Opinion
Editor, Many Montanans will receive a property tax rebate of up to $675 after the sticker shock of this year’s increase in property taxes. This is a one-time solution to an ongoing problem in Montana - inequitable tax rates. As a result, an increasing percentage of the state’s revenue comes from residential rather than commercial property taxes. The timing of the tax rebate is suspicious; for many, the property tax rebate will appear just before the November election. The Republican led legislature could have done something about this inequity, yet did nothing, preferring to buy us off with a $675 rebate rather than heeding the Department of Revenue’s recomm...
Editor, Senator Jon Tester has been a strong advocate for veterans, and for agricultural interests, both of which are important in Montana. There are few US Senators with understanding of rural agriculture, and Montana needs to maintain that voice. Tim Sheehy is a businessman, and has made a successful...
Editor, There’s a billboard on Highway 93 in Lake County, plus many smaller posted signs, duplicates of the billboard, showing a photo of a guy running for the state legislature, (HD-91.) He’s grinning in a photo on the billboard, saying something like, “I’m running because I care....
Most of us consider communication a pretty basic skill. And, I might even go so far as to say we think we are pretty good at it. Joining words together to form clear, coherent and understandable phrases in order to facilitate, engage and participate in the exchange, dissemination and sharing of accurate, ...
The start of a new school year always brings excitement and anticipation for students, staff, and parents. As your kids head back to school, please take some time to talk with them about how important it is to stay free from using any tobacco product, including electronic cigarettes or vapes. According to...
Carroll College has taken a decisive step in its commitment to supporting underserved communities with the launch of the Pell Promise for Montana Students. This newly introduced initiative will fully cover tuition for federal Pell Grant-eligible students from Montana who maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and a...
“A quiet mind makes way for the soul to speak.” (Me) The mind is an abundant entity - spewing, spawning, spilling, speaking, squeaking, splaying, spraying, saying, replaying, spouting, sprouting, shouting, re-routing, doubting and outing our thoughts, often in ways that se...
Editor, Our present lives as humans on earth are filled with increas- ing chaos, confusion about life, and our advanced methods of killing each other. This threatens our continuing human exis- tence on planet earth. There is a powerful answer to all this. It involves the power of the mind. We humans ha...
“Guess what?!” A 12-year-old Pittsburgh school boy spoke excitedly with his teacher one morning last fall. “My mommy and daddy were having a fight last night, and I asked them if we could have a peace circle! We sat and talked, and they’re not fighting anymore!” The boy had b...
Like many others, I wept watching Vice-President candidate Tim Walz’s son Gus express his sheer admiration of his dad during the Democratic National Convention. Gus had tears in his eyes and as expression of pure joy when he pointed his index finger at his dad during his speech and said, “I love ...
