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Parasite in the Yellowstone

9/12/2016

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Yellowstone River shuts down after emerging parasite kill tens of thousands of fish

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By Molly O’Neill​

“Go Fish” – only not in the Yellowstone River. September 1, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reopened sections of a 183 mile stretch of the river that was previously closed after officials discovered a number of dead, native Mountain Whitefish, numbering in the tens of thousands. In addition, approximately 4,000 Rainbow Trout, Yellowstone Cutthroat, Longnose Suckers, Sculpin, and Longnose Dace were found dead. 

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Students  hit  the  slopes at  Discovery  before  season  ends

3/28/2016

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By Stephanie Brewster

From the slopes of Discovery to the powder at Big Sky, the winter sports season is coming to an end, but it’s not too late to catch the last few days of snow. Tech students, locals, and tourists alike still have the chance to come together on the slopes before Discovery shuts its doors for the season on April 10th. With an annual snowfall of 215 inches and 67 trails to choose from, there are a wide variety of adventures to embark on whether you’re a beginner, expert, or somewhere in between.

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The Coffee Scene: Butte MT

3/28/2016

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By Molly O'Neill

Attention: calling all coffee lovers, coffee snobs, and coffee addicts. If you’re looking for a good cup of Joe –– both affordable and delicious, there are cafés and baristas awaiting your arrival. If you want to escape the captivity of campus and branch out from a brewed cup of Starbucks coffee and treat yourself, continue reading.
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If you’re getting out of town and want coffee along on your road trip, or conversely plan to inhabit the library, there are coffee kiosks such as Florence Coffee and Hot Shotz Coffee and coffee houses around Butte. Hot Shotz offers white coffee beans, which contain more caffeine than dark coffee beans, and make for a drink easier on the digestive tract. If you haven’t experienced the flavor of white coffee beans, I recommend a stop at 2305 Harrison Ave.
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Gallery: Montana Tech Spring Career Fair A Success

2/16/2016

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​Photos by Emmy Keenan
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"Stolen" Apple Pie Recipe: How To Make a Pie From Ingredients You have "Acquired" From the SUB

1/15/2016

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By Stephanie Brewster 
What are your options when you’re craving the goodness of a home-cooked meal but living on a college budget? Or, even worse, when you have a sweet-tooth for a homemade apple pie? As college students, we are not unfamiliar with the concept of sucking the marrow out of life and squeezing the most out of every opportunity- and it doesn’t stop when it comes to an easy to make, home-style pie. 
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Ingredients: 
Pie Filling- 
4 “stolen-apples” from the SUB buffet line, rinsed and thinly sliced 
½ cup sugar from assorted sugar packets collected at the Coffee Mill 
1/8 teaspoon salt from your friendly neighborhood salt shaker 
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 
½ tablespoon lemon juice 
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional- depending on the effort you want to put in to obtain it) 
Pie Crust- 
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 
¼ teaspoon salt 
½ cup butter, Straight Outta Compton and diced 
¼ cup water, colder than the Mill on a Monday morning 
Instructions: 
1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, that’s about 218 C or 491.5 Kelvin if you’re an engineer. Then, go Paula Dean on a 9-inch pie pan. If you do not have a glass or metal pie pan on hand, check the front desk of Centennial or Prospector Resident Hall. Butter and set aside.

​2.  
In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon- preferably with a spoon. Add in the sliced apples you’ve accumulated from the SUB and make it rain lemon juice to coat the apples. Stir all of the pie filling ingredients together, place in the fridge, and let the filling “Netflix and chill” until needed.  

3.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and salt. “Cut” in ½ cup of diced butter- or mix butter into the flour and salt with two butter knives if you don’t have a “cutting” tool- until the diced butter morsels are smaller than peas. Make a circular indent in the middle of the mixture, pour ¼ cup of ice-cold water here, and mix until doughy. 

4.  On a floured surface, roll dough out until about as thick as a finals paper, 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch depending on your major. Divide your dough in half. Press the first half into the Paula Dean-ed pan, spoon in chilled apple filling, and cover with the second half of the pie dough. With a fork, press the sides of the buttered pie pan to seal the dough halves together and make a few incisions in the top of the crust to allow the filling to vent.  

5.  Bake your “Stolen-Apple” Pie for 45 minutes at 425, or until the crust is more golden than a Montana sunset and the filling begins to bubble. Allow pie to cool for 2 hours, or at least put it in the fridge for a little bit. Best served chilled with ice cream “al a mode” or hot out of the oven over vanilla ice cream, for those of us who are impatient. 
It’s so easy an engineer can do it! Enjoy and happy baking! Stay posted for more college-savvy, easy, and delicious recipes!  

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Sleeplessly to Seattle: 3 Tips to Remember the Next Time You Fly

1/15/2016

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By Stephanie Brewster 

​30,000 feet up. Flying first class. Serenaded by Sinatra. I feel so fancy- and out of place. Every one of the 15 other faces in first class looks at me with inquiry. The wise and weathered faces of these classy strangers seem to ask, “What college-kid flies home via first class?” and, “Is that gentleman to her left her rich grandfather?”  
 
The friendly passenger to my left (no, not my grandfather) has many miles on his “frequent flyer card”, 25+ years of flying, he tells me. With this information, he also gives me some advice. He assures me: this is the safest way to travel. With a sigh of relief, we exchange laughs, pieces of wisdom, and flying stories. Here’s what I get from his recommendations: 
  1. Prepare.  
Have your luggage ready, ID/Driver’s License in reach, and plan out the logistics of transportation to and from the airport. Though it seems cliché, it’s true what they say: Get to the airport an hour or two before departure- unless, of course, you’re flying out of Butte. In that case, you may only need half an hour. Nevertheless, while you’re packing, don’t make the same mistake I did and lose your driver’s license a few days before your flight leaves. You need a government issued ID to board, unless you really want to be pat down by TSA. The ladies hands were warm, she was cordial about the whole ordeal, and I reminded myself that this was just part of her job- but a public pat down isn’t for everyone. 
 
  1. Breathe. 
You’ve minded your Ps and Qs, you made it through security, and you have an hour to spare. This is the part where you want to take time to scope the airport out. If you’re flying out of Salt Lake City, SeaTac, LAX, or another major airport, there are copious amounts of shops to peruse and plenty of window seats to relax and watch planes land as you wait for yours. If you’re flying out of Butte, pull up a chair- you won’t have to look far before you see someone you recognize or until you’re ready to depart. At this point, you’ll want to have your boarding pass ready and find your terminal. 
  1. Enjoy.  
Handling the flight home is a lot like surviving the zombie apocalypse, simply in the fact that the best way to cope is to enjoy the little things. If you like Mumford and Sons more than jazz, listen to Mumford (sorry Sinatra). Enjoy reading? Bring a good book on board. Don’t be afraid to accept when the older gentleman next to you offers you a package of almond shortbread cookies- but don’t take candy from strangers, unless, of course, they’re your stewardess. Most importantly, you’re going to be sitting for a few hours- you might as well look out the window and enjoy! 
My dear first time flyer, you may feel a bit like Major Tom your first time above 30,000 feet like I did: sitting in a tin can, far above the world, and like “there’s nothing you can do”- but take heart! You are not alone! If you look around most airports, you’ll notice families rushing to and from terminals, business people frazzled over the price of Starbucks at the airport, and others waiting for their plane home with perpetual “flyer’s face”*. They’re no different than you. If they can make it, and I can too, you’ll succeed with flying colors.  
Have a safe flight and, in the words of David Bowie, “may God’s love be with you.” 
 
*”flyer’s face”: The expression you make when you’re so exhausted from lack of sleep, security checks, and waiting through lines that the bags under your eyes are large enough to be checked as extra luggage. 
 

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Behind the Broom: A Chat With Custodian Dan Lowney

11/19/2015

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PictureResidence Hall custodian Dan Lowney shovels snow on the sidewalk outside of Centennial Hall in the morning before classes begin.
​By Stephanie Brewster

​Before the sun has begun to kiss Our Lady of the Rockies on the horizon, and the eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage are fried on the griddle at the SUB, the “men behind the brooms” are there- preparing Prospector and Centennial Residence Halls for the day. Some of us Tech students can’t even bring ourselves to wriggle out of bed early enough to catch them in action. While we are cocooned in our covers, Dan, Billy, Jeremy, and Penn beat the sunrise and are hard at work.

Dan Lowney, an employee with Montana Tech for 10 years in March, can be found meticulously looking after students early in the morning. His work is so detailed and careful that I once found him removing a house plant from the girl’s bathroom sink in Centennial in order to clean under it and gently place it back again. In response to this, he said that he didn’t want to harm it with cleaning supplies- he likes Venus Fly Traps too much. He also offered the advice of sunlight, water, and a little bit of love to help our Resicence Hall plant grow.

In order to help students grow and thrive, Dan offered up this advice: “Go to class. Just show up everytime. You can do it.”

He related many of the students he sees to a close friend of his. Once a high school dropout, he went back for his college degree and found success- the first step was simply showing up.

 “Attendence is everything”, he said.

Dan’s passion for students is evident on campus. It can be seen in the clear sidewalks on fridged winter mornings, the refreshingly clean bathrooms, and the way trash disappear from the halls before we notice its presence. When asked what motivates him to take such diligent care of students, Dan responded that we are the catalysts.

“You guys are great to work with, ” Dan smiled.

Dan has witnessed years of freshman come into the resident halls and move on to graduation. They’re left wondering, “Where has the time gone?” in the conglomeration of late nights studying, early mornings working, and weekends socked in with social activities. He observes it all and says that it is this process, seeing lost students discover their way, that motivates him.
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This is the same heart behind each “man behind the broom” you see in the dorms. These men are so much more than the preventers of “First World Probs”, such as running out of toilet paper in the bathroom- they are the epitome of the saying, “Not all superheroes wear capes.” If you’re quick enough to catch them, you might see them in the halls on an early morning. Take the time to shake their hand- it could be your chance to meet a superhero. So, if you are looking for someone to be thankful for this season, look no further than outside your resident hall door. They are there- vaccuming, cleaning, and caring about students.
 
 
 
 
 



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Organic Food: Is it Really Better For You?

11/15/2015

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By Molly O'Neill

​            If you observe around you, you may see someone buying organic produce, organic skincare, or drinking organic raw Kombucha. It may appear that an organic lifestyle is more sought out than in years past. Individuals are altering their lifestyles with a health conscious approach then they have, while some are discovering food intolerances and noticing hypersensitivities to certain foods. Other reasons one might buy organic products are reasons such as; environmental protection, fear about food safety, and chemical exposure such as pesticide residue.
            While some of us choose to eat organic because of dietary issues or personal choices. Those same individuals need we to be mindful of how that food is labeled, especially when it comes to the organic label. According to an article published in JSTOR, Organic: What’s in a Name, there are “no consistent requirements for organic labeling and no guarantee that foods labeled as organic are grown and processed in a purely organic fashion.”
            Organic is defined as foods that are grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals or pesticides. The question raised is with will new technology like genetic engineering play a significant role in organic production and should that product should be considered natural or synthetic.
            USDA’s (United States Department of Agriculture) rules and regulations for labeling a product organic is the production excludes genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge. There is also a list of “allowed substances” and it must be inspected by a USDA National Organic Program-authorized certifying agent, following all USDA organic regulations.
            Biologist Martha Apple, a biology professor at Montana Tech is more inclined to buy organic products,
            “I lean towards organically grown clothing fibers when affordable. For example, conventional cotton is grown with a very high pesticide load.”
            When asked the pertinence of consuming organic food, Apple stated she was in favor,
“Consider the importance of soil health and the value of mycorrhizal fungi.”
            As college students, our budget is tight and we can’t always afford a five dollar difference on what appears to be the same product.
            Brea Walker, a junior nursing student, stated, “I’ll buy organic food if they are the same price as non-organic, but if they aren’t I won’t because I don’t think it will benefit me that much.”
Should we be choosing organic food over non-organic foods and how might these chemical-laden foods be detrimental to our health?
            “The organic food industry is where soil and plant scientists can use their collective knowledge to create versatile and sustainable ways of producing food. Of course, the crop plants are autotrophs so they will grow themselves to some extent without any help from humans,” concluded Apple.
            Can any product be labeled organic without it being certified? If you make a product and want to claim that it or its ingredients are organic, your final product “probably” needs to be certified, according to USDA.  If you are not certified, you must not make any organic claim on the principal display panel or use the USDA organic seal anywhere on the package. Some operations are exempt if they are organic farmers who sell $5,000 or less. You may only, on the information panel, identify the certified organic ingredients as organic and the percentage of organic ingredients.
 
            When labels state “made with organic [specified ingredients of food groups]” 30% may be any nonorganic agricultural ingredient and product produced without excluded method. Sewage sludge, or irradiation” according to USDA. What might also be included in that 30% are nonorganic agricultural products that are produced using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides not on the National List. Thus, resulting in a misconception of organic foods aren’t always 100% organic.
            Read food labels and go out and be a skeptic in this world.

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Survey: Where is Your Favorite Place to Study on Campus?

11/4/2015

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    Answer the Question Below.

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Student Survey: Where's the best Java in Butte?

10/19/2015

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    The Search for Butte's Best Coffee

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    Stephanie Brewster, Community Editor
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