The current and former Jefferson High School Board of Trustees and Administration have failed our school’s mission statement. Jefferson High School’s mission is to provide the best possible education for our youth for whatever path of life they choose; to be the school of choice for student… Read Article JHS Board slow to consider weighted GPA
What a proud legacy our pioneering Montana ancestors bequeathed to us. Our forebears were resilient, determined, hardworking and tough. Tough as in Western cowboy tough; they had the sort of strength books have been written about. Hardy souls who never have accepted being told, “you can’t ma… Read Article “Can’t”? I don’t think so
Last November, area voters approved a $12.5 million bond issue to support a much-needed renovation of Jefferson High School. The proceeds, voters were told, would pay for new classrooms and laboratories; safety, security, and accessibility enhancements; mechanical, plumbing, and electrical s… Read Article ‘We all kept waiting for this to happen’
Horrified by the recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo, and across our country, a group of citizens in Jefferson County came together to talk about what we can do besides sending prayers and thoughts. Some of us are gun owners and some are not; some of us have guns for hunting and some fo… Read Article Local women conduct gun safety survey in search of common ground
"I didn't plan for it to be this way." Read Article So long, and thanks for all the steaks
The release of the proposed draft of the United States Supreme Court’s opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was, to be sure, a spoiler alert of sorts. For one thing, appellate court opinions are not supposed to be leaked. The process of opinion writing is tedious: Proposed drafts are circulated t… Read Article The Supreme Court spoiler alert
Who are unhoused people? We all have various ideas of who is an unhoused person and how they became unhoused. These are based on what we see in the media, stories from friends and family, or what we see in the street. There simply is no such thing as the "typical" unhoused person. No one is … Read Article The unhoused: America’s, and Montana's, refugees
Our democracy—is it alive? Do we still live in a democratic republic, or is our democracy dead, no longer a governance of, by and for the people? How is the American Experiment faring? As it turns out, not so well. Read Article American democracy—alive or dead?
In a letter to his constituency recently, Sen. Steve Daines wrote, among other things, the following: Read Article Daines is all wrong on the causes of inflation
In The Boulder Monitor on Feb. 2, Jane Lee Hamman stated that "rather than caving to emotion-driven hype, we should ... return to a reasoned examination of the science" concerning climate change. On its face, this sounds reasonable enough. The only problem is that is not what she does. Read Article Let’s avoid fairy-tale climate change policy
Republicans are pushing a new tax-cap, Constitutional Initiative 121, to be on the ballot for Montana voters. CI-121 limits annual increases in valuations of residential property to either 2% or the inflation rate (whichever is lower) when assessing property taxes, if the property is not new… Read Article Why the tax cap initiative (CI-121) is bad for Montana and bad for public schools
Montana's Constitution contains two fundamental rights that are distinct, yet are connected in an important way. Read Article Two rights; a multitude of wrongs
Editor's note: The following letter, written by longtime Boulder area resident Sam Samson, was submitted as a public comment to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation regarding the department's proposal to log 318 acres of state land atop Ryan Mountain, about 5.5 miles … Read Article Logging is alright—but it’s all wrong for Ryan Mountain
Misinformation is one of the gravest threats facing us, but we are not doing enough to educate people how to recognize fact from fiction in the flood of information they encounter every day. MIT researchers found that tweets containing falsehoods reach 1,500 people on Twitter six-times faste… Read Article Misinformation is everyone's problem, but we can fix it
During the last legislative session, while I was doing some legal research, I accidently came across HB 651. This bill (which is now law) overhauled and imposed significant burdens on the Citizens Initiative (CI) process—guaranteed to Montanans by our state constitution, primarily at Article… Read Article Citizens Initiative restrictions only restrict democracy
Recent legislative actions in Montana have made access to voting harder. Restricting eligible voters’ access to voting does not equate to more secure elections. For example, let’s look at the new voting law HB 176, “eliminating same-day voter registration on Election Day,” to see if it truly… Read Article Secure our right to vote
Gov. Greg Gianforte has put forward a petition to remove most Montana grizzly bears from federal Endangered Species Act protection. This petition claims the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem's grizzly bear population is ready to survive under state management. Not so subtlety pushed in t… Read Article An exciting alternative to Gianforte’s grisly grizzly proposal
That was quite a colorful story James C. Nelson wrote about the Kyle Rittenhouse incident and trial in the Dec. 8 issue of The Monitor, but to me it appeared mostly to not be based on facts. Contrary to Mr. Nelson's argument, the Rittenhouse verdict set a precedent for the rule of law. Read Article Rittenhouse verdict set precedent for rule of law
I am thankful the sun rises and sets every day! Read Article At Jan. 6 vigil, my thoughts returned to thanks
On Sunday, Jan. 2, the Helena Independent Record published a column from Kendall Cotton, on "Red Tape Relief." Mr. Cotton states that “the accumulation of thousands of regulations has been shown to stifle economic growth and substantially increase the cost of doing business.” He states that … Read Article Where do regulations come from?
In my opinion, the gathering at Veterans Park in Boulder to consider ways to promote civility and peace in our community was a success. I attended with dozens of other community members. No one seized the opportunity to promote themselves, their ideas or their interest. No one tried to stand… Read Article To tackle big issues, dial down the rhetoric
On Jan. 6 I was part of a group that gathered in Boulder for a Silent Vigil for Peace and Civility. Read Article Timely advice for civility in the new year
Oxford High School is the newest addition to the national list of mass school shootings. This time, even the worn phrase “thoughts and prayers” was not uttered by politicians beholden to a gun lobby while our children and educators face the continuing trauma of drills and living on edge for … Read Article The cycle of trauma must end
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 A Voting Rights Bill That Both Democrats and Republicans Can Support
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 Local news hangs in the balance
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 A real opportunity to build the workforce Montana needs
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 When free speech damages democracy
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 Bill to tie funding to public health directives is folly
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 State senator calls for a Convention of States
When I was a young man growing up in rural Oregon, there was a term for people like me: “gun nut.” Read Article “Gun nut” has a warning
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 Pass Country of Origin labeling in Montana
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 Reckoning with America’s failure
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 Teach the young to recognize media misinformation
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 A blended family is becoming the American family
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 ‘A small intervention makes a big difference’
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 Montana at a crossroads
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 Is it finally time for year-round school?
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 Election administrator responds to mail ballot concerns
How should Boulder and Jefferson County be marketing themselves during this time of COVID-19? Read Article How to market Boulder, Jefferson County in a pandemic
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 The importance of the Electoral College to the State of Montana
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 Practicing love in the time of a global pandemic
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 Was the Boulder Development Fund worth the investment?
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 It’s time to hold accountable Secretary of State Stapleton
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 Correcting misunderstandings of Democratic Party platform
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 Buy local during ‘Small Business Saturday’ on Nov. 30
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 Alcoholism killed our child. Make sure it doesn’t kill yours.
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 Make the 2020 U.S. Census count for Montana
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 It’s Constitution Week. Consider the words we live by.