A New Angle

This week’s guests are David Spear and Julie Cajune of A VOICE: Art, Vision and Outreach in Community Education. This nonprofit organization’s mission is to foster individual, group, community and cultural expression through art, outreach and education. A VOICE has served the Flathead Nation for 20 years.In this conversation, David talks about how he made it from New York to Polson, and how he built trust with students on the Flathead Nation. David explains some of the specific projects students have worked on, and how art - like sports - can serve as a bridge for success. Justin asks both David and Julie about their plans for the future. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Bobby Hauck, who recently retired after his second long tenure as head football coach at the University of Montana. Justin was interested in Coach Hauck’s thoughts on the state of collegiate athletics and football in particular. After his retirement from UM, Coach Hauck was named defensive coordinator at the University of Illinois.In this episode, Coach Hauck talks about his decision to leave UM and reflects on the good and less good parts of the job. Justin and Coach Hauck talk about the changing landscape of college football, but Coach Hauck maintains that college football isn’t going anywhere. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

In the spirit of ANA’s new tagline: “How we’re doing and where we’re going,” this week Justin speaks with Cascade County Commissioner Joe Briggs and Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick. Though these two come from different political parties, they came together to work on improving Montana’s tax system. This collaboration shows us that cooperation across party lines is not only possible, but perhaps critical to our future.In this episode, Josh and Joe discuss how their partnership began and the challenges they faced getting buy-in from other political leaders. The two talk about the role of a county commissioner and their ideas on how to bridge the divide of partisan politics, something they both think is heavily influenced by social media and national politics. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guests are Logan and Jordan Lefler. Together, these brothers are making “Journey to the Sun,” a documentary film about Glacier National Park’s Going To The Sun Road. This film not only tells the history, but peers into the future at the many challenges facing this iconic piece of Montana.In this conversation, the brothers talk about their early filmmaking, which included making clips of them skateboarding as teenagers. Logan and Jordan discuss what it took to originally make the Going To The Sun Road and their goal of incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the film to highlight the historical and cultural significance of the area. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Trevor Brown, post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Economy and Society at Johns Hopkins University. Trevor is the co-author of an important new book, Rural Versus Urban: The Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy. Many of the dynamics reported in this book are unfolding here in Montana.In this conversation, Trevor talks about how rural and urban areas have become increasingly polarized, and discusses the economic factors and messaging strategies that have led to that divide. Trevor talks about the dangers of this divide, but also brings up some solutions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe