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, At a gubernatorial campaign fundraiser, Congressman Gianforte pledged to cut taxes 30% over his first two years. The promise of “huge tax cuts” is attractive, but “voter beware”: Tasty bait often hides painful hooks. State government runs on income taxes. Local cities, counties, and schools run on property taxes. 91% of state taxes support locally delivered services, the big three being education, healthcare, and incarceration. Montana’s Balanced Budget Amendment prevents deficit spending, so… under a Balanced Budget Amendment, cut...
Dear Editor, Trade is good for small businesses and the U.S. Small Business Administration has programs to help you grow in international markets. Recently, President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan reached two agreements to rebalance trade between our two great nations. These agreements, which were launched at last year’s meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, achieve concrete outcomes from negotiations. Japan is one of America’s most important trading partners and this agreement will serve to enhance our robust two...
Remember those wonderful days when answering the telephone was important? You could almost count on it being family, friend, acquaintance or a bona fide business call. I am sure that I will not be the only Senior Citizen that looks forward to mid-December when that deadline date arrives to sign up or change carriers for your new Medicare, Medigap or drug plan. And don’t be foolish enough to think you will use the computer to compare or choose a plan, as this just generates more phone calls and e-mail. I guess the upside is having caller I.D. w...
Dear Editor, The holiday season is upon us. Montana families across our state are giving thanks and enjoying quality time with their families and loved ones. As we gather around the dining table this year to express our gratitude, let us not forget the extraordinary privilege we have as free Americans. I want to give thanks to our Montana service members currently deployed, unable to be home for the holidays this year. Thank you for protecting our nation. I also want to express my gratitude to...
Dear Editor, Farming and hunting are two of the defining qualities of Montana. For decades, hunters and landowners have worked together to maintain our public wildlife, our working agricultural lands, and our outdoor heritage. Landowners know hunters are the best management tool for wildlife; hunters appreciate the habitat and access that our farmers and ranchers provide. That strong relationship is as essential as ever in the fight against the newest threat to Montana: invasive feral swine....
Dear Editor, The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe (CSKT) Water Compact took over a decade to negotiate with water users on and off the CSKT nation. The CSKT will protect the rights of water users across Montana. It passed the Montana Legislature with bipartisan support and was signed by the Governor in 2015. All major ag organizations support the CSKT. The first letter I sent as President of Montana Farmers Union was to Senator Daines asking him to reintroduce the CSKT Water Compact. Senat...
Dear Editor, The Public Service Commission has always been a somewhat surly bunch. The PSC's devoted staff has often had to deal with varying degrees of political game-playing, deception, threats and intrigue. Sure. Politicians politic. The question is, at the end of the day, can elected officials bury their egos and ambitions long enough to put the people's business ahead of their own? Recent events would suggest that where the Montana PSC is concerned, the answer is "no." That might surprise...
Dear Editor, Montanans from all walks of life have a deep connection to our state's fish and wildlife. Those of us lucky enough to live here and visitors from all over the world enjoy unmatched hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching opportunities. Fish and wildlife don't see government borders, and the state of Montana shares authority to manage wildlife with Montana's tribal nations. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks works in partnership with tribal agencies like the Natural Resources Departmen...
As I grow older and “Remember” things of the past, I have thought a lot about neighbors and friends of the past. People that have left me with fond memories. I am sure that I may have expressed a THANKS to those special people of my past, but their friendship, helpfulness, and advice come to the forefront of my thoughts many times. This is THANKSGIVING, so it might be a good time for us all to remember, and be thankful for those special acquaintances that left a footprint in our lives. As we enjoy our day of Thanksgiving, let’s be thank...
Dear Editor, The fight for public access and private property rights is a personal one for me. It started with the Stenson family, who ranch near Wibaux. Nearly one year ago, Governor Bullock asked me to go to court and protect public access, conservation easements, and private property rights in Montana from attacks by our own Attorney General. The Stensons, a long-time ranching family, worked for years with the State of Montana to put their ranch into a conservation easement through the Habita...
My mind was wandering to past years. You can’t be involved in agriculture without remembering the past and having faith in the future. Thinking of this year’s harvest issues brought to mind all of the sugar beets that used to be planted up and down the Milk River Valley. There may still be a few around that can remember that almost every railroad siding along the valley had a “beet dump.” I doubt that there was a beet dump along the railroad in Opheim where I spent my early year, and the only one that I have any firsthand knowledge of is the...
As I enjoy my morning coffee I remember days before any of our new automatic coffee conveniences. Do you remember when you made your coffee using the stove? Okay, I am remembering filling the old enamel coffee pot with water and adding the coffee grounds. I have to admit I am not remembering just how we did it. Were the coffee grounds added and then brought to a boil, or did we add grounds after the water boiled? I am thinking the former, however, I do not remember that the finished product tasted better or worse than that made using any of the...
Dear Editor, Congratulations on another successful year in covering the news and activities of my hometown through the Glasgow Courier! I have been a faithful reader of the Courier for decades. My father, Ivy Leonard Knight, was a faithful employee of the Courier for about six decades! My father and mother were known as the "world's fussiest proofreaders." In their later years, they continued to do some of the proofing for the weekly Courier. I have inherited that "proofing gene." It was a...
Dear Valley County, With your donations to Energy Share last year, you helped 2,885 Montana families who were facing energy emergencies. Causes of these emergencies included unexpected expenses, deaths in the family, non-working or unsafe heating systems, illnesses or injuries, domestic abuse situations, and loss of employment or reduced wages. None of us are immune to these roadblocks in life. According to a GOBankingRates 2019 survey, 57 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings....
Dear Editor, As the folks responsible for promoting the vibrant, charming towns and stunning landscapes across our state, we know that Montana's strong economy is driven in part by a thriving tourism and outdoor recreation economy. We also know that eastern Montana's unique landscapes, historical and cultural sites, and opportunities for hunting and outdoor recreation are a treasure with untapped potential to support diversification and growth in regional economies. Over the last year, the...
Dear Editor, Glasgow was recognized as "The City in the Middle of Nowhere". (The Washington Post Feb. 21 2018). Thanks to a special couple, it should have been titled "The City in the Middle of Somewhere Special." In 1960, a young couple, Sid and Elaine Sulser, moved to Glasgow and started their careers in education. Sid was a teacher and a vice principal at the high school and Elaine started a preschool program in their home and later taught kindergarten in a Glasgow School. I had the...
Dear Editor, Happy 25th Anniversary AmeriCorps! Each year, over 75,000 people serve in AmeriCorps across the US. Since 1994, national service has improved lives and landscapes, while transforming those who commit to serve. Service to others is an American tradition and, for over 25 years, AmeriCorps has unified diverse people through service to others. AmeriCorps grew from a renewed focus on civic engagement in America during the 1990s. President George H.W. Bush signed the 1990 National...
This is a topic that many of us have little knowledge of, however I am remembering days of brick streets. I do not know [if] I have seen brick streets in Montana, however I do have bricks that were made in Havre, so bricks were available. I did spend several of my young years living in Mo., and there were a lot of brick streets. There are still brick streets in that area. My question, how often are bricks replaced or do they last longer than pavement? Following up on that question might go on my “to do list.” What is the cost compared to pav...
The Honorable Sonny Perdue U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C., 20250 Oct. 16, 2019 Dear Secretary Perdue: As you know, many farmers in the Northern Tier states are currenty suffering serious crop damage caused by an unusual wave of harsh, adverse weather, heavy rains, flooding and high humidity, coming directly in the middle of this year’s 2019 harvest season. Major locations in the Northern Plains have shattered records for September rainfall, have faced historically early and significant snowfall, a...
Montana's Congressman and both Senators wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to push for Ag. relief for losses due to the eradic weather patterns during harvest this year. For the context and story see page 5A. The Honorable Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture US Department of Agriculture 1280 Maryland Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 October 17, 2019 Dear Secretary Perdue: On October 16, 2019 multiple producer organizations, including the National Association of Wheat Growers, National Barley Growers Association, USA Dry Pea and Lentil...
Dear Editor, One of the most important civic duties Montanans will participate in next year is filling out and responding to the 2020 U.S. Census. At just nine questions long, the questionnaire might not seem like a big deal, but it is. It's the Census, done every 10 years, that's responsible for deciding how much federal money comes into Montana. And in a small state like ours, every dollar matters. It's estimated that Montana receives more than $2 billion each year as a result of the Census....
Dear Editor, I know firsthand that farming and ranching has never been easy. My wife Sharla and I still run our family farm outside of Big Sandy on the same land my grandparents homesteaded more than 100 years ago. For our family and producers across Montana, working the land that's been passed down for generations has never been about just making a buck-it's a way of life in rural America. But the reality is that this business comes with real, sometimes overwhelming, uncertainty. This...
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...
