Columns
Some friends of mine recently decided to take a family member into their home and as an enthusiast of organizing I’ve been helping them go through their things to make room for the new addition. With the sun out lately, what better time for a spring cleaning? Making room for an entire additional adult in a not so big space is quite a motivator, but I’m also a big advocate of purging stuff periodically just for your own sake. Little things have a way of accumulating over time, and if we don’t pay attention every now and then we can end up housing quite a bit of stuff we don’t actually care for. We started with the kitchen, the heart of the home. Orga...
It was a bright, busy Sunday afternoon in a restaurant, and the woman bussing our dishes beamed. I’d just complimented her lovely pink nail polish. “It’s hard in this job,” she smiled as she wiggled her fingers in display. “But I try to take care of my nails.” She gave us ...
Montana’s state Legislature is proposing a host of extreme anti-wildlife bills despite widespread, diverse, strong, and credible opposition to these unnecessary measures. The onslaught on wildlife by locally elected officials began in 2021 and continues in this legislative session with the introduct...
In recent years talk of defunding the police has been popular in other states, but our Montana values run contrary to that line of thinking. We believe in supporting those who put their lives on the line to protect citizens every day. To that end I have recently introduced Senate Bill 294. SB 294 establishes...
Over the past two years, Montanans watched the President’s attack on oil, coal and natural gas bring our nation to the brink of an all-out energy emergency. Gas prices rose to more than $5 a gallon and many Montanans are worried about how to heat their homes without breaking the bank. We aren&rsq...
My husband and I raised our kids in the land of hockey. This column is not about hockey. I realize hockey isn’t a thing or perhaps not as popular in some (warmer) climates, but for many years, for us, hockey was a large part of life. If nothing else, it got us through the cold winters. Betw...
“The Democrats killed two of my brothers.” That was the reply my nine-year-old father received from his great - grandmother on her rural Iowa front porch when he asked her why she was such a strong Republican. Her comment reflected the bitter legacy of the Civil War. As it left the American South...
Like most endeavors the legislature is short staffed. So bills sometimes do not match the titles, communications are difficult, and the legislative web site is not up to date. Neither we, nor the public, know for sure what is accomplished or pending. Yet, I was surprised when summoned from one committee and ...
It’s no secret that as a society, we’re pretty fond of caffeine. Caffeine is a vasodilator, which essentially means the more you drink the more your blood vessels expand to allow more blood to your brain and limbs, which is what causes you to feel more awake. With a country and culture a...
There is no singular cause for Montana’s housing crisis. Rising costs of land, materials, and labor combined with people moving into our communities, further straining our infrastructure, has made for an increasingly critical housing situation. On top of that, developers, builders, and local government...
