News you can use
News you can use
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Recently, opinion pieces and information sent to legislators regarding the counties’ decision to levy 77.9 mills instead of the state-directed 95 mills has been circulating in both statewide newspapers, and internal legislative correspondence. It appears that the message being distributed is counties are giving large tax breaks to corporations and out-of -state homeowners while doing little for the average Montanan. While the numbers can be interpreted to support that message, and they — the numbers — are in fact accur...
My Auntie Jo gave me a beautiful pair of gloves yesterday. They are elegant, with embroidery on the top, and I immediately did what I usually do — I put them away for safekeeping. “I’ll wear these to something special!” I told myself. I have a date to go with my niece to see “Peter Pan” in December. I decided I would wear those gloves when I go out with my beautiful 20-year-old niece before she heads out to Spain to study for a semester in Madrid. That will certainly b...
The recent announcement that Montana has been selected as a federally-designated technology hub is great news for our state. Our new tech hub status will lead to millions in research and development investments, particularly in photonics technology that has wide-ranging uses in self-driving vehicles and agricultural equipment, as well as national defense and natural disaster response. For those who don’t know, Montana already has 40 photonics tech companies employing over 1,000 people with high wages. Early projections are t...
I have a boyhood memory of the blockbuster award-winning movie “Exodus,” staring a young Paul Newman as the leader of Jewish refugees and Palestinian Jews in their epoch struggle to establish the nation of Israel. In commenting on the movie, my grandmother told me that her grandfather would sometimes disappear into the cellar of his house to read what I understand now was probably an English translation of the Hebrew holy book, the Torah. With the aid of research by my sister, we have discovered that the mother of the gra...
As a Republican candidate for Montana superintendent of public instruction, I have a simple, but clear vision for our schools: I want to bring education back to basics. It shouldn’t be controversial. But bringing education back to the core basics is crucial for the overall development of our students. Focusing on foundational subjects like reading, writing, mathematics, history, and critical thinking will provide a strong academic base that all our students can build upon. My goal is to ensure that each child receives a c...
Two of my friends are touring Italy. Their husbands did not want to go. The women said, “That’s okay. We will go ourselves. You keep the home fires burning.” When we get back, we will have so much To tell you. One friend, the one from Washington, Sends photos, photos of famous palaces, pictures Of hotel rooms, of food, of streets, of stores. Now and then we see a picture of each of them, Usually sitting at a plate of food, looking glad. Or looking exhausted. Or, one with...
I have always loved Halloween, and I love it now more than ever. I love to get in costume and have fun with other people in costume. People seem freer when they are dressed in different clothes. They seem to have a little more fun. I like the challenge of making or putting together elaborate costumes but, as the years passed, I’ve done less and less of it. Costume parties seem to be less common, and I don’t spend time in bars, so the opportunity to celebrate the holiday has...
The other day I found myself feeling a little low, a little down in the dumps. The problem is, I was enjoying the feeling, to some extent. The next problem is that I found it so dag gone hard to maintain the slump. We don’t come with an instruction manual so I figure it is high time somebody writes one. ***This does not apply to real depression. Depression is a serious matter. For real depression, see your doctor. Please. One of my friends said, “It’s your bio-rhythm. Wait...
My sister sends a text, telling me she is making lasagna, and asks if I will bring a cake. “Sounds great!” I readily agree. “When?” There is no response. I know we are celebrating my mother’s birthday early, but I have no idea when, so I don’t know when this cake will be needed. I could call my sister, but that sounds difficult. Will she be busy? She is a teacher, and she is busy a lot. She gets up early and seems to be in constant motion from the time she gets off work until...
The opening of Psalm 137 is haunting: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” In a few lines, the poem evokes the sorrow of a people defeated, and taken in slavery from their homeland by an enemy who slaughtered their loved ones, and now mocks the survivors. “For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’ Still the wish of...
Dear Editor, I recently spotted an opening for a sports person for the newspaper. I didn’t read the description closely but am confident I could quickly polish and perfect my qualifications for the position. When I was 9 or 10 years old, before we moved to Montana, my dad took me to a Cardinal’s game at the stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, a skip, a jump and a slide across the Ohio River from where we lived. The game was at night and the field was well-lighted. I did won...
It’s no secret that I love dogs. I love dogs, and I don’t have one right now because, traveling as much as my husband, Peter, and I do, having a dog makes no sense. We know this. We have discussed this. There are times I would like to have a dog so much it makes my heart hurt. And then I realize how easy it is to get on a plane without worrying about the welfare of a dog, and I know we have — at least for now — made the right decision. And so my solution is to talk to other p...
There’s a lot of back-and-forth across the state right now about who is responsible for the property tax crisis that’s hitting homeowners in the wallet and making housing more expensive for all of us. Regardless of whether you own your home or rent it, skyrocketing property values in Montana are making it hard for all of us to find a place to live and afford to stay there. We’ve known that for a while now, and Gov. Greg Gianforte and the Republican supermajority in the state Legislature knew it too. They failed to act, plain...
The Hill County Commissioners have posted a call for applications for those interested in serving on the Park Board’s Grazing/Haying committee. The notice states there are four positions to be filled. The Policies and Procedures for Grazing and Haying state there will be three ranchers on the committee. For several years now the committee had six ranchers on the committee. Of the six, five have conflicts of interest in that they or their families have grazing and/or haying privileges in the park. Since grazing and haying h...
September ended here in my little patch of Mexico with record-breaking heat. The heat I can handle. The humidity is brutal. Early this morning, 70 F, humidity in the 90s, go hang laundry on the line, come inside with sweaty wet hair. In the afternoon, when it is 90, when I return to the house with dry laundry, I’m hot but dry. When we Montanans say, “Yes, but it is dry heat,” we know what we are talking about. October will be different. Won’t it? And the critters, oh, my, the...
Permitting reform is crucial to ensure the clean energy transition happens fast enough to get projects up and running and ward off the extreme weather, fire, and smoke events that affect all of us in Montana. We need to build transmission lines, improve early community involvement, and quickly build and deploy new clean energy projects. Big energy projects need written approval from local, state and/or federal agencies to begin construction. But it takes about five years on average for these agencies to complete...
I’ve been thinking about forgiveness. A lot has been said on the subject by people a lot smarter than I, so I don’t have anything valuable to add to the discussion at large, but I’ve been thinking of how it affects me, and what a powerful thing it is. I’ve had very little to forgive compared to most people. People have always been kind to me. I am always astonished by how kind people have been — for no reason. As a young person, I received help and advice from strangers...
Inaugurating a new era in American politics, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are set to star in the 2024 presidential election show. In an exclusive interview with the Havre Daily News, Committee to Preserve Democratic/Republican Rule Forever Co-Chairs Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Lauren Boebert stressed that leaders from both parties had agreed on the rematch in an effort to temper unrealistic voter expectations. “One thing about old Joe, you know he’s never going to rock the boa...
“Freedom isn’t free.” It surely was not for those who fought and died for America’s freedom in the beginning. Following the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and through the eight brutal and bloody years of the Revolutionary War thereafter, winning and securing America’s freedom from a tyrannical foreign power was the cause for which genuine American patriots willingly and knowingly gave their lives. While the American forces prevailed, the military success of George Washington’s beleaguered Continental Army might not h...
Usually I sit down to write with something specific on my mind. Today I have a scrap of this and a scrap of that. What does one do with scraps? One makes a quilt. Michelle called. “Let’s go to the Plaza for cake.” In the Mercado a teeny coffee shop recently opened, fancy drinks and baked goods. They make the best carrot cake. Michelle, Ana and I found a bench in the shade in the Plaza, where we enjoyed our drinks and cakes put our worlds in order. During this time, I had a...
He was sitting outside his home on a tiny patio, wearing a fedora and smoking a cigar. He had a portable music player sitting beside him, and he looked as if he was enjoying the September sunshine about as much as anyone could. “Good afternoon!” I said as I passed. “Good afternoon!” he agreed. I don’t smoke, but I like the smell of cigars. My grandpa smoked a cigar occasionally, and the smell of cigar smoke reminds me of my childhood. In fact, all of September reminds m...
I just love the first day of school. Watching my son walk to the bus stop on his first day of high school this year, I reflected on the optimism and excitement a new school year brings to both parents and children. When we run into one of his teachers at the grocery store or at a local park, my boy’s face lights up and mine does too. We know his teachers care about him and are invested in his learning. Every parent in Montana should be able to take their child to school confident that they will be safe and will be taught b...
Some stories should stay hidden and this might be one of that kind. It is ridiculous, embarrassing and impossible. I have three lime trees in my yard. In the backyard, I first planted a key lime. After three naked years and lots of talks, including veiled threats, she began producing limes in profusion. So I planted a regular-type lime in the front yard. It made limes a mere toddler and hasn’t paused yet. So I planted another regular-style lime in back next to the key lime. I...
My name is Andrea Melle. When I turned 18, I went to Havre’s City Hall to cast my first vote. But other than voting in every election, I wasn’t very involved with politics. Over the years, that sure changed. Having two kids with needs in public schools without adequate funding, going through a divorce, being a 24/7 unpaid caregiver, and seeing rights being taken away has made me get involved. I have fought for special ed bills in our public schools, Medicaid Expansion, justice bills, and was lucky enough to have the sup...
It’s no secret that I don’t look like most of my colleagues in Washington, D.C. They don’t run a farm when they’re back home, you won’t find them swapping out duck foot shovels or greasing a combine, and to my knowledge no one else is missing a few fingers from an unlucky childhood run-in with a meat grinder while butchering meat on my family farm. But beyond our differences in appearance, I’m always focused on bringing a healthy dose of Montana common sense and a lifetime of experience living in rural America with me to...
