Columns

Montana is at a crossroads in our management of wildlife. We will either maintain our decades-long tradition in which everyone has equal opportunity to enjoy our public wildlife, or we hand control to a handful of wealthy landowners and outfitters to pick who gets to hunt.  A bill pending in the state Legislature would allow unlimited elk “B” cow elk tags in some areas to residents, and give non-residents who draw a bull elk license a second cow elk tag, in addition to the one they’re already guaranteed based on a law passed a couple years ago. There are no sideboards on which areas would be allocated these tags, leaving the discretion to the Fish and Wildlife Comm...

Montana is at a crossroads in our management of wildlife. We will either maintain our decades-long tradition in which everyone has equal opportunity to enjoy our public wildlife, or we hand control to a handful of wealthy landowners and outfitters to pick who gets to hunt.  A bill pending in the stat...

Dreams and goals - I think it’s safe to say we all have both. And that’s wonderful, and necessary. Because what would life be without dreams and goals?  In a word: hollow.  I used to set very specific goals for myself. I used to dream of what I wanted to accomplish with those g...

The Montana Supreme Court’s recent decision in Held v. Montana, the youth climate change case, is momentous but ultimately appropriately limited in scope. It is momentous because it is the first time a state Supreme Court has decided that citizens have a constitutional right to a stable climate system....

Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent during my short time in the legislature to hire lobbyists that represent schools and local governments – all funded by Montana taxpayers. Time and time again, these lobbyists and organizations come into legislative hearings and oppose bills that restrict the...

As a dentist in my professional life, I have the responsibility of making sure my patients maintain great oral health and overall health. I also have the tremendous honor of serving the Chair of Joint Subcommittee on Health and Human Services in the Montana legislature, which is responsible for making sure M...

Tax increment financing (TIF) is a policy driver that incentivizes private developers to develop in areas they would not otherwise develop, e.g., 100-year-old vacant blighted structures full of contaminants on rural Main Streets. Why? They can’t cash flow them. They can’t maximize their profits. ...

This series has already discussed the changes in Montana’s climate, the science behind those changes, and some of the impacts on Montana’s agriculture industry. When it comes to our own health, or the health of our families, things get more personal. Even discussing the health impacts of clima...

Editor, Our Congressional representatives Congressman Ryan Zinke, Senator Steve Daines, and Senator Tim Sheehy are not honoring the pledge that each of them took to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Zinke and Sheehy have taken multiple pledges with their military service. Our Const...

Montana’s agriculture sector has always been vulnerable to changes in climate, and generations of farmers and ranchers have proven their ability to adjust and prosper as conditions demand. Current climate changes driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions, chiefly produced by burning fossil fuels, im...