Author: Evelyn Pyburn

The Nonsense of Nonpartisan

20 May 2025
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

To declare an election to be “nonpartisan” is a farce and everyone knows it.

The declaration isn’t made to claim that the candidate has no opinions or political views  – it is to declare that the voters have no right to know what they are.

It is an orchestrated scheme to favor those whose views are contrary to what is perhaps the views of the majority of voters.

It is NOT a neutral strategy. It does, very much, favor one side over the other.

The puzzling thing is why some go along with it. I have encountered candidates who said that they have been hesitant to speak their minds when talking to voters because they are supposed to be “nonpartisan.” Why?

What a gambit for those who have faulty ideas!

How would a politician expect to defend their ideas and fight for what they believe is right should they be elected, if they are going to be so easily intimidated by those who don’t want to be forthright?

There is a good reason why some politicians refuse interviews that don’t provide questions in advance, or who do not attend town hall meetings, or steer clear of talk shows that field questions from phone callers. They do not have winning answers – or perhaps any answers.

Of course, it is implied that to be nonpartisan means to be neutral or impartial, which it is not. Nonpartisan, especially as it applies to political candidates, is but a very concerted effort to keep information from voters. After all, a party affiliation has to do with political ideas – if a candidate chooses to identify with one or the other, it’s meant as a signal about ideas with which they align themselves — at least that’s what it should be about.

Someone who actually has no opinions is pretty much brain dead, and certainly a poor candidate to do anything.

Can a person strive to be neutral in presenting an idea? Sure they can and there are times it is the right thing for which to strive. But not in the voting booth. Voting is a contest about ideas. Who has the best ideas? If campaigns are required to leave issues or political philosophies unspoken, upon what are voters supposed to base their decisions? How tall they are? Who they are related to? Where they were born? What their hobbies are? On what should voters base decisions if the first rule of the contest is not to discuss ideas?

No political contest displays that more than the nonsensical, non-partisan city council elections. Often there are novice candidates who have very little or no visibility in the community. As a city council election approaches the most common question among locals in any conversation becomes, “Do you know anything about this person?” 

Voting for judges is no different. Do nonpartisan advocates really think that the ability to be able to interpret the law impartially means not to have personal opinions or the integrity to hold to basic principles? Indeed, as we have all clearly seen, judges do have biases that sometimes prompt them to ignore the law and decree a new twist to it – and those most prone to those kinds of decisions are those who most benefit from nonpartisan elections. To hold true to the mandate to interpret the law is indeed a difficult challenge, especially when it seems to contradict common sense or a person’s strongly held philosophical beliefs. Judges who can do that are indeed unique individuals.  Shouldn’t voters have all the information they can possibly have to identify which candidates seem to have that kind of integrity?

A judge who might be criticized for imposing a bad law because of its consequences, should freely state, “If you don’t like the law, then change it the appropriate way.”

If a law is really not a good law, how will it ever be changed if its true impact isn’t revealed in its application? That is really the role of judges – not to rewrite it. How can bad laws ever be identified and changed if not accurately applied? Voters must be able to identify who is truly capable of interpreting laws accurately and which candidates have the character and integrity to do so.

All I can suggest is, if someone believes nonpartisan elections are a good idea, don’t vote for them.

Ice Arena Groundbreaking

20 May 2025
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By Evelyn Pyburn

It’s a new era for ice hockey in Billings, Montana – in fact for all ice sports.

With Signal Peak Energy’s $6 million donation, this past month, along with the addition of many other community donations, a groundbreaking ceremony was held last Wednesday to build a $12 million Signal Peak Energy Arena, which will feature two-sheets of ice for hockey, curling, figure skating, etc.

On a bright sunny and very warm day, hundreds of people and numerous dignitaries, including Governor Greg Gianforte, were on site to commemorate the launching of the new facility, which will eventually include a second phase of four basketball courts. The new sports complex is located on property the city purchased a few years ago, next to the Amend Park Soccer Complex, near the corner of South Billings Boulevard and King Avenue East.

The two-sheet ice project is a public – private collaboration of The Yellowstone Ice Foundation and the South Billings Urban Renewal Association, (SBURA), a tax increment finance district funded by property taxes from business growth in the vicinity of the intersection of Interstate 90 and South Billings Boulevard. SBURA donated $4.6 million.

The goal of the Yellowstone Ice Foundation, which will operate the new facility, is to build it without further reliance on public dollars. Over a year ago, City of Billings’ voters rejected a $143 million bond aimed at building and maintaining a full scale recreation facility, in the same location. That effort followed years of effort, by hockey and other ice sports participants to find a way to increase capacity for their growing sports, since they were out-growing the existing Centennial Arena, which has been the only ice arena in Billings since the mid- 70s.

The new state-of-the –art facility will not only serve the youth of today but will “drive long-term economic success and create opportunities for athletes of all ages,” heralded Parker Phipps, Signal Peak president & C.E.O.  Signal Peak operates Montana’s only underground coal mine north of Billings on the border of Yellowstone County and Musselshell County near Roundup. Phipps is also president of the Yellowstone Ice Foundation Board.

Alex Picicci, Signal Peak senior accountant and secretary-treasurer for the Yellowstone Ice Foundation, also spoke to the crowd about the potential for ice sports in Billings.

The crowd especially enjoyed a historical rendition about hockey in Billings, from a man referred to as the Godfather of Hockey in Billings, Joe Studiner.

There was no hockey in Billings when Studiner arrived in the city over 50 years ago, which made him inclined to think he wasn’t going to remain in the city very long. But when he heard that there was an effort to form a youth team, he arrived at the gathering ready to serve as a coach and became a leader for the sport in Billings and throughout the state. As strange as it might seem for a city located in the north, the sport’s biggest struggle – with only outdoor rinks – – was that it was often too warm to have ice.

Studiner is more than pleased with the prospect of having an indoor rink with two sheets of ice.

The 69,996-square-foot complex will have capacity for about 2,940 spectators, and is expected to contribute to future economic growth of sports tourism for Billings, which has been championed by Visit Billings as part of the Billings Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber of Commerce President/ CEO, John Brewer, underscored the growing importance of sports tourism to the local economy.  Billings Mayor Bill Cole, further emphasized the potential for the Billings economy, stating, “Tourism is a powerful economic driver.” He noted that each year, the city hosts 2.6 million visitors, generating $621 million in spending.

The Billings Tourism Business Improvement District has announced the commitment of $1 million over the next three years to support Signal Peak Energy Arena.

That announcement followed an earlier one from Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Billings of a $500,000 contribution, which secured the naming rights for the building’s lobby.

“Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company is well-known for their commitment to the Billings community,” said Phipps. “Pepsi’s donation brings a legacy of public support to the state-of-the-art ice arena.”

Tom Dimich of Pepsi-Cola Bottling explained. “Our involvement goes beyond supplying refreshing soft drinks; we’re eager to invest in a project that will do so much for the families and athletes in the region.”

According to Yellowstone Ice Foundation they have has raised over $11 million of their $16 million goal.

Another $1 million was donated by the Larson Family. First Interstate Bank has contributed $45,000. Other contributions have come from KE Construction,  KOA, Billings Amateur Hockey Leagues, Tom and Joan Scott Foundation, Northwest Pipe Fittings, BNSF Railway, Western Security Bank, Altana, The Clark-O’Rourke Family, Weave, MCAHA, The Seedhouse Family, Billings Overhead Door Co., Edwards & Culver, The Wald Family, Mattress King, Intermountain Health, Collaborative Design Architects, A & E Design, and Allegra.

“This project is a win for Billings and for Montana kids,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Thanks to strong community partners and Signal Peak Energy, we’re investing in a stronger future for the community and for young athletes looking to grow, compete, and have fun.”

Dick Zier, who heads SBURA, also spoke to welcome the ice arena. He said that they expect the addition of a $20 million basketball court to be ready in a little more than a year.

The Signal Peak Energy Arena is expected to be completed in April 2026.

$16.6 billion State Budget

19 May 2025
Evelyn Pyburn
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The Montana State Legislature concluded its business for the 2025 session. It passed over eight hundred bills, many of which await action by the Governor. Over the last 20 years, the average number of bills adopted was 614. The legislators approved a $16.6 billion budget, which is about 15% more than the 2023 budget. It includes raises for state employees, two new district court judges for Yellowstone County, additional spending on health and human services, and a $500 million recruitment and retention fund for state employees, housing lending program and child care. While it remained questionable, right up to the last hours of the session, the legislators finally passed property tax “relief” which will shift the property tax burden from homes and long-term rentals to secondary properties and businesses.

The budget relies upon about $5 billion from the General Fund, which is drawn from state income taxes.

About $60 million in tax revenue collected from taxes on recreational marijuana will be shifted from the general fund and directed more specifically to environmental rehabilitation projects on private lands under the Fish, Wildlife and Parks department. The shift draws funding away from funds previously directed to support treatment for substance abuse and health disorders, and support of law enforcement efforts and homelessness.

Society Revives Yellowstone Trail; Christiansen Recognized for Dedication . . .

21 April 2025
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By Evelyn Pyburn

What if you had a brand new car but no place to drive it?

In the early 1900s that was exactly the dilemma faced by owners of the newfangled automobile. Just as new as the automobile, was the idea of roads. Early on, entrepreneurs across the country recognized the potential roads could bring to tourism; and, citizens – not governments — built the Yellowstone Trail – the first transcontinental automobile highway through the upper tier states.

Although now lost to history, the Yellowstone Trail is being revived by the Yellowstone Historical Society under the leadership of Renee Christiansen, who was recently presented with the Annual Eugene T. Carroll Individual Achievement Award in recognition of her ten years as president of the Yellowstone Historical Society and her dedicated interest in preserving the community’s history.

Signs designating the former route of the Yellowstone Trail can be seen in Billings, throughout Yellowstone County, and across the state, thanks to the efforts of members of the Yellowstone Historical Society, as well as other historian buffs across Montana, and along the entire 2,445 miles of the route that extends from Plymouth, Massachusetts, through Montana to Yellowstone National Park, to Seattle, Washington. That the trail would go to Yellowstone National Park was a top priority in its development because that was recognized as a top destination for tourists, said Christiansen, who has long been a strong advocate for the industry.

As the trail winds its way through the county, some of the old roadway is visible, but much of it has been incorporated into main highways and arterials. Travelers may notice Yellowstone Trail Signs along Hwy. 312 to Bench Boulevard in the Heights, and along First Avenue North in downtown Billings, as it jogs onto First Avenue South across the railroad tracks.

Besides signs being placed along the route, the Yellowstone Historical Society and similar organizations who are part of the Yellowstone Trails Association are putting together booklets that will tell its story and highlight historical sites along each segment to inform and encourage tourists. The association also publishes a magazine to which historians submit articles.

Christiansen said she became intrigued with local history as she and her husband, Lee, launched their business, Montana Fun Adventure Tours, in 1996. As they pulled clients into Montana from across the country and around the world, they quickly discovered there was great interest in the history of the area. “People were always surprised to discover that there is so much history,” said Christiansen.

Christiansen discovered and was quickly drawn to the activities of the Yellowstone Historical Society. Besides putting Yellowstone Trail back on the map, so to speak, members have placed other signage designating other historical sites in the area. Christiansen is proud of the line-up of outstanding speakers that Yellowstone Historical Society has hosted over the years. They also present Histories Mysteries with Prudy Ladd.  And, Christiansen was instrumental in initiating the lighting of the community Christmas tree in Community Park in downtown Billings.

Six Local Businesses Invest $175 million in Yellowstone County

7 April 2025
Evelyn Pyburn
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Six businesses in Yellowstone County received two different forms of tax abatement on new investments from Yellowstone County Commissioners.

Total investments made in the county’s economy by the six companies totaled $175,702,197.

Applying for the tax rebates to cover recent new investment in their businesses are Phillips 66, CHS, Inc., and Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country. Par Montana received abatement on equipment.

The County Commissioners cannot deny these requests but they are allowed by state law to determine the amount of rebate at 80, 90 or 100 percent for an initial 5-year period. After the initial abatement, the tax is increased incrementally over the next four years until the property is fully taxed.

County commissioners granted a rebate of 80 percent for these applicants:

—Phillips 66 invested $11,591,018.

—CHS, the refinery in Laurel, has invested $10,501,546.

—Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country invested $21 million.

—Par Montana has purchased $10,909,633.19 in equipment.

County Commissioners are allowed to accept or reject two other requests, as well as determine whether to abate at 80, 90 or 100 percent They approved, also at 80 percent, abatement for:

—Town and Country Supply Association, 3833 Coulson Road, Billings, which has invested $6,400,000;

—Rocky Vista University, Billings, completed construction in March 2026, on medical facilities and veterinary school, with an investment of $115.3 million.

County Elections Department Plans Move to Metra Park

7 April 2025
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By Evelyn Pyburn

Yellowstone County Commissioners are taking a hard look at moving the county’s Election Department, in its entirety, to Metra Park.

With the Election’s Department Director, Ginger Aldrich, concerned about not having enough space for the Department to perform its functions, especially after what was experienced in the November general election, County Commissioner Mike Waters took on the challenge of delving into the problem to come up with a solution. At Wednesday’s discussion meeting county officials reviewed the options, challenges and recommendations.

Waters and Aldrich’s top recommendation is to do some renovations of Cedar Hall at MetraPark and make it the one-stop location for most aspects of conducting elections. While the move will not provide all of the space that Aldrich projected as needed it does come close and offers many benefits.

Such as: The location of MetraPark is well known to everybody and many people are already used to going there to vote. The location has ample parking and plenty of space to accommodate dropping off ballots. And perhaps most beneficial is that ballots remain in one location which generates more public confidence in the integrity of elections.

Other options that were scrutinized included splitting operations between the new administration building, which is in the process of being refurbished for county departments, and to continue to lease space from Wells Fargo, which is a solution that has been used in the last two years. Waters said he was anxious to end the cost of that lease.

Another suggestion was to continue with the plan to have the main “front facing” Election office in the County Administration Building (CAB), the former Miller Building, and perform some of the other functions in the Cedar Hall location. Aldrich and some of those working for the department commented that it was one thing to have to walk back and forth between the Election’s office and the Wells Fargo Building (often as many as five times a day) and quite another to have to drive back and forth from the CAB and MetraPark. It also increases concerns about security and election integrity.

Aldrich also announced out that the City of Billings offered first floor space in their new office building (the Stillwater Building) at a “very generous rate.” While the distance between the Stillwater Building and the CAB is greater than that of their current office and Wells Fargo, it would still be doable, and the great entry way into the Stillwater Building would accommodate the long lines that often occur for Elections.

Kevan Bryan, Director, Office of Management Budget at Yellowstone County, expressed concerns about the fact that the Cedar Hall location will still not meet all of the space that Aldrich, initially, estimated as needed.

Waters’ provided a statement regarding the positive aspects that the Cedar Hall option provides:

“The strength of this option is based on the fact that it can be used to maintain the front-facing office and the operational side in one place. This is a significant advantage and the Elections Department is willing to configure a smaller space specifically to ensure both registration and ballot processing stay together. Management of election judges and registration in two areas is challenging when they are one block apart. Separating them by more than a walkable space would not allow effective oversight or management of both registration and ballot processing.

The ground level space provides positive aspects for:

— Accessibility of the public including disabled and elderly voters

— Movement of mail, ballots, and other bulky items such as polling place material drop off by county staff and election judges

–Negates the need for adequate elevator space / a freight elevator

Rejected ballots and other materials flow between the registration office and the operations side. Unifying these processes ensures:

— Temporary election judges work under direct supervision from permanent staff

— Ballots and other election materials remain within the custody and control of election space, rather than having to move between spaces with additional paperwork requirements and the logistics of moving those materials to another site.

Commissioners Reject Bike Trail Master Plan

7 April 2025
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

Yellowstone County Commissioners unanimously rejected the Billings Area Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, which was presented to them by the City –County Planning Department. Besides the commissioners, the plan goes before the Yellowstone County Planning Board, the Billings City Council, and the Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC) for approval.

As the plan was being presented to the County Commissioners by Alta Planning+ Design, the engineering firm engaged to develop it, Commissioner John Ostlund raised questions about whether they weighed the cost vs benefits of spending so much on building trails for the use of so few people.  He said he has been involved with the issue for many years and has observed that one can drive around the community on a very nice day and not see even ten bikes on the bike trails.  “I can’t find a bike on the bike trails,” he said.

Ostlund referenced S. 32nd  Street W. in Billings, where a bike trail shares the pavement of a very busy thoroughfare with heavy traffic that is often stalled waiting to move forward – with their motors running – while beside them is a  bike lane with not one bike on it, that could be used for more space to improve the traffic flow.

Ostlund said, “I am not going to rubber stamp the plans going forward. I will vote no,” because over the years, “I have asked and asked” about whether this has been reviewed. “It’s a terrible investment. I have never seen anything that spends so much with less benefit.”

Ostlund pointed out that the cost for striping and for signage of a bike trail on city streets, exceeds the cost of striping and signage for the street.

He challenged the practicality of following the federal “Complete Streets” program, which Billings adopted, saying he believes “Complete Streets is a complete failure.”

Elyse Monat, Transportation Planner for the City of Billings Planning Division, said that there have been changes to the plan to make users more comfortable in using bike trails, those routes are identified in the plan as “high comfort.” They involve shared-use paths and provide facilities for pedestrians such as neighborhood bikeways, bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, and separated bike lanes.

Lora Mattox, Transportation Planning Coordinator for the Planning Division, explained the goal of having a bike trail system. “We are trying to make sure people who don’t drive have a means of transportation.”

County Commissioner Mike Waters said that he has noticed trails get the most use in park areas. He added that they do serve “such a small population” and while “it is a lofty goal, we spend a lot of money on them.”

Mattox replied, “We do try to take advantage of the parks .. we are trying to be more diligent in how we plan for these facilities.”

County Commissioner Mark Morse asked about the funding.

Elyse Monat explained the “external funding” they have received in the past, citing a number of federal grants.

Morse responded, “All of it is government tax money.”

Monat conceded that it was, but there is some funding from private organizations—mostly for upkeep.

Morse asked whether they push some of the costs onto private developers.

Monat replied that, “Yes, it is very common that developers will enter an agreement with the city to build sidewalks” and other internal structures in subdivisions to serve the transportation needs.

Mattox further explained, “We have been hearing that people want more connectivity…they want to connect between subdivisions . . . they want to have sidewalk connections.”

Ostlund underscored that sidewalks are not bike trails, and replied, “I like the sidewalks. The Safe Routes to School, if they have a funding source.”

Morse questioned varying data included in the plan regarding attendees at public hearings and surveys. One survey was conducted at the Strawberry Festival where the number of respondents was stated to be 200. Morse asked, “Is this because you had a booth at the Strawberry Festival and anyone who walked by was counted as an attendee?”

Mattox said “We had an interactive poll and we counted them if they participated in it.”

There was discussion about the Billings Area Pedestrian and Bicycle program’s struggle to fund the cost of maintaining the trails. Morse said, “When your own plan says we can’t afford the maintenance. It is time to reconsider building them.”

The Plan sets out several goals of the Billings Area Pedestrian and Bicycle system. An overall objective of the Billings Area Pedestrian and Bicycle program is to reduce reliance on motor vehicles and to contribute to more walking and bicycling.

Most of the funding for bike trail construction comes from the federal government’s Federal Highway Administration

Local property tax dollars fund maintenance and safety improvements. Property owners are also assessed fees when developing new areas of growth, which may include donations of right away for trails.

Constructing bike and pedestrian trail costs between $62,652 to $1,523,144 per mile depending on where it is located and the degree to which safety measures and signage is required, whether it is separated from traffic or paved.

According to data in the master plan the daily average use of shared use paths, in the Billings area, is 3,786. Bike trail usage averages about 467 bikers a day throughout the system, according to plan data.

The Billings trails, over 61 miles of bike and pedestrian path ways, have been constructed including on-street bikeways, paved trails and sidewalks.

Another Shot

21 March 2025
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By Evelyn Pyburn

Unleashing the American citizen — that’s what Trump is doing.

It’s the act that built America — allowing citizens to pursue their own happiness, dreams and ambitions. How some of Trump’s actions will impact our economy and relations with other nations may not be readily evident, but the fact is it cannot be worse than the smothering of citizens by government debt and regulations that inhibit the glorious ability of average everyday citizens to do great things.

President Trump and his cabinet picks are making the news absolutely entertaining. His forthrightness about what he thinks and how he says it, is startlingly refreshing – as compared to the banal political clichéd comments we are all so used to hearing. He subtly reveals how much politicians from both sides of the aisle have systematically deceived us about what was going on behind closed doors for decades and perhaps a century. He speaks clearly and bluntly, and amazingly the world does not end – and only a few citizens become apoplectic “clutching their beads” —- and more than a few politicians.

We are truly living in an exciting era of history. It is exciting because it appears to be the next gigantic step in the process of advancing civilization – and this isn’t really the most exciting part of it – that is yet to come. All Trump and the legions of people who voted for him are doing right now is removing the shackles that has restrained the ingenuity and ambition of the common man – not just in the US but for people around the world. What every day people will be able to do with that freedom – THAT will be the really exciting part.

There is no doubt that the citizens of other countries want their freedom just as much as do we in the US. Their points of view do not make the headlines but they are there, observing and rooting for us. Those who expressed empathy with illegal immigrants crossing our southern border, contending they were seeking freedom were not incorrect. While that was a huge aspect of what was happening — which was rigorously and studiously avoided by our own media — it is blatant evidence that most people want freedom. But, all freedom- seeking peoples can’t just come to the US – they have to fight for it in their own countries. So be assured that they are taking notes on what is happening here. And, be assured that their dictatorial, collectivist autocrats are well aware of that, worried as they are about what their citizens will do. It is primarily why they too hate Trump and are currently shaking in their boots. Even in countries like China or Iran this is happening.

President Trump is going to go down in history not just as the greatest president in the US, but the greatest leader ever. He is that because he respects the common man. We are on the precipice of the second Revolution for freedom for the common man — the first having been that of George Washington and that era of founders. They respected the common man and their rights — and not just for the colonists. Their rejection of tyranny was “the shot heardaround the world” because it was an awakening for the commoners around the world.

Trump’s election is the second shot heard round the world.

US Does Have Rare Earths

18 March 2025
Evelyn Pyburn
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That rare earth minerals are being found in the United States, which has to import most of its rare earth minerals from China, is exciting news. As reports begin to emerge about rare earth minerals discoveries in the US – such as that in Ravalli County, Montana – a question emerges about why the discoveries are coming only now.

For example, a report from Wyoming in Cowboy State Daily has announced that “The US could soon become a world leader in rare earth minerals after over two billion metric tons were found in Wyoming. The discovery could mean America over taking China, whose supplies stand at 44 million metric tons.”

Rare earth elements are a group of 17 elements that are essential for both domestic and for military technology.  They are used in the production of medical equipment, clean energy components, electric vehicles, electronics, and more. Demand for them is expected to explode in the near future. The US imports most of its needs for rare earths from China. Demand for the metals is expected to soar up to seven times current levels by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency.

Over the decades there was only one rare earth minerals mine, Mountain Pass in California, in the US and it was owned by the Chinese. How that came to be was a matter of little foresight and over regulation in the United States.

In a six-year report from Defense News, the lack of interest in pursuing more development in the US was made more clear.

Mountain Pass was opened as a uranium deposit, but came to supply rare earths for the electronic needs of the “Cold War economy.” Until the 1990s, it stood alone as the only major source of rare earths worldwide.

By 2002, the mine became defunct, because to the U.S. government and major manufacturers, it no longer made sense to acquire rare earths from a U.S. source that was subject to stringent environmental regulations. It made more sense to import the minerals needed from other countries.

China was happy to oblige.

In 2008, a group of investors formed Molycorp to reopen the Mountain Pass mine, with the intent of delivering a secure supply chain, but their plans failed and eventually the mine was purchased out of bankruptcy by a consortium that included a Chinese-owned firm.

The article stated, “Reducing red tape and bureaucratic inertia will lower costs and reduce risk — there is no reason that permitting a mine in the United States should take five times longer than it does in Canada or Australia.”

Since the prospects look brighter at the moment for development of rare earth mineral mines, with development of better technologies, more rational regulations and a profound interest from the US military and domestic markets, suddenly there emerges news that rare earth mining might indeed be possible in the US.

Just a couple weeks ago US Critical Materials announced that their find in a 50-year old abandoned mine at Sheep Creek in Ravalli County, Montana holds the highest reported grades of any known deposit in the United States, according to an independent analysis from Activation Labs. Besides having the highest reported grades of any known deposit in the United States, said Activation Labs, the mine has the highest concentrations of gallium—a material essential to national security.

Near Wheatland, Wyoming comes another announcement from American Rare Earths Inc. They claim that they may have “hit the mother load”, dwarfing another find in northeastern Wyoming, which was claimed to be “one of the biggest discoveries in the world.” American Rare Earths is the U.S.-based unit of an Australian-founded exploration company working in Wyoming.

Mining.com has ranked the Halleck Creek rare earths find as the fifth largest in the world outside of others discovered in Greenland, Canada and Kenya.

American Rare Earths wants to mine and process these metals – particularly neodymium and praseodymium – through its Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. unit, which controls 367 mining claims on 6,320 acres of a mix of state, federal and private land across the Halleck Creek Project area near Wheatland, and four Wyoming mineral leases on  1,844 acres on the same project.

Worldwide rare earth mineral demand stands at about 60,000 tons annually. A metric ton equals about 2,200 pounds while a ton is 2,000 pounds.

Latest drilling revealed that the ore is more extensive and of higher quality, making it potentially even more valuable than anything else in the state,

The company said it could move more quickly to establish a mining operation on 320 acres of state land where permitting would happen at a faster clip than on federally owned land.

Also, in Wyoming, Rare Element Resources Ltd., a Canadian exploration company, is setting up shop on a large rare earth deposit in Upton, Wyoming, with a novel new mining process that promises to speed up rare earth processing. This is called the Bear Lodge Project. 

The Wyoming unit of Rare Element Resources, which controls 100% of the Bear Lodge mineral rights held through federal mining claims in Upton, is betting $44 million that its mining process is a game-changer for U.S. rare earth production. 

And still more — Ramaco Resources revealed it had found a deposit of rare minerals near Sheridan in Wyoming, that could have a value of $37 billion. The company said, “We only tested it for 100, 200 feet, which is about the maximum you’d ever want to do a conventional coal mine.”

Besides these finds of rare earth minerals, geologists are reporting that there are millions of tons rare earth minerals to be found in coal ash, the chalky remnants of coal that has been burned for fuel from by power plants. There are piles and piles of coal ash, long considered a waste by-product, across the US.

The new research found that there could be as much as 11 million tons – worth $8.4 billion — of rare earth elements in accessible coal ash in the United States, which is nearly eight times the amount that the U.S. currently has in domestic reserves.

Even though the level of rare earth elements in coal ash is relatively low when compared with those mined from geological deposits, the fact that the ash is readily available in large quantities makes it an attractive resource, said co-author Davin Bagdonas, a research scientist at the University of Wyoming.

Not only have ventures to retrieve the rare earth minerals been reported in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Texas, but there has been talk that in Colstrip, Montana, too, the possibility will be explored.

State’s First Arraignment Court Now in Session

18 March 2025
Evelyn Pyburn
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By Evelyn Pyburn

Yellowstone County has a new addition to its judicial system – -a new court that focuses upon arraignments. It is being operated in the county department of Justices of the Peace. Judge Jeanne Walker and Judge David Carter have been presiding over the court for about a month.

Creating an arraignment court is part of improving and making more efficient the process of adjudicating criminals, which is a necessity in making the new short-term detention facility functional, according to Justice of the Peace Carter, who has spent the past year or more leading the process of developing and establishing the court.

The short-term detention facility is a city-county project in the process of being built next to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, which is expected to be completed late this fall. It is viewed as a solution to the over-crowded jail that serves Yellowstone County. It will enable law enforcement to arrest and hold those perpetrating offenses who, in the past, law enforcement has not been able to arrest because of having no place to hold them

The concept of an arraignment court – this will be the first one in Montana – emerged from Yellowstone County’s  10-person committee that was appointed two years ago to look at the entire justice system and the new jail proposal for the county and City of Billings, to develop a more efficient and economical system. An arraignment court was viewed as essential to the process of making the short -term detention facility function well.

So far arraignment court has gone well, said Carter. They have focused on working out the wrinkles. “There will probably be changes,” said Carter, but so far it’s been pretty smooth. “We are building something,” he said, “Until you start doing it you are not quite sure how it will work.”

Arraignment court will be held at 2:30 pm every day, Monday through Friday.

An arraignment is usually a felony or misdemeanor defendant’s first court appearance after arrest. During the arraignment, a defendant is formally advised of the criminal charges against him, informed of their rights, and asked to enter a plea to the charges, and often a public defender is appointed. The court also looks at the defendant’s history, and decides whether the defendant will be released pending trial, whether they must wear an ankle bracelet and bond is set.

A public defender stands with the defendant during the process to explain and advise about the proceedings.

The judge goes through a process of sorting out the charges against a defendant in accordance with state laws or local ordinances, looking at their criminal record and determining, if there are other outstanding charges, misdemeanors or felons.

Most of the time a defendant has other outstanding charges against them, perhaps in more than one court, explained Judge Carter. During arraignment court the judge gives them a schedule of not only their next court appearance on the current charge, but also other pending court appearances and dates at which they are required to appear.

According to Judge Carter, missing court dates is the most common infraction for which other charges are often made. “It gets to be a revolving door,” he said, underscoring that their goal is “to get the people who don’t need to be in jail out, or to make sure they are in jail for the right period of time – – and to do that correctly — more efficiently and elegantly and timely.” Court hearing dates can be complicated, he said, and overwhelming for people who sometimes have many other unfortunate things happening in their lives.

Currently, the defendants appear in arraignment court via video from the Yellowstone County Detention Facility (YCDF), with the court room located in the County Courthouse. Asked if that will continue to be the model, Judge Carter said it is not considered best practices. Ideally, he believes, arraignment court should be held at the YCDF.

Whether that will be included for the plans of a new addition to the YCDF, he isn’t sure. The county has to authorize that, he said, adding, “There has been discussions, and support expressed. But there is no room currently.”

The process of being prepared for their first court appearance is far more complicated than it might appear. It takes a staff of knowledgeable and trained people to prepare the case – to gather all the documents pertaining to other outstanding charges and their status, and to check on the defendant’s record, family and criminal record. The first half of the day on court days is spent by staff preparing all the necessary information and documentation for the judge. Some are on the job at 6 a.m.

Starting an arraignment court required the hiring of 1.5 FTEs (employees) said Carter, pointing out however that much of the work involved is being absorbed into by the existing Justice Court staff. While $45,000 has been set aside in the budget for the arraignment court, it is just there in case they discover a need for it.

Right now there are five people in Justice Court dedicated to pre- trial services. “It is more expansive than just arraignment court,” explained Judge Carter. “We have other programs for pre- trial services.” Four of the five staff members have been trained for arraignment court, but they also have secondary duties. “It is very hard,” said Judge Carter, “But we are building on that and will evolve.”

In the long term – which essentially means when most of the county’s administration offices move into the county’s new administration building, and the Courthouse has been remodeled as exclusively a court house – Justice Court anticipates requesting another Justice of the Peace. An additional Justice of the Peace would be welcomed, said Judge Carter.

The challenges before Yellowstone County’s judicial system are significant and so will be the challenges to the arraignment court which will not only be serving a justice court with the largest case load in the state, but also a district court with the largest case load in the state, and a city with the largest municipal court case load in the state. They haven’t taken on the arraignments for the city municipal court yet because that court is quite literally in the process of moving to the new city hall.

The arraignment court expects to assume their case load in May.