Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Dear Editor, I watched and listened in awe during my first year of hunting elk as a large bull screamed, nose flared, while he herded his cows from his bugling challenger. That was in 1979 and a lot has changed over the past 40 years. Today, elk are plentiful in places where they were absent back then and on some forested public lands they are no longer as common. Predator populations are doing well, major fires are common place as our climate changes and hunting technology continues to...
Dear Editor, Two and a half years ago, Attorney General Tim Fox and I stood on the steps of the state capitol with other lawmakers announcing a major long-term initiative to address the impacts of drugs (Aid Montana). Since then, our successes outnumber our defeats, and we are ready for the next phase to combat the addiction crisis in Big Sky Country. On the success front, we can point to several victories in the areas of prevention, treatment, and enforcement. We led the charge on passing...
Dear Editor, As I travel around Montana I often speak with teachers, professors, and students concerned about the cost and ability to access quality education. Rural communities know that a public school in their town is a tent-pole for the community. Once a rural area loses a school in their town, the community really starts to struggle. It is also difficult to recruit teachers to Montana's schools because by some measures Montana has the lowest starting pay for a new teacher. As a teacher...
Dear Editor, As United States Senator from Montana, and as a rancher from Miles City serving as the president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, we took a major step forward last week for Montana ag. Together, we worked to accomplish a historic trade deal between the U.S. and Japan - one that will benefit Montana's farmers and ranchers for generations to come. Farming and ranching is tough enough as it is. This industry isn't for the faint of heart and making a profit only gets harder if...
Many of you will remember saving bread sacks. Oh, not only the sacks, but if the family didn’t eat the crusts, you dried them to use at a later date for dressing, or maybe bread pudding, just to mention a few. I remember many that washed and saved the plastic bread sack also. That was before baggies and Ziplocks. Once these bags were washed and dried they had to be stored someplace for the next use. The favorite storage method in my family was to roll these recycled bags on the core tube of wax paper. Worked great to keep these bags in some o...
Dear Editor, It's no coincidence Montana's two largest industries are agriculture and outdoor recreation. These two economies are the lifeblood of many small towns. The Montana way of life is as much about exploring natural wonders and hunting and fishing as it is our rural roots. Montana is big enough for all these things. That's especially true in the vast grasslands of north-central Montana where American Prairie Reserve has been conserving land and wildlife and welcoming visitors from all ba...
Dear Editor, The American Prairie Reserve (APR) is probably the most abhorrent organization to ever hit the scene in central Montana. They stormed into Montana with a stated goal to create a wildlife reserve larger than Yellowstone Park and came with millionaire donors and environmental crusaders but found little enthusiasm for their plan amongst regional landowners and their elected officials. Since their initial foray into Montana, APR has been cratering and has come to realize that it's...
Dear Editor, As a state senator from a small Montana border town, I understand the need for strong economies both north and south of the international border. Approval of the new trilateral trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico will help stabilize our lives. Total value of trade across the border amounted to $673 billion in 2017. Canada is the largest export market for the U.S. USMCA sets higher standards for Canada and Mexico, and it benefits U.S. growers and consumers....
Dear Editor, I never expected to be amongst those who write the rah-rah letters to the editor extolling the benefits of living where there are such caring people as we have here in the Middle of Nowhere, but here I am. Last week, after it snowed and we knew we couldn't attempt any farm work, we went to Billings just to get away. On our return Tuesday afternoon, we suffered a flat tire (it was a run flat, so no spare should have been required). We were about 40 miles south of Glasgow, past Fort P...
Dear Editor, As we recognize Fire Prevention Week from Oct 6-12, I wanted to acknowledge our local volunteers. "Not Every Hero Wears a Cape" is one of the themes on the NFPA.org website and I have to say the Glasgow and Long Run Fire Departments should be seen as our heroes. Disasters happen every day, and while we can hope there is never a disaster, hope is not a plan. Our firefighters are volunteers. They are called away from their paying jobs, and their families to respond to structural and...
Do you remember your history? In reading an old history book I found this quote. Since history has a habit of repeating itself I decided to share. “In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an Ame...
The following is an essay about the first All-School Reunion held in Glasgow. I did not graduate from Glasgow High, leaving my senior year for Havre. My gracious classmates, Rhonda Ronass and Karen Koski have kept me on the contact list and I have attended several of my class reunions, always a good time, "Class of '65." At our 50th reunion, Terry Newton stopped to see ME. Surprise, because he graduated with my brother, who was the East/West Shrine football delegate in '64, Robert Dobrovolny. I...
Dear Editor, In the late 19th century, bird populations in the United States declined drastically. That was obvious. William T. Hornaday, director of the New York Zoological Park, tried to quantify the bird losses. He published his numbers in 1899. The numbers varied state by state, from a low of 10 percent for Nebraska to a high of 77 percent for Florida. Hornaday estimated that Montana had lost 75 percent of its birds in the previous 15 years. The average of Hornaday's state estimates yielded...
Dear Editor, With small Montana communities, especially in the eastern part of the state, struggling to sustain themselves, we don't need the state government to make their struggle harder. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks did in 2007 when it limited archery elk permits in hunting districts within the Missouri River Breaks. In February 2008, the FWP Commission voted to adopt this motion and set the archery draw quota to 65 percent of the...
Dear Editor, What could be more important than how we care for our children? Pragmatists recognize that how we treat our children today in their dependency will shape how they treat us tomorrow in our old age. People of faith recognize all God's children are just that – created in the Creator's image. High-minded folks appreciate our most worthy charge as a society is to care well for all our children. Followers of Christ, observe, Jesus fed the hungry and taught us to do the same. While we m...
Dear Editor, It doesn't seem possible that 2020 is just around the corner. "What is the problem with that?," you might ask. Well just when you thought the sage grouse would follow the spotted owl into oblivion, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) plans to review the sage grouse status in 2020 to determine whether it should be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). I just heard on the Montana radio news the Montana Sage Grouse group will shortly present an update on the status of...
Do you remember the plans to have a “Dome on the Range”? This suggestion came about after the Glasgow Air Force base was abandoned. As some of you remember, this was a major blow to our area. Many suggestions and investors came up with varied plans, however I think the most short-lived plan was to cover the existing housing site with a massive dome, turning the area into a retirement village which would have included a nine-hole golf course and swimming pool. Maybe it never came about because many of us just could not imagine life under a dom...
Dear Editor, Dealing with loved ones can be difficult sometimes and that only gets harder when they have a problem with drugs and alcohol. A big part of dealing with a loved one's addiction is getting them into treatment. But what if they are unwilling to go? Intervention is the next logical step, however what is an intervention and how do you pull one off? Contrary to popular belief, successful interventions usually aren't like the ones you see on TV. Interventions that are successful usually...
Dear Editor, The President has frequently repeated the NRA talking point that more extensive background checks on gun sales would not have prevented the recent rash of mass murders. Maybe so. It's hard to accurately see what lurks in a murderer's mind. The NRA, and therefore Trump, are skeptical about "red flag" laws, arguing that such laws are based on supposition and hearsay, and could result in the government wrongfully confiscating someone's property. Probably true. Both Trump and the NRA ar...
Dear Editor, Arlie Gordon, on Aug. 20, put this article on Facebook and ask [sic] that people pass it on. "I may upset a few of you by posting this. We can handle it one of two ways. Discuss it like adults or you can unfriend me – your choice. You have your opinions and I have mine. Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I add that my ancestors came here from other countries and they learned the language and worked and never once did I hear any of them trash America. They became citizens, w...
Dear Editor, Montana's children are off to a new school year and the excitement of learning. Children need and deserve to learn in a safe environment. When children are bullied in schools, they feel unsafe and learning (and life) is harder. This is why I'm leading the fight to stop bullying in our schools. In 2015, I was the lead sponsor of the Bully-Free Montana Act. Because I carried this legislation, I am frequently contacted by citizens regarding bullying situations and what schools are...
Dear Editor, Whether or not you use tobacco, you are paying for it. Every year, each household in Montana spends $791 in taxes due to smoking. What's more, Montanans spend a total of $440 million annually in health care costs directly caused by smoking. Did you know that raising taxes on tobacco products is one of the most effective ways to reduce use and improve the health of Valley County's residents? The last time Montana raised the tax on tobacco was in 2005. According to the U.S. Surgeon...
Dear Editor, Climate change and global warming are important issues for Montanans. Coming changes will broadly impact our economic sectors and put inevitable strain on state resources. Challenges need to be addressed, especially in agricultural, business and tourism sectors where impacts are already being felt. The unpredictable weather patterns of a changing climate continue to have drastic consequences and Montana needs to be prepared. Along with planning for the future, we need to address...
Dear Editor, Every week after I talk to my daughter Alexandria, who is currently at the Montana Youth Challenge Academy (MYCA) in Dillon, Mont., I post to let family and friends from near and far know how she is doing. Last week I talked about a Cadet at the MYCA that does not have any family or friends support and how it absolutely breaks my heart. My daughter had explained to me that this Cadet hasn't been able to reach her family. They only get one phone call once a week, ours is on Sundays a...
Dear Editor, As United States Senators representing the Big Sky state and Hawkeye country, older Montanans and Iowans keep a watchful eye on spending. Like millions of Americans across the country, they are mindful that they need to stretch their savings in order to pay the bills and uphold their quality of life in retirement. Whenever we hear from folks in Iowa or Montana, we hear widespread concern about the rising costs of prescription drugs. It's particularly upsetting to find out some...
