Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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I lost a friend recently. A four-legged friend whose ears had been lost due to frost. I met her at the home of Sheila and Perry Vosen. After not having a cat for about six years, I decided I wanted one. Sheila put a cat in my arms. When I went to hand her back to Sheila, she wouldn’t let go of me. So I took her home and named her Holly since I’d gotten her two weeks before Christmas. It took her a few days to become accustomed to me and I to her. Soon she was jumping up on my bed at night and curling up next to my side. Before long she and I h... Full story
With the current political environment I am certain that, like myself, some of us just want to have a choice in our country’s future that doesn’t involve gritting our teeth or plain just staying home. Although I am sure there is plenty I will say about our political system, what I intend is to make the case for liberty, and to shamelessly promote the Libertarian Party. Because America utilizes an archaic republic voting platform and an electoral college, the individual vote is often viewed as worthless. In Montana for example we take to the...
I got the mail today. A couple of bills. A greeting card. Some catalogs. A newspaper. One package that my wife grabbed right away. (Wonder what that was?) Lately, it occurs to me how completely I take for granted that I will get the mail tomorrow. I’ve had my share of gripes about the mail. As president of the National Newspaper Association, I have fielded our community newspaper members’ postal concerns all year. The mail is slower than it used to be. The U.S. Postal Service slowed it down by a day, at least, because of financial pro...
It’s been less than a year since I first announced a potential run for Governor of the Great State of Montana. Since that time, I’ve driven over 46,000 miles across the state, meeting with Montanans in cafés from Ekalaka to Eureka and seeing my own bed only once or twice a week. One of the greatest joys has been staying with folks in their homes, rather than staying in hotels, because it has allowed me to really connect with families all across the state. During one visit, a young man in the Flathead told me his story. He was the first in his f...
I’m going to go all feminist here, and complain about people who are super critical of a certain presidential hopeful for her clothing choices. I’ve seen too many memes jumping on Hillary for her clothing. The color isn’t right. It isn’t flattering. The cut is wrong. It costs too much. It looks cheap. Where are the memes jumping on Donald for his suits? Oh, wait, there were those way back about his hair and his skin color. People, including other women, think that because a woman chooses to be in the public eye (politically, athleti... Full story
Our students deserve the very best education Montana can offer, no matter if they are in Great Falls or Glasgow. Unfortunately, the needs of urban population centers often get much more attention when politicians gather in Helena, while rural schools are all but ignored. That won’t happen under my watch. I’m running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction to serve all of our students, realizing that education is just as important in smaller towns as it is in our bigger cities. Rural communities face unique challenges, but the opp...
On Nov. 8, 2016, the electorate will cast their vote for or against I-177, banning trapping on all public lands in Montana. Public lands defined in I-177 as “all federal-, county-, city-owned land in Montana, INCLUDING public lands leased to private parties. Contained in I-177: persistent animal problems will be determined by fish, wildlife and parks, will use alternative methods of animal removal, including fladry, guard dogs, range riding, temporary fencing and/or relocation of person/property in a predator den area. This means the rancher m... Full story
For the last seven years, I’ve had the honor of fighting to make Montana’s future brighter as the head of Montana’s public schools. I’m proud to say that by putting politics aside and working hand-in-hand with communities across Montana, we’ve raised graduation rates to historic highs, creating a multi-million-dollar boost to our state’s economy. In fact, 58 communities are now part of Graduation Matters Montana, including Brockton, Frazer, Glasgow, Poplar, Sidney and Wolf Point. I’ve pushed back on federal policies that don’t fit our rural s...
Do you remember when Social Security Cards expressly stated on the front of the card that they were not to be used for identification purposes? It is hard to believe that we did not have to have that number memorized, and to have ready access to it for everything that we did. For all of you born in the mid-forties, you might want to dig out your card to see if your card does in fact state that it is not for I.D. However, I am not going to recommend that you tell your banker you can’t use this for identification, especially if you are hoping t...
Looking out across the prairie, fields of green are slowly turning to gold. Before long those fields will be host to combines and trucks, pickups with fuel tanks, and people delivering lunches to the harvesters. Months of field work and watching the sky, hoping for rain at the right time and praying [that] heavy winds and hail won’t decimate the crops [that] will culminate in bins filled with grain. Though we no longer farm, I still hold my breath when a weather warning flashes across the television screen warning of high winds, hail and h...
I’m excited to announce that for the first time ever, there will be two House debates east of Billings. My opponent has accepted a series of four debates in Billings, Great Falls, Frazer and hopefully Crow Country. This schedule features two east of Billings and on reservations. This will truly be a historic season. To me, the Frazer debate will be like a homecoming. I grew up in Whitefish, but I have deep family roots in eastern Montana. I know that the rural communities in the east are just as important as Billings, Great Falls, and other u...
Today’s question of the day in the Great Falls Tribune was really stupid. Shows someone didn’t do any research. The question was (paraphrased): “Will the aging work force hurt manufacturing in the United States?” Yikes! If you take the time to question most employers, you will find that us more “ripened” people are far more reliable than the thirty-somethings, many of whom feel that the $26,000+ (in Montana) they can “earn” on welfare far supersedes working for a living. Older folks know the value of working for their money and most abhor the...
The city pool in Glasgow was built where it stands, or slouches now, 43 years ago. It was opened in June of 1974. It was expected to last around 10 years. Like many other things in Glasgow, it has long outlasted its expiration date. It is now in dilapidated, unsafe condition, and is something that the city of Glasgow as a whole and its residents should be embarrassed about. Why haven’t we built a new pool? Why are we putting pool-goers at risk of injury? What is the solution? Glasgow’s pool is the home to many different activities, even in its...
On LaMancha I’ve always thought about writing a review and sharing my experiences, but life gets in the way and I never get it done. That said, when I heard about the disapproving comments made about “Man of LaMancha,” I just had to say something. We all must realize reviews are subjective; however, the more experience/information a reviewer has, the less subjective it becomes. I have been fortunate to have seen “Man of LaMancha” three previous times. Once on the east coast, once in Missoula and once again in Spokane (where Robert Goulet played...
Lately I’ve been seeing and hearing articles about lives that matter - police lives, black lives, road workers’ lives, medical responder lives - even a picture of a small girl with “My Life Matters” written on her hand. Why does it suddenly seem necessary to say people’s lives in this group or that group matter? Don’t all lives matter? Absolutely. There should not be any distinction about whose lives matter. What does matter is how we are living our lives. Taking care of our families, giving everyone respect, not judging others, helping peo...
Last week my memories concerned the marketing of pigs, at least to some extent. Do you remember when almost all farmers and ranchers had a small bunch of pigs on their places? Most rural housewives had a slop pail sitting somewhere near the kitchen area. You all remember the term “slop the hogs” and that is exactly what the slop pail was for. All edible scraps went into the slop bucket, things like potato and other vegetable peels and trims, as well as fruit spoils, etc. This was truly the days when nothing went to waste. If you couldn’t eat it...
Walking into our tiny living room before Christmas had become an annual event for this older couple. They always had a gift in hand, which they presented to Mama, and then they relaxed to chat awhile. The pleasant-looking pair were no strangers to me; I saw them in church every Sunday. But bringing an annual gift to Mama seemed to have special significance. Living during the Great Depression meant making do with only the necessities of life – and that certainly did not include boxed chocolates. Even as a child, I knew that! Only years later d...
Here’s the plan. I want every one of the 3.14159265 true conservative males over the age of 18, staunch supporter of HRC and who actually reads this nonsense column to take out your wallet and extract 25 percent of its wealth. Now go directly to the bathroom and flush this money right down that John C. Crapper invention called the twalette in polite circles. I want you to repeat this process every time you get a paycheck from now on until the guys in the white coats come to take you away. I call this the Urination Syndrome. It was initially inv...
Since the estimable Sandy Laumeyer and Pastor John Collins have expressed eloquent viewpoints on the subject of various lives mattering this week, I thought I’d wade in to clarify some of the language involved and discuss the basic semantics related to Black Lives Matter. The award-winning Laumeyer makes the point here that all lives do indeed matter, a notion I take as utterly sincere, guileless and kind. St. Marie’s popular pastor walked all the way into Glasgow on Monday carrying a sign signaling, among other things, solidarity with law enf...
America is having a rough summer. However, at the end of the day, I know that being an American citizen and living in a country this great is a blessing. That is why I think we need to adapt the US Constitution to fit our modern needs yet preserve what makes this country great. Politicians and regular citizens alike continue the discussion of issues such as abortion, gun control, gender and sexual orientation equality, police brutality and recreational marijuana usage. The list could go on and on (and on). The problem is, our constitution is... Full story
The past several weeks have been a little rough due in part to a new drug I am taking. For the last couple of years, one after another hormone therapy medication was prescribed to bring my cancer under control. Each one of them has failed after a few months. So two weeks ago I began taking a chemotherapy pill. It remains to be seen if this medicine is working. Recently, the All-School Reunion was held in Nashua. Although I didn’t get to visit with some I’d have liked to, I did get to see and talk with a few of the people who were in att...
It’s almost fair time and time for all the 4-H, FFA and open class animals to come to town. With this in mind, I decided it was a good time to share a story told by one of our deceased friends. Keep in mind, this is a remember and in no way meant to be a suggestion. As the story goes, this acquaintance was telling about showing or marketing a pig. It seems the pig did not weigh what they had anticipated, so it was decided to feed it some coal slack, which of course caused a temporary weight gain. Those of us that have a few generations on us m...
The conversion of native grassland and sagebrush to cropland is one of the greatest threats to wildlife that depend on this disappearing habitat such as greater sage-grouse. A new study projects that, if conversion rates continue as expected, sage grouse populations could drop another 5-7 percent in eastern Montana. But the study also offers a solution. Keep habitat intact by focusing voluntary conservation easements that retain ranching as a desired and compatible land use in areas that are most at risk to new cultivation. The study,...
What a ray of sunshine to have a candidate for Governor of Montana that takes the time to attend many of the functions that are going on in Northeast Montana. To name a few since Greg Gianforte has filed for Governor: Busted Knuckle open house, Governors Cup Walleye Tournament, Wild Horse Stampede, and several different “Regulation Roundup” events. Before Greg filed for governor he was all over the Eastern part of the state working on new job creation. Let me say that again: jobs creation. He’s a leader in the creation of jobs that in turn ensu...
It has been just over six years since President Obama signed his sweeping health care legislation into law, subjecting every American to federal mandates. How is it working out? Are your insurance premiums lower? Are your deductibles lower? Is it easier to get an appointment to see a physician? Were you able to keep your same physician? The legislation was passed in such a fashion as to strain the boundaries of the Constitution so severely that the Supreme Court had to decide if several of its components were legal, including whether the costs...
