News you can use
News you can use
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In the early 1970s, frustrated with the corporate boot that dominated and bullied Montanans, the state’s people rose up. Led by ordinary citizens like Pastor George Harper of Helena, local historian and mother of six Louise Cross of Glendive, and League of Women Voters leader Dorothy Eck of Bozeman, they crafted what is now recognized as a world-renowned Constitution. Among many important motivations was their conviction that in order to free Montanans from corporate dominance at the expense of workers, farmers and o...
In all my 26 years as a legislator, I have never seen a legislative rules proposal as potentially devastating to Montana citizen-ratepayers as Republican state Senator Steve Fitzpatrick’s recent joint rule proposal. This rule would hamstring the Constitutional Office of the Consumer Counsel, which has worked for nearly 50 years to protect Montana consumers, especially in energy rate cases. If adopted as a joint rule, the Counsel would be forbidden from testimony for or against a bill unless allowed by an affirmative vote o...
It is time to end Montana’s “don’t ask-don’t tell” groundwater development policy. Broadwater County’s controversial Horse Creek Hills — HCH — major subdivision proposal is a prime example of a developer asserting their “right” to subdivide and develop with no regard to impacts on senior water rights or local water resources. The method employed at HCH (and many other projects) is well known: break the subdivision into phases and limit the size per lot to squeeze each “phase” underneath the 10 acre-foot exception. It...
I don’t consider myself a person bound by tradition. Usually, I’m all about change, encouraging people to change and looking for ways to change myself. I generally think that new experiences make life both more memorable and meaningful. Except for Christmas. I want Christmas to remain exactly the same. Nearly every year of my life, Christmas Eve has been celebrated with my father and his family. My dad has only one sister, my Auntie Jo, so this has been relatively easy. My...
Montana physicians, including pediatricians, obstetricians, gynecologists, and family physicians, can find our specialties overlap significantly during one crucial period: the first year postpartum, when the new mothers and infants in our care need comprehensive support and access to quality health care. Mothers face a heightened risk of potential health issues during the postpartum period, including maternal depression, substance use disorder and serious physical health problems. It is vital that mothers do not face...
A new year brings with it new hope for a new beginning. As the ancient saying goes, the old has died that the new may be tried. And so we celebrate the happy holiday time in the spirit that the year to come will bring more peace, good will, and good faith. The outbreak of modern war in Europe will only end with the resolve or the existence of Putin, the war’s perpetrator. Our devout expectation is that more rational world leaders will contain the spread of this conflict. Here in the traditionally peaceful and protected p...
I don’t mean to sound overly dramatic, but I think I may have proven the existence of God while I was at a church Monday. I know, no one can be more shocked than I am that this happened on a Monday. Just kidding, there’s nothing wrong with a Monday. I often have to live through as many as three Mondays in one week. No, the real shocker was me in a church. Not that there’s anything wrong with a church, it’s just not my natural habitat. Also of note, people find God in churche...
The 90-day marathon of issues and opportunities that will be the 2023 legislative session begins in two weeks. On the unique opportunity front, the excess federal stimulus dollars from D.C. fueled a large one- time surplus of state funds. I advocate treating these funds as a Montana business or homeowner would: 1) First, pay off expensive debt, 2) put some money away for a rainy day, 3) invest in key infrastructure for the future (roads, water, sewer, mental health facilities, nursing homes, schools …) and, 4) return some t...
Your recently elected state representatives and senators are busy writing a new set of laws for you, our voters. December is a critical time to draft new bills and workshop policy, as we have less than two months between Election Day and Jan. 2, the start of the 2023 Legislative Session. This is the time to turn the concerns and ideas we heard on voters’ porches into bills that meet the needs of our communities. What bills has your legislator requested and what work are they preparing to do on your behalf? Are they f...
Christmas is a-coming soon and although there are only five couples and me in residence at the Rancho at present, plans are afoot and afloat for communal gatherings. Me, I’m trying to respectfully decline invitations while ignoring judgmental comments without cringing. I cringe. We all would prefer our friends to understand us, right, to support us unconditionally, right? Back-story first. When the COVID pandemic hit, most of us here masked, bought disinfectants and hand sanit...
I put my feet on the floor, first thing in the morning, and take a look at them. They are not the most attractive feet, that’s just a fact. I have big feet and skinny ankles and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see how much they resemble duck feet, but I try not to dwell on it. The point is, they are good, stable feet. They don’t hurt and they carry me on my daily walk, and I am grateful to have them — even if they are a little bigger and less attractive than they mi...
This whole idea started out lighthearted, but then it got all data-driven and serious. Leave it to the science nerds to research the life out of the fun. I had a thought about pronouns that made me laugh, y’know, on the inside. But the more I thought about it, the more I laughed until I actually laughed out loud. You’ve been there right? If not, you really need to reassess your approach to life. No doubt, a bunch of you are yawning and eye rolling, checking your wrist lik...
The campaign is over, the yard signs are down, the votes have been counted and it’s now time to get to work. I want to thank the residents of House District 28 for the confidence you have placed in me to serve your interests in the Montana Legislature. While we may not always agree on specific policy considerations, I know we do agree that Havre and northern Montana deserve a fair shot in Helena when it comes to promoting an economy that works for everyone, assuring public access to public lands, rehabilitating our aging i...
As elected officials, we are responsible for delivering for all our constituents, whether from blue or red districts. Today, Montanans in every county face real challenges, including increased cost of living and being priced out of the communities they’ve called home. In the past year, Democrats knocked on 270,000 doors. We heard about skyrocketing rent costs causing the loss of once-stable housing, moving in with relatives, or even living out of a car. People told us of having to use a food bank for the first time to feed t...
I own a revered and older washing machine. A washing machine is possibly the most wonderful tool ever created by man for the use of women. I never did like lugging laundry down to the river to pound it on rocks and dry it slung over prickly berry bushes. I highly recommend men learn to use a washing machine also. My washing machine is ancient. It was old when I bought it. I live in Mexico. When something breaks down, somebody will be able to fix it. That’s what we do here. T...
Nearly everyone who runs for federal office campaigns on the notion that Washington is broken. Year after year that message continues to resonate with the American people. Americans work hard to provide for their families, but the cost of living continues to climb along with tax rates. They’re watching millions of people invade our borders, and they feel unsafe in their communities. They’re frustrated that politicians in Washington are getting nothing done to address these issues. We need a drastic change in Washington — t...
The fruit lady has my number. One of the things I like in Mexico — and other countries we have visited in the past — is buying fruits and vegetables from a stand, run by a family. I love wandering through the market, looking at all the unfamiliar things and asking questions. “Is this for today or for tomorrow?” I ask in Spanish, wondering if it is ripe enough to eat immediately. The fruit vendors know when something is ripe. I load up my bags with papaya and little sweet b...
The rollout of a proposal by one of North America’s biggest ski developers to triple the size of Holland Lake Lodge and bring industrial tourism and commercial recreation to the rural, wildlife-rich Swan Valley in western Montana was a complete and utter disaster. After two months of vehement public opposition, the expansion proposal by POWDR, the Utah-based ski developer that promotes “soulful” experiences through high-impact recreation, fell to earth in flames — like the 1937 Hindenburg dirigible disaster in New Jersey....
Editor, As the community of Chinook prepares to vote on the Pool and Park Bond Initiative, I write to encourage you to support these vital facilities that have served our community for over 40 years. I applaud the progress and ongoing commitment of the many stakeholders working to rehabilitate the pool and park for our community’s benefit. They should be commended for their efforts to engage the public in the planning process and move toward a shared vision of these enriching spaces. Their work highlights the spirit of c...
Editor, Our community is blessed with so many generous people. Their hearts are never empty, they overflow with joy, their actions are kind and caring. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all the volunteers who shared their generous hearts during the Thanksgiving holiday. May the warm and wonderful energy you all create be with you and yours throughout this holiday season. Warmest wishes. Deb Rhines Community Thanksgiving Dinner Chair...
Now that I have a backsplash behind my stove and I’m not spending my time obsessively wiping grease splatters from my freshly painted wall as if I like to clean, I can think about things other than my own chaos, like bees. Yes, bees. Honeybees, in fact. I know. It’s exactly zero degrees out as I write this and who thinks of bees at this time of year in the northern tier of the U.S.? Beekeepers, that’s who, and a few cops in Massachusetts, but I’ve gotten ahead of myself...
The other day I said, “I was worried that Jane (nearly 95 and frail) might not hold up during your special dinner at the restaurant.” Immediately I was scolded, “No, no, no. Don’t say that. That is a negative thought. We don’t need negative thoughts. That is bad.” Whoa on me. I was taken aback. And I felt uncomfortable. I hadn’t meant that I was immersed in worry, sending sure death pulsing into the Universe. I’d had a fleeting thought, perhaps improperly expressed, that my fr...
It’s an odd experience watching someone fold your underwear. I was thinking this yesterday as I was waiting for my laundry. When my husband, Peter, and I packed to go to Mexico, we knew there would be a wide range of temperatures. San Miguel de Allende is in the mountains, so the days can be quite hot, and the nights can be cold, and the weather changes a lot in November everywhere, so we had to be prepared for anything. We do not have a washing machine in the little place we...
Editor, Take a lesson from Tommy Mellott. I was very proud that at end of the Cat-Griz game that he asked for respect for the Griz bus/players when they departed Bozeman. Last year when they departed Missoula his team was shown very good sportsmanship. He made it known on national TV that he did not t want the Griz players given a bad time. Tommy mentioned that all the players on both teams put their hearts into the game and play their hardest to win all games. With Tommy’s mature attitude why then are both Montana teams f...
I didn’t even know that cat pheromone diffusers existed. Really, who thinks of making an electricity driven device that dispenses feline happy-pheromones, so how was I supposed to know that I should have one for my cat, Tony-O. I mean, it sounds like something Hollywood made up to solve a problem in a movie or TV series. Like, they really like the stressed-cat backstory, but in the scene before the pivotal scene for the main character they need the cat bit to fade from focus s...
