The Statue of Freedom! … I’ve gazed at the U.S. Capitol many times without wondering, what is that statue balanced atop the dome? On a recent trip to D.C., I shot a photo of a replica that’s displayed inside the Capitol so tourists can see the goofy details (left). The photo on the right shows the fullsize statue atop the massive building. … I came away thinking, our Capitol is topped by a Statue of Freedom looking like it was designed as a joke — fitting for our current moment of history.

Here’s some of Wikipedia about the fullsize version atop the Capitol: The Statue of Freedom is a colossal bronze figure standing 19+1⁄2 ft tall and weighing approximately 15,000 pounds. … She is an allegorical figure whose right hand holds the hilt of a sheathed sword, while a laurel wreath of victory and the Shield of the United States are clasped in her left hand. Her chiton is secured by a brooch inscribed “U.S.” and is partially covered by a heavy, Native American–style fringed blanket thrown over her left shoulder. … She wears a military helmet adorned with stars and an eagle’s head which is itself crowned by an umbrella-like crest of feathers. … Ten spikes are attached to her headdress, shoulders and shield to deter birds from roosting.

All righty, on April 15, Publishers Weekly gave my new novel a good review, excerpt:

“White-knuckle whodunit … ratchets up the suspense while developing a surprisingly potent emotional dynamic between well-drawn leads. John Sandford fans should take a look.”

New problems in analyzing crime-related DNA in Colorado resemble the wrongful conviction of a main character in my Montana Blues novel, as the Denver Post reports:

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is moving to retest DNA samples in thousands of criminal cases and expects to spend at least $7.5 million to remedy problems discovered in one longtime employee’s lab work, according to a state budget request.

Officials discovered “anomalies” in the DNA testing work of Yvonne “Missy” Woods last year and started both internal and criminal investigations into Woods. She worked for the CBI for 29 years and left before the agency publicly announced the anomalies in November.

About 3,000 DNA samples need to be retested by a third-party laboratory, CBI officials estimated in a January budget request. That will cost roughly $3 million. Additionally, the agency asked for $4.4 million to pay out to district attorney’s offices across Colorado to address claims by people who say they were wrongly convicted of crimes because of Woods’ work.

Here’s an update on White supremacism in Montana, reported by the Montana Free Press and the Montana Daily, along the lines of my new novel:

Big Sky Active Club, the group linked to the racist stickers applied to various sites at Montana State University in Bozeman, “has repeatedly appeared in news stories about white nationalist activity in Montana over the past year. Big Sky Active Club reportedly took credit last March for etching Nazi symbols at the Four Dances Special Recreation Management Area near Billings, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and named for a prominent Crow leader. Months later, residents of more than a dozen homes in Miles City reported receiving CDs in the mail containing audio and music files supporting the neo-Nazi movement.”

The Montana Free Press story continues: “In October, a peaceful rally outside the Missoula County Courthouse in support of Palestine was disrupted by a group of masked protesters carrying signs with neo-Nazi slogans, one of whom was arrested and cited for disorderly conduct. White supremacist activity was reported that same day outside Missoula’s Har Shalom synagogue …

“A ‘demonstration report’ posted online by White Lives Matter Montana last October listed five regional groups, including Big Sky Active Group, as participating in the demonstrations outside the Missoula courthouse and Har Shalom.

“Last month, the Great Falls Public Library learned that neo-Nazi propaganda stickers had been inserted into numerous books in its collection.”