Columns

Here’s a rhetorical question for Montanans: would you rather state government spend public money on things like billboards in Chicago to attract more tourists, or use that money to lower your property taxes?  I know exactly how my constituents in the Flathead Valley would answer that question and I’m sure their opinion is shared by other Montanans. That’s why I’m bringing a bill in the upcoming legislative session to change how the state uses money collected from lodging taxes and car rentals.  For years, tourists and Montanans alike have paid a tax on their hotel stays and rental cars. It’s one of the only ways Montana—without having a sa...

Old things are often valued.  An old house is called mid-century modern. Old cheese is aged. Old furniture is antique. Old dishes are Depression glass. Old cars are classic. And we all know wine only gets better with age.  But old people? They are just old (Or seniors, at best.) So w...

Passing family farms and ranches on to the next generation is challenging, and future changes to federal inheritance tax could make this process even more difficult and expensive. Many Montana producers have had to deal with paying the “death tax” for a business that is simply being passed down t...

My journey through grief has been a public one, laid out for you here on these pages. Many of you have walked with me through the healing process, and for that I’m thankful. It’s funny (in a not so funny way) the things that help us heal. For me, much of the healing process has been lead by cr...

There are three words many of us agonize over. I know I spent much of my lifetime doing so. They are words with great meaning and connotations and one shouldn’t take them lightly. “I love you.”  It’s an easy sentence to utter out loud. Eight letters in total. Three simple s...

Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude, but it’s also so much more, not the least of which is food. Oh my goodness, is there food! It is the start of the food season, also known as the holidays, where eating is akin to breathing and a variety of homemade cookies somehow become a staple in everyone&rsquo...

“When hate feels easy, be very wary, lest your hate becomes greater than the one who is hated. Because it is at that point you turn the corner toward evil.” Today, I’ve been contemplating hate.  It’s a definite switch for me. I prefer for focus on love, because love is so m...

In March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the nation’s most stringent tailpipe emissions rules to date – a move that has been met with much pushback. To comply with these mandates from the EPA, two-thirds of all new vehicles will need to be electric by 2032. The impacts of thi...

We have had such a beautiful fall and now we are ready for the holiday season. This is the last month for our fall drink specials in the Joyful Cup – the pumpkin spice lattes are delicious, so be sure to get yours before they’re gone for the year. The winter menu is coming. You can stop into the ...

The girl (or boy, as the case may be) couldn’t remember exactly when, but life became weary. It was a gradual development - so gradual she didn’t even notice the tears slipping from her eyes at first. But because of it, life became nebulous, and more difficult to navigate. The sun - once brigh...