Columns

Mission Valley Power likes to give back to and educate our local communities, schools and public service agencies as much as possible. On Dec. 28th and 29th of 2018, Brent Burland with the Mission Valley Power engineering department and local volunteer firefighter put on an electrical safety information and demonstration class for Lake County E911 Dispatchers and it became immediately invaluable. The knowledge that Lake County E911 dispatchers gained from this class was put to use immediately. A call came in around the Ferndale area about a vehicle accident involving a downed powerline. As our first line of defense in these situations, the dispatcher instructed the driver to keep all app...

All Montanans benefit from public lands. We all know it, whether we’re a hunter, hiker or rancher who depends on those lands for grazing. Public lands – both our federal National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and other agency lands, and our state lands – are essential to Montana. They s...

One of us is a Democrat; the other is a Republican. We each served more than a quarter of a century in the Montana Legislature, mostly at the same time. We also held positions of top leadership in both the Senate and House of Representatives. We have been serious rivals, but always friends; now we are seriou...

What a year! It is hard to believe that my first year as library director has already flown by. I am very proud of the accomplishments the library staff achieved in 2018 and am very excited about what we have planned for 2019. I am lucky to work with such amazing, enthusiastic people. December was a very ...

In our culture we don’t usually brag about snoring. It isn’t a skill we covet. It isn’t seen as a skill at all, but an embarrassing behavior beyond our control. Sort of like stinky feet or public flatulence. I’m here today to suggest we come out from under the covers and embrace th...

Last fall during the political season, everyone running for the Montana Legislature touted their credentials as being for public access.  But what does that really mean? For Montana’s hunters, anglers, hikers and other outdoors enthusiasts, it means the ability to get to our public lands to enj...

It was a simple spot on the carpet. Well, if we are being honest it was three spots on the carpet, but who’s counting? They weren’t the only spots you’d spot on my carpet – if you were looking – but they were in a public spot. Obvious to any visitor entering the living room. ...

When I was a kid, the telephone was important stuff. Like most families, we had one phone number. Can you imagine an entire family sharing one phone number? Yet we lived through it. When the phone rang, it was a mystery. No one had caller ID. You had to answer every call. It was usually a race because we ...

MONTANA – The success of Montana’s agriculture industry is dependent upon water and water right certainty. It is easily the single most important resource for people across Montana, which is why ratification of the negotiated Montana CSKT Water Compact is critical. Contrary to what compact opp...

Nowhere is the lack of broadband internet more pervasive than on our nation’s Indian reservations. According to the latest statistics from the Federal Communications Commission, only 49 percent of Montanans who live on tribal land have access to a broadband connection. Compare that to the nation where ...