Columns

In March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the nation’s most stringent tailpipe emissions rules to date – a move that has been met with much pushback. To comply with these mandates from the EPA, two-thirds of all new vehicles will need to be electric by 2032. The impacts of this de facto gas car ban are distressing and are being blatantly overlooked, lacking any consideration for consumers. Without lawmakers taking immediate action to put a stop to this mandate, many concerning challenges will unfold across the nation, and in Montana. To make the drastic shift to EVs that these mandates would require, we need a robust electric grid nationwide or we face an ...

We have had such a beautiful fall and now we are ready for the holiday season. This is the last month for our fall drink specials in the Joyful Cup – the pumpkin spice lattes are delicious, so be sure to get yours before they’re gone for the year. The winter menu is coming. You can stop into the ...

The girl (or boy, as the case may be) couldn’t remember exactly when, but life became weary. It was a gradual development - so gradual she didn’t even notice the tears slipping from her eyes at first. But because of it, life became nebulous, and more difficult to navigate. The sun - once brigh...

By now, most of us have learned of the shocking recordings of Tim Sheehy at Montana campaign events talking about “bonding with all the Indians while they’re drunk at 8 a.m.,” and having “Coors Light cans flying by your head” while riding in the Crow parade.  Mr. Sheehy,...

“I love working the polls!” a friend told me recently. “It strengthens my trust in the whole process. And it’s fun getting to help eligible voters flex their civic muscles.” I think about my friend’s experience as I hear stories about mistrust in our elections.  ...

For 23 years Robert G. Natelson served as Professor of Law at the University of Montana.  Professor Natelson is one of America’s best known constitutional scholars and author, whose constitutional research has been cited repeatedly by justices at the US Supreme Court, federal appeals courts, and a...

The Montana Newspaper Association surveyed candidates for the state legislature, Public Service Commission and statewide offices about their positions on government accountability, transparency and the right to know. Of 281 candidates receiving survey, 111 responded, or about 40%. Among respondents &mdash...

“The truth will set you free.” We’ve all heard this iconic sentence, but what does it mean, really? More importantly, what exactly is the truth? That depends on whom you are asking. Because I’ve come to believe that each of us has our own truth. What is my truth, with a capit...

U.S. women now live in a country where they’ve been relegated to second-class citizens courtesy of the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority ignored 50 years of precedent and overturned the constitutional right to abortion nationwide. Abortion policy now falls to individual states, and now nearly ...

As a nurse practitioner in Missoula, prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I was initially surprised that so many patients came from rural areas - especially Lake County. Some had very little money, and could be late because they had hitchhiked or waited on a ride from a friend. Ours was a specialty practi...