News you can use
News you can use
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In a recent U.S. District Court ruling by Judge Brian Morris, the American public heard loud and clear that the federal administration broke the law when it offered leases on public lands in critical Sage grouse habitat. This court decision speaks volumes about how public lands should be managed, with certainty, and in a manner that considers true multiple use — including maintaining wildlife populations. The Department of Interior was found to have violated the law by issuing an instructional memorandum that abandoned the bi...
COIVD-19 is the greatest health crisis our state and nation has faced in over a century. As of the time of this writing, nearly 2 million Americans have become infected and 115,000 people have lost their lives. In Montana, we have benefitted from Gov. Steve Bullock’s vigilant and decisive response. Despite seeing fewer infections than our neighboring states, the virus’s economic impact has been crippling: more than 104,000 people have filed unemployment claims since late March. As our country moves into a new stage of the...
This has been a completely weird decade so far this year, even if you only look at what nature has given us: A viral pandemic, murder hornets, 18 inches of snow in June, a major waterway failure in our state, a broken dam elsewhere, a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse coming, some sort of alignment with the moon, and a couple planets or with its reiki chakrahs in the seventh house or something, killer tornadoes and several earthquakes centered in Yellowstone. I was trying to...
Outside my big front gate, the one used for truck delivery and such, a clump of lantana took root voluntarily. Lantana wears one of the world’s most beautiful flowers, like rings on its fingers, small circles of purple, pink, yellow, with an orange center. Lantana, an invasive weed, can grow taller than me, and will fill the entire yard if left to its own devices. Back when I had asked for lantana, David at Vivero Centro only shook his head, raised eyebrows and muttered s...
It’s harder to keep in touch with people these days. Things are opening up, but it’s going to be a while before we hop in a car and visit people the way we used to. I met the pastor of my church while walking. She told me the youth group had been meeting via Zoom, and the kids were overcome with shyness, seeing their faces on the screen. I wanted to say, “Don’t they realize they can be seen when they show up in person?” But I sympathized with the teenagers. When my husband P...
We are pleased to announce that the Havre-Hill County Library has re-opened to the public. Like the rest of the world, however, we have made many changes to our operations. We appreciate the patience of the community over these past few months during our closure and ask that everyone continues to be patient with us as we navigate these new circumstances. We understand that they are not ideal for our patrons, nor are they ideal for us, but the safety of our staff, our patrons and the entire community is our first priority....
It’s easy to love my pasture in spring when the vegetation is just getting a good hold of the season — the place is blanketed in green, and looks like a lush, manicured lawn punctuated with bursts of shrubs and trees — but those blissful days are past, and I have entered the chaos period from whence both pride and aggravation grow. By now, the vegetation has grown enough that I know what I have for “good” forage, acceptable weeds and bad weeds — and what needs to be mowed an...
It’s time for the Havre-Hill County Library’s Summer Reading Program, and we are striving for a fun and safe summer. This year’s theme is “Imagine Your Story,” so this summer we are all about fairy tales, myths and legends. The magic begins June 10. There is a signup sheet in the Havre Daily News that you may cut out and return to the library via mail or the book drop. We will also have a virtual sign-up sheet available on Facebook. You may also email or call us with your list of readers, their ages, guardian’s name, phone nu...
He’s not feral. I assume the stranger is a him. He’s not a rack of bones. He yowled around beneath my bedroom windows three nights before I glimpsed him in his white coat with yellow patches. Voice like a diesel tractor with defective brakes. I know why he’s hanging out in the neighborhood. Janet, my next door neighbor, just a few feet over that-away, brought five felines (all fixed) with her when she and Tom moved here from Washington a few months ago to become more-...
I want to make it clear that we are not adopting a dog. I won’t deny it is tempting. We decided not to get another dog because we travel. Dogs and airplane travel do not go well together. Now, however, with no travel in sight, I admit I am consumed with envy when I see happy dog owners on the trail. I have started carrying dog treats just so I can talk to the dogs of complete strangers. The owners are tolerant. The dogs love it. My brother-in-law had our entire extended family...
Grizzly bears are a paradox — at once valued and vilified, long-studied yet mysterious, powerful but vulnerable. Currently, they are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. However, last fall Gov. Steve Bullock convened an 18-member Citizen’s Advisory Council to recommend how the complex animals should be managed by the state if, in the future, those protections are removed. I commend the council members for the time, energy, and thought they have dedicated to this difficult task — particularly during recen...
Editor, Time goes so very fast and many highlight memories fade more quickly than we realize or accept. Recently the 1970 Havre High football team lost a good player and an outstanding teammate, Steve Vandeberg. Steve was very instrumental that season and as the special barbecue host when we had our team reunion years later. We all had gained recognizable talents in the Beef and Brew category of life. We would be remiss if we did not thank him one more time for his playing and reunion efforts. And, if we have one more...
Montanans, especially those of us who live and work in rural areas and small communities, are a hearty bunch. We literally and figuratively weather storms, we help our neighbors when they need a hand, and we also enjoy a quality of life that is second to none — one in which our urban counterparts are often envious. While this may all seem nostalgic or old-fashioned, we know it’s true. In northern Montana, we live, work and raise our families in communities that are full of small businesses who also support our com...
Satire is the only superpower I wield with any sort of natural grace and effectiveness. It’s likely that this shouldn’t be something to brag about, but I would argue that what satire lacks in measurable worth it makes up for in its vast sphere of influence. The key to the wide-ranging power of satire is that it is a multifaceted tool incorporating sarcasm, irony, parody, mockery, travesty, a bit of burlesque and more. Think of it like this: If your superpower was super str...
One must make one’s own decision, must do what each figures is best for self and family and community. As for me and many of my friends, we choose to continue staying home, having no touchy-feely (sigh) communication with others. We are retired. It is easier for us to hole up, to forego the little extras, the advantages of modern life to which we’ve become accustomed, as if those things are our due. Have any of you elders noticed how living this pared-down life in sel...
All of a sudden, there are painted rocks along my path. This has been going on for a while, I guess, but I never saw them in my neighborhood. Now, however, someone has more time on their hands, or a desire to reach out, or has lost their mind in isolation — whatever the reason — and little painted stones are appearing everywhere. When I saw the first one, I didn’t think much of it. I think it was a “Star Trek” logo (I won’t swear to that). It was black and gold and looked...
When I looked up “food security,” this definition made the most sense to me: “Food security incorporates a measure of resilience to future disruption or unavailability of critical food supply due to various risk factors including droughts, shipping disruptions, fuel shortages, economic instability and wars.” COVID-19 has revealed that we do not have food security in the USA. It does not make sense that our local grocery stores are rationing dairy and meat products while family farms are being forced to dump milk and euthani...
I know a lot of people have been upset lately about the fact that regular events are being canceled in the name of social distancing for a pandemic that hasn’t hit our state very hard. So, whether “misery loves company” is your thing or “I hate to say I told you so” is more your go-to saying, I’ve got some news for you. If, in fact, your misery does enjoy company, your favorite event isn’t the only one canceled this summer. The annual Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest has b...
What hasn’t COVID-19 changed? What life hasn’t the coronavirus altered in some way, shape or form? The answers to those questions are simple. We know, it has changed everything. We know the virus has touched us all in some way. And that is especially true for the high school class of 2020 all over the world. Just try to imagine what the last three months have been like for our Havre High graduates, who will have an altered commencement ceremony on Sunday at Blue Pony Stadium. Back on March 1, these seniors lives were goi...
Dear Graduates, Congratulations on your graduation. This is one of life’s great milestones and I would like to express how proud I am of your accomplishment. George Washington once said, “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” I know the last part of your senior year was not what you had planned or anticipated. Life has tossed you a curve. Having handled the past two months with grace and gusto, I know you are well on your way to triumph over all curves to come. By walking across that virtual stage, you will...
As soon as I heard the smoke-belching diesel truck rumble off the highway into the Rancho, I grabbed pruning shears and artfully poked around in a pot of lavender on the front patio. Well, I haven’t been off the ranch in two months. I don’t get to see many people. There are generally three men, sometimes four, swinging our garbage cans or lawn bags into the maw of the beast. They are friendly. They are young and strong. They wave. They greet me, “Buenos dias.” I wave and gri...
Every day I look down the trail in either direction, checking to see if anyone is coming. I’d just as soon no one knew I was talking to a tree. I take the same hike every day. There are a lot of trails and most folks try different trails on different days. I don’t. I do my best thinking on my daily walk. I am not seeking variety. Some days I am seeking inspiration. Some days I’m looking for answers. Some days I just want a little escape. More and more lately, I’ve been lo...
The study of history allows us the luxury of 20-20 hindsight. Looking back, we can see the little events that led up to the big moments, and we can wonder “how could they not have seen it coming?” Of course, it’s much harder to see clearly when you’re living through history in real time. I was reminded of this while reading a newspaper column by Andrew McKean, the former editor of Outdoor Life who lives in Glasgow. McKean very capably highlighted the choice voters face in the Republican primary for Montana governor, and he...
Gov. Steve Bullock has led Montana with a steady hand and disciplined fiscal management for the past seven and a half years. This continues to ring true as he helps navigate our state through this unprecedented crisis. It is clear to me that he is managing our response to the pandemic and our state budget in the way he always has: on the basis of data, informed projections and facts. Not politics. As the vice chair of the Committee on Taxation in the state Senate, I have worked with the governor and my colleagues on both...
If a tree falls in a forest … does it make a sound?” While an interesting philosophical query about perception, in the real world it doesn’t take the sound to know that trees have fallen. The fact that they are laying on the ground should be evidence enough. These thoughts came to mind this morning when I listened to President Trump’s irrational nonsense about COVID-19 testing and its relationship to the number of documented coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States. The president is calling for the American people...
