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Mostly around Powell, Wyoming or any other place that has been home or will be home.

Do-Gooders On Parade

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It’s not too unusual to name inanimate things after those who helped make them happen… think Carnegie Hall, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Guggenheim Museum, or the upcoming completion of the Bill and Melinda Gates Mega Data Center (ha, just kidding on that last one, but it’s not a reach). Of course, those examples are of the grandest scale, but it happens at all levels, including right here at our local college in podunk, Powell, Wyoming.

At Northwest College, there is certainly nothing unique in how they roll out their financial donors for display at any given place on campus. I’ve seen this at other institutions, but maybe not quite as pronounced as it is with this little junior college in Northwest Wyoming.

Most recently there is the new Student Center and it is littered with plaques/signs mentioning the generous giving regarding some of Powell’s finest… you know, the most affluent citizens and businesses. For example, there’s the “Majorie Fryer Wilder Fireplace,” the “Cummins Veteran’s Lounge,” and there’s even a “Jim Vogt Family Overlook” which is a bunch of chairs on the second floor of the Student Center overlooking the main mall. Keep in mind, this is just one building I’m talking about here. Further, there’s the “Big Horn Federal Gallery Wall,” the “Bill and Karen Hayes Study Room,” and of course the “Bonner Family Dining Plaza.” Hell, it just wouldn’t be a Northwest College building if it didn’t have the name Bonner splattered on some plaque, panel, or wall in a prominent location. 

When I see these kind of displays, it makes me even less enthusiastic to give. It reminds me of those do-gooder lists that were posted in grade school that had gold stars next to student names for various accomplishments in the classroom. Kathy Murphy’s name would have a gazillion stars by her name and then on the same list there was Gary Wade’s name with only two stars—neither was gold, and only hand-drawn by the teacher with a Bic disposable pen. I remember wondering how Gary felt to see his name on that list compared to everyone else.

In pondering this, I’m reminded of those sponsorships that show up on professional team uniforms and the renaming of stadiums/arenas after banks and big corporations. The University of Wyoming is one of the few holdouts to this trend, clinging fast to their football stadium’s name of War Memorial Stadium. I wonder how much longer can they hold out before some big oil corporation throws enough money at the school to change the venue’s name. America and its money obsession… what a country!

It’s no secret that I’ve never been much of a donor to the NWC cause. I’d like to think that the compensation I received matched the effort I put in over those 33 years. I know there were some who gave more effort and others who coasted through during their entire tenure, but I feel that the college and I are square. Whatever money I’ve given back to the college, I’ve done it anonymously and in modest amounts. My favorite mode of giving has always been informal—an occasional large tip to the baristas at the coffee counter in the student center, including an extra $5 with my popcorn or candy at the concession stand for athletic events, and paying art students a little extra over their asking price when purchasing their works.

My objective here is not to embarrass or ridicule those who have made significant contributions that resulted in their names permanently bonded to a building for everyone to see. I suspect many of them don’t care if their name is on any given placard or not. My question is simple: What does seeing those names do for the average, low-to-middle income citizen (myself included here) who hasn’t given or can’t give due to financial shortcomings? Is it suppose to inspire us to do the same, or does it just make for a public acknowledgement of those who have and those who have not? In short, it smacks of elitism. Whatever happened to giving anonymously—when did that go out of style? Imagine coming upon a panel or wall with numerous listings of “anonymous” only—yet still including the different sizes of each based on the amount given. How refreshing would that be? Perhaps institutions like Northwest College believe that the posting of names is actually encouraging of other potential donors. Yet in my case, it’s a huge turnoff. 

Given all the do-gooders listed just in the new student center, I have a modest request: How much money is required of me to have a small plaque installed with my name on it (including my years of service) above one of the many mens’ urinals on campus?

Just one, that’s all I ask.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. —Matthew 6:2–5

Postscript: While Northwest College is preparing to introduce a new convoluted (and likely expensive) marketing campaign that doesn’t include changing its name to “Yellowstone College,” Laramie County Community College, President Joe Schaffer announced plans to recommend changing the school’s name to Wyoming State College. The proposal goes to the Board of Trustees for a formal vote on September 16, 2026, with an official transition target date of July 1, 2027, if approved.

Why the Change is Proposed…
• Better Recognition: Research showed the current county-specific name limits recruitment and causes confusion outside the immediate region.
• Broader Reach: Leaders aim to attract more students across state lines and boost long-term enrollment.
• Strategic Growth: The update removes geographic barriers while keeping the core mission, local commitment, and Golden Eagles mascot intact.

4-Way Stops: I’ve Had It

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I’m a little late to the party here, but I’ve recently been listening to the podcast titled I’ve Had It hosted by Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan. Although they get into a lot of political shit, there is nothing too sacred that can’t be dressed down on their program. Recently they’ve slammed oblivious cell phone talkers/walkers, misbehaving children in public places, and manly-labeled products for insecure men who need validation of their masculinity.

I suspect the reason I love listening to these two Oklahoma-raised women is the title of their podcast could easily be the title of this blog because when I sit down to write something here, it’s pretty much me coming to that moment of, “I’ve had it with this or that.”

In the spirit of Welch and Sullivan, I thought I’d do a little of my own I’ve Had It in this post—hopefully as well as any 65-year-old White dude can pull it off.

Living in a small Wyoming town, it’s safe to say that most folk here are conservative—very conservative in my opinion… as in outright stupid conservative just for the sake of being a conservative. Without any doubt, White MAGA has a solid foothold in Powell, Wyoming and throughout Park County which includes the tourist-based town of Cody.

It’s common to hear various leaders and high-profile members of Powell talk about how friendly it is here. I suspect there’s some truth in it, but after living here for over 30 years, there’s a little more to this friendliness than just pure unadulterated congeniality.

My suspicion is rooted in one continuous experience I have in this town on any given day—it’s the dreaded four-way stop sign intersections.

As a regular cyclist around town (and occasional driver) there are numerous four-way stop intersections throughout this town. Given how “nice” people are in Powell, Wyoming, if you’re on a bicycle, they typically wave you on even if they arrive at the intersection well before you. And that’s the part that gets me.

As a bicycle commuter, I am observant of the rules of the road which apply to both cars and bicycles, including the proper protocol for a four-way stop sign. There’s nothing worse than being on my bike approaching a four-way that has a vehicle already stopped. Instead of proceeding through the intersection as I’m clearly slowing down in my approach, these Powell do-gooders will stay there and watch me come to a stop. And after I have stopped, they do that Powell thing and wave me on even though they were there way before I arrived. I call it “The Powell Standoff.”

So, consider it safe to say, I’ve had it with this Dudley-Do-Right shit. No doubt and in their defense, they would likely tell anyone that they are simply being kind to the cyclists, but I’m not buying it. If they had simply proceeded through the stop sign after coming to a complete halt, thus establishing the right-of-way, I would have only had to slow down as they proceeded through the intersection.

And here’s my theory… I don’t think they wave me through because they are being nice. I think their over-the-top Anita Bryantness is simply a ruse for being nosey so they can see who the crazy libtard is on a bicycle when it’s barely above freezing outside—because liberals are the only ones who really ride bikes around here beyond the summer months.

I can feel their indifferent stares as I proceed slowly through the intersection, only because I had to come to a complete stop waiting on them. If they had just followed the rule, both parties would have been through the intersection sans a “Powell Stand-Off.” If you’re a pedestrian, it’s almost worse because they have that much longer to stare at you as you cross any given intersection where you might be—it doesn’t even have to be a four way or a pedestrian crossing! Their facial expressions say they are doing you a big favor, but inside they just want to mow you down—reduced to a giant grease spot on the asphalt.

Lastly, I know there are other bike riders in this town that think it’s their right to blow through stop signs because they are on a bicycle. I suppose this could be another occasion for Powell drivers to hesitate at a four-way. However, these lawless cyclists give other riders like me a bad look. So my advice to drivers who encounter bike-riders who ignore the rules of the road is to simply run them over when they go flying through stop signs.

So much for being nice.

Making the Cut

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Exhibit A

File this under the category of “You had one job to do.”

I’m not the biggest bagel fan in the world. Certainly not like those from New York City, but I do like a morning bagel anywhere from two to four times per week. Cinnamon raisin is my go-to bagel when it comes to breakfast—sometimes with just butter, other times with butter and jam, or peanut butter and apple butter on top. It all depends on my mood.

I typically purchase this particular bagel made by Franz Bakery—not because I’m necessarily loyal to them, but because they are widely carried in my shopping radius of travel.

However, this is hardly a perfect marriage. Throughout my relationship with Franz bagels, I will remove a bagel from the bag to discover it poorly cut in half—more so than ever as of late. Whoever or whatever is cutting their bagels in half, isn’t paying attention or needs to be recalibrated.

Time and again, I am holding a bagel half that is so thick, I can barely squeeze it into my toaster which has slots that accommodate the average bagel thickness. Which means the other half is basically the thickness of a Triscuit cracker. Worst yet, it’s not even a uniform cut. As a result each half requires a separate toaster setting due to the extreme differences in thickness. If I put them in the toaster at the same time, one half will come out under-toasted and the other will be over-toasted. This is no way to live.

So annoyed by this, I filled out a customer feedback form on their website (and then wrote this post for good measure).

This isn’t so much about the product’s taste or freshness, it’s likely about the stupid robot that slices the bagels. Lately, it seems like there are at least 2 bagels out of every package that are far from being slice in half. If you can’t cut the bagels is half properly, don’t cut them at all—I’m happy to do that. You’re not doing your customers any favors by cutting them in half if you do a piss-pour job in that procedure.

In short, Franz… Cut it right, or don’t cut it at all.

I half expect to get an apologetic email with coupons for free purchases of any Franz product which isn’t going to appease me. If they really want this customer to be happy, they can send me coupons for free purchases of their competitor’s bagels, or better yet, simply recalibrate/update the software of the tomaton that is slicing the bagels.

Powell, Wyoming: Where Barking Dogs Rule

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If you live in Powell long enough, sooner or later you’ll hear someone tell you how friendly, how neighborly our town is. That being the case, I think this is a good time with summer approaching to challenge the dog-owners of this community to zen on that word “neighborly.”

Having lived here for over 30 years now, I think my experience and viewpoint regarding barking dogs has been rich to say the least—especially in the summer when the windows of the house are open at night. Air conditioning is nice, but there’s nothing like sleeping with fresh air coming through the window, unless that fresh air is accompanied by the sounds of a neglected dog barking in the wee hours of the night.

Just in my neighborhood alone—on both sides of my house—I experience at any given time of the day (or night) barking dogs that are left unattended while their owners are often away, going in and out of a house via “dog doors” into a fenced yard to bark at anyone who happens to walk past the property. Across the street, it’s the same scenario, though I’ve never heard this dog in the evenings. In all of their barking in the daytime and frequently at night, I’ve rarely seen or heard an owner correcting the problem. What am I to make of this? As I see it, these are people of our community who are simply not good neighbors and are so lazy as dog owners to only care about their own self-centered lives.

I challenge anyone to take an hour-long walk on the streets of this town—especially the alleys—you’ll have plenty of dogs barking at you.

I should be clear here, that I’m not only talking about dogs that bark all night long—although that’s not an unusual thing to happen around here. But, if one is a light sleeper, it doesn’t take a dog to bark all night long to ruin a night’s sleep—ten seconds of barking is all it takes to disturb one’s sleep. At 63-years-old now, once I wake up from such a disturbance, it often takes up to two hours to fall back asleep. 

In the past, when I’ve initially addressed some of these owners in a polite, but curt manner, rather than an apology and a promise to address the issue, I’ve experienced downright rude and even threatening responses. And, taking my complaints to Powell’s illustrious Law Enforcement is simply a waste of time as they have requested me to document the various instances of such disturbances and report back to them at a later time. God forbid they find out for themselves—getting out of their car and walking down the street or alley. Instead they just drive by and maybe they’ll stop by the owners and inform them that someone is complaining, but nothing ever comes of it—not to my knowledge. I know they have visited with one of my neighbors in the past on this matter, and yet the barking has never ceased. From a policing viewpoint, that’s just lame.

A barking dog next door should not be my problem to solve. And perhaps I’m the only one in Powell that objects… so it seems. My only reprieve is throwing an occasional firecracker out into my yard—hoping that the canine will stop its annoying behavior and perhaps run into the house and shit on the carpet. That’s probably overly optimistic. However, the coming of the colder months when windows are closed up and the barking dogs of Powell aren’t as likely to be left out all night—though sadly, some are—is when this problem is truly minimized.

I have this unproven and very opinionated theory that the frequency of any given dog’s barking is inversely related to the intelligence of its owner. Go ahead and prove me wrong. Until then, I’m convinced that Powell, Wyoming is below average when it comes to being neighborly.

I’d like to believe our town can do better.

Postscript: What’s saddest of all in this topic, I wrote about this over 20 years ago.

More Local Stupidity

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“This is a real image.” —Tucker Carlson

Regarding the recent letter to the editor by Tina Purdy in the Powell Tribune on the dangers of wind and solar energy systems (elegantly titled “Solar and wind farms not good for man or beast”), I had to question the shady sources listed at the end of her piece. I think this type of cherry-picking and thus, gullible research illustrates the single-mindedness that appears to be running rampant in our community, our state, and our country. 

Starting with her sources: Michael Shellenberger is at best a controversial figure who has constantly been in opposition to most environmental scientists and academics of environmental studies. His “bad science” positions and writings on climate and the environment have for the most part flown in the face of the true research and data collected by the experts in the environmental sciences for decades. His education/expertise—both undergraduate and graduate—are in the social sciences rather than the physical/environmental sciences. He’s certainly an eloquent writer, but no authority on any of the above.

And, Tucker Carlson… well, I’ll just leave it at Purdy’s simple mentioning. His credentials for anything are only that he is handsomely paid for spewing whatever red-meat material that boost the ratings for Fox News, period.

I would encourage any reader who finds Purdy’s letter convincing to do their own research and avoid the input of scoundrels and posers such as Shellenberger and Carlson for starters.

A Very Small Supermarket War

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As of last weekend, my hometown of Powell, Wyoming now has three supermarkets stores. The newest one is Albertson’s—they had their grand opening last Saturday.

Powell has a population of a little over 6,418 people as of 2021. I don’t know what the recommended ratio should be for population and supermarkets, but it seems a bit precarious, which means something has to give.

Although I didn’t go near Albertson’s on the day they opened, I did have a look around the following day and walked out with a purchase an underwhelming purchase of just under $20.

My first impressions of Albertson’s is that the place is tight with isles that are narrow and high. It must have been a real circus in there on the opening day given that their parking lot was full. In comparison, Blair’s (one of the other supermarkets) is much more spacious, but I think once the shoppers of Powell are over the novelty of Albertson’s it won’t feel as claustrophobic with the everyday shopping numbers.

The first thing I did was make a comparison between Albertson’s and the reigning champ of Powell, Blair’s. A loaf of Franz’s Cinnamon Swirl bread (a favorite of mine in the mornings) was on sale at both Blair’s and Albertson’s. Blair’s had it reduced down to $5.99 while Albertson’s brought it down fifty-more cents at $5.49.

The third store in town is Mr. D’s. It was once an IGA, but went through a change in ownership several years ago. Since that time, it hasn’t really kept pace with the offerings and prices at Blair’s. Probably the only attraction in shopping there is their liquor store which is larger, roomier, and seems to have more offerings than Blair’s. I can’t remember the last time I walked through Mr. D’s pushing a shopping cart.

I think Blair’s will remain as my supermarket default for two reasons: 1) they carry my favorite tortillas that are made in Billings (Trevino’s), and 2) because I typically ride my bike to the supermarket, Blair’s is closer. Albertson’s will be at least a half mile farther, and on a cold day or night, that’s a big difference on a bicycle. Further, although Blair’s has been around since 1980, their store is fairly modern—it certainly doesn’t feel antiquated in comparison to the new Albertson’s. I also like the fact that Blair’s offers paper bags which I prefer over plastic and they are better for transporting groceries in the front basket of my bicycle. My only notable complaint directed at Blair’s is the ugly typeface their logo incorporates—some generic stencil-esque, all-caps bullshit.

It was recently reported to me that Mr. D’s had an equipment failure that was responsible for all of their freezers going down and thus their contents was lost and discarded. Some would say that—combined with the arrival of Albertson’s—signals the beginning of the end for Mr. D’s.

A few other items worth noting are the following:

Albertson’s is not a fresh build. It was previously a Shopko store and before that was a Pamida store.

Blairs was once a smaller store located just a little north of where the current store is. They built the new and larger store in the late 1990s? Blair’s have been in business since 1980.

All three stores seem to be close to the same size. 

Oh, and the new Albertson’s also has a Starbuck’s coffee shop and a pharmacy. That’s two other entities that are abundant is this town as well.

Like I said before, something has got to give. 

Albertson’s Hours: 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Blair’s Hours: 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Mr. D’s Hours: 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 

Surrendering to Mediocrity

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Call me a disgruntled worker—I’m OK with it. The unhappiness with my workplace hasn’t come about because I thought I was screwed over, or because I’m just plain old and nothing makes me happy any longer—neither is true, except that I am just plain old.

I’m disgruntled because I’ve finally grown tired of our institution’s determined march toward mediocrity. This includes a willingness to do nothing, or at least do nothing that has any imagination, nothing that is bold, nothing that is earth-shaking or nothing that even smacks of daring. And I’ll lay this banner of mediocrity and ineptitude almost entirely on our Board of Trustees and their milque-toast leadership.

Of course, what I’m specifically talking about is changing the name to Yellowstone College. As most folk know on campus (and beyond to some extent), I am the broken record that keeps on reminding people of the need for a name change whenever there is talk of how to promote the college and get it more exposure. I’ve sat through several meetings where such discussions come up, and everything under the sun is discussed at length except a name change.

Northwest College—a school in northwest Wyoming about 70 miles from the border of Yellowstone National Park (that’s the mandatory tagline that goes with our name so people know where the hell we are)—is a place where we love to tout how different we are from other junior colleges, yet when it comes down to planning (or lack of) we tend to defer to what everyone else is doing. We talk about being unique, but the only thing truly unique about Northwest College is its location—something we’ve never had any control over to begin with. If Northwest College were in Paducah, Iowa, it would be just another, average community college with some obscure, innocuous, generic, and sadly forgettable name. But, instead we are located at the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park with an obscure, innocuous, generic, and sadly forgettable name.

To my knowledge, the talk of a name change—from Northwest College to Yellowstone College—became serious in October of 2018 (four years ago) when former college president Stefani Hicswa sent me a brief email that simply and only said, “I heard a rumor you are promoting Yellowstone College. Tell me more…”

From that time on, the idea of a name change has been seriously kicked around, but mostly just kicked down the road for another time. Four years have passed and no decision has been made—to change the name or not change the name. As an old friend of mine once said, “They don’t know whether to shit or steal third.”

The name-change continues to be a no-brainer and yet the Board of Trustees continues to treat it like a complex problem—overthinking it and giving way to much consideration to the “old guard” who prefers mediocrity and the status quo of pounding a square peg into a round hole.

Over coffee a friend pointed out to me that placing all the blame on the Board of Trustees might not be warranted in saying, “A leader can not be successful without the support of a bold board, an open-minded community, a faculty willing to do things differently & students hungry to consume the product.” He went on to say that our failure to react is not unique to our local community either, that as a society we need to redefine today’s successes in saying, “We cannot re-create our past successes we need to create new ones based on the realities of today & tomorrow.”

Meanwhile the school’s enrollment is flat and remains way below its numbers from say, fifteen years ago. A couple resident halls remain closed and the faculty numbers and programs of study are significantly less. Further, the competition for prospective students in the future grows more intense.

After 31 years, I’m over it and it’s time to move on if I can. Again, call me a disgruntled worker. That said, NWC has paid me fairly and I have tried to rise up to my net worth. We are square, period. And when the time comes for me to go, no goodbye party, social, gathering, etc. is needed—nor wanted. I’ll leave as quietly as I arrived, insuring I don’t disturb this sleepy community of mediocrity.

Foundation Follies

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Powell Tribune Publisher Dave Bonner explains to the NWC Board of Trustees his plan to rule the world starting with them.

After the last Board of Trustees meeting (February 14), it’s pretty clear that The Northwest College Foundation has declared war on “Yellowstone College.” They’ve sat quietly over the last two years as this idea has been kicked around, and much to their surprise, has built up steam. My guess is, they were hoping it would eventually go away on its own, and without their input. But, something happened since those early discussions that Foundation members didn’t foresee… Yellowstone College could be a real thing.

As a result, Dave Bonner, the Foundation President stood up in front of the Board and in so many words yelled an emphatic “no” to the idea of a name change at Northwest College. Sitting quietly nearby was Shelby Wetzel, his daughter and Executive Director of the Foundation. Bonner was provided back-up from his Foundation minions Chris Taggart and Clay Cummins who also serve on the Foundation as assistant treasurer and one of the directors respectively. Along with Bonner, these two reek of rich, affluent Whiteness. On the Foundation website, Taggart is listed as a modest “insurance and investment rep” for Taggart Co. However, Taggart Co. is an affiliate/partner with Dun & Bradstreet, and Taggart himself is the principal owner. Cummins is listed as a retired Army lieutenant colonel.

Despite this Johnny-come-lately pushback from key members of the Foundation, one has to wonder what their true motivation is. Of course they claim it’s mostly about the money—the “huge and ongoing cost” of a college name change despite plenty of evidence provided over the past year that says otherwise. They also make claim to the Northwest College name itself—in its “rich tradition.”

Yeah, whatever. Maybe the die-hards of “Eastern Montana College” will be sympathetic.

The question that all of us should be asking today is: If the Foundation supports the college in all it does, why are they leaning so hard on the Board of Trustees now? One would think someone was proposing we change our name from Yellowstone College to Northwest College instead.

If you believe I’m overreacting to the “weight” of the Foundation on college policy and decisions, you haven’t attended many of the various college meetings I have over the years to discover the Foundation’s Executive Director front and center in attendance. So many times my faculty colleagues and I have asked ourselves, “What is she doing here? This doesn’t concern her.”

With all of this in mind, I’ve been seeking input from others in contemplating what might be the Foundation’s true rationale in resisting the name change. Of course, the Foundation leadership would never declare or reveal their true motivation, but given the profile of a group like the Foundation, its cultural geography in the country, and even its own little history, what I propose in the following is hardly a stretch.

1. The executive director doesn’t want to work hard
Explaining to her easy-money base (i.e., staunch Republicans/Trumpers/good-old-boy network) why the college needs to change its name and why they need to keep on giving to it will surely be challenging. Yet, quite possibly she fails to see the opportunity to gain alumni that could get behind “Yellowstone College” those who have never supported the institution before. Further, she doesn’t want to deal with the future new donors of Yellowstone College who will likely be cut from a different cloth than her typical clientele. All of this is way too much work for the cushy position she has carved out for herself over the years.

2. Yellowstone College means more diversity.
With the new name of Yellowstone College, our institution will net greater interest from far beyond our service area. We will be found and researched easier from other parts of the country and world. We might even get better students, better faculty, better staff, and God forbid… less Whiteness. They don’t want outsiders coming in here and discovering how stupid we are or having our “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality challenged. Consider the Whiteness of the Foundation itself.

Ethnic or cultural diversity is not the strength of the Northwest College Foundation Board.

This same grim rationale was said to have played out once at Flathead Community College when they passed on the opportunity to hire Phil Jackson after he retired from playing but before he started coaching. When they turned him down one of the trustees came right out and said that with him, the school might attract the wrong sort of players.

As one colleague said, “The powers-that-be at Northwest College want to keep it sleepy because it’s easy.”

3. It’s not their idea.
Beyond what is mentioned above in their opposition of a college name-change, it could be as simple as they weren’t the ones to initially offer this up to the public. For years when the few of us mentioned name-change in conversation, it was considered more of an impossibility and thus, treated like a joke. Seldom in the past did anyone every arrive at that point of, “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

Some people probably think, “Well Morgan, you just don’t like the Bonners.” That’s true, but it’s not baseless or whimsical. My only reasoning has to do with their strangle hold on our campus community via their unscrupulous and overt display of nepotism and their monopoly on information within and beyond the campus. Any ethical newsperson would refrain from taking any kind of leadership role within an institituion such as the Foundation given its wealth of finances. And any ethical Foundation director would divorce themselves of a newspaper operation—let alone serving as one of its directors. Some refer to these kind of scenarios as a “conflict of interest.”

Yet, there they are embedded like ticks in a suffering dog. Bonners own and dictate the only source of news for Powell and the campus community, as the campus newspaper and journalism program were cut years ago. And, we shouldn’t be so naive to think that someone named Bonner didn’t weigh in on that decision either. Two Bonners now hold key positions on the powerful Foundation—Executive Director and President, not to mention all of their powerful Foundation friends who kowtow to them as well.

In all of this, my only surprise is they haven’t offered up the compromise of “Bonner College” in lieu of Yellowstone College.

Absurdity from a Local Oligarch

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It was a laughable presentation at the recent Northwest College Board of Trustees meeting when community leader and Powell Tribune owner Dave Bonner stood up before the Gods of Northwest College (a.k.a. Board of Trustees) to challenge the idea of renaming the college.

Sadly, Bonner’s new plan is nothing more than a new spin on our worn-out, vanilla moniker.

His solution? “Northwest College: On Yellowstone’s Door” with the words “at Powell and Cody” awkwardly included somewhere in his proposed word salad. It all struck me as a textbook illustration of beating a dead horse. Might as well include our zip code too.

 

Bonner spoke of the additional cost associated with a name change, but failed to mention how the college dedicated an extra $80-grand almost three years ago on a new marketing plan for good-old, multi-directional, but-we’re-not-in-Washington-state, Northwest College. How did that go? I didn’t see any results from that little investment. So now Bonner is telling us that “Northwest College: the gateway to Yellowstone” and including “Powell • Cody” will make it all less confusing? That’s the best we can come up with—doubling down on vanilla? Wow!

If our name is as great as he declares, surely it can stand on its own without a clumsy clarification statement attached to it. And history has proven over and over, that’s not the case—not when there’s dozens of other schools out there using “Northwest” in their names as well.

Let’s apply this “Bonner Logic” to that popular television series…“Yellowstone: mostly in Montana, but some in Wyoming.”

Or, consider that Major League Baseball team in Cleveland. “The Cleveland Indians: Guardians of the Land.”

Or how about that pro football team in Washington? “The Washington Redskins: Commanders of the Capitol.”

Yeah, those are much better.

The publisher’s antiquated thinking was also endorsed by his Zoom-based, posse-of-two, affluent Foundation officers and directors who basically said, “Yeah, what Dave said.” Added to that, Bonner provided more “evidence” for not changing the name because all the old guys in his morning coffee klatch said it was a bad idea too.

I was tempted to stand up and shout, “Well, the old guys in my coffee klatch think the name should have been changed to Yellowstone College back in ’89 when ‘Community’ was deleted from the name!” So, there’s that.

Bonner referenced that time as well saying that the Board of Trustees also considered Yellowstone College back then, but didn’t do it; as if there was a greater wisdom present in the ’89 Board of Trustees than today’s.

No doubt, it will be disappointing if the Board of Trustees heeds the vapid rationale from this Powell oligarch and his Foundation cronies. But, beyond disappointing, it will be downright embarrassing.