Opinion
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View from the North 40: With deepest sorrow …
Early this week my husband and I had to say goodbye to the best dog ever. Cooper was complex, unceasingly faithful, funny, a bit of jerk, neurotic, sweet and adored by many fans and loved ones. He...
Letter to the Editor - Help us get counted
Editor, I am writing to remind the Havre community of the importance of the 2020 Census, with the hope that those of you who have not yet completed the Census may learn of its significance, especially in our rural communities. Growing up in a rural...
Looking out my backdoor: The 'real' meaning of life and other silliness
When I sit at a blank page with no idea what I want to write, I go through who, what, when, where and how of the past several days to see what might pop up and out. My life is simple. I read a lot. A...
Five bankruptcies, a dodged bullet, and lessons for voters
During six years of my service in the Montana Senate and all eight years of my service on the Montana Public Service Commission, I had a ring-side seat with four major bankruptcies that had huge impacts on Montana residents, and I helped Montana...
Does legal marijuana have unanticipated consequences?
Here in Montana, we are granted the right to vote on ballot initiatives once they clear a number of hurdles, including having the related petition garner enough qualifying signatures. Not achieved, however, is the ability to hold public hearings on...
The Postscript:Mouse wars
My husband, Peter, is now at war with the mice. The mice (possibly with the assistance of a rat or two) have eaten the electrical wiring in our car, causing extensive damage. The coating on the wires...
Montana is ready to vote by mail
The recent lawsuit alleging that Montana’s mail-in elections are risky discredits Montana’s election administrators. Montanans can vote safely and securely by mail in this election and every election. More than 70 percent of Montana ballots cast...
It's just my annual fall thing
“I looooove fall. It’s my faaaavorite time of year ... all the colors, the cool temps, the blah blah blah.” If words were one-hundreds — $100 bills that is — I could retire off the number...
School - coronavirus - heightened emotions
Nowadays, it is difficult to know when to stick your neck out and fight for what you believe in. We ask you, are your kids worth fighting for? As the days pass, with what doesn’t seem to be much of a plan for adding more days of in-person...
Looking out my backdoor: Why I'm not a real writer
Several years ago I attended a prestigious writers’ conference in Seattle. It was time. I was committed. I paid a bundle. The conference offered a chance to mingle with real writers, to talk with...
The Postscript: Being Blue
Blue had been through a rough patch. He was adopted from the shelter and then returned for unspecified reasons. That’s when Bill met him. Blue is an Italian mastiff — which means he is massive,...
View from the North 40: Four-legged family is still family
According to current popular standards, I should be referring to my animals as “fur-babies,” but we don’t share that kind of relationship. My critters aren’t my children and I’m not their mo...
Letter to the Editor - We are all in these times together
Editor, In these days of racial tensions, I must speak of my multiracial family. All of my children have Black heritage. All have Native American heritage, all have Gros Ventre ancestors. Some are enrolled at Fort Belknap. Some are enrolled Crows....
Bennett is the right candidate for secretary of state
A recent Billings Gazette editorial, “Stapleton Shows Why He Is Unfit for Any Office” is right on target. What it doesn’t say is: his second in command is just as incompetent. Christi Jacobsen has been Corey Stapleton’s deputy secretary of...
Looking out my backdoor: Topsy and turvy
Last week, Crin wrote that she saw two full moons. I shrugged. That fits. The earth is flat, thank you, Pam. And the sun gallops around the earth at an unprecedented rate. The world and all its people...
The Postscript: Gladiolas
Yesterday, I bought gladiolas. They are nearly three feet tall and bright fuchsia. It is safe to say they are the most exciting thing to appear at my desk in ages. When I walked in the front door, my...
Letter to the Editor - Kiwanis Pancake Feed canceled
The Kiwanis Club of Havre regrets to announce that we will not be holding our annual Pancake Day this fall. We feel that the risks to public safety outweigh the benefit to be gained from holding the event. We do plan on holding it again next year,...
Hard to give justice to all in one Senate district
Over the past couple of weeks, I have taken advantage of social distancing guidelines and had a chance to get out and truly experience the great outdoors of my Montana Senate district. It has been an eye-opening experience. A real quick idea of the...
Grow Montana, create good jobs
Here in Montana, production agriculture is a way of life. From Sidney to Havre, folks all across our state make a living working the land day-in and day-out to support their families and put food on our tables. My great-grandfather was one of those...
View from the North 40: The Earth as we know it ... or not
Contrary to my grade school learnin’, Europeans of the Middle Ages did not think that Earth was flat only to be proven wrong by one Christopher Columbus, no, the Flat Earthers didn’t really get...
Letter to the Editor - Lawmakers saving Postal Service is critical
Editor, I have been reading with interest the news articles about the disruption of the U.S. Postal Service over the last week. I rely on the USPS to deliver several of my life-saving medications. The latest attempts by Postmaster General DeJoy and...
Looking out my backdoor: Anything worth doing is worth doing badly
I don’t know why so many of my life’s lessons seem to require humiliation. Learning has always come easily to me, book learning, that is. And in the grand scheme of things, I don’t think book...
Rosendale plans to subdivide your hunting heritage
Heads up Montanans, we’ve got a multimillionaire developer from Maryland trying to sell our hunting and fishing spots so that he and his buddies can turn a quick profit. Maryland Matt Rosendale is back for another try at elected office — his...
Don't shortchange the Census
I know we can all agree that 2020 has been a challenging year — perhaps the most challenging year in a long time for many of us. This year is also important for many reasons, including that the federal government is conducting the 2020 decennial...
The Postscript: The two women told me about the bear when I was on my hike
They were on trail bikes and saw the bear in the direction I was headed. “It was scary!” one of the women said. We were all a little nervous. There had been a bear attack just a few weeks earlier...
