Columns

There is a board-game called Pandemic that has been around for years before Covid 19 circled the globe. In Pandemic, you and your fellow players are members of a disease control team. You must work together to develop cures and prevent disease outbreaks, for Pandemic is a cooperative game. The players all win or lose together.  We need to learn the lessons of this game and apply them to the real world. In controlling a global pandemic, we must come to the realization that no one is safe until everyone is safe. Global cooperation is the key to success. The developed nations have received most of the vaccinations, but have been plagued by new variants such as Delta, which started i...

Montana families across the state are feeling the pain in their pocketbooks from inflation and higher prices on everything from gas to groceries to heating their homes. What’s causing this? President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ wasteful spending problems, and their multitrillion dollar rec...

The idea that America is a Christian Nation is a modern myth. The founding documents do not mention Christ or scripture. While the word “God” appears in the opening of the Declaration of Independence, it refers to “Nature’s God,” the god of Deism.  The phrase “IN G...

The winds of change are moving through the ponderosas. The faces and skylines of our towns are fluctuating, growing in ways many Montanans have not seen. The secret has gotten out, and it seems more and more people are flocking to the Last Best Place. What does this mean, though, for the Montana experience? ...

I was an early proponent of online shopping. I lived in a rural community without much access to retail, so it was a natural fit. I even experimented with grocery purchases when it was a new and novel thing. I wrote about the crazy packaging practices of my delivery orders back in 2017. Yes, I was that cutti...

A portion of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA) was included in the recent Build Back Better bill that was passed in the House. The LJSA, which has bipartisan support in the House, provides needed support for local journalists across the U.S. and is now being considered in the Senate. While th...

    To be honest, I never expected to be here. Though I’m certainly glad to be. Born and raised in Helena, I went to the University of Montana in Missoula for a degree in classics. For those who might not know, that’s the study of ancient civilizations and cultures, primarily Greek a...

We live in a world full of colors. As an artist and designer, I am fascinated by the way our interpretations and connotations associated with color shape our perception. For example, did you know exposure to bright red or yellow has been shown to increase people’s appetites? That is the reason many res...

Celebrate “Grinchmas” with us on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 10 a.m. in the library meeting room. A ticket to Whoville is required for anyone older than little Cindy Lou Who (who was no more than two) and can be picked up at the library, or call or email us to reserve spots. We will have hot cocoa and c...

Ever feel lost? Welcome to my life. Quite literally. Ever since I can remember, I’ve had trouble with directions and all things spatial. I described myself as geographically challenged. I can’t find my way out of a paper bag. I used to routinely get lost in a familiar mall. I thought it was no...