Columns

In Washington, Congress is debating how to help families get back on their feet after a challenging 18 months. However, with so many Montanans still struggling, we cannot afford to return to the way things were. We need to move forward to something better.  While businesses are grappling with the fallout of the global health pandemic and economic downturn, many families know that this crisis has merely laid bare the barriers they have long faced. Rising housing costs and the pressure of balancing caring for family – both young and old – have made it nearly impossible to earn enough to make ends meet. Investments in child care, affordable housing, and home- and community-...

Cheese – sometimes soft and creamy, sometimes hard and brittle, but no matter the form, always delicious. Growing up in Montana, I was well accustomed to all the classics: Cheddar, Colby Jack, Provolone, Mozzarella, and Swiss. When I relocated to Switzerland, I had the doors flung wide open to a whole ...

“If you don’t have time for things that matter, stop doing things that don’t.” Courtney Carver.   This column is dedicated to busy, and those of us who might describe ourselves as such.  We’ve all been there. Most of us are probably there right now.  ...

I have always kept quiet about opinions I have read in the Journal, but the article published, “Slices of Life” by Jill Pertler, Syndicated Columnist, sent off a chilling nerve up my spine. Her views on forgiveness, are just that, her views. They are certainly not God’s views.   The...

Weeks ago I started out contemplating a list of seven words that led me to some universal life truths.  I wrote about two: kindness and compassion. I had three more columns written and in the hopper when one of life’s universal truths happened. My computer crashed and all my information was los...

Succulents and cacti have taken the world by storm in the past several years. Even prior to the pandemic, an explosion of interest in these small aesthetically pleasing plants, has steadily risen. Aided by Instagram and a desire to be more in harmony with nature, windowsills across the globe were quietly bei...

I recently sold the house I’d lived in for more than 20 years. During that time my family and I had accumulated infinite memories and related “stuff.” I wanted to keep the memories, but longed to rid myself of much of the stuff. When you plan a move across the country, less is more. Poss...

September is “Library Card Sign-up Month.” There is nothing more empowering than getting your own library card. It gives you access to technology, resources, and services to pursue your passions and dreams. If you don’t have a library card, stop in today and sign up. It’s free. We ...

Montana farmers and ranchers across this state have been waiting far too long for their elected representatives to secure their right to repair their own agricultural equipment. When a combine breaks down in the field during harvest season, a farmer needs to get it up and running as quickly as possible to av...

The ACLU of Montana is profoundly disturbed by the recent reports in Canada of unmarked mass gravesites at currently six of the 139 Indian boarding schools. Over 1,300 children and innumerable future generations were taken by the racist, genocidal settler-colonial project of Canada. Moreover, the Indigenous ...