News you can use
News you can use
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Editor’s note: This version corrects the name of the writer of the editorial. Recently, I listened to a radio interview with Tim Sheehy on Working Ranch radio show that is very concerning. When Tim Sheehy was asked about MCOOL (mandatory country of origin label) his answer sided with the packers. He said they should have the ability to mix foreign beef with US beef without being penalized. To be clear the only penalty that the packers now have is to not to dishonestly label their products. He said that mixing in foreign b...
Mr. Sheehy, The Montana American Indian Caucus cannot express how let down we are by your remarks, where we can hear you disparaging the Crow Nation. You said that roping and branding with a member of the Crow Tribe was “… a great way to bond with all the Indians out there while they’re drunk at 8:00 a.m., and you’re roping together.” On other occasions, you talked about attending the Crow Fair parade, saying that “they’ll let you know when they like you or not if Coors Light cans fly by your head.” Your words perpetuate the...
The longer I live, the less certain I am about anything. In fact, when I detect certainty in my thinking, I immediately stop and investigate to find the flaw. You’ve all met Leo. He works in my yard a couple half-days a week. Leo is much more than a garden worker. I’ve come to depend on Leo for all manner of help. He is a gentle man, educated, generous, and has a brilliant sense of humor. Over time, he’s come to seem a grandson to me. He trusts me enough to tell me when he th...
It was a dark and sleepless night, not a storm cloud in sight. I did the usual when I don’t sleep. I gazed out the window. Turned from my right side to my left side. Threw back the blanket. Turned from my left side to my right side. Pulled up the blanket and tucked it around me, a cocoon. Too many times. Sensible people, I am told, get up and do something. Binge on Netflix. Scrub the toilet. Read until their eyeballs fall out. Work an entire book of Sudoku. Drink a bottle o...
$60 million is the current total raised from corporate/other donations by Montana Senate Candidates reported by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). FEC is vague if the total includes Super Political Action Committee (PAC) donations. The $60 million? Likely higher. As a former legislative aide at the U.S. Capitol for over four years we kept “The List.” Top money donors on top; $5 donors on bottom. Direction was “Always Check The List” if a donor called requesting time with the member of Congress. Top donors saw “the Bo...
We are writing as former office holders and candidates. Though we are less politically active than we used to be, we step up when motivated. The 2024 race for Montana state auditor is one of those moments. We want to tell you why we feel so strongly about John Repke, candidate for State Auditor this November. Mark speaks from his eight years serving as state auditor. Dorothy speaks from her love of Montana and longstanding commitment to quality public service. These are our three main points: • The state auditor regulates i...
I wear used clothes. I remember going to clothing stores years ago and buying new clothes. But about the time I stopped wearing business suits and flying in airplanes for work, I started going to used clothing stores. Then I discovered online consignment stores and, since then, I’ve hardly bought a new item of clothing except socks and shoes and underwear. I like used clothes. Of course, I like the prices. I’ve always been frugal and when I see how much a pair of new jea...
With the tidal wave of political advertising swamping the media, the down-ballot candidates are completely drowned out by the PAC candidates at the top of the ticket. There are important details of down-ballot candidates, however, that deserve our attention. Take, for example, the candidates Erin Farris-Olsen and John Repke. The clerk of the Supreme Court is somehow still an elected office in Montana. Though ministerial and not a policy-making position, it is elected on a partisan basis. It shouldn’t be. Erin Farris-Olsen i...
We all get them. This has been our turn. A week fraught with “one thing after another.” The kind of week where the little disasters loom large in shadows of big fears. My friend Ana in Oconahua had been having stomach pains for a long time, much longer than anybody knew when she finally admitted them and went for tests. Bango — into the hospital she landed, gall bladder surgery. She left minus a body part, with rocks in hand. She is recovering nicely from the surgery but s...
I have never been able to watch scary movies. My mother will remind you (if she gets the chance) that I can’t even watch embarrassing television programs, which is, frankly, embarrassing. I would watch that terrible moment when Lucy was about to get caught doing something embarrassing by her employer, Mr. Mooney, on “The Lucy Show” reruns, and I would have to leave the room in a hurry — making excuses about how I suddenly needed to help set the table. The truth was, I just co...
As Montana students, parents, and teachers begin a new school year, I share in their excitement for the opportunities that lie ahead of us. This week, I am welcoming families and educators back to the first day of school in Townsend. As I reflect on my nearly two decades of “first days” of school in Montana, I know that returning to school represents the beginning of a new year of opportunities for learning, socializing, athletics, and extra-curriculars activities. Yet, as the school doors open, our families and edu...
Dear Editor, My name is Shannon Christensen, and I am honored to introduce myself as the new postmaster of Hingham, Montana. Prior to my appointment as the postmaster, I worked at the Hingham office as a postmaster relief and officer in charge. The knowledge gained from this previous experience has enabled me to perform my duties as the new postmaster to the best of my ability. I am deeply committed to serving the residents of Hingham to ensure the Postal Service meets the...
Grandma raised me. When I was born, my Dad was overseas fighting in The War. My Mom had what we today call mental health issues. For all know, from stories told me by that side of the family, she might have been Mad as the Proverbial Hatter. Uncles and Aunts rescued me often and I’m sure they were glad to hand me and Mom over to Dad when he returned. My Dad was a farmer. He loved farming. He loved my Mom. Mom loved Dad. Mom did not love farming. I was 3 when my sister was b...
Mr. Sheehy: The following ad promoting demonstrably false and dangerous misinformation airing on Montana television paid for by the Tim Sheehy Campaign for U.S. Senate featuring Nora Fouhy of Billings has come to our attention. In the ad Ms. Fouhy makes the following statement: “For 50 years I worked and paid into Social Security and Medicare. But Joe Biden and Democratic politicians have raided the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Jon Tester is one of the worst. Tester supported huge cuts in Social Security while s...
It’s that time of year again when the morning air is a little crisper, football season is upon us and our kids are back at school. Fall is my favorite season and I always look forward to turning the calendar from August to September, which is also my favorite month. Along with enjoying the changing seasons, it’s also a great time to celebrate our public schools. As our community’s kids from kindergarten to high school get back in the swing of a schooltime schedule, it’s important to remember exactly how important a well-fu...
I spent 12 years in the Montana Legislature,1995 through 2006. Session after session we fought the same battle over taxes. Those who represented wealthy people and commercial interests argued that their taxes should be lowered. They needed more money in their pockets, they claimed. Their share of responsibility for paying for government services should be reduced, and the burden should be shifted to the middle class. We’ve all heard the rationale for this shirking of civic responsibility: Give the wealthy and the c...
In the last few weeks the most boring presidential contest in history suddenly became entertaining. First, in what would prove to be their last debate, candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump engaged in a a shambling race for the worst golfer title. Next came a gunshot, and a blood streaked Trump ascended triumphantly from the Secret Service pile up shouting, “Fight!” just before Joe Biden threw in the towel. Now, a moment later, replacement lead Kamala Harris is catching up...
I want to ride my tri-cy-cle. I want to ride my trike! Queen, I shall sing you all day. Do you remember your first wheels? Mine was a tricycle, all metal, sparkly red. I remember the size, the shape, the feel of leaning over the chrome handlebars, skinny legs pushing the rubber-clad pedals with all my might, wind in my face, tooling down the lane between the house and the barn. My friend Janet bought an electric tricycle and she is excited. Her excitement is infectious. I...
Too many Montana families cannot keep up with an annual $249-million property tax increase imposed by Republican Governor Gianforte and his party in the Legislature. Yet, after months of analysis by the Governor’s property tax task force, they recommended a complicated process that will raise our taxes again! Why didn’t they didn’t consider the new taxes they already took from our wallets and give us our money back? Now they want to bill us for more taxes over the next two years. More bad news. Zillow reflects your home...
Property taxes aren’t red/blue or political; the state writes the rules on property taxes, counties follow the rules. And everyone — no matter what your political stripe — pays. It’s no secret that Missoula County and Beaverhead County are opposite in terms of politics, but we’re aligned when it comes to current property tax issues. The governor sent another letter to all Montana homeowners about property taxes, which has likely hit your mailboxes. The letter asserts that 1.) Property taxes are high because some local gov...
I have been blessed with many cousins. My two cousins closest in age were both boys, Brian and Dane. We went camping and hiking together and stayed in the cabin up north. We all remember the day we made tea from red sumac berries, and — after we’d drunk about a gallon each — my Uncle Mike told us, “You know that stuff is a laxative, don’t you?” (For the record, it is not.) We are still close, although I marvel at how similar we seemed when we were young, and how serious and...
