Back on March 13, which seems several eternities ago, I sent an email to John Blodgett, then The Monitor’s editor, with the subject line, “What I was thinking at 3 a.m.” Read Article
It’s been quite a week here in COVID-land. Read Article
A week from now, subject to the vagaries of ballot counting in this pandemic-challenged election, we will have chosen a President. If the majority of polls are to be believed*, that President will be Joe Biden. It’s possible – but somewhat less likely — that Democrats also will flip enough s… Read Article
Elsewhere in this paper, you will find an advertisement from Jefferson County seeking a new Health Officer, a part-time health professional charged with working with officials and agencies to “ensure health program efficiency and compliance with laws, rules and regulations…enforce health cod… Read Article
“I would like to ask why the word ‘black’ is capitalized in several of the recent articles in the Monitor, but the word ‘white’ is not? I do not want to add fuel to anything, but it caught my eye. Is it grammatically correct? If so, then wouldn’t both words be capitalized? I have seen it… Read Article
On July 3, the Press & Journal, a weekly newspaper in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, produced its last issue after 166 years of local publication. The Independent-Enterprise in Payette, Idaho, shut down June 24. The New Sharon (Iowa) Sun closed June 18. The Merkel (Texas) Mail ended its 1… Read Article
When I was in seventh grade, an older schoolmate said something that has stayed with me through the nearly half-century since. “I don’t have anything against Blacks,” he declared. “But I wouldn’t want my sister to marry one.” Read Article
Some readers know that I lead a dual life: While I own The Monitor and live in Montana for part of the year, I also have a job based in New York that requires me to remain tethered there, as well. Read Article
I recently participated in a gathering of organizations involved in narrative change. (Like nearly all meetings these days, it was held via Zoom. I’ll admit that the novelty of that technology – Chat! Share screens! – is wearing thin.) Read Article
Just before midnight last Oct. 11, John Blodgett’s police scanner crackled with an alert. Because John is never without his scanner, and because he rarely shuts it off, he rose from bed and got dressed. Read Article
I’d like to ask for your help. Read Article
Subscriber Survey
I really look forward to the results of The Monitor’s annual audience survey — not because I think everyone will love everything we do (um, you don’t) but because I know I’m going to learn a lot about our community: What people think is important, what news they need, and how they feel about… Read Article
In the past week, Jefferson County joined the rest of the planet in playing out a classic civic dilemma pitting public safety against economic well-being. It’s worth exploring what happened to better understand the forces at play, decisions that were made and not made, and the potential impa… Read Article
Amid a completely surreal weekend when the novel coronavirus leaped Montana’s state borders and shifted, suddenly, from vague threat to in-our-face reality, I was charmed by a small note on Facebook. You can see it above. Read Article
Publisher's Note
This issue is the 54th since we became owners of The Monitor last December. For those of you keeping score (we are), that amounts to 6% of the total that Jan Anderson, our predecessor, produced in her 17 years as editor. We remain in awe. Read Article
Publisher's Note
“How can we stand by and let this happen?” - Jim Peterson (R-Buffalo), former Montana Senate president, in “Dark Money” Read Article
Publisher's Note
Dear Monitor readers: Read Article
Publisher's note
Two months ago, The Monitor launched a new chapter in our 112-year history when we unveiled The Monitor Online, our new website at boulder-monitor.com. Read Article
Publisher's note
For 112 years, The Boulder Monitor has provided Jefferson County with local news, features, and perspective — every week, once a week. Read Article
Publisher's Note
In any given issue of The Monitor, you most likely will not read about traffic stops for drunk driving or drug-related arrests. You probably won’t see reports on home burglaries or auto thefts, or stories on domestic assault or disturbing the peace. All of these happen in Jefferson County, o… Read Article
Publisher’s Note
We are becoming a nation of people who don’t talk to each other. A survey last October by the Pew Research Center found that 53% of Americans say talking about politics with people they disagree with is “stressful and frustrating.” That’s up from 46% in a similar survey two years earlier. Read Article
Publisher's Note
A few weeks ago, I became a card-carrying member of the Boulder Fitness Club. Well, no: There are no cards, really. But there certainly is a fitness club, in a former dance and gymnastic studio tucked behind The Gift Box in downtown Boulder. It offers a circuit of hydraulic resistance equipm… Read Article
Publisher’s Note
Since the 2016 election, the journalism establishment has struggled with the existential question of its own trustworthiness. Read Article
Publisher’s Note
It’s been a month since we bought The Boulder Monitor. In that time, we have taken a crash course in newspaper publishing; with a lot of help from Jan Anderson, we’ve managed to get five issues out our door and into your mailboxes. You may have noticed that we’ve already made a few changes t… Read Article
From the Publisher
You’ll notice some changes in this issue of the Boulder Monitor. The most notable: For the first time since March, 2002, Jan Anderson’s byline does not appear in the paper. That’s because Jan and her husband David have sold the Monitor to me and my wife, Jackie Dyer. We will publish the Moni… Read Article