News you can use
News you can use
Sorted by date Results 2609 - 2633 of 3210
William Hobbins stands in front of Walmart every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., singing, greeting people, telling jokes and wishing folks a merry Christmas. And, by the way, he collects money for the Salvation Army, urging people to donate to his favorite cause by dropping coins in his red kettle. His cheery demeanor, his music - he brings his smartphone and plays Christmas tunes - and his determination brings in more money for the Salvation Army than just about any other...
I’ve long held that I learn the best life lessons about being a better human from my animals. Not that I spend time staring into my dog’s brown eyes pondering the existential status of the universe or basing important life choices on how many times my cat twines himself around my legs before tripping me or reading my future from my horses’ manure like Asian tea leaves. Occasionally, though, a lesson presents itself. I give you: The Booty Lesson. My dog, Cooper, has thin skin...
Fissures, deep cracks or narrow crevices, are the root of all my dentist phobias. Well, fissures and my mother. Or, rather, fissures and my mother and being born a decade too early. Or maybe it should be fissures and my mother and being born a decade too early and my first dentist. I had cavities when I was a little kid, lots of cavities. My molars were plagued by them, and their appearance seemed to have no correlation with the amount or quality of brushing I did. After the...
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and staff. That very special time of year is upon us and was officially kicked off Saturday with the lighting of the community tree at Town Square. Many hours of behind-the-scenes planning and work goes into the community tree lighting, the decorating of the community for the holidays. Thank you to everyone who helped this year — from washing and fixing the holiday pole decorations, to getting the tree adorned with its new 1,000 n...
Have Americans lost hope? The trust-deficit between them and their policymakers is distressingly large, with only 19 percent, according to an October Pew poll, who say that they have faith that the government will do what is right just about always or most of the time. Thankfully, not all is lost. Americans still have faith in some institutions, generally for those that truly protect freedoms and preserve livelihoods, like the military and small businesses. In fact, when it comes to job creation and the economy, Americans val...
Real life is not a perpetual vacation. Yet aspects of the last couple weeks feel like one. I love meeting old friends, Mexican, Canadian and State-siders, and watching faces light up. That is real connection — that is my “welcome home.” Sunshine days, balmy nights. Often I wake with the voice of Cat Stevens singing in my head, “Morning has broken, like the first morning.” All the shrimp, red snapper and mahi-mahi I want to eat. Exotic fruits, papaya, pitaya, pineapple...
Comeuppance. Such a sweet and silly sounding word. It sounds British: “How lovely to see you, my dear! You simply must swing by the cottage tomorrow afternoon for some comeuppance and tea.” “That sounds brilliant. I shall bring some just desserts.” Don't be fooled, though. Sweet and silly sounding, indeed. Comeuppance is a sharp-edged, pointy tool wielded by those trickster Fate sisters hellbent on their mission to make my life a cautionary tale to be ever-mindful of using u...
The first day on our scenic detour through the Baja Peninsula was an exercise in holding my breath and shoving phantom brake pedals through the floor of the passenger side of Roshanna Van. I left my fingernails imbedded in the dash. My friend Lupe corkscrewed us up impossible peaks on an itsy-bitsy two-lane with no shoulders, not even a white line in places, a transport truck on every curve. He was focused but calm. One might say I was the slightest bit tense. Lupe’s friends h...
This fall, Congress has an important opportunity to create jobs and grow the economy by passing a long-term, comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill. The Farm Bill impacts every American, every day by providing a wide range of programs that strengthen our nation. The Farm Bill is crucial to maintaining a strong agriculture sector and an abundant food supply that benefits all Americans. Over the past two years, producers have faced a multitude of disasters — from drought, to flooding, to blizzards. These events demonstrate h...
History proves that humankind loves a good tale. Back in the days before modern amenities like television, Internet and indoor plumbing, people of cultures from all around the world told tales to entertain and teach. The tale of Cinderella has hundreds of variations from different cultures. One version of the tale, made popular by Disney, teaches us that good things will happen to young women if they work hard and stay pure of heart — and have a fairy godmother. Other v...
Me and my big mouth, blathering away about creating a new life without constraints of old beliefs and cultures and language and familiar surroundings. Oh, didn’t I sound so rosey-posey. Pollyanna on Big Gulp Valium. Would you like fries with that? Did I ever get my comeuppance. Let me begin at the beginning. First, getting through customs at the border into Mexico was a huge let-down. I had done my research. I had heard all the stories about people who had had to empty t...
Keep your promise. Honor your word. Most of us learned those lessons early in life and realize the value in making sure we follow those guidelines.in our daily affairs. A recent lawsuit by state and local government retirees attempts to hold Montana state government to the same standard, the same moral obligation. In 1997, Montana legislators created the “guaranteed annual benefit adjustment,” or GABA, to ensure state, county and city retirees receive a stable source of income in the form of a pension that recognizes the con...
Too often in our debates over Montana’s public lands, we seem to forget just how incredibly lucky we are to have these lands at all. This is especially true of the 2.4 million acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the Hi-Line District of central and eastern Montana. These lands are the grasslands, sagebrush, hoodoos and coulee country that may lack the breathtaking scenery of Glacier National Park or the Beartooth Plateau but are every bit as valuable for livestock grazing, energy development, hunting a...
You’ve probably been in a similar situation. I drove to Great Falls for a day a year or two back. With my gas tank near empty, I drove to a gas station to fill up the tank. I reached for my wallet. Oops. I suddenly remember leaving it on my dresser that morning. There I was in Great Falls. No identification. No driver license. No money. No one could wire me money since I had no ID. How does one get back to Havre in such a predicament? Fortunately, it was a day that North Central Montana Transit was running. I drove over to B...
John Henry “Gatling Gun” Parker had earned his moniker by providing the covering fire for Teddy Roosevelt’s immortal assault on San Juan Hill. Nearly 20 years later his 6 feet, 3 inch frame made him an easy target while charging at the head of his command, the 362nd U.S. Infantry. As the heroic Parker went down with a wound, behind him came the cries “Powder River!” “Powder River!” Colonel Parker’s regiment, made up nearly entirely of men from Montana and known as the “Powder River Gang,” emerged from World War I as one...
Today is International Day of Radiology. One hundred and eighteen years ago, German physicist, Wilhelm Röntgen, discovered the X-ray. More recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans have revolutionized medicine, virtually eliminating exploratory surgeries, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and shortening hospital stays. Deaths from breast cancer and other serious illnesses have plummeted largely due to early diagnosis and treatment made possible by imaging scans. Most recently, lung...
A while back I mentioned here in my column that I have zero ability to speak foreign languages, now, according to a pack of smart researchers, this failing has put the future health and well being of my brain in great peril. Scientists from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India, and from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland studied people in a memory clinic in India — a country where even the average person speaks as many as four languages (4!)— and they...
There have been some hard times on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation recently. There is an exceptionally bitter battle, over who should lead the tribal government, that has gone into tribal court and will probably end up in civil court. Federal prosecutors have charged nearly a dozen people — on and off the reservation — for corruption. The sad goings-on in Washington, D.C., have had their effect on Rocky Boy, too. People have been furloughed and laid off by the tribal government and the school districts. This means even more...
When it comes to developing our energy resources, Montanans have grown accustomed to the federal government getting in the way. But as coal development projects in the state move forward, the latest roadblock is coming from right here in Montana. On a recent visit to the Crow Indian Nation, we learned how local opposition to coal exports is impacting one of the poorest communities in the state. Some cities along rail routes in Montana are trying to limit coal-train traffic, citing concerns about quality of life, traffic conge...
Recently, I had a spirited Facebook conversation with a friend who was upset about the government shutdown. He was not happy that Yellowstone and Yosemite parks were closed because it was hurting his vacation property rental business. And like many, he blamed the tea party and the GOP. Let’s look at some facts. Due to mandatory spending, 87 percent of the federal government was considered “essential” and unaffected by “shutdowns.” Only 13 percent requiring annual budgeting is discretionary and subject to shutdown. The Adminis...
By the time you read this, Halloween will be over, and, for the 25th year in a row, I will have had no trick-or-treaters and I will have had to eat all the candy myself, thus making Halloween the best holiday ever. Not that I can't buy and eat all the candy I want whenever I want — it's an adult perk — but Halloween candy is better. Everybody knows that. Even the candy you didn't really like on a regular basis was eaten at Halloween because it was a little gift from a neighbor...
I will do anything to avoid any mall in any large city. I don't know what possessed me to suggest the mall. It was a nice day. My 5-year-old granddaughter Lexi and I could have hung out on the waterfront. For 25 years I had lived within 10 miles of the Silverdale Mall. Frequently, two or three years would pass without me needing to mall shop. But I wished to buy one more thing for my trip. A store there carried the exact underwear I wanted. There is a "playland" center at the...
This letter is to address the concerns that Fran Buel had with me using my “opinion” while serving on the Hill County Park Board, as I wonder if she would still feel the same if I had the same opinion as she. As I serve on the Park Board, I plan to use what little knowledge I have, knowledge I can gain, research I can do, my best judgment, my own conscience and listen to people (even Fran), plus my own opinion, to try to do the best job I can do, while being fair to all the “inhabitants” of the county parks. Just to clarify...
Darin Hannum was delighted when he was named superintendent of the Box Elder School District earlier this year. The longtime administrator succeeded Robert Heppner, who had been superintendent for 17 years. But Hannum’s first few months have been among the most difficult in the district’s century-long history. The problems have nothing to do with the Box Elder community, but decisions — and lack of decisions — in Washington, D.C. The district depends on federal impact aid for about half of its operating budget. Impact aid is...
If money management were a muscle, I would have to equate my investment skills, in strength and coordination, to that muscle you use, like never, to raise your ring finger up straight while making a fist with the rest of your hand. Yeah, keep trying. It's not that I can't invest money, or accumulate it in a variety of ways, it's just that I need a goal. Without a concrete goal this money exercise is like doing that finger exercise, and I ask myself what's the point? The abstra...
