Columns

We’re now less than a year out from one of the biggest elections in Montana history. Next November, our ballots will be stacked with candidates for president, U.S. Senate, two congressional seats, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, state auditor, and two supreme court seats (including chief justice), to say nothing of regional and local offices and any potential ballot initiatives.  Ahead of such a jam-packed election cycle that is sure to produce high voter turnout and its share of controversy over the candidates and issues, we want to highlight the work the Legislature has done to shore up the integrity of our elections.&nbs...

If you have seen the television show, “Jury Duty,” on Amazon Prime that came out last year, you will know that the show follows members of a jury who are tasked to decide a workplace dispute. The lawsuit and trial are fake. Everyone involved in the trial is an actor other than one member of the j...

Flathead Lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth; however, this summer’s low lake levels severely impacted residents, irrigators, fishermen, recreators, marinas, land and dock owners, and many other businesses directly or indirectly.  The economic impact is huge. So, what happened, an...

Life isn’t easy. And the epitome of that, perhaps, might be parenting.  (Okay, maybe the epitome is death, but let’s take a week away from that topic, shall we?) In regards to parenting being difficult: stop the judgmental comments already. I know what you’re thinking. People ...

In simple terms, life can be summed up as moments of “good news” and “bad news.” I’ve come to believe it’s best to embrace both: the good and the bad because each makes us who we are. Each molds us. Each helps us grow as we are supposed to, meant to, during our time here o...

Recently opinion pieces and information sent to legislators regarding the counties decision to levy 77.9 mills instead of the State directed 95 mills has been circulating in both statewide newspapers, and internal legislative correspondence. It appears that the message being distributed is counties are gi...

Heads probably turned as we entered the early 1900s red brick town house in Warrenton, Virginia on a warm September morning. It happened to be the headquarters of the Fauquier County Republican Committee. Its chairman, Greg Schumacher, was welcoming me along with his Democratic counterpart, Max Hall. This...

LEWISTON, MAINE — Eighteen killed, 13 injured in a rampage by a guy with an assault rifle. The shooter: a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserves. The community locked down until he’s placed in custody. Press conferences; school classes cancelled; politicians falling al...

As the first snow is falling, and freezing temperatures hit, we are getting pummeled with another huge energy rate increase, thanks to the five Republicans on the Montana Public Service Commission. On Wednesday, the Commission unanimously approved a 28% rate increase from last year, the majority of which ...

Don’t let all the bad news get you down. True, we’re facing lots of crises, some of which even carry a risk of human extinction (nuclear war, climate change, maybe even AI). But there is hope, and you can start experiencing it simply by chatting with your neighbors.  A few months ago, I w...