News you can use
News you can use
Sorted by date Results 2190 - 2214 of 3208
This election, Montana voters will be deciding the future of medical marijuana in Montana. This is quite literally a life and death issue, and I hope that my fellow Montanans will vote with compassion by casting their ballots with a yes on Initiative 182. This issue is personal for me. My wife, Peggy, has suffered from multiple sclerosis for 37 years. None of the medications prescribed to treat her excruciatingly painful leg spasms have worked. Tears come to her eyes when the spasms strike. Painful, sleepless nights occur sev...
The continued unfair and dishonest bashing of RightNow Technologies, as a way to try to undercut Greg Gianforte, needs to stop. This has created huge buzz in the technology and business communities. The bashing is being perceived as anti-business, and, in our view, it is damaging to the business climate in Montana. Democrats, the Bullock campaign, and much of the media are at fault. Gianforte’s successful business career and the creation of an outstanding tech company in Bozeman is an amazing story against all odds. It is p...
A famous line in poetry says “Good fences make good neighbors,” but Canada is proving instead that good websites make good neighbors. The country which has already given us the Canadian standoff of politeness (“Go ahead.” “Oh, no, you go.” “Thank you, but I insist you go.” “Thanks so much, but I couldn’t possibly. You go.” “No, please ...”), has just launched www.TellAmericaItsGreat.com. Reported by the New York Times as the brainchild of Toronto-based agency Gard...
Taxes. Most people don’t seem to like paying them. But, most people probably would miss what they would lose if they didn’t. A major part of governing wisely is looking at what services the government will provide and how to pay for those services. A few items on the November ballot in Hill County ask the voters to decide whether they want to pay for some county services. One is a request to continue a tax level that would drop unless the voters approve its continuation. The county took out a bond to build, across from the...
We tried a new restaurant, and it was extraordinary. I gave it four stars. One entire wall was a giant television screen — the football players on it were larger than life. It was as if you were on the field with them. Every second, I kept expecting one of them to lean over the table and say “Hey, if you’re not gonna eat that, can I have it?” Of course, I’m kidding. The sound was off. If all the 30 or 40 other 50-inch TVs hanging on the other walls had the sound on, how would people hear their cellphones ring? How would they...
Remember a time when autumn meant burning leaves instead of burning Samsung Note7 phones? It’s hard to believe, but on October 27 the animated TV classic “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” celebrates its 50th anniversary. It was the third “Peanuts” special, following “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and the mostly forgotten “Charlie Brown’s All-Stars” (which, if it took as long as a typical Major League Baseball game, would be reaching the seventh inning stretch any day now). Of course the characters remain frozen in time...
I’ve lost my robe. I’m beside myself with anxiety. I didn’t realize it was gone. In fact, I have no idea exactly when I misplaced it. Surely, I couldn’t have thrown it away. I depend on that robe. It is a piece of me. My hermit robe. A “security blanket.” I wore it from the day I moved to Mazatlan. Protection in my desert of solitude. It circumscribed my hermitage, defined my retreat. Yesterday, Bonnie said, “Sondra. You look so different.” We met in March, when I bought my ca...
Some representatives of local Republican parties have raised some issues — that are valid — both about the setup of and the coverage of the political candidate forum the Havre Daily News sponsored Thursday and an article about the forum that ran in Friday’s edition. The first issue is that the forum was just that — a forum — not a debate. The article about what was presented in the time allotted to state Rep. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, and Democrat Jacob Bachmeier of Havre called the event a debate in the first paragraph...
I know you are busy but I hope you will take time to read this. My first presidential campaign was in 1960. The candidate was John F. Kennedy. I went to rallies, walked door to door, talked to everyone I could because I believed in him, and he passionately supported the issues I cared about: nuclear disarmament, women’s rights and civil rights. I knew if Kennedy lost, these goals would not be achieved. For these past five decades, many in my generation have fought — tirelessly — for what we believe in. We have campaigned and...
Every election cycle, I’m reminded of the sad reality that politics are often void of truth. Just look at our own congressional race. Montanans have been barraged by a series of false attacks coming from Denise Juneau. It’s frustrating to see the truth become an afterthought. I’ve known Congressman Ryan Zinke for years. He is an honorable man, who speaks his mind and serves his constituents without prejudice or fear. I’ve come to appreciate his no-nonsense approach, because I know that whether we agree or not, when dealing...
In support of this year’s presidential candidates, I’ve stopped listening to them and have pursued a few hobbies instead. I’ve written about the yoga, and yes, it’s still reminding me that I have pursued a lifetime of poor fitness choices. The interesting thing about yoga is that it gives me enough physical exertion to burn off some agitation, but it also focuses on breathing, controlling your breathing, improving your breathing, using your breathing to improve your activit...
While the race for the White House dominates this fall’s news, new findings about Social Security should concern Montana workers who are paying into Social Security today. We have long known that Social Security is headed for a fiscal cliff unless our political leaders take action to make the program financially sound. But an analysis by AARP makes clear just how damaging the cuts would be for residents of Montana and all future retirees. Here is a glimpse of what a 25 percent cutback would mean to future retirees in our s...
Those dratted leaf-cutter ants are at it again, drilling holes, raising mounds of pebbled dirt around their nests. Their chain-saw jaws can strip my hibiscus, roses, oleander and hydrangea in minutes, leaving bare-naked stalks. Unsated, they turn to the rest of my garden. I gently escort spiders out of my house. But when I see fresh ant hills, I show no mercy. We were driving out the Rancho road to the highway, going to Guadalajara to pick up Pam at the airport, when I saw a...
The Hill County Public Cemetery District is asking the residents of Hill County to increase funding to maintain the nine cemeteries in the district by requesting a mill levy increase on the ballot in November. The Cemetery District currently cares for and maintains nine cemeteries located within Hill county. This includes all aspects of landscaping care for cemeteries as far away as Inverness to the west, Spring Coulee to the north, and Box Elder to the south. The district relies heavily upon tax dollars to maintain its...
Two years ago, the Conference of Western Attorneys General initiated research into the legality and precedents of efforts to move federal lands from public ownership. Recently, they released their conclusions, which have been endorsed by a bipartisan group of attorneys general of 11 Western states, including Montana. In a nutshell, they found that this current round of efforts to radically alter America’s century-old legacy of public land ownership has no legal basis in state or federal constitutional law. They soundly r...
What has defined America in the past no longer exists. Roughly 80 percent of Americans describe themselves as Christian but much current belief about what is moral bears little resemblance to biblical directives and traditional Christian teaching. How relevant is this in the midst of a contentious election year and in deciding who will lead our states and our nation? President George Washington in 1796 said, “And let us with caution indulge in supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.... Reason and experie...
I have spent my entire legal career as a prosecutor. Judge Dirk Sandefur presided over many of my most significant cases. He possesses a brilliant legal mind and a work ethic no one can match. Now unscrupulous political operatives backed by dark money are attacking him using half-truths and lies. I wholeheartedly endorse Judge Sandefur for the Montana Supreme Court, and I will set the record straight. Judge Sandefur has rock-solid credentials on criminal justice issues. Judge Sandefur imposes tough sanctions on criminals who...
If you ever find yourself on the other side of the Pacific homesick for Montana beef, you may soon be able to indulge at a local restaurant or supermarket in China. In a game-changing move, China recently announced that it would end the ban on United States beef imports for the first time since 2003. This long-overdue decision signals a tremendous boon to Montana’s economy and a milestone decision in a vigorous campaign. China is the second largest beef import market in the world. This May, I led a Congressional Delegation t...
Election to the State Auditor’s Office means the individual will serve as insurance commissioner for Montana. This person will play a critical role in setting policy which will affect nearly every man, woman and child in our state. Whether through health, life, homeowners, automobile, workers’ compensation insurance, or the myriad investment products available, everyone in our state is impacted by this office. The Auditor’s Office provides for the licensing and oversight of the firms selling insurance and investment produ...
It is a good thing you have me to think of these things. It took a long time but I finally have the weather figured out. For years I have stated that weather forecasters use the dart board method. They follow a probability theory that some ding-bat engineer has worked up into a chart which a graphics specialist transferred to a giant dart board. So the meteorologist is blindfolded, turned in circles until dizzy, pointed toward the board, handed a dart. Wherever it lands, that is the forecast for the day. I used to sneer that...
The Montana state auditor leads an office that is often overlooked or misunderstood, even though its insurance and investment work impacts every single Montanan. I’ve spent the past seven years serving as the top lawyer in the office and in that time, I’ve had the absolute joy of helping Montanans in every corner of our state. I've been in the trenches fighting for you, and I'm ready to put that experience to work as your next state auditor. My career has been dedicated to consumer protection, which is exactly why I love the...
I serve as a commissioner in a county where nearly 50 percent of the land is federally owned. There are some Montana counties, such as Mineral and Sanders counties, where the federal government owns more than 80 percent of the lands. While we all value our public lands and how they afford us our unique way of life, the issues that rural counties face is that, because so much of our land is public, it’s left off the tax rolls. Every year we have to fight for Montana counties’ share of funds to offset the loss of these fun...
The essentials for traveling out of the country are simple: • Have a reliable vehicle. • Have a good driver. • Bring a familiar blanky and comfort food for the neurotic companion. • Leave the crazy-eyed feral one at home. This is a story about my recent trip to Seattle, Washington, in which the only eventful thing, or running joke if you will, is the talking GPS’ continual disappointment with us that we would deviate from its chosen path. Apparently you have to program i...
After more than a decade supporting local CASA programs and volunteer advocates with supplemental training, outreach, and statewide coordination, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Montana’s state office will discontinue operation October 31, 2016. The CASA of Montana state office added value to the efforts of Montana’s local CASA programs, whose role has always been – and remains – to recruit, train, and coordinate the volunteer advocates who directly serve our endangered children in court. Although the state o...
Owners of a store in the village of Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia, are employing some good ol’ colonial strategies to help out with a population problem that has become an employee shortage problem: land-deal bribery. Unable to find enough employees for their country store/bakery, Farmer’s Daughter Country Market, and recognizing that the problem was a lack of community members, owners Sandee Maclean and Heather Coulombe looked at their asset of 80 acres of farmland to solve the...
