This week on Beer, Barbs & Big Sky, we sit down with Tanya Horn and the leadership team from the Flathead Warming Center for a candid conversation about homelessness, housing, and the lawsuit that put the organization in the national spotlight.

The Warming Center faced an attempt to revoke its permit — sparking debate across the Flathead Valley about property rights, compassion, and the role of local government.

We discuss:

• What a low-barrier shelter actually is
• How many people the Warming Center serves
• Mental health and chronic homelessness
• Myths about “out-of-state” homeless populations
• Government overreach vs. community responsibility
• Why housing affordability is driving the crisis
• Faith, politics, and finding common ground

This episode moves beyond headlines and social media noise to explore what’s really happening on the ground — and what it means for the future of our community.

Whether you agree or disagree, this is a conversation worth hearing.

https://www.flatheadwarmingcenter.org/

This week on Beer, Buds & the Big Sky, we sit down with Calispell City Council member and mayoral candidate Ryan Hunter to talk about the future of the city — and the bigger political currents shaping Montana.

We cover:

• Why Calispell leads the valley in new housing

• Supply vs. affordability — what actually works

• Short-term rental caps

• Mixed-use neighborhoods & downtown vitality

• Why zoning laws may be the real barrier

• Why pulling the permit was a mistake

• Leadership failures at City Hall

• Homelessness myths vs. data

• Mental health, jail, and long-term solutions

• Are inmates being released due to lack of space?

• Should jail expansion be the solution?

• Mental health care vs. incarceration

• The Iran bombing

• Iraq déjà vu

• Why Democrats struggle with messaging

• Is Congress irrelevant on war decisions?

• Four lanes vs. two lanes

• Parking myths

• Why vibrant downtowns matter

• Growth vs. sprawl

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, growth, and whether Montana communities can plan smarter instead of louder.

Local politics meets national chaos — with beer in hand.

🏘 Affordable Housing & Zoning Reform🏛 The Warming Center Lawsuit🚔 The County Jail Levy🌎 National Politics & War Powers🏙 Downtown Calispell

This week on Beer, Buds & the Big Sky, we sit down with Flathead County District Court Judge and Montana Supreme Court candidate Amy Eddy for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of Montana’s judiciary.

We cover:

• Why she’s running for the Montana Supreme Court

• Judicial independence vs. partisan politics

• Whether political parties should fund judicial races

• Montana’s constitutional right to privacy

• The mental health crisis inside county jails

• Why defendants wait months (or years) for the state hospital

• How plea agreements and sentencing actually work

• “Soft on crime” narratives vs. courtroom reality

• Separation of powers at both the state and national level

Judge Eddy walks through what it really means to be impartial in a political era — and why Montana’s Constitution places strong limits on government power.

It’s a deeper conversation about justice, accountability, and the role of courts when politics gets loud.

Amy Eddy, Montana Supreme Court Candidate

https://amyeddyforjustice.com/

Most people in county jail aren’t violent criminals.

They’re struggling with addiction and untreated mental illness.

Former law enforcement officer Jason Pars joins us to discuss:

• The jail expansion debate

• Why 2am mental health calls end in incarceration

• What officers can (and can’t) do

• Why community services matter

• How the system fails both cops and citizens

We also get into:

• Property taxes

• ICE funding

• Guns in Montana

• And the politics of outrage

Honest conversation. No script. No filter.