News you can use
News you can use
Sorted by date Results 1529 - 1553 of 3210
While the whole country is debating the mary jane, ganja, dank, 420 issue of legalizing marijuana, I’m obsessing over weed of the noxious list kind. I know. I wrote about noxious weeds sometime in the last year or two. I swear I had every intention to consider it a spent topic, to ignore my single-minded obsession with the idea that weeds are my mortal enemy, y’know, just let the obsessive compulsiveness go. But no. Blame my day job. Call my boss. I had to interview the cou...
Yesterday John and Carol, Leo, our gardener, and I took a trip up to the top of the sacred Mountain, Volcan de Tequila. Tequila Mountain dominates a huge section of Jalisco, can be seen from Guadalajara as well as from my own yard. We are aware of its majestic presence whenever we think to notice. John had walked over the day before to ask if I would like to join them. I hesitated a few seconds, shook myself and said yes to a chance to see more of this country I have come to...
It is no secret that Montana has the highest rate of suicide in the country. Compounding this crisis, Montana has a critical shortage of mental health services that has been well documented for the past ten years. At least 68 new psychiatrists would be needed to address this critical shortage (HRSA 2017). There is also a critical shortage of psychiatric nurse practitioners. Given those shortages, the majority of psychiatric medications — 70 percent to 80 percent by some estimates — are prescribed by non-mental health spe...
These words come as no surprise to many of us. It is our lived experience that Native American women are more likely to go missing, more likely to be murdered, and less likely to have justice in our state. It is our lived experience that when we seek justice for Native women and children who go missing, law enforcement may not take action for weeks — if at all. It is devastating. Right now, we are facing an epidemic of missing and murdered women, many of them Native, in the state of Montana. That is why the Indian Caucus i...
The 66th Legislature Senate Tax Committee saw 10 Senate bills coming forth this week and no House bills have crossed yet in any of my committees. We did review a controversial bill, SB 96, that would put vapes — e-cigarettes — in the category with cigarettes. The bill as presented did not accomplish the intent of the sponsor so it ended up being tabled. A workforce housing tax credit bill, which would give a tax credit to investors of affordable housing units, has also been put forward. It seems everyone would like to rev...
Yes, 40 years is a long time to hold a grudge, but I think it’s safe to say, now, that my whole brain can let the resentment go, thanks to some German researchers and a small herd of horses. In 1979 an art teacher named Betty Edwards wrote a book called “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” that quickly became a bestseller. Because I was a young artist with some talent I was given a copy. Because I was a bit of a nerdy studier, I devoured the book — the first two chapter...
Dear Lee and Roy, Imagine my surprise when Leo handed me mail this morning. He climbs the stairs at the Mercado every Monday morning to check my mail box. I suspect the real reason Leo checks mail every Monday morning is his secret penchant for deep-fried stuffed gorditas the Senora makes, just down the hall from the Correo office. Stuffed with cheese and jalapenos. Dripping grease. I came as close to dance as I am capable when I held the envelope, Christmas card size, in my...
With the second week of the Montana Legislature in the books I would like to give you an update on some accomplishments that were made in the House. At this point, more bills are starting to pass out of committees to be discussed on the floor of the House. For some bills, it is incredibly important to pass them to the governor’s desk as soon as possible. One of those bills is HB 159 our K-12 school funding bill, which had a hearing in the House Education Committee this week. This bill was sponsored by Republican Rep. Bruce G...
As week two of the 66th Legislature progressed, the feeling I had was that bills seem to be moving slower than last session. My thought was that maybe I was not seeing the big picture, but visiting with other legislators, it seems we all feel the same. There are 3,001 potential bills either introduced, being written or waiting to be adjusted to suit the legislator who will carry the bill. I am sure things will pick up as these bills are finalized. A highlight this past week was the visit I had with the co-op folks from the...
Snow is starting to fall, cattle are being fed and the Legislature is back in Helena for the 66th Legislative Session. This session 58 Republicans and 42 Democrats have pulled up stakes and moved to Montana’s capitol for the next approximately three-and-a-half months to try and make our state a better place to live. There have not been many bills heard so far over the past two weeks, but what they lack in number, they make up in substance. In the House Judiciary Committee, we have heard bills concerning the board of p...
The other day I was presented this mind-bending analogy by someone attempting to put the government shutdown and border wall into perspective: “Trump is asking for $5.7 billion out of an annual budget of $4.407 trillion … In other words, Trump is asking for $57 out of an annual budget of $44,070.” You see what the author of this tidbit did there? Yeah, removed all those pesky “illion” endings and zeros they represent to put the numbers in amounts the average intellect...
Everyone agrees that the high cost of prescription medications is a huge issue, but there hasn’t been a serious attempt to solve the problem in Montana. We’re changing that by bringing forward legislation we estimate will save Montanans about $8 million in the first year alone. Allow us to explain. Prescriptions make up about 20 percent of health care costs, and they’re one of the fastest-growing cost drivers in health care. While there are many reasons for this, a primary one is the middlemen who control the process between...
Those words came out of my mouth with full exclamation stop. And nobody near with ears to hear. Among other things in this mysterious and strange aging process, things like talking with myself, I have an emerging propensity to use phrases I have not heard since I was a child; phrases I snubbed, vowed never to let pass my more educated, sophisticated lips. Ha. Yesterday, I returned from my week on the beach in Mazatlan. With a severe shortage of gasoline in the state of...
The 66th Montana Legislative Session began Jan. 7 and, based on the 3,101 bills that have been submitted so far, lawmakers will be working in overdrive. For Democrats, top priorities include keeping health care accessible for all Montanans, promoting good-paying jobs by investing in sustainable infrastructure, and passing a viable budget that allows for an adequate rainy-day fund. Democratic leaders urge members of both parties to roll up our sleeves and work across the aisle to solve problems. We will put a premium on bipart...
We finished the first week of the 66th Legislature. The Opening Ceremony was great. Judy was in attendance this session having missed the first day of the 2017 session because of a storm. Our friends and campaign treasurer, Junior Scheuerman and his wife, Karen, were also in attendance for the ceremony. It was great to share the experience. As you may have guessed, over the last week, time was spent getting introduced to folks on our respective committees. It is called “organizing,” though sometimes it almost resembles chaos....
It is strange, after serving 14 years, to be a “freshman” representative in the House. However, as a “senior” freshman, I chair Joint Education Finance and vice-chair Full Appropriations. These familiar committees are where I held leadership positions in the Senate, thus it was a good first week. While the discussion was contentious, the substantial rule reform I strongly advocated for was adopted by the 66th Legislature with overwhelming support of the body (88-12). Key reforms include: 1) A single leader (speaker) can no...
Communities across the country are implementing regulations and/or bans on items such as styrofoam, straws and plastic bags. Why are they doing that? Pretty much because it is toxic and a “principle litter” — meaning it’s everywhere. Plastic-type waste occupies a significant amount of space in our landfills. Foam and other small plastic items are easily blown by wind or washed by rain into storm drains and bodies of water. Toxic chemicals stick to the surface of these bits and birds, fish and other wildlife may ingest the foa...
Fatberg, it’s like an iceberg, but made of fat. It’s a thing. You can look it up. In fact, you can look up the word definition in a 28-volume Oxford English Dictionary — which is arguably the premier authority on words in the English language — so if the OED says it’s a thing, it’s a thing. Fatberg is, in fact, a very big thing, hence its blending of the words fat and iceberg. The term for the blended words — like smog, Brexit and jakalope — is portmanteau, in case you wanted...
This morning I walked down to Tony’s On The Beach for breakfast. I called it a walking meditation because naming it such makes me feel better about my small steps, snail pace. Once again I am in Mazatlan. Kathy and Richard asked me if I would like to join them for a week on the beach. Who would say no? It has been three years now since I lived in Mazatlan. Tony’s is in my old neighborhood. Oh, the changes. Each time I come, there are changes. Economy is booming if one may jud...
Growing up, my father wasn’t much of a fisherman — never had that knack — and like father like son, I never was a big fan myself. But my little brother, he was a fisherman. I mean, by the age of 6, that boy could outfish most full grown men. I would dare to say that I think, in fact, he was one of the greatest fishermen I’ve ever seen. I remember my brother sitting on the beaches of Burke Lake casting out his line and sitting for hours reeling in fish after fish. He was the one who actually taught me how to fish — although,...
January 2019, yes, it is! I want to wish each and every one of you the best of the New Year. By the time you read this, Judy and I will already be in Helena and the 2019 Legislature will already be in session. I am excitedly anticipating session this year. Having already been through one, I am familiar with the processes and procedures. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things quickly and to see and talk with other lawmakers in Helena. My plan is to get a short article in the newspapers most weeks, as I d...
A couple in Wyoming has received confirmation from Guinness World Records that they are the fastest two-man tent assemblers on record in the entire world. Yes, that’s a thing, and Elizabeth and Daniel Minton did it in just over a minute. No, actually they did it in under a minute, but the Guinness rules said they couldn’t just assemble the tent, they had to put the rain fly on, as well, and they had to crawl into the tent, zip the flap shut and say “done.” This Guinnes...
The episode began innocently enough. I had walked over to see Carol about something so mundane I don’t even remember. She came out of her door with a stunning pink scarf wrapped around her neck. I commented on the beauty. Scarf and woman — they enhanced one another. “Do you know to whom this belongs?” Carol asked. (She really said, “Whose is it?” But I’m writing an adventure mystery based on a true story so I’ll tell it my way.) “I found the scarf after the birthday gatherin...
Beaver populations have been managed on Beaver Creek Park for decades using legal harvest methods, mainly trapping. I accompanied my dad when he trapped the park in the 1950s, harvesting as many as 88 beaver in one season. Beaver have continued to maintain a robust population with this type of wildlife management. Beaver do help the environment in many ways, but when populations become more than the existing habitat can sustain problems become an issue. Tree loss and flooding are two of the main problem that arise. We have a...
One of us is a Democrat; the other is a Republican. We each served more than a quarter of a century in the Montana Legislature, mostly at the same time. We also held positions of top leadership in both the Senate and House of Representatives. We have been serious rivals, but always friends; now we are serious old friends. For the first time, we are standing together to pass on a perspective few others can share. Over 30 years ago, the Legislature was at times overwhelmed with bills introduced for almost every imaginable purpo...
