The ButteCast with Bill Foley

He has been called Butte’s “Accidental Historian.” Richard Gibson was born in Oklahoma, raised in Flint, Michigan and educated at Indiana University in Bloomington. You will look long and hard, however, before you find someone who knows more about the history of Butte than Richard. Today's podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Casagranda's Steakhouse⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

With House Bill 547, Butte-Silver Bow has punted one of its biggest in-house issues to the Montana Legislature, where elected officials from the other 55 counties will decide for us. Whether or not the bill is a good one is not the issue here. The process stinks. And letting others work out our disputes for us is not in the true spirit of the "Can Do City." Today's bonus podcast is brought to you...

Torre Tempel was very impressive on the football field and basketball court for the Butte High Bulldogs. Bulldog basketball coach Matt Luedtke calls Toree “the epitome of Butte High basketball.” Torre led the Bulldogs with 39 made 3-pointers this season, but that only begins to describe his game. He was just tough. He was the same way playing cornerback for the Bulldogs. Torre Tempel will long be...

Sid DeBarathy and Mike "Skinny" Foley have been fighting for equality for the girls who play softball in Butte since 2023. It looks like they might once again be gaining traction. However, Sid and Skinny have heard that before. Of course, Sid and Skinny have heard that many times in their 22-year fight for equality for the girls. They have heard as many hollow words and empty promises as...

There has never been a Miss Montana to win the crown while living in the Mining City.  We have at least on Miss Montana living in the "Holey City" today, and nobody seems to be more of a Butte girl that Jessica Picker. Jessica, whose maiden name is Criss, hails from Klamath Falls, Oregon, and she won the Miss Montana Crown while attending Montana State University in 2020. She was again “...

While so many of us see the love and support Native basketball fans show for the teams to be something really great, Jake uses that passion to punch down at students in public education. Don't be like Jake. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Park Street Liquors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ .  ⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Jeff Riggs is a self-described “serial entrepreneur.” He has been at least since his days playing basketball at Montana State University, when he used his scholarship money to buy property. Riggs grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He wasn’t big, but he was a star athlete. He was All-State in football and basketball, and he won a state championship in the triple jump. He was recruited by colllege fo...

Pat Ogrin is a 1976 Butte High graduate who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins in January of 1983. He is also the very first autograph I ever got. Listen in to hear Pat talk about playing for Butte High and the University of Wyoming. Listen as he talks about the knee injury that surely held up a career that still lasted a few years in the NFL, a couple of years in the USFL and a...

On March 16, 1985, the Park High Rangers from Livingston beat the Butte Central Maroons in a 99-97 double-overtime thriller in the Class A State boys' championship game. Four decades later, we are still talking about that game. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Park Street Liquors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Mickey Boysza is always on the move. She is one of those people who seem to find a way to live more than 24 hours each day. She is currently devoting her time to putting on the Shillelagh Shindig, which is March 16 at The Depot (818 S. Arizona). The Shindig is a fundraiser for the Butte-Silver Bow Democratic Central Committee, which does so much more than promote political candidates.  The event r...

Butte High’s and Butte Central’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will put their seasons on the line this week. The Bulldog teams will host Western AA playoff games Friday night at the Richardson Gym. Butte High’s girls play Helena Capital at 6 p.m. before the boys take on Missoula Sentinel at 7:30. The winners of those games move on to the Class AA State tournament, which is next week in Bozeman...

While the Class A, B and C brings us a taste of March Madness, the Class AA is giving us March Sadness. Because Class AA administrators don't see the big picture, we no longer have divisional basketball tournaments. That is a damn shame. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Park Street Liquors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Rachel (Worrell) D’Amico and Jeff Dennehy know a little bit about youth sports, to say the least. Rachel was a standout pitcher for the Butte High softball team. She led the Bulldogs to a third-place finish at the 2000 Class AA State softball tournament in Helena. Then she took her talents to Porterville College in Porterville, California. Jeff was a standout hockey player in Butte, helping the Mi...

Coach Greg Salo passed away on Feb. 12. He was just 72 years old. Coach Salo was a legendary athlete in the Mining City. He was also a man who was born to lead. As most of his former players would surly tell you, Coach Salo was no ordinary coach. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Park Street Liquors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Not many people can tell a story like a Hogart, and Billy is as good as any of them. He grew up on Copper Street, one of five children of Bill and Mary Carol. Mike, Michelle, Jack and Pam are the other four. If they weren’t born with a ball in their hands, the Hogart kids were certainly raised with one — even if it was held together with electrical tape. Billy excelled at baseball, a game that he...

The Butte Watchdogs for Social & Environmental Justice are fighting for the people of Butte. They are speaking out against the EPA, British Petroleum and the Butte-Silver Bow government in an effort to protect the children and people of Butte from ongoing poisoning. For their efforts, I am nominating them to be the grand marshals of Butte's St. Patrick's Day parade. Today's bonus p...

Kenley Leary was a four-sport standout athlete when he roamed the hallways of Butte High School from 2018 through 2022. He earned eight varsity letters with the Bulldogs. That includes two in football and three each in basketball and track. He also played American Legion Baseball, helping lead the Butte Miners to their first state title in 69 years in 2022. In that magical summer of 2022, Leary wa...

As I refereed my first varsity high school basketball game at the Snake Pit in Anaconda, I was thinking of my old pal Tony Laslovich and the greatest quote of my writing career. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Park Street Liquors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ .  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

No boy has scored more points for Butte High’s varsity basketball team than Hudson Luedtke. And he’s only a junior. With 1,052 points heading into Friday’s home game against Missoula Hellgate, Luedtke is 30 points ahead of the late John Dawson on the Butte High all-time boys’ scoring list. Hudson passed Dawson for the top spot Saturday in Helena. Listen to hear what he has planned if he follows in...

In the Butte pool of the Montana Officials Association, we have three pregnant referees, and they are still working games. One is pregnant with twins. We were hoping that would lead to our first "seven-person crew" for a game this week. However, we will have to settle for six. If you thought you had a good reason to not referee high school sports, well, that excuse has been thrown out th...

Sterling Urgent Care opened its doors for the first time in Butte, bringing a whole new model of healthcare to the Mining City. It is a membership-driven model that does not involve your insurance. It could be a gamechanger. Listen in as Membership Director Sami Evans and CEO Scott Brown tell us about the model for Sterling, which is 14 locations in Idaho, three in Utah and three in Wyoming. Butte...

Lisa (Wareham) Edwards is so much more than a photographer. She is also so much more than an artist. In a way, her work serves as a vessel for us to travel back in time. For the last few years, Wareham has been producing photographs that perfectly blend Butte of today with Butte from yesteryear. A large percentage of her artwork builds on iconic photos from legendary Butte photographer C. Owen Smi...

Junior Hudson Luedtke is about to pass John Dawson as the leading scorer in Butte High boys' basketball history. Did you know that Dawson, who passed away 5 days before his 41st birthday in 1990, was once the self-proclaimed happiest kid in the whole world? Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Park Street Liquors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Today we conclude our important conversation with Butte's Erik Nylund, a social and environmental justice warrior. Today's podcast is brought to you by  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thriftway Super Stops⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Join the Thriftway Loyalty Club today and save big. Intro music by Tim Montana. For more from the Elk Park native, go to  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Erik Nylund is a 1993 Butte High graduate who worked for Sen. Jon Tester during most of the senator's three terms in office. Erik has always been a man to fight for the little guy. He fights for children. He fights to protect whistleblowers. Now that he is no longer under the constraints of working for a senator, Erik's voice is getting a whole lot louder when it comes to fighting for real...