Things have slowed down considerably around here. I know I am behind on keeping you updated on things, but that is how it is going.
We have put the motorcycle away for the winter. We did get in one day of riding a couple weeks ago. We went to Billings for our chapter meeting at Bonez. This is a new place for our meetings and the place is welcoming us. It's a sports bar, so Gary and I went up early to watch the football games and eat. We ordered a plate of nachos. It was a huge platter just heaping with nachos. Between the two of us we couldn't eat it all. They also have their own brewery there, so I tried one of their amber ales. I liked it, but Gary didn't. He is not as adventurous as I am when it comes to beer. I will try anything once. After all I did drink Guiness. We had a good time and I'm getting things ready for the white elephant auction next month.
At the beginning of the month we went to Cody for a tae kwon do tournament. Only me and another student of ours competed. He came home with three medals and I came home with two. We had a good time, but was sure glad to get home. It was just a down and back drive. The only mishap was finding the school. The map and the location of the school didn't jive. I stopped and got directions and we finally found it. Didn't give us much time to get ready for the meeting. Just made it in time.
On Columbus Day I had it off, so spent the afternoon in Billings shopping. Jennifer had to work that afternoon so she couldn't go with me. Let me tell you, shopping by yourself is boring. I did get me two new pair of shoes though. Just what I need, more shoes. I got me a new pair of running shoes and a pair for work. Did get rid of some old shoes in the process. Didn't buy too much stuff on this trip.
Most of the time we have been spending at home, getting some work done around the house. We do have one last trip planned for the year. Gary and I are going to Wendover NV with some friends of ours for four days in November. We got in on a good deal. Will blog about this later.
That's about it for now.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Getting Back To Normal
Things in Hardin are slowly getting back to normal. The deal with the private security company is done with. Amazingly the security company is stating that they are withdrawing from the proposal because it would cost over $1 million to fix the infrastructure of the building. Things are falling apart inside. What they don't mention is that the head man is a fraud and a shyster and also the state attorney general started an investigation into this company. The company did not comply with the state attorney generals requests so that is a done deal.
Now the news is how some people want the Hardin Schools superintendent ousted from his job. He is also the vice president of the Two River Trade Authority and he was the spokesman for Two Rivers during this ordeal. He was the one who made the comment that he did his homework into the company and some other comments the people didn't like. Well, we all know he didn't do a thorough job of his homework.
Last Tuesday was a school board meeting and it did get pretty heated. People asked for his resignation and he told them a big NO. Rumors have it that people are putting together a petition to have the school board fire him immediately.
Needless to say my office is getting the phone calls to fire him. The people think that the county superintendent can hire and fire school personnel, which we can't. Also when people look in information for superintendent they find my office. The district superintendents are listed under the school district names.
On top of all this, the school district asked for a vote on a bond issue to enlarge the high school and repair the roof of the middle school. The school election is over on the 20th and from what I hear on the streets, it won't pass. Mainly because of the prison issue and the district superintendents role in it. Some comments from the newpaper blogs state that there is a perfectly good empty building that can easily be remodeled to a school. They can put the freshmen and sophomores in the prison or they can move the middle school to the prison building and then the high school could expand into the middle school.
For now things are slowing down and I hope Hardin can get back to normal and out of the spotlight.
Now the news is how some people want the Hardin Schools superintendent ousted from his job. He is also the vice president of the Two River Trade Authority and he was the spokesman for Two Rivers during this ordeal. He was the one who made the comment that he did his homework into the company and some other comments the people didn't like. Well, we all know he didn't do a thorough job of his homework.
Last Tuesday was a school board meeting and it did get pretty heated. People asked for his resignation and he told them a big NO. Rumors have it that people are putting together a petition to have the school board fire him immediately.
Needless to say my office is getting the phone calls to fire him. The people think that the county superintendent can hire and fire school personnel, which we can't. Also when people look in information for superintendent they find my office. The district superintendents are listed under the school district names.
On top of all this, the school district asked for a vote on a bond issue to enlarge the high school and repair the roof of the middle school. The school election is over on the 20th and from what I hear on the streets, it won't pass. Mainly because of the prison issue and the district superintendents role in it. Some comments from the newpaper blogs state that there is a perfectly good empty building that can easily be remodeled to a school. They can put the freshmen and sophomores in the prison or they can move the middle school to the prison building and then the high school could expand into the middle school.
For now things are slowing down and I hope Hardin can get back to normal and out of the spotlight.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Hardin Is Famous
These past few weeks have been interesting to say the least. My hometown of Hardin has been plastered in the news, on the internet and the newspapers for the empty jail. The Two Rivers Trade Authority had apparently signed a contract with the American Police Force and this has taken off like a stolen rocket.
First, Hardin had built a detention facility two years ago with the promise from the state that it would be used. To make a long story short, this did not happen. The agreement was with one governor and when the new one took office new policy changes.
At first there were protests and meeting with the governor to get this open, we were promised that Hardin could bid on the sex offender treatment program for this facility. Hardin did and was awarded the bid, but then the legislature cut the program. Now we are back to nothing again. Many feel that the state did it to us again.
Hardin made the news by wanting the Gitmo prisoners when President Obama announced that he was going to close the Gitmo prison in Cuba. Well, this caused an uproar and we made the national news, big time.
Just in the past month it was announced that the Two Rivers Trade Authority signed a contract with the American Police Force. What promises this company was going to give, but they are so secretive about who they are and what they do. Of course if they announced publicly what they did and who they are, then then wouldn't be in the security business anyway.
To make a long story short, this was just something too good to be true. You know how the saying goes. This company stated that they would help Hardin get their police force up and running, they were going to have an animal shelter, help feed the hungry and also use the facility for an international security training ground. Would bring in big bucks. The Hardin citizens were told how wonderful this will be and that in five years Hardin will have changed so much that you won't recognize it.
It went to hell in a quick snap. Some reporters got digging into the supposed owners past and found out that he served prison time in California for fraud, he also has been sued civilally and owes tons of money to people. He talked investors into building a nursing home and never delivered on the goods.
Hardin and the county are and in fact have signed a deal to deconsolidate law enforcement. The city for a long time has wanted their own police department and the money from the detention facility was going to fund the police department. The deconsolidation is a done deal, in fact the city and county powers signed the paperwork. Now it has to go before a judge, but that is another story.
In the meantime, this American Police Force said that they would help fund and provide cars for the new police department, in fact they rolled into town with three mercedes suv's with decals for the Hardin police department. This got the tongues rolling and all the rumors starting. In fact all this was meant to show what the police cars could look like and how willing this company was to help Hardin.
Here are the rumors. Hardin has been barricaded nobody in or out. Hardin citizens are being forced to take untested swine flu shots and if they refuse will be quarantined in the detention center. Everybody in Hardin will have health insurance through this company. Twelve mercedes suv's are in town and the international police are stopping people and harassing people.
It has been quite fun, but now the loonies are showing up in town and some are pretty radical. Some sort of radio "shock jock" from Texas arrived in town. There was a group who called themselve the "Oath Defenders". They were going around town and taking pictures of one of the sheriff deputies on patrol around town and trying to say that this company is working the streets. In fact the deputy on patrol drives a black ford suv. The deputy was stopping motorists but then that is the deputy's job.
Things have come to a head I think. The state Attorney General is doing a civil investigation into this company and the contract. The bond holders of the detention facility have not signed off on the contract and now since all the revelations the other board members are now reluctant to go into further negotiations with this supposed company. The man running it has been ordered into court in California, remember he still owes money there.
One thing you can say about Hardin is that it is never boring. If you want to read up on all of this, just go to the Billings Gazette site and search for Hardin. It will bring up everything. Will make for interesting reading.
First, Hardin had built a detention facility two years ago with the promise from the state that it would be used. To make a long story short, this did not happen. The agreement was with one governor and when the new one took office new policy changes.
At first there were protests and meeting with the governor to get this open, we were promised that Hardin could bid on the sex offender treatment program for this facility. Hardin did and was awarded the bid, but then the legislature cut the program. Now we are back to nothing again. Many feel that the state did it to us again.
Hardin made the news by wanting the Gitmo prisoners when President Obama announced that he was going to close the Gitmo prison in Cuba. Well, this caused an uproar and we made the national news, big time.
Just in the past month it was announced that the Two Rivers Trade Authority signed a contract with the American Police Force. What promises this company was going to give, but they are so secretive about who they are and what they do. Of course if they announced publicly what they did and who they are, then then wouldn't be in the security business anyway.
To make a long story short, this was just something too good to be true. You know how the saying goes. This company stated that they would help Hardin get their police force up and running, they were going to have an animal shelter, help feed the hungry and also use the facility for an international security training ground. Would bring in big bucks. The Hardin citizens were told how wonderful this will be and that in five years Hardin will have changed so much that you won't recognize it.
It went to hell in a quick snap. Some reporters got digging into the supposed owners past and found out that he served prison time in California for fraud, he also has been sued civilally and owes tons of money to people. He talked investors into building a nursing home and never delivered on the goods.
Hardin and the county are and in fact have signed a deal to deconsolidate law enforcement. The city for a long time has wanted their own police department and the money from the detention facility was going to fund the police department. The deconsolidation is a done deal, in fact the city and county powers signed the paperwork. Now it has to go before a judge, but that is another story.
In the meantime, this American Police Force said that they would help fund and provide cars for the new police department, in fact they rolled into town with three mercedes suv's with decals for the Hardin police department. This got the tongues rolling and all the rumors starting. In fact all this was meant to show what the police cars could look like and how willing this company was to help Hardin.
Here are the rumors. Hardin has been barricaded nobody in or out. Hardin citizens are being forced to take untested swine flu shots and if they refuse will be quarantined in the detention center. Everybody in Hardin will have health insurance through this company. Twelve mercedes suv's are in town and the international police are stopping people and harassing people.
It has been quite fun, but now the loonies are showing up in town and some are pretty radical. Some sort of radio "shock jock" from Texas arrived in town. There was a group who called themselve the "Oath Defenders". They were going around town and taking pictures of one of the sheriff deputies on patrol around town and trying to say that this company is working the streets. In fact the deputy on patrol drives a black ford suv. The deputy was stopping motorists but then that is the deputy's job.
Things have come to a head I think. The state Attorney General is doing a civil investigation into this company and the contract. The bond holders of the detention facility have not signed off on the contract and now since all the revelations the other board members are now reluctant to go into further negotiations with this supposed company. The man running it has been ordered into court in California, remember he still owes money there.
One thing you can say about Hardin is that it is never boring. If you want to read up on all of this, just go to the Billings Gazette site and search for Hardin. It will bring up everything. Will make for interesting reading.
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