Opinion

Editor,  The federal water compact legislation provides the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes with $90 million a year over the next ten years, beginning this year, to rehabilitate and modernize our broken-down irrigation project. Because rehabilitation and modernization will have an impact on the project’s operation and maintenance, and vice versa, it will be important for project management to work closely with the tribe.    From 2010 to 2013, the project was well managed by the Flathead Joint Board of Control and the CSKT Cooperative Management Entity, but conflicts among irrigators forced the Bureau of Indian Affairs to resume project management in 2014. ...

If you are in need of tech help, we have the guy for you.  Please join us in welcoming our new Information Technology Librarian, Bruce Fussell, to the Library. Bruce is taking appointments for one-on-one assistance either through Zoom or in the library. He is ready to answer your questions. Watch for hi...

I have been studying HB 102, the new bill which was just passed in the MT House. The bill would expand places where guns are permitted, namely universities, bars and restaurants. I would like to start by revisiting the conversation about guns in public spaces. I feel we need to have an honest discussion a...

If the past year’s challenges posed by the pandemic have taught us anything, it’s that Montanans in all corners of the state need increased, more affordable access to healthcare, and my bill moving through the state legislature will do just that. I’m sponsoring Senate Bill 101 to authori...

Editor, We are writing to thank the Knight family for putting the memorial  donations for their daughter and granddaughter Adriana toward the purchase of a lovely gazebo on the Lake County Fair Grounds, in Ronan, in her honor.   Others in our community also donated time and money to complete ...

Editor, We are extremely concerned by the speed with which the House has rushed through HB102 (campus conceal carry) and encourage the Senate legislators to slow down and heed the concerns of the Montana University System.   Sponsor Representative Berglee believes the Second Amendment supersedes a...

In 2015, the City of Polson asked local citizens to volunteer for the Economic Development Council. As a business owner on Main Street since 1994, I thought I might have something to offer and volunteered. Our first task was to review and advise the city council on the use of a resort tax.  The Monta...

As we finish up the second week of the legislative session, it is not business as usual in Helena due to COVID­–19. One of our first duties was to change our operating rules that allow the public and legislators to participate in person, via videoconference or telephone. This is our first session t...

Editor,  Why did Governor Gianforte decide not to honor the service of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who was killed during the insurrection on Jan. 6?   Sicknick gave his life to protect members of Congress, of which Gianforte recently was a member. Of any of our Governors across the ...

Editor,  A nice article about the vote coming up for the resort tax and of course the picture of the needing repair roadway (in last week’s Valley Journal). What came to mind for me: I don’t think it will really matter. In my experience and in the articles I have read about the thousan...