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Good morning.
In this issue we hear from students and teachers speaking out against the decision not to file felony charges after a student stabbed a teacher at Billings Senior High earlier this year. Plus, MSU-B student polling, an elections update and an extra dose of weekend events for a little fun before Election Day.
But first, a weather preview ☀️
It’s shaping up to be a mild Halloween weekend here in Billings. The National Weather Service forecasts foggy mornings and partly sunny afternoons, with highs up to 57 and overnight lows down to 34. And with Daylight Saving Time on Sunday at 2 a.m., you can look forward to an extra hour of sleep.
Teachers show up in force to protest lack of felony charges in school stabbing
Outcry continued this week after news broke that prosecutors weren’t filing felony charges against the former student suspected of stabbing a teacher earlier this year.
The news led teachers and community members to gather at rallies Tuesday morning at Senior High, the site of the stabbing in January, and later that day at the Yellowstone County Courthouse. One organizer said the events were aimed at sending a positive message about the importance of school safety.
“This is not a protest in any way,” said Billings Education Association President Lance Edward. “It’s not against the school district. It’s not against our superintendent, our school board.”
The Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office declined to comment on its decision not to file a felony charge, but incoming County Attorney Arielle Dean said Monday prosecutors “took our time reviewing everything” before declining to prosecute. They’ve referred the case to the City Attorney’s Office to review for possible misdemeanor prosecution.
Cars driving by Senior Monday morning honked their horns and people on the sidewalk waved back. There was a card table set up with sandwiches, and people hugged and chatted.
But that unifying mood seemed to shift by the next morning, when more than a dozen teachers, students and parents spoke tearfully and sometimes angrily about their concerns at the Board of County Commission meeting.
Brooke Taylor, head girls’ basketball coach at Senior and a math teacher there, said she and her players were in a third-floor classroom reviewing film when another teacher ran in, “covered in blood,” looking for help after being stabbed.
“I want to be clear I’m not here to undermine our incoming interim county attorney or pre-judge her work,” Taylor said. “She deserves the opportunity to do her job fairly and independently. But respecting that process does not mean the rest of us need to remain silent. I know I am not alone feeling frustrated, unsettled and in need of answers.”
Taylor said she wanted an explanation about the specific evidence and legal standards that led to the decision not to file a felony case. She and two other adults who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the stabbing gave statements to police that night but were not contacted again, she said. She said they did as police asked and “let the investigation play out,” but that she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.
“Staying silent is no longer something I feel like I can do, not when unanswered questions surrounding this case affect our community’s confidence in the legal process,” Taylor said.
Another teacher described going into lockdown with a separate group of student athletes, believing an active shooter was in the building.
Ivy Runsabove, a senior at Senior High and member of the basketball team that was in the classroom the victim ran to after being stabbed, said tearfully that she used to want to become a teacher but that the stabbing has changed her mind.
“It made school feel unsafe, and I constantly live in paranoia walking the hallways,” Runsabove said. “I am scared that I don’t know what people are thinking. I constantly question all my classmates, whether I know them personally or not.”
Bruce Wendt, a retired West High history teacher, said that in recent days he has heard from others still teaching in the district who are worried about the implications of the prosecutors’ decision.
“Do the teachers have the support of authorities, i.e., the county attorney?” Wendt asked.
At least two teachers said the stabbing or violence in schools more generally contributed to their decision to retire or find work outside the school district. One mother said she’s still paying down the bill from counseling for her daughter, who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the attack. Several wore Senior High T-shirts or other orange-and-black apparel. Some brought signs from Monday’s rallies, one of which read: “We teach consequences. Why don’t you?”
MSU-B students conduct pre-Election Day polling
This week, political science students at Montana State University Billings published findings from a poll they conducted Oct. 5-21.
The Mountain State Poll, which began in 1989, is now run by Hope Dewell Gentry, an assistant professor of political science. The group reached 720 respondents: 129 by phone and 591 online. The results have a margin of error of 3.65%.
The poll gave a slight edge to Republican Senate candidate Kurt Alme over Independent Seth Bodnar. In the western congressional district, the MSU-B poll gives Democrat Sam Forstag a sizable lead (49% said they’d vote for him if the election were held that day) over Republican Aaron Flint (32%). That question had a higher margin of error (5.78%) than the full report.
A Montana Free Press-Rutgers Eagleton poll conducted Aug. 27- Sept. 7 showed the Flint-Forstag race as a dead heat.
You can read the full Mountain State Poll results here.
Yellowstone County elections update
The Yellowstone County Elections Office continues to receive at least a couple of thousand ballots a day as Nov. 3 nears, with the bulk (83%) coming by mail, according to infographics posted on the office’s Facebook page. The county had a 46% voter participation rate as of Thursday afternoon.
Starting Wednesday, election administrators began offering a drive-through ballot drop-box at MetraPark to speed up in-person delivery. The service is available at the Pavilion parking lot 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and again Monday. On Election Day, it will be available 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A representative from the League of Women Voters told the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday that the group is worried about voter access this year, with the elections office now located at MetraPark and no ballot drop box available at the courthouse, where people are accustomed to dropping their ballots. She asked for more prominent signage at the courthouse to redirect people to the Metra, as well as a drive-up drop box at Metra and other measures.
Elections Administrator Dayna Causby said in a previous interview with Montana Free Press that state law requires two election judges to monitor the ballot drop box, although the Yellowstone County office opts to staff with three to cover needed breaks. Causby said the courthouse lobby is small and has ongoing construction, and that it “doesn’t do voters justice” to have three people crammed into the space.
Following Up ↩️
The Billings City Council this week, not surprisingly, moved ahead with a couple of infrastructure improvements planned for the city, awarding a $300,000 contract to HDR Engineering to fix leaks at the water treatment plant and giving the go-ahead to Parks and Rec to buy new playground equipment for Veterans Park.
The council also approved tax increment financing funds for improvements to 213 N. Broadway, which currently houses Edward Jones. Voting no were Councilmembers Tony O’Donnell and Roy Neese, who said he thought downtown TIF funds should instead go toward developing housing.
About Town 🚶
Friday at 7:30 p.m., there’s a concert themed “peace, love and protest: songs for a hopeful America” by Ellen and The Old School and Friends at Craft Local, 2501 Montana Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
Saturday night, the popular local band John Roberts y Pan Blanco will play at Thirsty Street, at 2129 First Ave. N. Entry is $10. Show starts at 7 p.m. Event includes a costume contest with prizes. The band describes its music as “Afro-Latin salsa funk.”
If you’re looking for a more formal Halloween bash, the Moss Mansion is holding a Monster Ballfrom 7 to 10 p.m. Entry is $55 and includes cocktails, appetizers, a photo booth, a costume contest and dancing. Proceeds fund the Moss Mansion, which is operated by the Billings Preservation Society.
Sunday from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Skate World is hosting an adult skate night. Entry is $15. Skate World is located at 701 S. 29th St. W. Costumes are encouraged.
And again, if you are looking for a slightly classier cultural experience Sunday night, head to Alberta Bair Theater at 6 p.m. for the World Ballet Company’s performance of Swan Lake, with a live orchestra. Tickets in the nosebleeds start at $59.
Game of the Week 🏆
OK, so it’s not technically a game. On Saturday, Dover Park will host The Montana Cup, an annual cross-country race in which multi-aged teams from each of the state’s seven largest cities compete for a traveling trophy. Runners span the ages of teen through “master’s division,” or 40-plus. Women run at noon and men at 1 p.m. at 2531 Mary St. in the Heights. What a cool concept. Go, Billings!
