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  • View from the North 40: A soft-fleshed human in an inhospitable land

    Pam Burke|Updated Jun 26, 2021

    Weed, bug and heat season is not the time to be made of soft, fleshy parts — and, yet, here I am. Again. There’s this one part of spring that I really look forward to each year. Not that there’s anything wrong with spring as a whole. It’s no autumn, and, as a whole, it beats the pants off of summer and winter, but there’s that sweet spot of spring when everything has turned green and it makes my eyes sigh. That sweet spot isn’t only about everything being green — it’s pret...

  • From the Fringe … Let's all leave no trace

    Updated Jun 25, 2021

    Last Saturday night, I did something I am pretty proud of. I summited Mount Otis in exactly 28 minutes from my car to the bench at the top. I don’t know if this is a good time, a great time, or nothing to write home about, but for me, it was pretty fast. However, that isn’t what I’m most proud of myself for on my quick trip up and down one of the more iconic peaks in the Bear Paw Mountains. Instead, the pride I feel comes from the amount of trash I carried down with me on my descent. Of course, pride isn’t the emotion...

  • Looking out my Backdoor: And the rains, they came.

    Sondra Ashton|Updated Jun 24, 2021

    To the tune of “Just Another Manic Monday,” the rains, they came, “just another rainy Monday,” Tuesday, Wednesday. Every day, the rains, they came. I’ve no idea why that old tune came to me. There certainly is nothing manic about my life. I am the definition of life-in-the-slow-lane. Sunday, for the first time in a year and a half, I went out to lunch at a restaurant, the Etza Grill in town. Ate a meal I didn’t prepare myself. Sat with friends at a table and added laughter to...

  • The Postscript: No news

    Carrie Classon|Updated Jun 23, 2021

    Tanner wasn’t waiting for me at the fence yesterday. Dakota and Tanner, my two oldest dogs, are always waiting for me at the chain-link fence. Dakota can’t hear and doesn’t see well, so she stays close to the fence in the afternoon when I walk by in order to collect her treat. Tanner really can’t see or hear at all, so he keeps close to Dakota. Yesterday he wasn’t there. The thing about giving out dog treats is that, even though I have a relationship with all these dogs, I d...

  • View from the North 40: It's a twisty line from A to doomed

    Updated Jun 18, 2021

    A 38-year-old man was stuck for two days inside the pipe base of a giant fan in a California vineyard. And I think this might be a sign. The man is, The Associate Press reported June 9, expected to recover, though the photo shows a barely-larger-than-human sized pipe with a bare knee and thigh sticking out of an access hole. The guy said he climbed the fan to get a good view of the nearby tractor for a photo. Before you all succumb to the urge to roll your eyes and say, “Californians,” you should know that officers rep...

  • 'Make love to me …'

    Sondra Ashton|Updated Jun 17, 2021

    “Ba ba ba ba boom. Take me in your lovin’ arms and never let me go. Whisper to me softly while the moon is low.” I woke in the night with the inimitable voice of Jo Stafford as she swayed in her chiffon dress, singing at the mike, complete with the “Ba ba ba ba booms,” the band members behind her, all in handsome suits, well, handsome for that nugget in time. “Hold me close and tell me what I wanna know; Say it to me gently, let the sweet talk flow.” Remember when all the...

  • The Postscript: The homes of dead people

    Carrie Classon|Updated Jun 16, 2021

    A cousin of mine reportedly said, “I can’t imagine living in a house where other people have lived!” I don’t know if she really said this, as I heard the story secondhand. But it stuck in my mind because every home I’ve owned has been lived in by other people, and a few people have died in them as well. So far, this has not bothered me in the least. I’m used to living in the homes of dead people. The first house I bought was owned by a woman named Ruby. She was still living th...

  • Havre schools busy planning for next year

    Updated Jun 16, 2021

    I hope that this communication finds you enjoying the summer! We are busy preparing for the return to school in August. It is exciting to see so many students involved in our Summer Learning Program under the direction of many of our highly-qualified teachers and paraprofessionals in the district. Additionally, our summer driver’s education program and Extended School Year programs are providing essential instruction and preparing students for the 2021-2022 school year. As a reminder, our summer meal program is available a...

  • Thanks for helping the success of the marathon

    Updated Jun 11, 2021

    We at the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the inaugural Bear Paw Marathon this last weekend. With both in-person and virtual events we had a combined 306 registrants! We could not have put this amazing event together without the help of our supporters. Thank you to our sponsors that gave both monetarily and in the form of donations: Enell, Havre/Hill County Tourism Business Improvement District, BNSF, Treasure State Title Company, NorthWestern Energy,...

  • It's more loony 'toons than call of the wild

    Pam Burke|Updated Jun 11, 2021

    You know I love a good nature article, one that will amaze, amuse or confuse me, even startle, horrify or repulse a little bit. I look for these articles in the news, but I didn’t expect to live them this week. Who would, really. It started Monday with the call of a new bird and the sound of a strange cat among the chattering of birds in the jungle of our yard. I quickly spotted a little gray bird flitting among the chokecherry branches and grasses, blathering on with some s...

  • Looking out my Backdoor: Testing, testing, testing

    Sondra Ashton|Updated Jun 10, 2021

    Funny how some things never change. Remember back in school days when you had a big test coming up? Perhaps you went to bed worried and woke queasy, not wanting breakfast? I’m sure we all approached tests differently yet we each felt tinges of apprehension, dreadlocks of fear? I did well on tests, especially essay tests. I disliked multiple choice, gambler’s choice, because I had a tendency to overthink the possibilities. I could generally reason out how A, B, C and D cou...

  • Letter to the Editor - Keep our children healthy and in school

    Updated Jun 9, 2021

    Editor, Congratulations to the Bear Paw Marathon runners! Let us follow their lead by focusing on and improving our health. The parents and children in this community need the support of our health advisors and approval from our educational administration and school board for a full five day a week in-person education for all HPS children in the fall. It is important that we stay healthy, so our children can attend school in person during the 2021/2022 school year. Please do whatever you can to stay well. It is fair to say...

  • The Postscript: Time to spare

    Carrie Classon|Updated Jun 9, 2021

    “Do you have time for this?” my husband, Peter, asked. Peter almost never questions what I’m doing unless I’m doing something particularly stupid. Yesterday, I had a meeting on Zoom. I figured I could finish my work, take my walk early, then run downtown and get my errands done all in time for my meeting. “Sure!” I assured him. Peter looked skeptical. “Maybe I’ll skip the stop at the hardware store,” I added, to pacify him. But the hardware store was right on the way, as I...

  • Letter to the Editor - Thanks for helping make a dream come true

    Updated Jun 8, 2021

    Editor, On June 5, I watched a dream come true. When I moved back to Montana in 2009, I was running a half marathon every year. To train for them, I did a lot of shorter runs in town, but I dislike running loops, so for the long ones I went out to the Bear Paws and ran the highway. I loved my hours running in the park. The mountains and lakes are so beautiful, and so good for my soul. I wanted to share this experience, and do something good for my town. And I thought: the park to town is almost 26 miles ...We should host a ma...

  • Letter to the Editor  - Thanks for creating Bear Paw Marathon

    Updated Jun 4, 2021

    Editor, Thank you to the community of Havre for its efforts in supporting the sport of distance running by hosting the inaugural Bear Paw Marathon. As one who has participated in many marathons, I know the amount of planning and the many volunteers, sponsors, businesses and local leaders it takes to create such an event. My brother and I had planned to be in Havre this weekend to run and celebrate in the community that introduced both of us to distance running so many years ago. Unfortunately, a family event prohibits us...

  • View from the North 40: Today it's science, all the way down

    Pam Burke|Updated Jun 4, 2021

    I’ll ease you into things with a light-hearted science story, but I’m wrapping it up with some serious monkey business, so you might want to sit down. Scientists have figured out that bees can tell time, but the results are not the most interesting thing about this research. A scientist put a container of sugar water outside a beehive every day at 4 p.m. and one day he didn’t put the sugar water out, but the bees showed up anyway. Ta-dah, the researcher said, they tell time....

  • Summer learning programs can help children make up lost ground

    Updated Jun 4, 2021

    Spring in Montana has brought hopeful signs that the pandemic is loosening its grip. And with summer arriving, we can start to focus on recovery. For Montana’s school-aged youth, recovery may mean making up for lost learning, regaining stability and enjoying more fun, carefree moments with their peers. Despite the heroic efforts of educators & community partners across our state, many students lost ground over the past year, struggling with lost instruction time, social isolation, hunger and mental health challenges. W...

  • Governor veto of bipartisan bills shows disconnect

    Updated Jun 4, 2021

    During the 2021 Legislative Session, our legislators worked to find bipartisan solutions to some of Montana’s most challenging issues. Problems with no silver-bullet solutions, like increasing access to affordable childcare, housing that everyday Montanans can afford, and food security – something as basic as knowing where your next meal might come from. One in 10 Montanans lives in a food insecure household, including 35,500 children. Double SNAP Dollars is a nutrition program that stretches the dollars of SNAP cus...

  • Looking out my Backdoor: The things I do and don't

    Sondra Ashton|Updated Jun 3, 2021

    A couple thousand years ago, somebody famous, broadly paraphrased, said, we do things we know aren’t good for us (or for others) and don’t do the things we know to be good. Well, what can I say? The shoe fits. Oh, I can always say more. Not only do I do what’s not good for me, but I lie to myself and convince myself that it doesn’t really matter. I’ve worked hard at catching myself and changing my mind before rip-roaring into action. About 40 years of hard work. And it is hard...

  • Letter to the Editor - Best wishes on Bear Paw Marathon

    Updated Jun 2, 2021

    Editor, I am writing this letter to send best wishes for success to the participants and organizers of the upcoming Bear Paw Marathon. I would like to be there myself to lend support, but we have a family event that conflicts on that day. Having been a participant in many marathons, as well as having assisted in organizing marathons, I applaud the efforts of both the participants and organizers in making the Bear Paw Marathon happen. Just like the persistence needed to run a marathon, Havre has shown tremendous persistence...

  • The Postscript: Best wishes

    Carrie Classon|Updated Jun 2, 2021

    I just learned that my ex-husband has remarried. I learned this as we learn about all important life milestones these days: on Facebook. There were photos taken in the Caribbean. My ex-husband and his new bride were walking barefoot on the beach. She was carrying her shoes and their feet were wet and probably the most surprising thing to me was how sincerely I wished them well. It is common practice to offer our best wishes when we are actually wishing nothing of the kind....

  • Tester: return of full, daily Amtrak service a win for Montana's Hi-Line

    Updated May 28, 2021

    This past week brought some much-needed good news for the folks who live and work in Havre and across the Hi-Line. On May 24th, full, daily Amtrak service returned to the Northern tier of our state after painful, short-sighted cuts imposed last year furloughed employees and reduced service to just three days a week. The cuts to Amtrak were a punch in the gut, and an attack on Montana’s frontier communities. Folks from Wolf Point to Libby and everywhere in between depend on reliable, frequent Amtrak service—and the Empire Bui...

  • View from the North 40: Ode to my barn, the home of treasures

    Pam Burke|Updated May 28, 2021

    There is something about a barn that speaks to the soul, and I’m not just saying that because I have one — or rather I have both — a barn and a soul. I’ve been working on my barn recently, and it’s given me a lot of time to think on the topic. Barns are kind of the poster children of rural living, literally the image of rural living. I googled it. Actually, I did an image search for the term bucolic. The word means “relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside...

  • Looking out my backdoor: Scorpion Alert!

    Sondra Ashton|Updated May 27, 2021

    When I moved to Mexico, one of the first things I learned was to check inside my shoes before inserting feet. Evidently that is a popular hiding place, nesting site, attack barricade for scorpions. Next, I was told, never go barefoot. Not outside. Not inside. Thus, my night sandals live at bedside. One thing I can tell you for sure, if you’ve never in your life seen a scorpion, when you first see one, you will know exactly what it is, no doubts. Same as when you first hear a...

  • The Postscript: A change of scenery

    Carrie Classon|Updated May 26, 2021

    The old wooden folding table belonged to my grandma. I don’t remember her ever using it. After she moved out of her house and into a retirement home, my sister inherited the table, but she didn’t use it much, either. The table has four wooden folding chairs that tuck beneath it and the whole thing rolls on casters. My husband, Peter, and I are moving to be closer to family and we don’t have a serviceable table for our new place. “Bring the folding table when you come,” I told...

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