Opinion / Column
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 2230
Faith. Hope. And Charity
In a position where my organization — the Montana State University-Northern Foundation — relies on the generosity of others, I have been wondering, is generosity an innate characteristic or is it learned? Is it part of our... — Updated 12/16/2020
Legislature needs to use common sense to keep people safe
Nearly nine months into a pandemic, COVID-19 has impacted Montanans in every corner of the state. Nearly 800 Montanans have lost their lives to the virus and many others have gotten sick and are experiencing long term impacts that... — Updated 12/15/2020
We are better than this!
The communities of Havre/Hill County are better than our current behavior reflect. I think an apt comparison to our current situation is to compare our response to the Bear Paw/Beaver Creek fires a couple of years ago. This was an... — Updated 12/11/2020
View from the North 40: Hope summiting 2020 at 29,032 feet
In a time when American politics has been all about dueling realities, you’ll be happy — in a misery-loves-company kind of way — to know that it’s not just us. Nepal and... — Updated 12/11/2020
Looking out my Backdoor: The Rain in Spain - go away!
I’m a Sun Bunny. Sun worshipper. Sun seeker. For the past week if or when a tiny patch of sun parts the clouds, I rush out to sit, face raised toward the bounteous warmth,... — Updated 12/10/2020
The Postscript: Lower expectations
It is a year of lower expectations. Every year, there is a chorus of folks urging us to lower our expectations for the holidays — buy less, consume less, worry less about having... — Updated 12/9/2020
View from the North 40: It's like a fortune just flew in and poohed on my car
I am sitting on a gold mine or, more specifically, I’m fixin’ to hatch me a gold mine. Those stinkin’ pigeons in my barn that I’ve been complaining about for years? They cou... — Updated 12/4/2020
Looking out my Backdoor - From Big Sky to Big Earth
Perception is all. I love the Big Sky Country. I like to picture it this way: I stand and slowly turn a whole circle. When I look downward, I see the earth. When I look outward and... — Updated 12/3/2020
The Post Script: Big, ridiculous goal
My friend Anita is felting up a storm. Philip is cooking something new and posting a photo of it every day. Megan is reading Shakespeare on video, Jason is doing woodwork projects,... — Updated 12/2/2020
Program aims to increase Montana teachers
The Montana Rural Teacher Project is determined to solve Montana’s teacher shortage by paying Montanans to pursue a master’s in teaching and helping them land a job educating Montana’s future leaders. Public schools are the... — Updated 12/1/2020
Gianforte transition committee a warning on public lands access
Last week, Montana hunters and anglers got our first sense of the direction that Gov.-elect Greg Gianforte wants to take public land, access to critical hunting and sport fishing habitat, state parks and Montana’s $7.1 billion... — Updated 11/27/2020
View from the North 40: Put another saddle on the horsey, mate
That famous movie clip from “Man from Snowy River” showing the epic scene, with the hero launching his horse off the top of a mountain and galloping headlong down the... — Updated 11/27/2020
The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019
Editor, I respectfully request that Congress pass the Recognizing Motorsports Act, H.R. 5434/S. 2602, in 2020. The bipartisan RPM Act protects the right to convert an automobile or motorcycle into a race car used exclusively at... — Updated 11/25/2020
The Postscript: Working at gratitude
I have always loved Thanksgiving. I love that it is a holiday built around a full table and homemade treats. I love the recipes handed down on index cards that only get made once a... — Updated 11/25/2020
Clergy working to slow spread of COVID-19
We the undersigned clergy, representing diverse faith communities across the state of Montana, pledge to do all in our power to keep our congregations and communities healthy and safe in the midst of this pandemic. While we have... — Updated 11/24/2020
Word things – another casualty of 2020
I don’t remember not loving words. I could read and write before I entered school. Granted, it was pretty rudimentary stuff – because, y’know, I’m clever, but I’m not... — Updated 11/20/2020
COVID requires community action
The Montana Nurses Association continues to be incredibly proud of the Montana nurses serving our communities during the COVID pandemic. As they have done from the start, nurses are heroically serving at the front lines of the... — Updated 11/20/2020
Looking out my backdoor: I have nothing to say
Some weeks are like this. Nothing happens. My mind is either too restless to settle or too restful to notice. My son Ben and his girlfriend, Kristen, are recovering from the COVID... — Updated 11/19/2020
The Postscript: Freshly baked bread
“I’m going to bake bread!” my husband, Peter, announced. Inwardly, I said, “Oh, no.” Baking bread is not easy — until it is. Every person I know who bakes bread will... — Updated 11/18/2020
Well done, election officials
First off, I want to congratulate and thank our local county election officials for a job well done. All four of the counties in my district, Cascade, Chouteau, Liberty and Hill, have handled the new rules that were handed down... — Updated 11/17/2020
View from the North 40: The mad, mad world of things and stuff
A May 31, 2017, headline on NBCNews.com says, “One in Four Americans Has a Clutter Problem.” I know that’s true because my husband and I are related to every last one of ones... — Updated 11/13/2020
Looking out my Backdoor: The creature from the white lagoon
My son and his fiancé are both sick with the dread coronavirus. I had not heard from him so I hounded him, knowing something was wrong. Ben managed to send me a two line email... — Updated 11/12/2020
The Postscript: Dog celebrity
I am a celebrity among the neighborhood dogs. By now, I have been giving out dog treats on my daily walk for several months. If you think this has gone unnoticed among my town's... — Updated 11/11/2020
Connecting globally in a time of pandemic
Mike Mansfield of Montana was a Marine, a miner, and a professor even before he began his political career. He served as Senate majority leader, and later as ambassador to Japan from 1977 to 1988, placing high value on integrity... — Updated 11/10/2020
Chancellor's Update: Northern is making gains
Dear Northern, When I step back and look at all the things we have accomplished this semester, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can say with confidence that despite it all, we are making gains. We’ve seen our... — Updated 11/10/2020