Columns
Montana farmers and ranchers across this state have been waiting far too long for their elected representatives to secure their right to repair their own agricultural equipment. When a combine breaks down in the field during harvest season, a farmer needs to get it up and running as quickly as possible to avoid wasting precious time and losing money. But as the ag equipment industry has consolidated – and as equipment has grown more technologically complex – farmers and independent repair shops are increasingly blocked from making repairs to machines. Even when folks in the field are able to diagnose what’s wrong with their equipment, the big equipment manufacturers are...
The ACLU of Montana is profoundly disturbed by the recent reports in Canada of unmarked mass gravesites at currently six of the 139 Indian boarding schools. Over 1,300 children and innumerable future generations were taken by the racist, genocidal settler-colonial project of Canada. Moreover, the Indigenous ...
The August 4th Valley Journal published an article related to the collection of irrigation fees by the Lake County Treasurer’s Office. For decades the treasurer has collected those fees and distributed them to the districts upon demand. The Lake County Commissioners are considering ending this service ...
I have a question for you: When was the last time you sat down and watched a movie? The last time you watched an episode of a show? I don’t know about you, but the frequency I indulge in one is very different from the other. More broadly, I have noticed a similar trend amongst my peers with an overwhel...
Montanans used to joke that we had two distinct seasons: winter and road construction. Now we have three seasons: winter, road construction and fire season, and the latter is punctuated by searing temperatures and long dry spells brought on by a never-ending high-pressure system that stokes smoky weather and...
Our annual Summer Reading Program is nearing the end. Join us for our final program on Thursday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. in Sacajawea Park with Karen Duty of Hellroaring Kennels and the Mission Valley Animal Shelter. There will be adorable puppies and kittens to cuddle while you learn about how to properly care f...
In Montana private land elk hunting is moving toward 11 weeks for people who can pay thousands of dollars for trophy bulls, while others are left to hunt cows in deep snows and bitter cold when they’re struggling to survive the winter. That’s the proposal of the Gianforte administration,...
As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, there’s a sense of relief and optimism that things will return to normal. Long-awaited family gatherings, birthday parties and graduation ceremonies are finally happening in person. Sporting events have fans in the stands, airports are busy, and we all ...
How is it that a picture of our dog ended up on our neighbors’ Christmas trees? I smile every time I think about it. Her name was Holly. Holly Noel. Born on Halloween, she was a Christmas gift to my husband Boone. He’d wanted a hunting dog and I’d always wanted a golden retriever. I foun...
It’s not too late to sign up for our Annual Summer Reading Program. We have lots of great prizes and incentives from local businesses, and so many awesome programs coming up. On July 15 we have Georgia Smies from Salish Kootenai College to talk about aquatic invasive species and the impact they could h...
