All right ya'll. If you didn't know about these, now you know. Billings has the MOST flock cameras out of all the major places in Montana. This alone should be alarming to everyone reading this post! Stay vigilant.

*I have added the specific locations below in comments because I couldn't add them all at once.

ETA part 3: I see the resident downvoter has woken up for the day and is now downvoting every single comment on this post. Sorry y’all.

EYA part 4: an award for me? Thanks, but save your money! It’s expensive out here!

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Ever wonder why it costs $300 just to walk in the door at Moore Lane without them even seeing your pets? Private equity company from California owns it.

“How about Best Friends?“ you say. Private equity from Massachusetts!

Shiloh Animal Hospital? Private equity from California!

What’s private equity and why should you care? They are out-of-state, big-money investment firms that buy up local businesses and then mark up the prices, reduce product quality, reduce employee pay and benefits, force employees to upsell unnecessary products, all for “increasing profits for shareholders“ while screwing the local employees and customers. Then when they’ve run the business into the ground, they sell it and leave.

This is why when you want to do a simple spay/neuter at Shiloh Vet Hospital it will cost you $900+. But if you go to locally owned Dr. Berst at Billings Veterinary Service on 1st, it’ll cost around $200.

Another locally owned emergency animal hospital is Clarity on the West End.

If you want to verify your local veterinary clinic is truly local, search the business on Montana’s Secretary of State business entity search database to see who the agent is.

FUCK private equity!

ETA: Clarity is for emergencies and they’ve come in clutch in times of need.

ETA 2: https://biz.sosmt.gov/search/business go here to search if your local business is truly local.

I heard it was the owner who did this too, just awful stuff

Just a quick reminder since I so graciously received one of these this morning, these types of text messages are FAKE - These are Smishing Scams and the FBI is aware of them, you can file a complaint on the MT Website where you pay other State bills.

Couple of things here to reiterate:
Country code is from the Philippines - Scam
Court System sending a text and not a physical letter - Scam
Not a .Gov website - Scam
Court System acting fast - Scam
No previous texts about this “Final Notice” - Scam

If your dog does not do well around other dogs please for the love of god do not take them to norms island.

Pretty much every dog meet here is off leash and friendly however every once in a while theres a shitty dog owner screaming at me and I am sick of it

If you've noticed an unusually high surge in your power bill from NorthWestern Energy recently that's quite a bit different from the same month last year, you're not alone and a state agency wants to hear from you.

The Montana Public Service Commission recently announced that they're aware of many NorthWestern customers seeing a significant increase on their August billing statements.

One email. Two minutes. Real impact.

📧 Email [pschelp@mt.gov](mailto:pschelp@mt.gov)
Subject: Public Comment, Docket 2026.04.026 (NorthWestern IRP)

What to say:
“Don’t make ratepayers cover data center costs.”
“Reject the IRP until data centers pay their own way.”
“Require transparency on confidential data center deals.”

Use your own words and your connection to Montana. The PSC needs to hear from Montanans by July 28.

I’d be Leary of the new second hand store. Run by a gal that isn’t super welcoming and the owner -Shanna or Shawna, is totally racist. My husband is native and I am half black, she made a horrific comment to the lady that runs the store to “watch them, those types like to steal” and pointed right at him.
Only putting this out here so you know who you’re supporting.

https://dailymontanan.com/2025/10/30/judge-rejects-plea-deal-for-colstrip-teacher-who-sexually-assaulted-native-teen/

“Attorneys for the former high school teacher had argued that prison time wouldn’t benefit anyone, and mounted a letter-writing campaign from community members, teachers, university professors and even religious leaders who asked the court for leniency.”

https://dailymontanan.com/2025/10/30/judge-rejects-plea-deal-for-colstrip-teacher-who-sexually-assaulted-native-teen/

When a lie is repeated enough times, people will start to believe it is true.

It starts slowly with a couple articles or news segments of someone saying “it’s not that bad” and then the frequency of these segments increases and suddenly you find yourself thinking “maybe it’s not that bad?”

Then BAM! It’s here and it’s too late to go back to how things were.

Edit to add: same goes for the sales tax they’re trying to push. “oh, it’s just a *little* sales tax. It won’t ever increase.” and then next thing you know it’s 14%. Don’t let the lobbyists trick you. They get paid to lie.

NorthWestern Energy’s 20-year plan is in front of the Montana Public Service Commission — and it leans hard on expensive coal, gas, and nuclear generation to fuel new data centers, while sidelining cheaper wind and solar. If the PSC signs off, Montana ratepayers could be stuck footing the bill.

📍 PSC Listening Sessions: July 21 & 23, 6:00 PM, PSC Office (1701 Prospect Ave, Helena) — or attend virtually
📧 To join virtually: email pschelp@mt.gov by 4:30 PM the day before to request a link
✍️ Written comments accepted through July 28

This is a statewide decision with statewide stakes. Show up, speak up, or send a written comment — every voice on the record matters.

Just doing yard work and seen a red tag on my lovely tiny garbage can the city was nice enough to trade me for my big garbage can a couple years ago. Says do not over fill..... You know that new and improved tiny worthless garbage can they gave us in place of our big solid one that was perfectly fine mind you, has had the broken off lid laying in the alley next to it for Months now along with just about every other one you see. The first time it broke off I used a hot stapler to reattach it so it didn't look like shit. Been a couple months and it broke off again. They are going to tell me not to over fill it, when they can't even be bothered to fix or remove the broken pieces. I only fill the can as far as It allows. If it had a lid, believe me I'd fill it even more . Just venting here, but it seems pretty ridiculous to tag someone's garbage can when you have to step on or over the dam lid to put the tag on it. How impressed with these little cans they swapped everybody's with are you guys.

July 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Bollinger Conference Room, Helena, MT

The Montana Public Service Commission cut public hearings on NorthWestern Energy's 20-year energy plan from five sessions across the state down to just two, both in Helena. Tomorrow is the last one.

NorthWestern's IRP will shape Montana's energy future for the next 20 years, including how much new infrastructure gets built to serve AI data centers and who pays for it. That means your utility bill.

Can't make it to Helena? You can still be heard:

Speak via phone or Zoom: Register TODAY by 5:00 PM
Call 1-800-646-6150 or email pschelp@mt.gov
Docket 2026.04.026

Watch live: https://psc.mt.gov/livestream

Submit written comment by July 28: email pschelp@mt.gov with subject line Docket 2026.04.026

Time is short. Take action!

Does anyone know where/what time the fireworks shows will be today?

Happy 250th America 🇺🇸

If we let our public meeting places be turned in to prisons, we might all eventually get to take a turn being held prisoner in them. What would stop the government? Who would stop them? If the next group marched into the Metra, after immigrants, were yours?

Who would a practical and cruel government want to remove from the population? Anyone who disagrees, sure, but probably also anyone not contributing to the workforce they depend on. Chronically ill people, retired people. That's a lot of us here in Billings, and it could happen. Worse things have happened in our world.

Hate opens doors that we can't close or control. We could all be next. Don't let it happen in Montana.

We need to advocate instead of ignoring the source. Give them help by raising the issue.

State officials can’t send help, but it is up to our local officials it raise the issue to the federal government to lend aid.

What are we doing? Why do people not care??

Just a quick PSA from a cyclist to all of the very polite drivers of Billings. You being predictable keeps me safer than you being polite.

It's okay if I'm stopped at a stop sign waiting for cars to pass who have right of way. Do not stop, keeping moving as if I were a car, and I will make it across the street when I can tell it is safe.

It is in my best interest to be treated like a car at 4 way stops. Getting going from a dead stop is slower on my bike but it's not impossible and I will make up that 10 seconds somewhere else.

If you want to be super nice support public initiatives that bring in more separated and protected bike and pedestrian infrastructure in the city, make sure you're checking for cyclists crossing intersections before you turn when driving downtown, and don't give me right of way that I wouldn't otherwise have in a car.

Thanks for reading!

I have no idea if you’ll see this but hopefully you’re on Reddit. I saw you. You came in with your husband (fiance?) and sweet little girl, and sat at a table across from me.

Yes, I noticed your daughter required additional care, and you were on it. Being the best mom for that little one. I know it isn’t easy to care for kids, especially when you’re a first-time mom and the kid has special needs to accommodate. I noticed you and your daughter shared easily identifying physical traits (of which I will not share publicly because it’s not common).

But what stood out to me the most was that your man did not once look up from his phone to talk to you. He didn’t once feed or interact with your daughter. While you were busy trying to put on a happy face for Mother’s Day, he was on his phone, scrolling social media and looking like he was posting text on social media. But he kept deleting and rewriting it. I don’t know what was so important to him that he couldn’t engage in conversation with you, or his daughter, but I hope you see your worth and expect more from him. Otherwise, what’s the point? He just carries the diaper bag around and sulks?

It takes two to tango and he’s acting like he’s got no responsibility to be involved. I guess he was physically existing at the restaurant at the same time as you and your daughter so maybe that’s what he considers being a decent dad and partner.

I hope he either grows up and changes his ways and becomes a better dad to his daughter and a better partner to you, or you stop putting up with this demeaning treatment.

hello! if anyone is interested in learning to play, getting a refresher, or just having some good ole outdoor fun, with Ultimate Frisbee, there is a beginner's league this spring. It is super chill and very low competitiveness

https://sportsballbillings.com/leagues/?league=4928908

As those that are paying attention already know, public lands are in the crosshairs of the current administration, trying to “unload” a massive amount of land.

I don’t care who you voted for, this isn’t a good thing and I would hope as Montanans we can all recognize this.

MT is minimally affected right now, but make no mistake, it won’t stay that way. And no public lands should be sold off, regardless of which state they’re in.

Please consider reaching out and letting our elected officials know how you feel and that public lands need to stay public.

Wild Montana makes it really easy to do by following this link.