Columns

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 at least 16 state supreme courts.  Professor Natelson recently reviewed CI-128.  The following are all his words and excerpts of his conclusions regarding this bill. “CI-128 does not comply with the ‘separate vote’ rule and forces voters to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on a measure that is really not a single proposal, but a bundle of proposals...

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...

Montanans deserve a Senator that respects all of us, not one that uses damaging punchlines that divide us.  Senatorial candidate Tim Sheehy’s disrespectful comments about Native people send a dangerous message - that he is okay using negative and tired stereotypes about Montana Indians in an at...

We’re in the midst of a presidential election.  This column has nothing to do with politics. (I bet you’re breathing easier now, huh?) But the business of politics got me thinking - about language and communication and the words we choose to use to explain our angle on things. Fo...

Mother Goose is on vacation until further notice. We will let you know when we are ready to restart this popular program. Mother Goose is taking a break until our new Youth Services Librarian joins the team. We hope to have her back very soon. In the meantime, bring your infants and toddlers into the library...

In a recent op-ed by Representative Eric Matthews, concerns were raised about the role of public charter schools in Montana’s education system. As a passionate advocate for high-quality education, I appreciate that Montana law now supports two different types of charter school options in public educati...

We’ve written here about the history of the Right to Know, why it matters, and what policies affect your access to information. In this column, we’re going back to the basics so that Montanans, including you, are better equipped to exercise the Right to Know. When we talk about the Right to Kn...