Columns

A year ago, we launched the Snowbird Fund to help families and friends of missing and murdered indigenous persons by offering immediate cash assistance (no questions asked) to search for their loved ones. Since then, the fund has not only survived but it has doubled its cash amount and increased its funding capacity – all during a pandemic and tough economic times. Meanwhile, through the tenacious efforts of native communities and families around the state and country, the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons has gained more attention from tribal, local, state and federal officials, including U.S. Interior Secretary Deborah Haaland, the first Native American to serve...

A decade of carrying innovative education legislation resulted in my selection to the National Council of State Legislature’s International Education Study Group charged with studying the world’s highest performing education systems. For several years this group has systematically examined educat...

I’ve taken up a new hobby: painting. I don’t paint walls or houses. I keep it smaller - to canvases, coasters and such. It’s not painting like you might think. My new leisure pursuit involves no brushes or rollers. What it lacks in brushes, this technique makes up for in paint. I literal...

Picture this, you are like sitting with a group of like your friends and you start to pick up on like this pattern of saying like. But like why do we say like so much?  Starting in the 1850s, the word “like” made its appearance more frequently in literature - a trend that continued steadi...

Montana has been discovered. We were the second-fastest-growing state in the country last year. Our rapidly increasing population presents many challenges and opportunities, and it’s also driving a lot of unease among many of us who’ve lived here for a long time.  Whether you love it or h...

This is the year Montanans celebrate the 50th anniversary of our nation’s first citizen-initiated wilderness, the Scapegoat, and our first new constitution since 1889 statehood that guarantees each of us the right to a clean and healthful environment, a safeguard not explicitly provided for in the Unit...

In the last year, I’ve been working on appreciation. Appreciating the big things. Appreciating the small things. Appreciating what I have and what I am. As part of that, I’ve been practicing appreciation of one of the most basic, most taken for granted and one of the most awesome things we all...

Linoleum. What comes to mind? Old plastic-y flooring that lasts forever? The floors of schools, offices, airports? Perhaps you even “showcase” linoleum in your bathroom or kitchen. Many decades ago, this flooring was an extremely popular choice with colorful, bold designs. While linoleum or &ldqu...

The North Lake County Public Library is celebrating “Library Lover’s Month” all February long with 25% off in our gift nook and our annual Adopt-a-Book program. For a $15 donation you get to choose from a selection of children’s books and write a personalized note that will be placed ...

We’ve all heard the quip, “how do you know when a politician is lying?” Answer: His lips are moving. But there’s another obvious question that begs an obvious answer. Why do politicians lie? Answer: Because they can. The American media – or what could once be legitim...