Columns

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. It is cheaper to buy ag lands and green lands outside of the city boundaries where they don’t have to hassle with city codes, costly permits and government delays. But guess what typically happens after folks develop on the outskirts of town? They call the cities and demand to be annexed so they can access city services. They want better water and sewer, some fiber optics, secur...

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...

I can’t believe it’s been a year already. Where did the time go? We’re still moving in. Please join us on Friday, Feb. 14, as we celebrate our one-year anniversary in our beautiful building. We will have cake and punch (from a vintage recipe we found while moving out) and a drawing for a gi...

There’s a morbid thought to start your day or week or year.  But it is – unfortunately – true. Let’s start with the obvious: divorce. A marriage ending in divorce is a bad ending. It is something none of the participants saw coming – at least not in the beginning.&nbs...

The United States cannot continue its current economic trajectory; it’s as simple as that. We are more than $36 trillion in debt and on track to hit $55 trillion by 2034. Our country has to pay more than a trillion dollars annually – nearly half of federal individual income tax revenue – ju...

I am a hick.  There, I said it out loud. I am a hick from a small, rural town in a northern state that gets a lot of snow in the winter. (But has many lovely lakes.) Not everyone wants to live there, but the people who do enjoy it. Embrace it. Love it.  Much like I hope you love the nei...

When President Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States this week, it marked a new day in America. Voters rejected Joe Biden’s policies that led to unaffordable prices, open borders and weakness abroad, and together with a Republican Congress he is already delivering on his America...

To provide a better understanding of what climate change means for Montanans, we are hosting a new monthly series, entitled Montana Climate Matters. Each month, you’ll hear from experts knowledgeable about climate science, impacts, and solutions.  Our goal in this endeavor is to facilitate unders...