News you can use
News you can use
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I was born to be a peasant. Well, OK, not one of those indentured, do whatever the boss-man tells me to do kind of serfs. I have it on good authority from just about every one of my family members and my husband, who shall remain nameless, that I don’t follow orders very well. But there was a class of landowning peasants with whom I would have fit in nicely. I come fully equipped by Mother Nature with large peasantish hands, feet and muscles, along with the broad shoulders a...
My grandma made amazing cookies. They weren’t just the best on the Hi-Line. They were the best in Montana. I’m sure those are fighting words to anyone lucky enough to grow up with doting grandparents. However, if she were still here to bake them today, I could prove it thanks to a new law. As of Oct. 1, my grandma could have sold her baked goods to the public. With bipartisan support, House Bill 478 passed the Montana Legislature easily and provides a new tool for food entrepreneurs by implementing cottage food. As of Oct...
Amber Spring Sara Bragg Today is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, with the entire month of May being Mental Health Awareness Month. There are many topics that can be identified when discussing children’s mental health. However it is important to address those that are most relevant to Hill County and Montana. Based on the 2013 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey, depression and suicide are a real risk to Montana youth. In 2013, 25.3 percent of students statewide experienced depression for more than two weeks severe eno...
What is life but shifting tidbits of sensory experiences tossed into a basket of scraps? After weeks of stitching together metaphorical pastel scraps, when friends from British Columbia, who dropped on my doorstep unexpected, I felt bombarded with a galloping array of primary colors. My days didn’t change drastically, yet, the colors seemed more intense, the patterns more interesting. Kathy and Richard are long-time friends. Most of the swatches we dropped into or picked o...
In the run-up to the 2015 legislative session, expectations were low. Montanans expected this session to be more about politics and less about performance. Four months later, I’m pleased to report that the 64th legislative session has been anything but. Where previous sessions were dominated by partisan bickering at the expense of real benefits for Montanans, this year we saw a bipartisan group of legislators joining me in working to find common ground on some of the biggest issues facing our state. Montanans should be p...
G. Bruce Meyers said he was exhilarated and terrified when he took his seat in the Montana House. At 66, this political newcomer is the most unlikely of state lawmakers. A Native American Republican with no political experience, he was elected from the most Democratic district in the state by defeating a respected opponent. But in a western version of “Mr. Meyers Goes to Helena,” he went to the state Capitol and made his mark in his first session. He reflected on the recently completed session Friday at the Hill County Pac...
A humor columnist and a spiritual guide walked into a coffee shop, and it wasn’t a joke. Really. It was, in fact, more like a blind date only, y’know, not as creepy as that sounds. OK, I’ll admit it. A total stranger emailed me, mentioned the right names and connections, flattered me outrageously and asked if I wanted to have tea or coffee in a public place some day. I said, yeah, sure, why not, sounds great. And even though the situation sounds a little like the plot openi...
Holy Smokeroonies. Saturday late afternoon I sit with a book open in my lap, my eyes in the sky, watching the play of light on the cirrus clouds. Suddenly, an apparition. Kathy and Richard stand at my door, grins splitting both faces. For a brief time I am paralyzed. (Certifiable? Candidate for sainthood? Visions portend one or the other.) Fast forward: hugs, babble of voices, I can’t believe it, we wanted to surprise you, what are you doing here, it was hard to keep our t...
I noticed with great interest that some of the Montana newspapers were criticizing the actions of Republican House members who voted against Senate Bill 416. As one of the guys in the room — trying to get the deal done — I have a few observations to share. Senate Bill 416 was a bi-partisan effort designed by Senate Democrats and Republicans, with direct input by House Democrats and Republicans, and then reviewed by the governor’s office. Along the way, everyone had to give and take and no one got everything that they wante...
Sometimes the Universe stops orchestrating ironic life twists — and creating cracks in the sidewalk of life just to laugh at seeing you trip and fall — long enough to do you a favor. A real favor. Sometimes that real favor feels like a sucker punch to the solar plexus. You’re just lying there in the dirt with your mouth gaping uselessly like a fish on a dry bank waiting for the clubbing that’s sure to follow to put you out of your misery. The knock-out blow doesn’t come, but the air does, eventually, and that means you gotta...
Montanans love to talk about how special our state is. For those from some place other than Montana, you may think that we mean our beautiful mountains, the vast golden prairies, and incredible blue sky that never seems to end. And you would be right — we do mean that. But what really makes Montana special is the people. The people of our state are kind and generous. We are the type of people who celebrate together during the good times, and look out for each other when times get tough. Montana is particularly lucky because t...
Even Solomon knew we need to hear a familiar voice from time to time. And what could be more familiar than the mournful Coo-OOO-oo-oo-oo of the bird that in our country is called the mourning dove. In Mexico she is la paloma. But that doesn't mean I invited her to stake out a homestead in the hanging planter outside my back door. The planter itself is colorful, a traditional flat-backed, painted hanging wall planter. I suppose Senora Paloma looked around and decided the many...
By Young Republican Caucus You often hear Republicans talking about the downfalls of big government. The face of the Republican Party is changing and as members of the “next generation” we feel it’s vital to the state that we serve to explain why we must uphold this ideal, and why you should, too. There are four principal areas that our joint Republican caucus agreed on at the beginning of the session to guide our priorities: • Strengthening jobs and the economy; • Putting students and parents first; • Safeguardin...
The recycling community is well aware that April 22 is Earth Day. It is today that recycling businesses, organizations and savvy schools advertise their products and/or sponsor events to celebrate taking care of the earth and, hopefully, positively impact others to do likewise. It is a day that celebrates preserving a clean environment for the future. But, shouldn’t that be everyone’s responsibility, every day? Most people would agree that Americans use a lot of resources and produce a lot of garbage. Take a look at the lan...
In Montana, the Legislature is responsible for establishing the state programs to benefit the public, while the executive branch is charged with administering them. That structure has worked very well for decades, and is referred to as the separation of powers. When the power of the purse is taken over by the executive branch, that’s when we start having problems. In 2011, then-Gov. Brian Schweitzer established — without legislative authority — “free” health clinics for state employees and their dependents to use “free of...
Many on the left and in the media are praising Senate Bill 405 as a “bipartisan” health care solution. However, one thing is clear to the conservative legislators I serve with: SB 405 is an all-or-nothing expansion of Obamacare for Montana. There was no compromise in the drafting of this bill after it was rubber-stamped by the governor and the sponsor shot down all amendments in committee. Make no mistake about it, this bill is a massive expansion of Obamacare in our state and will add tens of thousands of new par...
Just when life in my neighborhood returned to normal: 8,000 motorcycles roared out of town. 50,000 tourists followed. Lingering snowbirds flew north. An unexpected and welcome rain shower blessed, washed and renewed the atmosphere. Geckos came out of hiding to skitter across my walls. Peace and quiet defined both day and night. Peace. Quiet. Too quiet. I rolled over in bed and looked at my clock. I distinctly recalled winding it last night. Poor thing expired halfway between...
If you don’t already know who 61-year-old Ruskin, Florida, mailman Doug Hughes is, you should make it your business to know. He’s just spent the last 2 1/2 years planning and executing a spectacular, death-defying stunt that has landed him in jail, and he did it for you. He did it for America. He did it on the White House lawn. Hughes flew an ultralight airplane-helicopter hybrid, called a gyrocopter, through restricted air space over Washington, D.C., and landed on the Whi...
Just before Easter, the Senate passed my Senate Bill 416, which is the only major infrastructure bill that might have a chance to pass. SB 416 passed the Senate on a 47 to 3 vote. Today SB 416 will be heard in the House Appropriations Committee and to pass the House it must get a two-thirds vote as it has a bonding component. This bill is one that no one particularly stomachs, but is a compromise bill that has a chance to pass. Just before Easter, Sarah Swanson Partridge and... Full story
The three most importand tools in my barn are duct tape, bailing twine and WD-40. The first two on the list are in a constant battle for Top Tool, the primary go-to solution in any farming-ranching or equine handling emergency. For problems that are mechanical or generally metal in nature, WD-40 has been invaluable. It pitches in doing everything from starting an engine to breaking free a rusty bolt, and one time I used it as rattle snake repellent which, strictly speaking... Full story
I never know. I never know what each day might bring. I think I do. I’m always wrong. Back when my children were youngsters, I used to pray, literally pray, for a boring day, just one boring day, please. At the same time, if one of my youngsters dared mouth, “I’m bored,” invariably I got a gleam in my eye and whipped out a list of positive motivational activities, i.e., jobs to do. Interestingly, following the initial attempt, my children were never bored. I never said li... Full story
It’s one of those priceless moments in film: In the saddle, crusty old Curly (Jack Palance) turns to wise-cracking Mitch (Billy Crystal) and asks: “Do you know what the secret of life is?” A wry grin on Curly’s weather-beaten face. “No. What?” Mitch quietly responds. “This” says Curly, holding up one finger. “Your finger?” puzzles Mitch. “One thing. Just one thing,” Curly replies. “Just one thing” to change the world. “Just one thing” to make life worth living. “Just one thing” that makes everything else “click.” April is Nat... Full story
New Hampshire legislators prove it’s not just Montana senators who feel it’s their elected and sworn duty to crush children’s dreams. A group of Bozeman elementary kids and their learned presenters went before the Montana Senate with a detailed and researched proposal that Scobey soil be declared the state soil, and the bill sponsor, JP Pomnichowski, D-Bozeman, explained that the soil helps grow Montana’s $4.7 billion agriculture industry, said an article by The Associa... Full story
Like anyone, I have my “up” days and my “down” days. But, really, it is all about keeping life in perspective and finding balance. Take today, for instance. I leave the house for my morning walk at first light. I like to greet the sun. And as thoughtful as those words sound, it is as much about walking in the cool of the day. Perspective. Balance. Generally, I walk between 45 minutes and an hour. Don’t think I’m covering the miles. I am a mere two months away from hip-replace... Full story
Montana residents assume that our state government supports the basic American goals of freedom, fairness and equal justice for all — the founding principles on which our nation and constitution were established. Yet some Yet many of our state leaders are overlooking a policy that denies Montana citizens a basic constitutional right. Some tribal people, as citizens of Montana, are not granted some civil rights — such as open meeting laws — that other Montana citizens take for granted. The “Right to know” is guarantee...
