Opinion

This is the year Montanans celebrate the 50th anniversary of our nation’s first citizen-initiated wilderness, the Scapegoat, and our first new constitution since 1889 statehood that guarantees each of us the right to a clean and healthful environment, a safeguard not explicitly provided for in the United States Constitution. Neither of these achievements would be possible today where toxic partisan polarization has replaced civility and cooperation for the great-er common good.  How did we get to this point and does anyone care? We’re not here to play the blame game but we absolutely must get back to the idea that facts and the truth matter. Democracy dies in lies, and i...

Editor, Among the many Republican talking points on offer is the notion that Democrats have not accomplished anything important since Joe Biden became president - and certainly nothing that benefits Montanans. Let us take a look at that. Are we better off than we were in 2020? In fact, we are SO much b...

Editor, We have long been liberal democrats, and we applaud Senators Manzella and Daines for speaking out against vaccine mandates and for freedom of speech. The highly effective mandate and vaccine marketing campaign promulgated in mainstream media seems to benefit not the health or welfare of the genera...

Editor, My nephew has been a client of Mission Mountain Enterprises since 2008. Over the years, our family has attended many MME events. Each and every time I have been impressed by the quality of staff that work for MME.  Friday, Feb. 11, my nephew invited me to attend the Valentines party at RAC...

In the last year, I’ve been working on appreciation. Appreciating the big things. Appreciating the small things. Appreciating what I have and what I am. As part of that, I’ve been practicing appreciation of one of the most basic, most taken for granted and one of the most awesome things we all...

Linoleum. What comes to mind? Old plastic-y flooring that lasts forever? The floors of schools, offices, airports? Perhaps you even “showcase” linoleum in your bathroom or kitchen. Many decades ago, this flooring was an extremely popular choice with colorful, bold designs. While linoleum or &ldqu...

The North Lake County Public Library is celebrating “Library Lover’s Month” all February long with 25% off in our gift nook and our annual Adopt-a-Book program. For a $15 donation you get to choose from a selection of children’s books and write a personalized note that will be placed ...

Editor, The recent whitewashing statement put out by the RNC stating that the January 6th assault on our Capitol was simply “legitimate political discourse” is reprehensible. Is this what the Republican Party has devolved into? Advocating violence and enabling hate as a means of justifying the...

Editor, Our present lives as humans on earth are filled with increasing chaos, confusion about life, and our development of advanced methods of killing each other. This threatens our continuing human existence on planet earth. There is a powerful answer to all this - it involves the ‘power of the mi...

Editor, When I read of Tester’s latest expenditure of my tax dollars it is just too much. Now he has a bill for veterans exposed to burn pits. You’ve got to be kidding me. There is no end to this blowhard’s PR stunts. There isn’t one rock, however small, that this guy won’t t...