News you can use
News you can use
Sorted by date Results 1607 - 1631 of 3191
During the last two weeks I have read three well-written articles that appeared in the Billings Gazette, that spoke of the importance of the 1989 Montana Bad Actor Law. The Montana Legislature, at that time, spoke a truth held by many Montanans, that the “Treasure State” had been desecrated by some, but not all people from the mining industry. Yes, we need an economy, and we appreciate the good paying jobs that were created by the mining companies, we also place a stewardship trust on those who mine. The 1989 Leg...
This spring, we had a flood that did damage throughout my district, Senate District 14. The damage was in Hill, Chouteau and Liberty counties, plus three other Montana counties. This past week, the State Emergency Management Services folks, along with Federal Emergency Management Agency people, were in our area helping counties figure out the paperwork. I attended the meeting in Havre in the hopes that the new e-system, which is the way FEMA processes paperwork and payments, has been improved since I worked with it last. As...
Montana’s rural communities have always been the backbone of our economy, driving economic growth through a foundation of hard work and a strong tradition of agriculture. In Montana, when our rural communities are thriving, our entire state thrives. Gov. Steve Bullock and I recently visited our rural communities to hear from rural Montanans as we tackle the issues facing our state. Farmers and ranchers described what is a “perfect storm” threatening Montana’s most important industry. When we look at what is happening with tr...
Montanans will have a direct say in what we pay when the 6 mill university levy comes before us again this election year as LR 128 on the November election ballot. There may be other states that have statewide voted university levies, but I’m not aware of them. In the case of the 6 mill levy, a top-heavy majority of Republican and Democratic legislators voted last year to refer it to Montana voters as the Legislature has done every 10 years since the 1947 session. It has always passed; it has never been increased. There m...
As I’ve said before, I’m not much of a conspiracy buff, mostly because you have to keep track of so many details and care very deeply and madly about stuff, and I’m all, “Bleh, this is just crazy talk. I’m gonna go watch funny cat videos on Youtube.” Sometimes, though, I look at the headlines and I think the animal kingdom is fixing to mount a coordinated effort, an animal war of sorts, to take humans down. My ongoing coverage of this phenomenon is an attempt to create a pe...
Two dozen Harlem High, Class of ’63 grads, arrived at the Great Northern Lodge for our 55th Class Reunion. Hugs, jabber, huge smiles: We provide instant love, just add self. I blurted, “We can no longer say, ‘My, you have not changed a bit.’” I am not sure anybody appreciated my comment. Truth is, undeniably, we have changed. Life has its way with us. But we are still us. Maybe more us. Pretense and posturing fell away over the years. Better usses. We still say, “You look...
This year as voters decide critical races in the upcoming midterms, they will have a chance to make decisions on major policy initiatives that will be on the ballot. In Montana, there is a terrible measure to increase taxes. Specifically, this measure would raise the tax on cigarettes by $2 per pack, which would represent a 118 percent increase in the current tax. The measure would also increase taxes on chewing tobacco and all other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and other vapor products. Montana I-185, the Extend...
Prior to bipartisan Medicaid expansion, Montana had the highest percentage of uninsured veterans in the nation. Only 40 percent of eligible veterans are enrolled in the VA health care system. Because the VA has only one main medical center in the state, Medicaid is critical for health care for thousands of veterans and their spouses living in rural communities. They are afforded access to care that is closer to home. Nationally, nearly 1 in 10 veterans relies on Medicaid. In Montana, fully 10 percent of our population are...
Elections have consequences. It’s frustrating to hear people say differently, despite the mountains of evidence to the contrary. One of the consequences, if not the most momentous, is who elected officials nominate and confirm to sit on our nation’s courts. Amongst these nominations and confirmations, the single most important decision is who sits on the Supreme Court. Not only is this the highest court in the land, but justices serve for life. The 2016 election outcome means that President Trump has already, less than two...
Turns out, whistling is a little more sophisticated than just putting your lips together and blowing. When I was a kid of 10 or so, my older brother took whistling beyond the old puckered-lips technique of our younger days after someone showed him how to whistle in some mysterious fashion that involved using the first two fingers of both hands between his pursed lips. It was a windy, but deep and round-toned sound, very unlike our regular whistling. It was a new and...
Fall has always been my favorite time of year. The crispness of the air, football season, big game hunting and a fresh start to the school year. This year is no exception. Especially as my daughter begins her freshman year of college in the Montana University System, it’s important to reflect on the role that education plays in our lives and in society. As a product myself of Montana’s K-12 public education system and as a first-generation graduate of the Montana University System, I know firsthand how critical education is...
When this gray-haired grandma left Mexico for Washington I filled two suitcases, large and small, with clothing I have yet to wear, with gifts to give, with everything possible I think I might need, most of which I have not needed. Or wanted. At home in Mexico I live a minimulist life. On the road, I have not learned how to survive with two pants, two shirts and a toothbrush. Sadly, I am constitutionally incapable of traveling lightly. Not to mention, my minimal (?) shopping...
Not just one, but many, rivers run through Montana. They are the arteries that nourish and bring life to our state’s cities and towns. Montana’s communities depend on these waterways to provide safe and healthy drinking water for our wells and municipal water systems, and to irrigate our fields. And, more and more, our rivers and streams fuel our local economies, putting Montanans to work, bringing visitors to our restaurants, hotels and stores, and creating new opportunities for local investment. Much of the economic gro...
Out-of-state environmental groups are using litigation as a tool to stop future mining in our state and I-186 does nothing but make it easier for them to do just that. What these misleading, out-of-state activists ignore, is the fact that Montana has some of the strictest environmental protections in the world when it comes to permitting new mines. Permits approved in Montana have made it through years of review and scrutiny, but environmental activists don’t want to acknowledge that Montana’s existing regulatory str...
Great news! Festival Days is coming up, Sept 21-23, which means the Friends of the Havre-Hill County Library Book Sale is coming up, too. Every year during Festivals Days the Friends of the Library host a book sale where you can find great, used books and other items for amazing prices. Fill a grocery bag with used books, movies, and cassette tapes and pay just $1 per bag. New books are available for $1 per book, and other items, such as a lace bedspread and curated bundles of books, will be available to make bids on in a...
This past week, I attended the last interim Education Committee meeting for this part of the session. It was time to lock in what bills the committee wanted to endorse or sponsor and who was to carry the bills. I am not able to sign on to carry any bills at this time as District 14 elections have not yet been completed. Current bills are as follows: HJ 1 is the funding bill. The draft bill the committee put together is LCFIXZ. It generally revises school funding laws, clarifies laws related to special education cooperatives...
Supporting Montana’s Six Mill Levy to support Montana’s University System is the right thing to do! At first glance, it may appear odd that the president of Carroll College, a Catholic liberal arts college in Montana, is writing this guest editorial. However, it makes sense for several reasons. First, Montana is facing a potential workforce crisis. The Montana Department of Labor and Industry has forecast that close to 25 percent of our State’s workforce will retire in the next ten years. We have approximately 523,000 peopl...
Sure, we all joke about it being true, but it’s not. The truth is that not all Canadians are polite people. It’s impossible. Mathematicians will tell you it’s statistically impossible for 36.3 million people to all be polite. Statistically speaking, some will be crude, some will be crabby and some will be jerks, among other impolitenesses. If you don’t believe math, choose a different area of study; they’ll all tell you the same thing. Sociologist will tell you about the...
For the Fort Belknap Indian Community, the state of Montana’s “bad actor” mining law is a matter of accountability, justice and common sense. We support the state enforcing that law against Hecla Mining CEO Phillips Baker. Baker was the top financial official at Pegasus Gold when the company filed for bankruptcy. Baker moved on to his next venture, but those of us living downstream from Pegasus Gold’s abandoned Zortman-Landusky mines did not have that luxury. After obliterating areas of the Little Rocky Mountains that ar...
I would like to tell you that my trip time in Washington is all sublime, that every moment is perfection, that my head is in the clouds with happiness. You would call me out on it, right? You might sing, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” So let me start with the sublime, the uplifting, the part I am trying to hang onto and not let go. My time with family takes first place in my reckoning. My son Ben, my granddaughter Lexi, our talks are most precious. How do I put into words my...
Montanans have a 70-year tradition of investing in state higher education. Nov. 6, voters across the state will again have the opportunity to renew that economic and societal investment by voting for the 6 mill levy. Public colleges and universities are a key conduit for the state’s workforce. Generations of graduates of the Montana university system’s 11 campuses have benefited from the 6 mill levy. Voters have a chance to renew that support for future generations. The return on this investment manifests itself in the 69 per...
With school back in session and fall just around the corner, we at the Havre-Hill County Library would like to congratulate our student patrons on starting a new school year and extend our thanks to the community for their participation in this year’s Summer Reading Program. We had 217 participating readers, who read a total of 69,670 minutes. This is equal to 1,160.2 hours, 4,180,200 seconds, 48.4 days or 6.9 weeks. To break up all that reading, participants were able to attend a Tuesday Movie Matinee, Wednesday Story T...
Never in a million years did I think I would be asking so many people in this area if they were registered to vote. And never did I imagine finding people not interested in doing so. Truth be told, when I started ringing doorbells, I thought the only people I may find needing to register would be those new to the area or people just turning 18. Especially here. Montanans take pride in what is happening in their communities, their state and the nation. We are a passionate group, many of us with generations in our families who...
Sometimes life hands you a series of complications and issues, but if you keep working through the mess, in the end they all come together to create a simple answer — kind of how one of those complex mathematical formulas with a mess of numbers, letters and symbols turns out to equal “y.” First of all, last summer the drain to our kitchen sink plugged up. It’s a dying, old trailer house scheduled for demolition, not the new house we’re still working on. These things happen. I...
Would it surprise you to find out that each of the five members of the Montana Public Service Commission makes more than the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State and the State Auditor? These are the current salaries of Montana elected officials. Governor — $111,570 Lieutenant Governor — $86,362 Attorney General — $123,499 Secretary of State — $95,695 Superintendent of Public Instruction — $107,000 State Auditor — $92,236 PSC Chair — $101,772 PSC Member — $100,819 Elected officials salaries are set by surveying the s...
