Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A Lake County attorney elected as a new district judge in November has preemptively resigned after state prosecutors charged him with allegedly attempting to buy cocaine repeatedly in 2022. Kenneth Britton “Britt” Cotter, 48, was charged Monday in Lake County District Court with one count of solicitation to commit criminal distribution of dangerous drugs and two counts of attempted possession of dangerous drugs. All three are felonies. The Montana Department of Justice filed the charges, which were first reported by the Flathead Beacon. Cotter won an uncontested election to an open judicial seat in the state court district that covers Lake and Sanders counties. He could not be reached for comment Friday and his defense attorney, Colin Stephens, was not available. What’s open and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2024? Is John Dutton real? 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It's surely worth a spin How to protect your communications through encryption PHOTOS: Santa spotted on Main Street in Hamilton Live updates: No. 1 Montana State Bobcats host No. 4 South Dakota in FCS semifinals When we invest in trust funds, we invest in Montana’s future | Rep. Llew Jones In a Dec. 22 letter sent to Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike McGrath, Cotter wrote that he will not be taking office next month. “Defending myself against these charges will require my full time, effort, and resources as I work to protect my family and myself from the harm these allegations have already caused and will continue to cause,” he wrote in his resignation letter. His letter continued, “This decision, while heartbreaking, is one I believe to be in the best interest of my family, our community, and the broader legal community.” In a Dec. 24 press release, the Montana Attorney General’s office stated that the state Division of Criminal Investigation “was originally called in to investigate a contracted attorney with the Office of the State Public Defender. That investigation is ongoing.” The investigation began after the Office of State Public Defender asked state investigators to look into “fraudulent billing practices on April 23, 2024,” according to the affidavit signed by Assistant Attorney General Meghann Paddock. “A review of those communications revealed historical text messages between ‘A. Doe’ and the defendant,” the charges state. Selections of those text messages included in the affidavit indicate Cotter was attempting to buy “three balls” of cocaine from Doe, a Flathead County resident, in March 2022, the DOJ alleges. He also told Doe he could get her “blue vitamins,” which the affidavit suggests is a reference to fentanyl. In July, text messages between the two arranged for a sale worth $900. A search warrant for Doe’s Venmo history turned up a $900 transaction on the same day, for “legal fees” from an IP address in Polson, the affidavit states. A subsequent $1,200 order was discussed in text messages between Cotter and Doe in October 2023, the DOJ alleges. The evidence obtained from the Venmo warrant also confirmed a $1,200 transaction for “work” on the day after the text exchange. Other text messages through December 2022 refer to additional orders, but don’t explicitly refer to drugs, according to the affidavit. Agents with the state Division of Criminal Investigation interviewed Cotter in his office about a week after the election, in November 2023, according to the affidavit. Cotter acknowledged that he knew Doe and that Doe “had a substance abuse problem,” but denied that he had one. “When asked if he had ever purchased drugs from A. Doe, the defendant said no, and ended the conversation,” the affidavit states. Agents also interviewed Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy, who had reviewed some of the information contained in the charges, according to the affidavit. She told investigators she had expressed her concerns to Cotter and that he told her that he “bought cocaine from (A. Doe) a long time ago,” but that he stopped when he decided to run for district judge. She told Cotter that she planned to make a report to the Judicial Standards Commission, according to the charges. Cotter attempted to talk her out of filing the complaint, Eddy told the investigators, but told him “she had an ethical obligation to report.” If convicted on all charges, Cotter could face up to 35 years in prison and $60,000 in fines. His arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 8 before Judge Jennifer Lint of Ravalli County District Court. Author twitter Author emailBARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Celta Vigo gave 10-man Barcelona a shock by scoring two late goals and snatching a 2-2 draw at home in the Spanish league on Saturday. Barcelona was minutes away from a win to pad its league lead after Raphinha and Lewandowski had put Barcelona in control. But the game dramatically swung after Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casadó was sent off with a second booking in the 81st. Moments later Jules Koundé’s poor control of a ball in his area allowed Alfon González to pick his pocket and give the hosts hope in the 84th minute. Celta poured forward at Balaidos Stadium and Hugo Álvarez rifled in the 86th-minute equalizer with Barcelona unable to mark the extra man. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerNone
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Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?2024 opened with speculation already rife about the timing of a general election. But the first national poll came in the form of two referendums on amending the Constitution’s definition of family and the role of women within the home. Some concern had been expressed over the speed with which both amendments had been rushed through the Oireachtas. There was also criticism of the proposed new wording on carers and the family. But with support from almost every party in the Dáil, along with a wide range of civil society groups, the expectation was that both proposals would pass. In fact, the two amendments were rejected by historic margins. The result led to some soul-searching about a disconnect between the political establishment and popular sentiment. It was also a harbinger of political difficulties ahead for Sinn Féin and the Greens. But the most immediate and consequential aftershock came two weeks later with Leo Varadkar’s resignation as leader of Fine Gael and taoiseach. Within days, Simon Harris had effectively sewn up sufficient support to be confirmed by Fine Gael as Varadkar’s successor in both roles. The new Taoiseach faced a rising drumbeat of controversy over the handling of a growing refugee crisis. Having welcomed almost 100,000 people displaced by the war in Ukraine since 2022, the State appeared unable to cope with the rising numbers of applicants for international protection. Desperate efforts to find premises to house those arriving were met with local opposition across the country, some of which escalated into ugly scenes of arson, violence and racist abuse. After the announcement that new arrivals would no longer be guaranteed accommodation, tent cities sprang up in central Dublin, adding to the sense of a crisis spinning out of control. As candidates prepared for the local and European elections in early June, there was speculation that these tensions could spark an electoral breakthrough for far-right or anti-immigrant parties. While a handful of individuals espousing such views were indeed elected, the results were most notable for the collapse in support for Sinn Féin. The party, which only a few months earlier had held a commanding lead in opinion polls, now found itself trailing well behind Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The Greens also suffered, losing both their European Parliament seats and a tranche of councillors. The following week Eamon Ryan stepped down after 13 years as Green leader, to be replaced by Roderic O’Gorman. By the end of summer, Harris’s ‘s “new energy” seemed to be successfully lifting his party’s spirits as well as its electoral prospects. Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil’s new Minister for Finance Jack Chambers and his Fine Gael colleague, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, were fashioning a budget that, despite their protestations, was clearly engineered to woo voters in the upcoming general election. Despite increasingly absurd attempts to maintain that they were not even contemplating such an action, the Government parties eventually called an election for the end of November. The short but oddly uninspiring campaign that followed was marked by extravagant promises from nearly all parties to boost spending and cut taxes. Fine Gael, which had gone into the election as clear frontrunner, made a number of unforced errors. Only in the closing stages was any reference made to the looming threat posed to Ireland’s economic model and buoyant public finances by a second Trump administration. The picture that emerged after the election looked remarkably familiar. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s share of the popular vote was very similar to what the two had achieved in 2020, with Micheál Martin’s party a nose ahead and extracting a significant seat bonus. Sinn Féin dropped five percentage points from the previous general election but it too achieved a seat bonus through canny vote management. The Greens were almost obliterated as a parliamentary force, with most of the slack taken up by Labour and the Social Democrats. At the end of a year of political turbulence and electoral contests internationally, the image which Ireland presented to the world at the end of 2024 was one of unusual stability and continuity. The two large incumbent parties had come through the election effectively unscathed, bucking the international trend, and seemed well positioned to form a government with Independent support in the first few weeks of 2025. While it faces the same pressing questions as its predecessor over housing, infrastructure and services, the greatest challenges facing that government are likely to come once more from external shocks in an uncertain and unpredictable world. How well equipped the current political model is to cope with such challenges remains an open question.With Chicago skid at 10 games, finale can't come soon enough for Bears
Tim Hortons Field head chef helps Niagara families celebrate ChristmasPRIME MINISTER Philip J Pierre is urging all Labour Parties in the region to remain united. Pierre, who spoke at the Dominica Labour Party’s [DLP] Delegates’ Conference recently, said the parties need to remain connected now more than ever. “We have a common enemy. This enemy is not only climate change, unemployment [or] the uneven playing field that we have to deal with in the international community. We do not need to look too far to understand... why we must work together,” the prime minister said. According to him, “If you follow the news in Dominica... Grenada, St Vincent and St Lucia, you will see the same forces that are fighting Skerrit are the same forces that are fighting Ralph.” “They hate our unity... this is the very reason we must stand stronger together,” he said. The DLP’s conference brought leaders from across the region together to discuss the way forward for the Party. The conference aimed to inspire and empower members to work together to realize the DLP’s vision for Dominica, the party said in a statement. Pierre noted that his visit was not just in the interest of Saint Lucians, “but because of the struggles of the... Dominican Labour Party, which like many others throughout the Caribbean fought for workers’ rights.” “I particularly want to thank.... Prime Minister Roosevelt Skeritt and all his men and women in government who have collectively and successfully effected the development and the modernization of Dominica,” he said. Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell was also in attendance. Pierre said he hopes that Prime Minister Mitchell, Skeritt and himself will be “like a beacon of hope for all generations of Caribbean people of our commitment to always work together and as a sign of our continuing efforts. Prime Minister Mitchell, for his part, also spoke about “strengthening our political institutions”. “Sometimes you need to hear it from an outsider. I hope you appreciate that next year Dominica Labour Party will be celebrating 75 years of existence,” he told supporters. “You cannot take your leadership for granted and you will not be able to create the hope, ambition [and] the aspiration for the next generations of Dominicans if you take it for granted,” he said. Meanwhile, earlier this week, Saint Lucia Times reported that two organisations (Civic Vibes and the Electoral Reform Coalition) criticised Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and Dickon Mitchell for their remarks at the DLP’s Conference. “Both organisations expressed concerns over the Prime Ministers’ comments and their perceived disregard for ongoing calls for electoral reform in Dominica,” the website reported.
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