News you can use
News you can use
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Editor, While dealing with the devastation and uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet another public health problem has reared its ugly head. Racial prejudice. As a physician I can assure you we all look alike “on the inside” and as a Christian I know we all look the same to God. Healing this malady is simpler than dealing with any virus. It entails altering our everyday thoughts and comments. Stop uttering racial slurs, even in private. Do not have unwarranted fear of others based solely on their skin color and...
What do you say during a pandemic? What messages are the most helpful? Our simple message from Northern Montana Vision Center is that we are here for you and we are open. Dr. Whitacre and I are here for any of your eye care needs, whether it be emergent, urgent or routine. Over the past few weeks we have increased our scheduling of routine visits from a previous policy of only urgent and emergent exams. Our department policies include safe and measured scheduling to limit wait times and control the number of patients in our...
Editor, As a subscriber to the Havre Daily News and a resident of California, I would like to suggest to your readers that the views expressed by Michael Reagan in his “Free California” column printed in the Havre Daily May 15 do not remotely come close to the feelings of the vast majority of Californians. According to two polls in May, one by the University of California-Berkeley and the other by the Washington Post/IPSOS, 70 percent to 79 percent of Californians approve Gov. Newsom’s handling of the pandemic. Similar to th...
Letter to the Editor: Many of us are itching, probably more than ever, to experience all the great things that long summer days in Montana bring. One simple, but critically important thing to do before heading out is to complete the Census. The number of individuals counted determines the amount of state funding allocated by the government. In Montana, for every person that’s not counted, we stand to lose $20,000 per person over the next 10 years. That’s funding for hospitals, schools, infrastructure and more — we know how i...
Editor, Beaver Creek Park has beaver, and park management is determined to trap and kill them. Management has been offered free help. A free solution. Dave Pauli with Humane Society of United States, out of Montana, proposed a grant to fully fund the installation and maintenance of beaver deceivers in two to three of the worst-identified areas in the park for beaver activity. It would provide a cost-effective non-lethal alternative demo site with potential added benefits to education, tourism, wildlife watching and...
Editor: We, the below signed members of the State-Tribal Relations Committee, the Montana Legislature’s liaison with tribal governments, write to encourage the public, residents and non-residents alike, to comply with restrictions tribal governments adopt to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Although public highways and gas stations remain open across reservations, some tribal governments restrict access to their communities through signage, check points and road blocks to buffer vulnerable, tightly knit populations where a...
Editor, What the heck is going on with the Hill County Park Board? I have noticed the ongoing discussions about the beaver problem in the park, and am dumbfounded as to why the park board members cannot agree to try any other methods for beaver control. The controversy about trapping versus using non-lethal devices to control the beaver population is not an either-or situation. Maybe both methods are needed — maybe not — but nothing will be gained if they don’t agree to move forward and try to find a better solution. There...
Editor, Hats off to the many people in the medical field who served so valiantly in the coronavirus pandemic, that should have never happened, but took the lives of many Americans and other worldwide people. To the many, many nurses, doctors, first responders, volunteers and many more in this great land of America. To President Donald Trump for his never-ending days watching over our country. To Montana’s Sen. Steve Daines and his staff, giving telephone statistics of what was happening around the world and “Our Great Mon...
Editor, We Americans like to believe that we live in a free and open society. We expect leaders such as Gov. Steve Bullock, who has issued controversial executive orders to submit to questions about them and to offer some proof that his orders were necessary and proper to achieve whatever his goals were. I understand that he will only answer pre-screened and pre-approved questions in public. To me, he is acting like a true dictator. Of course Bullock is not seeking re-election. One way that we can assure ourselves that we...
Editor, An astounding 98 percent of Montanans say outdoor recreation is important to their quality of life. As we practice social distancing, our nearly 38 million acres of public land and our access laws are the envy of most Americans. In addition to providing respite in uncertain times, our open spaces support more than 71,000 jobs and are the bedrock of Montana’s $7 billion outdoor recreation industry, the second largest sector of our economy. But public land requires the constant attention of its owners, meaning us. F...
Editor, With the announcement of Gov. Steve Bullock’s order for an all mail-in ballot with the option to still vote safely in-person, Montana is having a big moment. By increasing access to the ballot box, I hope more Montanans vote in our June 2 primary. Especially because we have the opportunity to put true conservation champions on Montana’s Land Board and even win a majority on the Land Board to protect and ensure access to our public lands for perpetuity. Our Land Board is made up of Montana’s top five state elect...
Editor, Spring has sprung, so all kinds of road users are out there competing for space on our highways. From farm equipment to bicyclists, folks are on the road who need extra attention from every motorist. As a bicyclist myself, I know I’ll lose in an impact with a motor vehicle. Given the potential danger, there are certain suggestions and legal requirements I’d like to share with both my bicycling friends and my fellow motorists. Bicyclists, we must follow the same laws that motor vehicles do. Please stop at stop lig...
Dear Editor: One would hope with the worries concerning the coronavirus we would all work together to help us all get through this as best we can. I was so impressed with Gov. Steve Bullock’s handling of this coronavirus outbreak. He didn’t rant and rave. When he spoke to us it was an encouraging speech with concrete plans of measures he was taking to help us through this difficult time. He spoke calmly and reassured us. I thought he sounded presidential and wished that he wouldn’t have dropped out in the presidential race....
Editor’s note: This version corrects an editing error in the first paragraph of the letter. Editor, Aren’t all meetings of public officials required to be open? If differing perspectives cannot be discussed then — which would give a false impression of total agreement — then when? I am happy to have a public official express my concerns at last, though (Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean) and I have not discussed this issue. When disallowing non-essential travel on Highway 2 was being tossed around, it gave me pause,...
Dear Hi-Line, I am completely happy with our Northern Montana Hospital’s strategic planning and preparation for COVID-19. I firmly believe that the actions of our community members have been largely responsible for its slow arrival here. I also feel that Easter will be a big test for social distancing. Nothing makes people lonelier and less resolute than spending holidays apart, and cancelling plans and traditions. In the next two weeks we will know if this has changed our counties’ profiles. I am aware that, in the court of...
Editor, In response to the Hill County commissioner who recently questioned if social distancing is in fact the reason for Hill County’s low COVID-19 positivity rate to date, and acknowledging her responsiveness to the questions brought to her by her constituents, I offer her a medical history lesson. During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic — that incidentally killed a third of the world’s population over a two year time span — St. Louis and Philadelphia took two opposite approaches to social distancing. To boost morale for WWI...
Editor, Health care experts across the board have all stated that practicing social distancing, adequate hygiene, and good medical care are crucial in combating the spread of COVID-19. Ironically enough, those things are often in part, or wholly, unavailable to people currently in our carceral systems. This virus is dangerous, but it is especially dangerous among incarcerated populations. Without action, these people will die Montana needs to do better. There needs to be a coordinated effort across the state to mitigate, or...
Editor, At a time when everyone is impacted by this pandemic crisis, it’s hard to imagine that anyone would want to cause additional harm. Yet, right now there are thieves who want to bilk you out of your COVID-19 recovery checks. Be advised: you will not be directly contacted by your financial institution or the federal government (including government agencies such as the IRS, FDIC, and NCUA) asking for your personal information such as account number, social security number, or phone number. If you receive a call, e...
Of the many lessons my parents taught this old man over the years, a couple seem especially apropos for today. The first is “history repeats itself,” and the second is “forewarned is forearmed.” We find ourselves in the midst of a worldwide epidemic just as people across countless eras and ages before us have. But unlike previous generations, we have advanced knowledge and tools and the hard-earned lessons gleaned from their experiences to guide and preserve us. The many Louis Pasteurs who discovered the causes and found t...
Editor, As a retired physician, I am writing to express my deep concern with the irresponsible attitude too many Montanans are showing toward current “shelter-in-place” guidelines enacted in response to the coronavirus epidemic. All around our state, people continue to gather for clearly non-essential purposes as a result of magical thinking. “It can’t happen here.” “There are effective medications that can save us.” “I’m too young and healthy to contract the disease.” If only any of this were true. Really, really want...
Editor: This is a very important message for the people of Montana. If we all follow the shelter at home rule, we can avoid becoming as devastated as Italy or New York City. Only leave the house for food, medicine or urgent medical care. Only essential businesses and their employees should go to work. Continue to practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. Currently, we are fortunate to have a low caseload of COVID-19, but we anticipate more cases over the next day to weeks. We can prevent further spread by simply by...
Dear editor, As many schools are now closed and parents are searching for at-home and online resources for children, the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation not only has resources, but also activities and guidance for helping young people with their stuttering while at home. For teens and adults who stutter, we have two excellent self-help e-books free online. Even in the midst of uncertainty, we carry on our mission with the same passion and commitment as ever. Visit us at http://www.stutteringhelp.org . Stuttering Foundation...
During this crisis the American people instinctively knew what they needed: food. News showed empty store shelves as politicians warned not to hoard and promised plenty of food. If our market system were functioning, demand would increase the value of food and everyone would share in the profits. But the price the producer received plummeted while the consumer paid more. (National Cattlemen’s Beef Association) acknowledged in a letter to the Whitehouse, that domestic beef supply remains steady while retail demand and boxed b...
I am appalled the Havre Daily News chose to run Ann Coulter’s xenophobic, racist rant. This rhetoric is not harmless. It incites fear and hate and is the last thing we need when facing a crisis. Unfortunately, anti-Asian sentiment is already on the rise, and you made a choice to allow someone to fan the flames of ignorance and bigotry. We live in a global economy. People and cargo travel around the world constantly. COVID-19 is a virus affecting all of us who share this one planet. Scientists have been predicting a p...
Editor, The Hill County Conservation District would like to thank the following for their additions to our feral swine workshop: • Our educated speakers for their knowledge and passion on the subject. • Stockman’s Bank, Infinity Bake Shop and the Eagle’s Club, for their donations. • Our hardworking community for their participation and concern for communal issues. Hill County Conservation District...
