Letters
Editor, Shirley Azzopardi is running for Montana House District 13. Shirley graduated from the University of Montana and was a special education teacher for 30 years with 28 of those in St. Ignatius. Currently, she is the Mental Health Coordinator for Early Childhood Services with the Confederate Salish Kootenai Tribes. When Shirley ran in 2022 for Montana Representative in House District 93, she knocked on more than 1,000 doors. She had conversations with people who told her this was the first time they had been contacted by a candidate for their district. She listens and learns what people are thinking. Already this season, Shirley has been knocking doors. Maybe you’ve s...
Editor, It is difficult to write a letter in support of Shirley Azzopardi for House District 13 without comparing her to her opponent, the incumbent Linda Reksten. While Shirley advocates for the state legislature to adjust tax rates to lower our property taxes, the Republican Supermajority and Linda Reks...
Editor, Thunder boomed as a deluge of rain fell outside, setting the stage for a powerful presentation by Ryan Busse at a gathering of Montanans. Running for governor, he painted a positive picture of the future with articulate skill, humor and warmth. If elected, this future includes Ryan’s hono...
Editor, Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s been rather hot of late. True, not record-breaking heat as in California and Nevada, but still, unusual for its tenacity. This is pretty much what scientists have been telling us to expect as we continue to emit carbon-trapping gasses into t...
Editor, Paper maps are passe. Or are they? The Heritage Foundation, under head Kevin Roberts, produced a 920-page road map outlining a radical agenda for Christian nationalism. Far from “conservative,” it calls for the dismantling of our institutions by the mass firing of civil servants, repla...
Editor, Our nation is at a point of desperation. We could be losing our democracy, our personal freedoms, and our country’s values. We are facing the possibility of falling under a dictatorial form of government. As I write this, Donald Trump seems to be the Republican candidate for president who...
Editor, Fake News: The “new newspaper” suddenly appearing in our mailboxes is fake news personified. You’ve seen it. “The Montana Independent” is a new monthly “Montana” paper. Umm? It comes from DC, not Montana. And lo and behold a quick search will tell you it i...
Editor, Donald Trump has a solid grip on much of the Republican party. There are two (2) groups,. One group is held to him by fear. The other group holds with him by agreement. Here are the reasons for each one: (1) Fear: Many good Republicans fear Trump’s ange...
Editor, I am not sure how ignorant some of our county commissioners really believe we are, or perhaps our failure to bring in new leadership over the years gives them permission to continue with non-productive activities that fail to improve our lives here. The most current blatant example comes from t...
Editor, I am writing today to remember my friend Rod Johnson. Rod passed in April, much too young, after suffering from health issues. The family wrote a great obituary, outlining the success Rod had achieved through the years and many of his personal time activities. I wanted to touch on some of...
