Opinion
Editor, On Nov. 24, 2020 Johanna Clark, a former employee of the then Flathead Joint Board of Control, was sentenced in federal court to prison for one year and a day and subjected to a large fine for embezzling over $200,000 from the FJBC during a three-year period from May 2014 to May 2017. I do not condone Clark’s actions, but she was able to steal such a large amount of irrigator money because a majority of FJBC commissioners failed to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities, and I base that charge, in part, on my direct involvement as a FJBC commissioner. At one FJBC meeting in mid-2016, I faced a firestorm when I questioned major discrepancies in FJBC financia...
Very few Montana hunters probably know the names Bob Cooney, Arnie Foss or LeRoy Ellig. But if they love the abundant wildlife that we enjoy today, love their sporting traditions and love the habitat that makes that all possible, they should. That’s because these three visionaries &nd...
Editor, It was Christmas season and Joey was busy making cards for everyone in his class. His mother was happy to see her little boy so joyful, but she was worried that the other children would not remember to give a card to Joey. You see, Joey was a little slower than the rest of the kids, and he w...
Editor, I miss my late Uncle Bill for many reasons – his kindness, sense of humor, the way he embraced his large, sprawling family, regardless of race, religion or politics. And I’m especially missing his wisdom and common sense these days, when his Grand Old Party is busy tryin...
Nearly nine months into a pandemic, COVID-19 has impacted Montanans in every corner of the state. Nearly 800 Montanans have lost their lives to the virus and many others have gotten sick and are experiencing long-term impacts that we don’t yet understand. Others have experienced a job loss, a lack of p...
Dec. 15 marks a hidden holiday, as uncelebrated as it is unappreciated. It was 229 years ago that the United States ratified the Bill of Rights, ensuring unprecedented freedom for the people of an emerging nation. Bill of Rights Day has actually been a national holiday since Nov. 28, 1941, when President ...
By Mark Parkinson, AHCA/NCAL president and Scott Tittle, NCAL executive director Dear Governors, thank you for your leadership in response to this unprecedented health crisis and the action your administrations have undertaken to help nursing homes and assisted living communities protect our resid...
Editor, On Wednesday, Dec. 2, while working at my computer, I heard a pop and lost power. We called a couple of neighbors and they both had electricity. I then called Mission Valley Power and talked with, if I remember correctly, Josie. She was extraordinarily helpful with a very positive and upl...
Editor, Natural energy starts with the sun rising to create planetary income, and then, plants grow and expend leaves to create planetary spending. Surplus energy is saved within the roots to create planetary savings. The point is that income, spending and savings on a planetary scale, is simp...
Editor, John Meinder wanting store clerks to say “Thanks” to him (Valley Journal, Nov. 11) is hovering around what could be a good idea, but he misses a couple of important points. Why punish the clerk and the business? What about the responsibility of the customer? Here’s another perspe...
