Opinion

Editor, I am voting for Joe Dooling for the Public Service Commission. We don’t pay much attention to the Public Service Commission (PSC) race, but it will be on our ballet in June.  Their website states “The PSC’s job to balance the interests of ratepayers who are concerned about utility rate increases, with the need to maintain a financially sound utility that is capable of providing reliable service. PSC generally regulates private, investor-owned natural gas, electric, telephone, water and private sewer companies doing business in Montana. In addition, the PSC regulates certain kinds of motor carriers, including garbage trucks and passenger motor carriers...

Editor,  We, the below signed members of the State-Tribal Relations Committee, the Montana Legislature’s liaison with tribal governments, write to congratulate Montana high school and postsecondary graduates and their deservingly proud families. Way to go! We extend our deep gratitude to the...

As I sit here writing this, there’s a bit of dirt still under my fingernails. The spring bug has bit me, and I decided it was time to start my planting for this year.  With my luck, it’ll be snowing as you read this.  To be honest, the spring bug has been under my skin for months ...

The internet-undeniably the backbone of our modern world – it influences our banking, communication, shopping, and entertainment. In the last decades, we, as consumers, are increasingly reliant on the internet. The majority of us receive this service through some sort of cable or tower-based wireless s...

Editor, Many politicians say they want to work on behalf of all Montanans. But when the rubber meets the road, somehow those words never translate to action. That is what makes Cora Neumann different. Cora has worked tirelessly to get out and support not just Montana cities and businesses, but also our ru...

Capping Montana’s double digit property tax increases on homeowners would seem a no-brainer issue for legislative candidates. Not so. The focus of Republicans and Democrats alike is on protecting the cash flow to government and placating moneyed special interests. The bi-partisan Revenue Interim Commit...

 I wanted a kayak. It was a simple request I repeated repeatedly. I talked about how we would go kayaking this summer on the lake. We’d have a blast making family memories while building our triceps and getting a tan. I communicated as clearly as I could, in English, which is the language they spe...

Editor, We have a billboard outside of St. Ignatius. On one side, it says, “Zinke for Public Lands,” and on the other it says, “Zinke, Montana’s SEAL.” We don’t have laws restricting misrepresentations and lies in political speech. Candidates may say what they like -...

Editor, Human nature, being what it is, our nation and our world have surely fallen into a ‘habit thinking pattern’ of divisiveness, negative attitudes, and wars. This is a very clear and present danger. We have answers to this.  Let’s be very clear about one thing: our thinking ...

I had a breakthrough yesterday — and I don’t mean metaphorically. Wars rage, countless humans suffer, the rich get richer, life goes on. I still have my morning coffee. But not yesterday. What happened — about 5 a.m. — was a fleeting insight into life beyond its small certaintie...