Republicans have killed the latest attempt to fix our democracy. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Indeed, if Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky truly cares about American democracy (as he professed to after the Jan. 6 insurrection), then he should look to the example of election compromise … Read Article
The Senate is now deciding the fate of local news.As part of the Build Back Better Act, the Senate is in the next few days considering an important proposal: providing a payroll tax credit to local news organizations to retain or hire local journalists.Why? Local news is in a deep crisis. Th… Read Article
Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), our state has an opportunity to make unprecedented investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. We have a chance to catapult our state forward, but only if we have the workforce available to build that infrastructure. If there aren’… Read Article
If you were at the Rodeo Parade in Boulder on Aug. 28, you probably saw it: A silver pickup truck driving down Main Street, its bed festooned with two flags—one, the United States stars and stripes, the other bearing the words, “F--- Biden.” Read Article
The Montana Legislature is working on plans to appropriate the nearly $3 billion American Rescue Plan Act funding package that Montana will receive from the federal government. Unfortunately, the Legislature is entertaining a controversial amendment in the bill to cut federal aid funds by 20… Read Article
Last week the Montana Senate voted on a crucial measure to address the current fiscal crisis ongoing in Washington, D.C. Informed citizens know U.S. debt is now approaching $28 trillion. This does not count over $220 trillion of unfunded liabilities or the $4 trillion of planned deficit spen… Read Article
When I was a young man growing up in rural Oregon, there was a term for people like me: “gun nut.” Read Article
Consumers have the right to know the origin of their beef purchases, and ranchers have the right to a fair and competitive market. This is a reasonable expectation. However, since 2015 Congress specifically exempted beef and pork from labeling laws. Consumers do not know where their beef co… Read Article
For the first time in our history, the United States of America has failed to realize a peaceful transition of power. That failure is egregious and inexcusable: there is no way to legitimatize the actions of those who stormed the Capitol on January 6 or of the president who essentially invit… Read Article
The Instagram post looked strange to Amulya Panakam, a 16-year-old high school student who lives near Atlanta. In February, a friend showed her a sensational headline on her phone that declared, “Kim Jong Un is personally killing soldiers who have Covid-19!” Of course, the news wasn’t real. … Read Article
When “All in the Family” hit the TV screens in 1971, the war in Vietnam was raging, cities from Washington, D.C., to Detroit were charred from riots in the wake of Martin Luther King’s assassination, and many young people like me were leaving those cities, moving west to rural America. Read Article
Parents are more crucial than ever to their children’s education. As more kids learn at home, here are two programs, thousands of miles apart, that have helped get them involved. Read Article
This op-ed was co-authored by Chuck Tooley, ex mayor of Billings and by Renee Coppok of Billings and signed by more than 100 Montanans. Read Article
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — When Harlandale Independent School District in south San Antonio shuttered its doors in March amid the coronavirus pandemic, Melissa Casey’s first thought about her students was, “How are all of their basic needs going to be met?” Read Article
Jefferson County Election Administrator Bonnie Ramey wrote this “point-counterpoint” in response to questions from residents concerning the decision to hold a mail ballot election in November. She addresses oft-heard comments and concerns about mail ballots versus voting in person at the polls. Read Article
Fake news. Read Article
How should Boulder and Jefferson County be marketing themselves during this time of COVID-19? Read Article
The Electoral College is an attempt to make the election of the United States President fair to all fifty states, regardless of the population of the state. The concept of the Electoral College actually goes back to Roman times. In 1788, Alexander Hamilton wrote about the idea of electors in… Read Article
February was a blur. My parents and I caught Influenza A after attending an event together. It left me pretty much unscathed, save for feeling extra run down and uncomfortable for a few days. But my parents got sick. Really sick. Call-an-ambulance-at-four-in-the-morning-because-you-cannot-ca… Read Article
Five years after the Montana State Legislature voted to close the Montana Developmental Center, the June 30 deadline for expending the Boulder Development Fund (BDF) is nearly here. Read Article
As a retired active duty Air Force Commander, I upheld the Air Force core values of “Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do.” You quickly learn the value of teamwork and how no one is above these core values. Those airmen who neglect these principles are held accountable. Read Article
In a letter to the editor a few weeks ago, Denise Fellers demonstrated a mistaken understanding of the Democratic Party’s position on several key issues. Reading Ms. Feller’s letter reminds me that some Republicans think finding a Democrat in Jefferson County is as likely as finding an armad… Read Article
Small Business Saturday has slowly become an American tradition following the Thanksgiving holiday. Brick-and-mortar businesses across the country promote their best deals of the year in hopes of luring shoppers from online purchases. It was not so long ago that Americans would visit locally… Read Article
Editor’s note: Lee Benner shared the following story at town hall meetings in Clancy and Boulder on Oct. 24 and Oct. 29, respectively. The meetings, organized by Jefferson County Prevention Specialist and DUI Task Force Coordinator Barb Reiter, focused on the challenges facing youth today. T… Read Article
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. Read Article
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019, was the 232nd anniversary of the 1787 signing, by Constitutional Convention delegates in Philadelphia, of the U.S. Constitution. As Public Law 915 designated Sept. 17- 23 as Constitution Week, it is fitting this week to read and reflect on both the greatest document … Read Article
President Donald Trump 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 see what lurks in a murderer’s mind. Read Article
Most of us have, at one time, encountered or heard about military imposters. Famously, actor Brian Dennehy, who played Sheriff Will Teasle in the 1982 Stallone film First Blood, claimed to have fought and been wounded in the Vietnam War. While he, in fact, did serve in the United States Mari… Read Article
From the Editor
A few years ago, too long absent from journalism, I returned to the field as a breaking news reporter in Southern California. Mostly I covered wildfires, fatal crashes, homicides. Occasionally my editors let me report outside my beat, but when that didn’t happen enough I decided to seek an e… Read Article
How appropriate that Valentine’s Day is the date we publish the obituary of dear friend Dick Crockford. His heart was as big as the Montana sky and his generosity as wide as the state he served so well. Read Article
A press release issued December 14 and published in this issue caught our eye. As we read it, we wondered, “And why was it so hard for Boulder to get that kind of help?” Read Article