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, These words come as no surprise to many of us. It is our lived experience that Native American women are more likely to go missing, more likely to be murdered, and less likely to have justice in our state. It is our lived experience that when we seek justice for Native women and children who go missing, law enforcement may not take action for weeks-if at all. It is devastating. Right now, we are facing an epidemic of missing and murdered women, many of them Native, in the state of...
Dear Editor, Central Montana is “ground zero” for the destruction of America’s food industry as the international investors bring their millions of dollars to buy private property surrounding public land to gain control of the agricultural leases. The American Prairie Reserve (APR) is methodically destroying the heart of American agriculture while also destroying our future hunting heritage. Sportsmen are being deceived by the APR propaganda as their future hunting will disappear—how much hu...
The year was 1951. A larger bed for Baby Gregory was very much needed after sleeping in the convenient bassinet. Mother could, and easily did, rock with one foot while hands were busy with garden fresh green beans. Soon baby was asleep and one step in meal preparation was complete. This was Montana prairie life. Forty-seven miles were traveled to the nearest furniture store, McFay’s, in Malta. Mr. McFay was most pleased to show a lovely blond crib; no choice as this was the lone one. After examining this piece of furniture, the young parents w...
As many of my readers remember, I really do miss having the dimmer switch on the floor on my vehicles. That thought came to mind again the other day and made me think of all the good progress auto manufacturers have made. Things like the ability to lock all of your vehicle doors with one click, as well as rolling your windows up or down. What about seat adjustments—not only up or down, but closer or further from the steering wheel, not to mention lumbar adjustments and heated seats. Makes me wonder what we will progress to. Though, electric c...
With over 3,000 bill draft requests and only a few hundred bills actually introduced, the Legislative Session is off to a remarkably slow start. While we don’t expect the lull to last, it has made the first few weeks of the session surprisingly bearable! Since committee hearings have been few and far between in recent history, we’ve had time to work on pieces of legislation that aren’t yet introduced. It’s often helpful to reach out to legislators before they even have a committee hearing scheduled. Sometimes we’re able to prevent bad bills...
Dear Editor, Snow is starting to fall, cattle are being fed, and the legislature is back in Helena for the 66th Legislative Session. Fifty-eight Republicans and 42 Democrats have pulled up stakes and moved to Montana’s capitol for the next approximately three and a half months to try and make our state a better place to live. There has been many bills heard so far over the past two weeks, but where they lack in number, they make up in substance. In the House Judiciary Committee, we have heard bills concerning the board of pardons and parole, m...
One of the first pieces of legislation to hit the ground during each legislature is the state’s budget. It’s usually the last piece of the puzzle to get solved, too. Balancing the budget each session is one of the most challenging tasks the legislative body takes on; agencies, members of the public and the Governor all have requests and priorities for the state’s piggy bank. Our industry is no different. We aren’t making any specific asks for General Fund dollars but we do closely follow the budget hearings of several agencies and the Extensi...
The past weeks have been filled with medical appointments and tests, consultations with doctors, and changes in medicines. With traveling added to everything, it’s been quite exhausting and I’ve been sleeping a lot. Yet, with all that’s happened, I’m grateful. Grateful for so much. A family that takes care of me, that does so much for both me and my husband. Then there’s the medical personnel who truly care about me. They take time to discuss any concerns I may have and my questions. If they can’t answer me, they research for the answer and...
I know that I do not succeed 100 percent of the time, but I do try to steer clear of religion and politics. However on my way to church the other day memories flashed through my mind. Do you remember when nothing, school or social events, were scheduled for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings? Sunday mornings were reserved for church, your choice of course, and on Wednesday evenings most church youth groups met. It could be my failing mind, but it seems that CYO, MYF and Luther League (those were the church groups active in my small town)...
As I’ve covered the trade war with China and dove into research on Russia and agriculture for an upcoming interview, I’ve learned a lot, mostly about what I don’t know. Even though I grew up on a farm, in a farming and ranching community, I did not take any interest in the day-to-day operations, production or sales. Recently I came across an article that captured my attention, focused as it was on issues facing farmers, ranchers and agricultural communities. While tariffs and the trade war have not yet produced positive results for these produc...
The 66th Montana Legislature convened Monday, Jan.7, in Helena. While the session is still in its infancy, committees are beginning to meet and legislators are introducing their first bills of the term. We’ve hit the ground running. If you read our last column, you’re already familiar with these important Legislative committees. This is where issues surface and begin the legislative process. Here are some key agriculture issues that were introduced in committee this week. House Bill 63: Remove sunset date to extend financial liability for pes...
Hidden in the shadows of modern farm buildings, rests a gray rotting log cabin, whispering its memories of the homestead days on the Montana prairie, northeast of Malta. My sister and I made many a journey, through the crescent wheat grass, winding through the caraganas and between the plump grain bins, to the little cabin where we could turn the time clock back sixty years before our time. The cabin was kept shut by a weak, one-hinged door and what seemed to be an oversized wooden frame screen door, tied tightly to a coat hook with a golden...
How many housewives still save bacon grease? I have to admit that I still do, but it does not get used nearly as often as it was in past years. Gone are the days when you spooned some bacon grease into your cast iron skillet in order to fry your hash browns, etc. Some of us still use and love our cast iron, but that no-stick cookware is pretty “slick” also. Still on the bacon grease, I have a vague memory of some of my ancestors using bacon grease on some injuries, but please don’t try that as it could be a false memory. There were so many...
To many people, story time and libraries go hand-in-hand. But surprisingly many parents don’t know about the story time program we have here at the library. Not only is story time a free form of entertainment for parents looking for activities for their children but it has numerous cognitive benefits as well. It brings parents and children together and shows a commitment to our community with regards to early literacy and child development. Early literacy refers to what children know about reading and writing before they actually learn to r...
Dear Editor, On Jan. 7, the 66th Montana Legislature convened. I will be serving in my fourth session on the following committees: As a Senate Finance and Claims member we will analyze the following general government agencies: Department of Administration Governor's Office, Department of Labor and Industry, Department of Military Affairs Secretary of State, Legislative Branch, Department of Commerce, Commissioner of Political Practices, Consumer Counsel, Department of Administration and...
Dear Editor, If there's one thing Montanans can unite behind, it's that we're sick and tired of self-serving politicians who are all talk, no walk. As the House Minority Leader for the 2019 Legislative Session, I couldn't agree more. Montana families deserve a Legislature that sets aside the partisan, political blustering. And they deserve lawmakers that lead with solutions. That's why House Democrats have our sleeves rolled up and are eager to get to work. As citizen legislators, our number...
You’ve heard the expression, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” We know this is true. In the life of an idea becoming legislation, there are a few key people that you need to know in order to make your voice for agriculture most effective. In last week’s column, we talked about the importance of using this time before the 2019 Montana Legislature goes into session to “prep the soil” and get to know your local elected officials. While it is important to have a relationship with your own legislators, they may not be on the committee you...
Dear Valley County, As I sit at my desk this afternoon, the 31st of December 2018, to consider what might be important to convey to the residents of Valley County, I can not help but consider where we have come from. In a short time, I will be taking Retired Sheriff Vernon Buerkle home to drop him off. How weird it must feel for him, after over 40 years of service in this county, to watch his patrol vehicle drive away. To say his final “off shift” to dispatch over the radio. Sheriff Buerkle, like those who came before him, gave his best eff...
“The safety net is going to be having a strong border because we are going to be safe....... I really believe that these people, many of the people we are talking about, many of the people you’re discussing, I really believe they are agreeing with what we are doing.” This was said by President Trump in a Jan. 4 media conference in response to a reporter’s question of “Do you have a safety net for federal workers, for those who need their checks?” In response to a reporter’s question on Jan. 7 of “Can you relate to the pain of federal workers wh...
Dear Editor, As former House Speakers and Senate Presidents of the Montana Legislature, we question the wisdom of making significant changes to the rules of operation in the Montana House. Currently, there is a group of legislators trying to change the House rules. One of the proposed changes would allow a simple majority (51 members) to "blast" a bill out of committee and on to the House floor. Their logic is that the Montana Senate operates under simple majority rules so the House should...
The Montana Legislature is set to convene Jan. 7, in Helena. Similar to the 2017 session, the state’s budget is set to experience another round of belt tightening. Money will be tight, but the policy agendas will be plentiful. Legislators will be forced to make tough decisions between balancing a realistic budget and potentially slashing programs and policies or making law changes to accomplish that. A tight budget year makes the job of lobbying for Montana’s farm and ranch families challenging. Our top priority will be protecting existing fun...
Dear Editor, The success of Montana’s agriculture industry is dependent upon water and water right certainty. It is easily the single most important resource for people across Montana, which is why ratification of the negotiated Montana CSKT Water Compact is critical. Contrary to what compact opponents are saying, the negotiated CSKT Compact provides water right certainty, protects Montana’s water users, and ensures a reliable source of water. When the Flathead Reservation was established, wat...
Remember all the hours spent wrapping Christmas gifts? The rolls of wrapping paper, the “to/from“ tags, the ribbon & bows? And the boxes. You saved boxes all year so you would have the right size for the gift. Many gifts were homemade so you needed boxes for those too. Now we have the luxury of gift bags. These bags sure help reduce clutter, as well as free up storage space. I am working on my old habit of saving all of that stuff. Any of you need to join me?...
The other day a gentleman came into the Courier to check out the archives. He had been coming in on and off for months looking for a certain article. He had a partial clip but no date. So, taking what information he did have he started combing through the countless pages of text in the general timeframe he thought the piece had been published. It took some time but he finally found the article and more, some dating back to the 1940s. Eventually, he would have copies of those pages recreated to keep for future generations as they provided backgr...
Dear Editor, The Valley County Commissioners are seeking public opinion on a possible county ordinance dealing with medical marijuana dispensaries. The county had ordinances in effect in 2011 and 2012, but when the state tightened the requirements; the ordinance was allowed to lapse. Currently there is one dispensary in operation in Valley County; this business is seeking to expand, as described in the Courier article in this issue. Under the state law, cities and counties can adopt ordinances o...
