Shows / The ButteCast with Bill Foley
The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Let's get to know some of the characters who make Butte, Montana the "Richest Hill on Earth."
Episodes
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 282: Peggy Boyle
There is simply no question that Peggy Boyle is one tough woman. In addition to raising four highly-competitive boys, Peggy was one of the 15 Salazar siblings…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ’er Light Raffy Devers
Almost two months after the Red Sox traded my favorite player, Rafael Devers, to the Giants, the move still hurts. But, through thick, thin, heartbreaking…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 281: Brittani Ferris and Jordan Harwell
Brittani Ferris and Jordan Harwell are trying their best to make the Mining City laugh more. They are doing a pretty good job, too. Brittani is the founder of…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 280: Rick Lyons
Rick Lyons is one of the greatest all-around athletes the Mining City has ever produced. The 2017 Butte Sports Hall of Fame inductee has won state titles in…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ‘er Light: Mile High All-Stars
This past weekend, Butte’s Mile High All-Stars knocked on the door of history. They came up just short of becoming just the second Little League state…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 279: John Stenson
Some of you known him as John Stenson, musician in iconic Butte bands like Uncle Mary, King Friday and the Berkeley Pits. Others know him as Mr. Stenson…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 278: Jocelyn Dodge
You might not ever find a retired person who does more work than Jocelyn Dodge. She works with the Restore Our Creek Coalition and the Friends of Thompson…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Ryggs Johnston made it look easy
Before he played in the 2025 British Open, Libby native Riggs Johnston made the Butte Country Club look like an easy course. He might be the only person to…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 277: Jake Olson
Jake Olson is a 2021 Butte High graduate who is gearing up for his senior season playing football for the Montana Grizzlies. He is following a legacy with the…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: She’s a big reason why this place is ‘Mountain Bike Heaven’
The Butte 100 Mountain Bike Race started in 2007, and it lead to a mountain bike explosion Butte and Southwestern Montana. A great many of people were…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 276: Maritsa Georgiou
Maritsa Georgiou is a well-respected journalist in Montana and around the nation. Her reporting on the planned removal of United States Postal Service boxes…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ’er Light: Sparky’s voice will live on forever
The legendary Rick Sparks passed away last week, three days shy of his 78th birthday. Sparky might have passed, but his voice will live on forever. Today's…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 275: Ozzie Rosenleaf
Today’s guest is someone everyone knows. Or, at least you know of him. He might just be the guy you see running down the street, no matter the weather. He is…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 274: George Parrett
Podcast No. 274: George Parrett When I was in grade school in Butte, there were basically two kinds of kids: Those who had Mr. George Parrett as their…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Let Bugs Bunny provide inspiration to stand up for sports officials
It is time to start a movement and call out those who berate sports officials. Staying silent is being complicit. Follow the ways of Bugs Bunny. Today's bonus…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 273: Chase Reynolds
The Colt Anderson Dream Big Experience will be held this week in Butte. (Schedule) The two-day event begins Thursday. The first day includes a family fun area…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Just do the right thing for the girls
The Butte School District continues to be OK with our high school softball players playing on subpar fields at Stodden Park. It is time for the district to do…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 272: Chad Okrusch Part 2
Chad Okrusch made his first appearance on the ButteCast before he performed at the Montana Folk Festival in Butte in July 2023. He makes his return today to…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 271: West Side Shriners
The 78th Montana East-West Shrine Game will be played Saturday in Great Falls. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live around the state on…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Only a barbarian would drink white wine with steak
When my Grandma Jean's younger brother Tom Leeming passed away last September, we lost of the last of one incredible group of siblings. Last week, we hosted…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 270: Sarah Borduin and Denise Herman
As Donald Trump is celebrating his birthday with a Putin-style military parade in Washington on Saturday, the group “Indivisible Butte” will be holding a No…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: A eulogy for Grandpa Bill
On June 6, my grandpa, Bill Foley, would have turned 100 years old. A World War II veteran, Grandpa Bill passed away at the age of 89 on Feb. 12, 2015. As I…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 269: Tom Lazzari
Podcast No. 269: Tom Lazzari They call him “Papa Big Guns.” That does not only go for his grandchildren, either. American Legion Baseball players — and some of…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 268: Mike Beckworth
Occasionally, Facebook turns out to be a very good thing. That is the certainly case with today’s guest. Facebook is how I found Mike Beckworth. Recently, I…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Stand up to the bullies and fly that flag
We need to make the bigots feel uncomfortable again. We can do that by standing up to bullies and flying that pride flag. Today's bonus podcast is brought to…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 267: Sam Henderson
If Sam Henderson was to walk away from track & field today, we would still be talking about him decades from now. On Saturday, Henderson won the Class AA State…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Dr. Farren and his smile will be missed
Dr. Daniel J. Farren passed away last week. Not every guy will be as sad as I am about the passing of his longtime optometrist, but Dr. Farren was special. Dr…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 266: Dom Tibbetts
During his two years covering sports for KXLF-TV in Butte and KBZK-TV in Bozeman, we could tell that Dom Tibbetts was going to be off to bigger and better…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ’er Light: 500 Mariah’s Messengers
Mariah’s Challenge rose from the ashes of an unspeakable tragedy in October of 2007. Today, that movement to curb underage drinking and drinking and driving is…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 265: Leo McCarthy Part 2
In October of 2022, Leo McCarthy appeared on Episode No. 16 of the ButteCast. In that episode, Leo talked about losing his 14-year-old daughter, Mariah, to an…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 264: Carter Barsness
Podcast No. 264: Carter Barsness For the better part of a decade, I have called him “The Professor.” Unfortunately, nobody else refers to Carter Barsness by…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Hudson Willse
Hudson Willse, who worked 27 years as the sports editor of The Montana Standard, was a trendsetter in the newspaper business. He set the standard for sports…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 263: Jerry Worley
On Nov. 9, 1973, Butte Central beat Cut Bank 27-6 on a frozen field on Montana’s Hi-Line. The win gave the Maroons their third straight Class A State football…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ’er Light: Their fight should not be a lonely one
Sid DeBarathy and Mike Foley feel like they have been in a lonely fight as they battle for the female athletes of Butte. That is the saddest thing of this…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 262: Jeff LeProwse
If there is ever a fourth legend added to the cathedral that is 3 Legends Stadium, it will be Jeff LeProwse. It is safe to say that without Jeff, American…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 261: Amanda and Ben Wlaysewski
Amanda Wlaysewski started working in the fish industry six days after she graduated from Butte Central in 2003. What she thought was a summer job, turned into…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 260: Dr. Patrick Gallus
Dr. Patrick Gallus is one doctor who doesn’t like to play the waiting game. Maybe it was all the years he spent as an emergency doctor in Prescott, Arizona…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Raiders pick Tommy, end nightmare
Raider Nation has now idea what it just got with the selection of Butte boy Tommy Mellott. They will quickly learn why they call him "Touchdown Tommy." Even…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 259: Theresa Rader
Theresa Rader is a legend of the Class of 1993. Not just at the school she graduated from, Butte Central, either. Rader was good at every sport she tried. She…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ’er Light: Don’t be mad at the nervous umpire
The coach deserved to be thrown out of the game. He also had good reason to be mad at the nervous umpire. In this case, the coach and the umpire were both…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 258: Ken Carver
Ken Carver has taught in the Butte School District for 35 years. He has also coached and officiated all of those years. Next Saturday, Mr. Carver will be…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ’er Light: Hurdles remain for prep baseball
All baseball lovers must come together if we are going to make high school baseball work in Montana. Otherwise, it could be lost forever, and that is not good…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 257: Tommy Mellott Part 2
There is no question that Tommy Mellott is one of the greatest athletes the Mining City has ever produced. He is in the conversation when you extend that…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 256: Dougie Peoples Part 2
More than two years have passed since Dougie Peoples hit that 27-foot, game-winning shot in the Class A State championship game in Missoula. Yet, Dougie is…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 255: Caden Tippett
Nobody outworks Butte Central junior Caden Tippett when she is competing in a sport. She might not lead the team in points on the basketball court, but she…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap ’er Light: Blake’s latest fight in Anaconda
Blake Hempstead is an unapologetic speaker of the truth, as he sees it. That does not always sit well with the residents of Anaconda, or the leaders of the…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 254: Richard Gibson
He has been called Butte’s “Accidental Historian.” Richard Gibson was born in Oklahoma, raised in Flint, Michigan and educated at Indiana University in…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: ‘Butte mess’ does not speak well for the ‘Can Do City’
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 253: Torre Tempel
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: The girls of Butte deserve better
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 252: Jessica (Criss) Picker
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Don't be like Jake
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 251: Jeff Riggs
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 250: Pat Ogrin
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: 1985 Class A title game
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'…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 249: Mickey Boysza
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 248: Butte High, Central basketball coaches
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: March Sadness
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
No. 247: Rachel D'Amico and Jeff Dennehy
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…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Coach Salo
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…