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As volunteer election judges, we understand that few institutions are as precious as democracy. Despite all the differences in our state—whether political, cultural, or demographic—the ballot box is where we can unite to fight for the vision we see for our state—regardless of what that vision is. However, we have lost sight of this core principle somewhere along the way, and threats to our democracy have become all too common. Over the past four years, we have seen attacks on election officials, poll workers, and non-partisan volunteers like us. As Montanans, we understand that the common good of our communities and our state comes before personal gain, but unfortunatel...
Most of us consider communication a pretty basic skill. And, I might even go so far as to say we think we are pretty good at it. Joining words together to form clear, coherent and understandable phrases in order to facilitate, engage and participate in the exchange, dissemination and sharing of accurate, ...
The start of a new school year always brings excitement and anticipation for students, staff, and parents. As your kids head back to school, please take some time to talk with them about how important it is to stay free from using any tobacco product, including electronic cigarettes or vapes. According to...
Carroll College has taken a decisive step in its commitment to supporting underserved communities with the launch of the Pell Promise for Montana Students. This newly introduced initiative will fully cover tuition for federal Pell Grant-eligible students from Montana who maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and a...
“A quiet mind makes way for the soul to speak.” (Me) The mind is an abundant entity - spewing, spawning, spilling, speaking, squeaking, splaying, spraying, saying, replaying, spouting, sprouting, shouting, re-routing, doubting and outing our thoughts, often in ways that se...
“Guess what?!” A 12-year-old Pittsburgh school boy spoke excitedly with his teacher one morning last fall. “My mommy and daddy were having a fight last night, and I asked them if we could have a peace circle! We sat and talked, and they’re not fighting anymore!” The boy had b...
Like many others, I wept watching Vice-President candidate Tim Walz’s son Gus express his sheer admiration of his dad during the Democratic National Convention. Gus had tears in his eyes and as expression of pure joy when he pointed his index finger at his dad during his speech and said, “I love ...
We all have our views and viewpoints. It’s easy to expand on those views with quips and comments that sound inventive, innovative and downright clever. It’s amazing, actually, how easy it is to come out against something or someone, especially when you don’t agree with their viewpoints, pol...
Property taxes aren’t red/blue or political; the State writes the rules on property taxes, counties follow the rules. And everyone—no matter what your political stripe—pays. It’s no secret that Missoula County and Beaverhead County are opposite in terms of politics, bu...
As you know by now, Montana boasts a unique and expansive constitutional guarantee to public information. But Montana law allows agencies to charge Montanans a fee for completing Right to Know requests, if the agency chooses to do so. Understanding why different fees are being assessed in different circum...
