceptions in the win. Senior Sam Cohea and sophomore Will Petrino got the other two.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Knights, who were outscored 78-0 in back-to-back losses to Class AA powers Kalispell Glacier and Missoula Big Sky. Hellgate’s other win was a 24-17 victory at Flathead to kick off Western AA play.
The Bulldogs took a punch to the gut Friday. They battled back from a 16-0 hole to take a 22-16 lead into the fourth quarter. An hour-long lightning delay, though, zapped the momentum from the Dogs and gave it to the Braves.
Junior quarterback Raeder Grey passed for 193 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Bulldogs, who could only muster 42 yards rushing. Grey hit senior Hudson Luedtke 13 times for 80 yards.
That marked the third time in seven games that Luedtke reached double digits in receptions. He caught 15 passes for 177 yards in Butte’s 33-13 win at Billings Skyview Sept. 4. He grabbed 12 passes for 180 yards in the Bulldogs’ Oct. 3 35-28 home loss to Helena High.
Senior Kaleb Celli caught a touchdown pass before catching a pass and powering his way in for a 2-point conversion.
Rising sophomore Kodye Kjersten caught four passes, while senior Mitch Verlanic grabbed two and junior Brady Walsh caught one.
After a review of the film by coaches, Verlanic was credited with a team-best 17 tackles last week. That includes 10 solo tackles.
Senior Gunner Bushman had another huge game for the Bulldog defense, chalking up 12 tackles. Jaeger Hansen, who was bruised and battered, got in on 10 tackles. He went to the hospital and received six stitches above his eye after the game.
Kjersten is also a force on defense for Butte High. The defensive back picked off a pass and returned it 21 yards to set up a Bushman 1-yard touchdown run.
Seniors Bridger Brancamp and Jacob Galle got in on nine tackles apiece, while junior linebacker Finn Wortham registered seven and Luedtke got in on six.
The Bulldogs will be back at Naranche Stadium to close out the regular season next Friday night against Helena Capital.
BC streak snapped in Frenchtown
Butte Central ran into a buzzsaw, as they say, Friday night.
Nine different Frenchtown players carried the football as the Broncs rushed for 290 yards in a 49-7 Southwestern A win over the Maroons. (Boxscore)
The loss snapped Central’s four-game winning streak.The game was tied at 7 after the first quarter, but then the Broncs erupted in a game that was also delayed by lightning.
Jake Forthofer and Cole Johnson each ran for 83 yards in the win. Johnson scored a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Warner and Bailey Corette each punched in one.
Dawson Rodoni also passed for a pair of touchdowns, finding Jordan Warner and Cooper Michaud on scoring strikes.
The win lifted the Broncs to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Southwestern A play. BC fell to 4-2 and 2-1.
The Frenchtown defense held BC to minus 30 yards rushing. Senior quarterback Ryan Peoples passed for 96 yards and a touchdown. His scoring strike went to classmate Jack Nagle.
Nagle joined GG Fantini with three receptions. Freshman Henly Mansanti caught two, while junior Joshua Sutton and sophomore Treigh Hollow each caught one.
On Monday, BC coaches named junior lineman Jack Nylund the Butte Central Player of the Week.
More than anything, the Maroons have proven to be a resilient bunch in 2025. They will look to bounce back as they hit the road again Friday to take on Hamilton in another Southwestern A game.
Hamilton enters the game at 5-1 and 2-1. These Broncs only lost to Frenchtown, dropping a 21-14 decision at home on Oct. 13. Hamilson doubled up Dillon 42-21 last week in Dillon.
Sophomore quarterback Cooper Weston had a huge game to lead Hamilton in Dillon. He passed for 239 and a touchdown. The TD was a 68-yard pass to junior Jude Wilmer. Weston also ran for three touchdowns.
The Maroons will be back on the Bob Green Field next week to close the regular season against Dillon.
Butte High spikes Eagles in 4
Butte High picked up a four-set win over Missoula Big Sky Tuesday night at the Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium.
The Bulldogs dropped the first set 25-22 before battling back to win the next three 25-22, 25-21 and 25-18. (Boxscore)
Senior Gracie Jonart had a monster night in the win. She spiked 20 kills and registered three blocks to lead the Bulldog attack. Junior Allie Becker added 11 kills, while junior Avery Barsness spiked eight. The Bulldogs also got five kills and three blocks from senior Audrey McClafferty.
Freshman Ellison Graham set 36 assists in the win, and senior Cadence Graham led the backcourt with 26 digs.
Jonart also had a strong game receiving, picking up 21 digs. Becker collected 17.
Junior Ellie Yates served three aces. Cadence Graham and Becker added two.
The Bulldogs dropped a three-set match to Missoula Hellgate Thursday at the Richardson Gym. The Knights left town with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 win. (Boxscore)
Eleanor Stockman and Cady Schneider each tallied 12 kills to lead Hellgate in the win.
Barsness killed 14 to lead Butte High. Ellison Graham, Becker and McClafferty followed with six, and Jonart killed five.
Becker’s 18 digs paced the back court. Cadence Graham added 15, and Ellison Grahm dug 10. The younger graham set 33 assists.
The Bulldogs will have a little bit of a break before their next action. They play Kalispell Flathead and Glacier next Thursday and Friday at the Richardson Gym.
Butte High will host Senior Night Oct. 28 when Helena High comes to town.
Bulldogs honors soccer seniors
Butte High’s soccer teams honored their senior and parents Thursday as the Bulldogs played host to Missoula Hellgate at Bulldog Memorial Stadium.
Hellgate won the boys’ match 7-0, and the Knights won the girls’ battle 10-0. Two days later, Butte High fell at Missoula Big Sky. The score of the boys’ game was 7-0, and Butte’s girls’ dropped a 6-1 decision.
Sophomore Katie Breitmeyer scored Butte’s lone goal.
The senior girls honored by the Bulldogs are Jessie Trudgeon, Peyton Liva, Mya Murphy, Jessica Blow, Chloe Salusso, Lydia Revenaugh and Mattie Stepan.
Seniors on the boys’ team are Ziggy Okrusch, Obi Breeton, Josh Liston, Tino Riojas, Josh Schrader, Philip Russo, Jaxon Jonart, Cohen Andrews, Kyler Carpenter and Ben McAdams.
The Butte High teams will close the regular season Friday at home against Kalispell Glacier. The boys play at 1 p.m., and the girls follow at 3.
Only the top six teams in each conference advance to the Class AA playoffs.
Rams win Blocktober title
Billings Central was the last team standing at Butte Central’s annual Blocktober Classic volleyball tournament, which was played Friday and Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.
The rams beat Havre 25-16, 25-19 in the championship match.
Dillon bested Anaconda 25-18, 23-25, 15-4 to win the consolation bracket.
Butte Central went 1-6 in Pool C play. The Maroons fell 25-17 to Anaconda, 25-13 to Billings Central, 25-14 to Havre, 25-17 to Lewistown, 25-14 to Hardin and 25-19 to Polson. Central knocked off Libby 25-16.
The Maroons played in the Copper bracket following pool play, bowing out in two matches. BC dropped a 25-15, 25-21 battle to Stevensville before losing out with a 10-25, 25-10, 15-12 battle with Libby.
After the busy weekend, the Maroons played at home Tuesday night, dropping a 25-20, 25-16, 25-10 match to Stevensville at the MAC.
The Maroons will play at Corvallis on Saturday before hitting the road again next Tuesday to play Frenchtown.
Central’s last home match is set for Oct. 25 when Hamilton comes to town for Senior Day at the MAC.
BC runs at Mission Shadows Duels
Two Butte Central varsity runners competed at the Mission Shadows Duals Saturday at the Silver Fox Golf Course in Pablo. (Results)
The race came two days after they competed in the Capital City 7 of 7 races in Helena.
Junior Jack Holmes finished the 5-kilometer race in 23 minutes, 55 seconds to lead the Maroons. Eighth grader Roman Terry finished in 25:08.
John Jermyn of Plans won the race in 16:03. Teammate Cord Greer took second in 1632, and Polson’s David DiGiallonardo took third in 16:39.
Polson runners Morgan and Quinn Delaney led the girls’ field. Morgan, a junior, finished in 18:54, while Quinn, a freshman, crossed in 19:35. Libby’s Capri Farmer placed third in 19:40.
The Maroons will run at the Western A Classic Friday in Hamilton. Butte High’s runners will compete with Bozeman and Belgrade Thursday at the Cottonwood Hills Golf Club in Bozeman.
Both Butte squads will compete at the MHSA State meet Oct. 25 in Missoula.
-
Podcast No. 296: Michael Glatzmaier
Michael Glatzmaier got his first name from Michael Jordan. While his parents named him after the greatest basketball player of all time, this Michael he says he does not have an athletic bone in his body.
Instead, he is a musician and comedian who specializes in improv. He plays the guitar, and some of his act includes singing songs about topics suggested by the audience.
He will bring that show to Bourbon Alley in the Butte Depot on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Tickets for the show are just $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. (Click here to buy tickets.)
Michael is a comedian based in Spokane, where he grew up the youngest of five boys. He describes himself as not being the brightest tool in the shed.
He will be filming his show in Butte as part of a documentary following a year and half of his tour around the United States. The movie is expected to be released in 2027.
Listen in to this episode in to hear how Michael got into comedy and what he does when he is not traveling and performing on stage.
Listen in to hear how his show works and how he relies on audience participation. That, though, does not mean heckling. Listen in to hear that you just might want to check out his show next week.
This episode is also available on YouTube:
-
Don’t you worry about our reputation
Butte High was playing football the night the great comedian Aaron Foster performed in Butte. So, I drove to Helena to catch his show the night after.
Aaron was my guest on the ButteCast a couple of weeks before the show, and he left me a couple of tickets in Helena. During the post-show mingling period, I was talking to Aaron about his performance in Butte. He said he had good turnout.
I told him that the comedy scene in Butte had not been great, but it is now starting to gain some steam, at least in part, because Brittani Ferris founded Uptown Comedy and started bringing in great acts like Aaron.
As soon as I mentioned Butte and comedy, this guy with a hipster beard butted in to give his opinion on Butte. The guy, who seemed to be trying too hard to impress with his colored tattoos down one arm and the opposite leg, snickered as he looked at his girlfriend.
“Nothing to laugh about in Butte,” the Helena hipster muttered, intentionally loud enough for me to hear as I proudly wore my Butte Muckers hoodie.
Now, that is a very poor characterization of our town. In addition to being perhaps the most caring folks on the planet, Butte people have a very good sense of humor. Maybe it is the prolonged exposure to lead, but we really do seem to laugh a lot.
I bit my lip and held back the urge to engage with a guy who was displaying the same snobbish sentiment that we have all had to deal with from time to time. You know, the “oh, you’re from Butte” attitude.
I do not get why some people are so condescending to our town. Sure, we have an open-pit mine filled up with contaminated water. We have a poor history of our leaders giving in to the oil company that owns the cleanup responsibility.
But don’t these people who hate on us like to turn on a light when they use the bathroom?
Well, they might not be able to do that if it wasn’t for the good ol’ Mining City. The copper that was extracted from the “Richest Hill on Earth” helped light the world. It also helped save it.
As my friend Fritz Daily says, if it wasn’t for Butte, we’d all be speaking German. That is because Butte helped the good guys win a pair of world wars —with our precious minerals and the many brave men and women from the Holey City who fought for our country.
Sure, we recently had another “dirty water” scare, and so many around the state laugh at us about that. Even Missoula laughed about it, and that water is heading directly toward them. No matter the laughter, though, the contribution Butte made to the state, country and world cannot be disputed.
In recent years, Butte Rat Rob O’Neill killed the world’s most notorious terrorist. Butte cousins Robert Lester and Braxton Mitchell took a canoe from Butte to the Pacific Ocean to make a documentary, “The Columbia River Project,” which shined light on the importance of dam removal and cleaning up mine waste in the watershed.
The city that gave you Evel Knievel also produced an Olympic bronze medalist in Bryon Wilson, and it turned out a couple of football stars in Colt Anderson and Tommy Mellott.
Colt has given back to his hometown, state and beyond more than any athlete I have ever seen, and Tommy is such an incredible human that he won over Montana Grizzly fans while playing for the Montana State Bobcats.
Yet, so many people around the state still seem to dislike us. Matt Vincent calls it “Butte envy,” and that must be it. It has to be the only explanation.
We could drain the water from the Berkeley Pit, fill in the hole, build a new version of Disney Land, and let everyone in for free, and a large percentage of people around the state still would not like us.
That is why I decided to not say anything to the hipster in Helena. Our reputation precedes us, and that status seems to be cemented in stone. There was no use trying to change his mind.
However, when I see talk about the State of Montana potentially choosing Butte as the site to build a new women’s prison, I see so many people talk about what it would do to our reputation.
Really? Since when did Butte people worry about our reputation?
Now, I don’t know if building a prison in town would be a good thing. It just seems so ironic when I look at some of the people speaking out against the potential project.
When Vincent and I laughed at Destination Montana — that plan to turn Butte into Branson, Missouri with a bunch of music halls, golf courses and wide-open gambling in 2003 — we were accused of hating the hometown we love so much.
When I spoke out to try to stop Butte-Silver Bow from running the Silver-Bow Drive-In out of business by changing zoning laws to build a gas station next to the only outdoor theater in the state, I was accused of pushing jobs away.
Now, some of those same people are arguing that we do not need all the jobs that will come with building and running a 400-bed prison because it will hurt our quality of life or tarnish our reputation?
I just don’t get it. We are talking about good, union jobs with benefits, too.
One argument I have seen repeated by many is the claim that we don’t have the people to fill the jobs. Or, as they say, “nobody wants to work.”
That claim is so unbelievably shortsighted. Trust me, if you offer pay worthy of the work and benefits that a worker can raise a family on, you will never have a problem finding quality applicants for your jobs.
Another argument I have seen was that we “already have the Butte Pre-Release Center dragging us down,” and that is just completely ridiculous. In a lot of ways, that center helped save our town after the mines closed and the Montana Power Co. parachuted away.
I shudder to think where we would be if we did not have the jobs and services provided by Community, Counselling, and Correctional Services, Inc.
Others make arguments against the prison as if they don’t seem to understand that the prisoners will be locked up. It isn’t like they are going to be walking around town competing with the homeless for our spare change.
And our town is strong enough that it will not be “ruined” by the families of the prisoners moving in. I’ve seen that argument made, too.
Deer Lodge has long been home of the Montana State Prison. Not only is Deer Lodge a lovely town that is always nice to visit, the community has embraced the prison. Their high school sports teams are called the “Wardens.”
Now, I will not pretend to know if building a prison in Butte will be a good thing or a bad thing. I am not an expert in economics or sociology. Maybe the prison would push away businesses. Maybe the influx of jobs that come with the prison would entice someone to build us an indoor movie theater.
It is, after all, pretty sad that we are the only city in the state where you won’t be able to watch the new Bruce Springsteen movie when it comes out.
There are real, legitimate concerns that people have about the prison, and all those concerns should be addressed before the final decision is made. They probably will not be, but they should be. The people of Butte — and the citizens in other cities or towns also under consideration for the prison — should have their voices heard.
If it is not the best thing for Butte, then it should be built somewhere else.
But, please, do not base your opinion on whether the project will hurt the reputation of Butte. The rest of the state has been looking down on us for decades, and that has never hurt our feelings.
Part of the true beauty of Butte is that we have never cared what Helena hipsters thought of us.
— Bill Foley, who really wants to see the new Bruce Springsteen movie, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74 or Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
-
Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Mitch Verlanic & flag football seniors
Butte High senior football player Mitch Verlanic and the six Butte High flag football senior players are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Verlanic takes home the boys’ honor. Butte High’s football team dropped a 23-22 heart-breaker at Kalispell Flathead Friday night, but Verlanic continued to be a huge bright spot for the Bulldogs. He registered 17 tackles, 10 of which were solo.
The defensive back leads the Bulldogs with 73 total tackles. That includes a team-leading 52 solo take downs, which easily leads the team. His season includes a pair of interceptions, two passes defended and a forced fumble.
Verlanic also caught two passes for 23 yards in Friday’s game at Kalispell.
Butte High’s six senior flag football players share the girls’ honor. They are Jaydyn Mason, McKenna LeCoure, Charlee Griner, Allie Ballensky, Megan Flanick and Laney Huizinga.
Those six Bulldogs led the team under first-year head coach John Stenson. The seniors were instrumental in a transition year for the Bulldogs, who appear to be set up for a bright future. Those seniors clearly left the program in better than they found it.
“They were a great group of seniors who were a huge part of our team,” Stenson said. “They will be missed.”
For the third year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Photos courtesy Alycia Holland Photography. The flat football players are, from left, Mason, LeCoure, Griner, Ballensky, Flanick and Huizinga.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 