News you can use
News you can use
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Though a “news junkie,” I’ve grown deeply weary of the unrelenting impeachment coverage, and so was grateful to escape for a recent vacation to the Emerald Isle of Ireland. I’m a typical all-American mix of ethnicities, but primarily Irish, and like many Montanans I’m proud to be Irish. In Ireland there was coverage of the U.S. impeachment, but Brexit news dominated, followed by the riots in Spanish Catalonia, and the tragedy of the British boy killed by a car driven by...
If you are recycling, you are well aware that many of the items you used to recycle can’t be taken by the recyclers or your solid waste program. This is the result of Americans sending filthy recyclables to China, our biggest recyclables customer, only to be shut down until literally, we clean up our recycling methodology. But, this depressed opportunity to recycle is only a bump in the long road. Keep in mind recyclables are a commodity marketed similarly to other commodities such as grains and livestock. Anyone in the a...
Sometimes, in these modern times, it’s difficult for us to make sense of the world but, rest assured, I am here to tell you that there are very good reasons why things don’t make sense. The world of sports is fueled by longtime rivalries. One of those epic rivalries is between Australia and England who have been, and I kid you not, fostering a cricket rivalry over an urn filled with the ashen remains of the cricket bails burned after a cricket match in 1882. The rivalry isn...
This was not my idea, to have a party. It was sloppily put together. Any party, even pot luck, takes a lot of work. I didn't really want to do it. I was tired and in pain from the long bus ride. Bah humbug. I rode the bus, one more trip to Mazatlan. In the four-year process, all that was left for me to do was pick up the card moving me from temporary to permanent status as a resident. This is not citizenship. I'm not dual. Too old to think about that. In October, the senorita...
November is not only National Veterans Month but also National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize and thank the more than 40 million family caregivers in the U.S. This November, we should honor and pay respect to both: those who served our country in uniform and the hidden heroes caring for our veterans at home. There are about 20 million veterans in the U.S., with the majority having served during the Vietnam Era. More than 90,213 veterans live in Montana. Additionally, Montana has the second highest per-capita...
With your donations to Energy Share last year, you helped 2,885 Montana families who were facing energy emergencies. Causes of these emergencies included unexpected expenses, deaths in the family, non-working or unsafe heating systems, illnesses or injuries, domestic abuse situations, and loss of employment or reduced wages. None of us are immune to these roadblocks in life. According to a GOBankingRates 2019 survey, https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/savings-advice/58-of-americans-have-less-than-1000-in-savings ,57...
My husband, Peter, and I are spending a month in Spain and we have left our worries behind. As a result, we have had to come up with new, temporary worries to occupy us until we get back home. Peter ran out of lotion and for several days used something he found in the house which turned out to be soap. (“I wondered why it wasn’t soaking in!” Peter said.) He doesn’t like my lotion (“axle grease!” Peter complains) so he ventured out yesterday to buy some more. He came home with some lotion in a metal tin and immediately...
“I just want my house clean enough so that if someone drops by unexpectedly, it doesn’t look like we’re six days into battling a poltergeist” — Author unknown. I don’t normally quote internet memes, but when I do it’s because the author gets me, like she’s lived my life or feels my pain or has actually read my mind. Somehow it’s winter already and the little pea- to dime-sized rocks are sticking to the dog’s feet and the soles of our shoes, so it looks like I’ve graveled...
Nobody told us. Well, nobody told me. I’m from a family of workers, obsessive workers, one might say. In my family, sloth is a mere breath removed from slovenly and slatternly. Nobody ever said choices were available. Not that I would have availed myself of other choices, probably, life being what it is. Work being a necessity for survival. Until the day I retired myself to a quiet corner of another country. Thus removed from everyday obligations of my former life, I’ve tim...
My husband, Peter, and I have settled into the little house we are calling home for a month in southern Spain. The house is old and quirky — but I’ve come to believe that all homes are quirky in their own way. Whenever I spend time in another person’s home, I realize there are a lot of different ways of doing things that would never have occurred to me. When I was young, my family would drive to visit my great-grandmother. She had a neighbor named Mrs. Johnson (I never learn...
Happy 25th Anniversary AmeriCorps! Each year, over 75,000 people serve in AmeriCorps across the US. Since 1994, national service has improved lives and landscapes, while transforming those who commit to serve. Service to others is an American tradition and, for over 25 years, AmeriCorps has unified diverse people through service to others. AmeriCorps grew from a renewed focus on civic engagement in America during the 1990s. President George H.W. Bush signed the 1990 National Service Act, creating the Commission on National...
Last week’s Part 1 of the “Ewww” series was about our resident over-the-door bat that made its way into our house, but this Part 2 really ups the ewww-factor, proving that we are not living the glorified Disney-like country life at the North 40. After we herded bat back outdoors to find a hibernation spot that wasn’t currently occupied by humans, I had about a week’s reprieve, in which the only wild ewww-things we had to contend with were the perpetual mice and a few mean fera...
“This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth. This is the way we brush our teeth, so early in the morning.” News headlines to nursery rhymes, that’s me. When I read that a toothbrush has been devised with artificial intelligence, that ditty swept full blown through my mind. How nice, I thought. Aw, a new relationship. “Uh, hate to mention, but you need to pay more attention to your left lower molar.” “Gee, thanks. Will do.” With rolling eyeballs, I d...
First, I noticed the owl. “Peter! Did you see the owl?!” Our last Airbnb in Spain had a ceramic owl. So, when I found a similar owl—in a similarly inconvenient location—I took it as a good omen. “What owl?” my husband, Peter, said. Then I found four more owls, bringing our tally up to five. “Five owls! Now I know this is going to be a good trip!” “Huh,” Peter agreed. (Sometimes Peter’s not as effusive as I am.) We are staying in Frigiliana, a small town in the south of Spain...
As the folks responsible for promoting the vibrant, charming towns and stunning landscapes across our state, we know that Montana’s strong economy is driven in part by a thriving tourism and outdoor recreation economy. We also know that eastern Montana’s unique landscapes, historical and cultural sites, and opportunities for hunting and outdoor recreation are a treasure with untapped potential to support diversification and growth in regional economies. Over the last year, the Department of Commerce worked with partners to ho...
In the beginning when Havre was made, The people dreamed of having their roads paved. They gathered together all the neighborhood folk, They made a proposal then let them all vote. They all pitched in, their home’s value share For Havre’s future was their utmost care. It wasn’t the city or a kind billionaire Who paid the bill to pave that gravel wear and tear. It was you and I and neighbors alike, Who invested in Havre to make streets and pipes right. Now the time has come to pitch in again, 60 years is too long with no in...
I live out in the country with my dog, cat and horses, visited daily by deer, birds of all timidness and ferocity, and mysterious predators that slink through in the night, but this ain't a Disney movie out here. We have the creepy and disgusting creatures too, and thus far in October we've had encounters with two of them. As you can see from the title, I'm going to call this column Part 1 of a two-part "Ewww" series, because the protagonist of this part 1 was our resident...
One of the most important civic duties Montanans will participate in next year is filling out and responding to the 2020 U.S. Census. At just nine-questions long, the questionnaire might not seem like a big deal, but it is. It’s the census, done every 10 years, that’s responsible for deciding how much federal money comes into Montana. And in a small state like ours, every dollar matters. It’s estimated that Montana receives more than $2 billion each year as a result of the census. Annually, Montana’s public schools receive...
Ever have a day when everything you touch turns to mud? For one thing, it is raining. Tropical Storm Priscilla hovers off the coast in a direct line up and over the mountains to the west. Not far in a straight line but not even airplanes fly ruler straight; certainly not proverbial crows. Nevertheless, storms bring clouds bring rain. Rain is a good thing. Rain is precious. I like rain. It’s just that I’d made outdoor garden plans for today. Be flexible, right? Shifted gea...
My parents live in a cabin deep in the north woods. I know this sounds like the start of a fairy tale. Sometimes it seems a bit like one. There are bear in the woods. Deer run in herds. The seasons are far more pronounced and extreme than those I am used to. After a day of glorious autumn sunshine on my bare arms, I woke in the middle of the night and saw, in the moonlight, that snow had covered the ground, turning the green grass white. “It won’t last,” my mother assured everyone within earshot. “There’s still a lot of ni...
I know firsthand that farming and ranching has never been easy. My wife, Sharla, and I still run our family farm outside of Big Sandy on the same land my grandparents homesteaded more than 100 years ago. For our family and producers across Montana, working the land that’s been passed down for generations has never been about just making a buck — it’s a way of life in rural America. But the reality is that this business comes with real, sometimes overwhelming, uncertainty. This administration’s trade war hasn’t made it any ea...
Language is both a science and a mystery. I am not here today to bring some kind of resolution to the issue, but I do want to add my perspective to the mix. Plenty of studies have been published to tell us that language is both inherited and learned. Basically the findings boil down to this: 1) Human brains are genetically predisposed to language and human bodies are genetically influenced through traits like voice tone and how our bone and muscle structure create...
Editor's note: See Festival photos at www.havredailynes.com. October is the sweetest month, well, unless one is up to one's hocks in snow, and not the first snow of the year at that! Betrayed by September, that generally docile month. October, sing raptures of October. Hay is stacked, grain is harvested, garden largess fills rows of jewel-toned jars in the cellar. Yearlings crowd trailers on the way to market. Bank account is fat. Whoa - don't forget to sing flip side of that...
It happened again for at least the third time since 2014. The Hill County Park Board or the Hill County commissioners have squashed an effort to secure an up-to-date natural resources assessment for the Beaver Creek watershed or Beaver Creek Park. This time it was voted down to even look into arranging some support to do an assessment. The reason offered this time seems to be fear of undefined “strings attached” or “free money.” Yet, Beaver Creek Park regularly goes after grants and funds for infrastructure and other project...
The weather in all four of the counties I represent has been just a bit marginal, a point you all have clearly witnessed. For the rural folks, clean-up and road repair has come very slowly as Mother Nature has not cooperated. So, please slow down and give the county road crews the opportunity to get caught up. As an Education Committee member who has listened to presentations on the subject of bullying for a number of bills, I assumed I knew what bullying is. Come to find out, the Office of Public Instruction has now...
