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Independently owned since 1905
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Here we are, less than a week away from Christmas, and it feels like the feelings are changing. The energy was stressful in our office on Monday, and many people were feeling that way. Employees were out sick. People were rushing to get packages mailed. One friend stopped in my office and said he wished he could just take a long nap and wake up in January. I felt that as well. I joked with my staff that we were going to reward ourselves every time someone with a UPS package to ship came in and wasn't stressed out or frustrated. The holidays...
Remember the “scenery tax”? We used to joke that it was the tax we paid in the form of low incomes for living in a place as remote and beautiful as Montana. Well, now we are paying higher property tax because our scenery has become a marketable commodity for the people who have been buying up our state. Scenery is a real factor in the increase in home values and property taxes. But how do you value something like location? The market is a pretty good way to do that. Buyers value scenery and are...
“LET THEM BELLS RING” Kudos to Frank Robirts! Your last week letter shouts out the TRUTH! You should be on the cover of Time Magazine. Sincerely, Colleen Hinds, Heron...
Dear editor, Praise is in order to Plains Mayor Joel Banham and the city council for their timely investigation and public clearing of Plains Police Chief Brian Josephson of any wrong doing. I worked with Brian Josephson for a number of years when I was in law enforcement and he was one of the most upright, honest and competent officers I have known. His commitment to the community and upholding the law in a fair and efficient manner has always been unwavering. Plains is very lucky to have Brian as its chief and I hope he is not deterred by...
I'm probably getting a lump of coal in my stocking or a glitter bomb on my car for saying this, but I haven't put up one Christmas decoration this year. I'm doing some holiday-ish things here and there by putting together an Advent devotional book for church and a couple of garlands up at The Ledger. However, the holidays seem to be sneaking up on me and there's still so much to get done. My next-door neighbors have a fantastic larger than life reindeer in their front yard with a light shining on it at night. Going to work in the early morning...
I'm probably getting a lump of coal in my stocking or a glitter bomb on my car for saying this, but I haven't put up one Christmas decoration this year. I'm doing some holiday-ish things here and there by putting together an Advent devotional book for church and a couple of garlands up at The Ledger. However, the holidays seem to be sneaking up on me and there's still so much to get done. My next-door neighbors have a fantastic larger than life reindeer in their front yard with a light shining on it at night. Going to work in the early morning...
Dear Editor, After reading the response to my letter by Mr. Thompson, I feel compelled to respond myself. First off, I would like to thank all Mr. Thompson’s relatives, my relatives and all other veterans for their service to our country. In addressing your perception of me being negative in my letter, I think it is ironic because all I did was state facts that are a matter of record about the president-elect. Talking about negative, from the president-elect’s supporters, for the last four years (eight really) all I’ve seen is slogans like...
I’ve lately confessed to enjoying the writings of Loren Eiseley. If you haven’t gotten one of his books and started reading (have a dictionary handy), I may not be doing my job. My job — sometimes — is to encourage my audience, small as it might be, to think for themselves, as opposed to letting someone else think for them. It might be more work, but it’s a critical component of personal freedom. Eiseley thought for himself. Something I like about Eiseley is that he doesn’t tell his readers how it is; he tells how he sees it. He knew that not e...
Neighborly November! Neighborly love is a beautiful thing. It makes approaching your home more lovely, with fond memories of the people with who you come into contact regularly. You have a bit of comfort in that should you find yourself in a pickle, you can knock on the door, be greeted with a smile and a hand, and being ready to be that person to the neighbors is a great feeling. It is good form for all, to be good neighbors. With so much change in the valley there are bound to be some growing pains but in the end, we are all so blessed to be...
If you've learned anything about me from my nearly 8 years as a newspaper publisher, I hope it's how much I care about our communities. On Monday, I had breakfast with a friend in Plains and was telling him how I definitely feel obligated to do a good job in my role of keeping Sanders County informed. I grew up here. My family is still here. Though I say I want to retire to Maine, I'll probably be here in Sanders County forever. When I interviewed TFHS alum Tracy Ward about taking over the Sanders County Christmas Bazaar, she expressed some of...
It is 2011, and the Association of State Democratic Chairs is having one of its quarterly meetings. Chuck Herz, Chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party, raises his hand to be recognized and rises to speak: “There is one important minority that the Democratic Party is ignoring,” he says, “the white working man.” This statement is received with uncomfortable silence until the next speaker stands up and the subject is changed. Chuck was not a white working man, Yale educated and a former executi...
Read with interest Jim Elliott's November 21 column regarding personality disorders. While I am not certain he was writing about the President Elect, that is the impression I took from it. (Gosh I had no idea one could become an authority on something by reading Good Housekeeping magazine. Why spend 8 plus years in medical school and tens of thousands of dollars?) I couldn't help but noticing Mr. Elliott's notation that he spent 16 years in the Montana Legislature, so maybe he recognizes the disorder. Although I would have to agree with him to...
Dear Editor: After reading your news concerning the petition filed with the Fish and game commission that opposes motors on boats in the Bull River, I obtained a copy of the petition by Paul Overman of Heron, MT. In reading the petition, it bans all motors and imposes a "no-power use" rule on the Bull River. There is no distinction between electric motors and any power motors in the petition. I have lived here on the Bull River, above where the East Fork comes in for 38 years now, and I have a 9 foot boat with a 1.5 hp motor, very small. No...
Dear Editor: After reading your news concerning the petition filed with the Fish and game commission that opposes motors on boats in the Bull River, I obtained a copy of the petition by Paul Overman of Heron, MT. In reading the petition, it bans all motors and imposes a "no-power use" rule on the Bull River. There is no distinction between electric motors and any power motors in the petition. I have lived here on the Bull River, above where the East Fork comes in for 38 years now, and I have a 9 foot boat with a 1.5 hp motor, very small. No...
When I found out we’d be staying with family in Santa Fe for Thanksgiving, I thought I’d get loads of reading done: I wouldn’t have to make dinner or do dishes, and we’d be driving to the airport, flying, driving again…so much reading time; huzzah! Instead, I watched a Hallmark Christmas movie on the flight, fought Pokemon battles with my kiddos, and lazed around in bed as we all recovered from a virus. There was little to no reading happening. Still, I managed to read fourteen books in November, nine of which were four stars or better. H...
Last week (November 12) in Helena, legislative leadership was elected for the Montana House of Representatives, where I serve. Brandon Ler was elected Speaker of the House, Steve Fitzpatrick was elected as House Majority Leader and Katie Zolnikov was elected as Speaker Pro Tempore. Within two days after that, House leadership made their committee assignments. I was selected to serve as Chairman of the House Taxation Committee again in the 2025 legislative session. I was also assigned to the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks Committee, Energy,...
This month I was asked to participate in the post election audit process for the county. I’ve been on the other side of the table for every part of local elections, observing everything from voting machine testing to ballot counting by machine and hand counts, to recounts and audits. But I’ve never been anything more than an observer. With the post election audit, the Secretary of State’s office literally rolls a dice to determine which races and which precincts will be hand counted. Then the local elections office has election workers sit i...
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is how everyone practices gratitude. For some people, it’s Thirty Days of Gratitude, and they will name one thing every day they’re thankful for, with no overlap. For others, they say just one thing they’re grateful for before tucking into their Thanksgiving Day meal. Gratitude is so often underrated. We practice it only when reminded by a holiday that’s effectively the celebration of an oppressed people. But gratitude as a daily practice can be so healthy. After my miscarriages, when I was in a deep pi...
I’ve always found Mr. Jim Elliott’s articles in the “Montana Viewpoint” section interesting, though not for the reasons one might expect. It’s not because he offers any particularly insightful perspective on Montana or shares any meaningful wisdom from Sanders County-Trout Creek. In fact, Mr. Elliott’s viewpoints rarely, if ever, align with the views held by most of the Trout Creek community—about three-quarters of whom would likely disagree with him. What’s clear is that his commentary is consistently slanted and partisan. Given his backg...
As Black Friday and Travel Tuesday approach, the buzz around travel deals and exclusive perks grows louder. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement, hoping to score the vacation of your dreams at a bargain price. But the reality is that most of these deals—offering perks like cruise credits, pre-paid gratuities, or specialty dining for two—do not deliver massive savings. In most cases, they amount to maybe a couple of hundred dollars off. Cruise lines and Resorts are masters of marketing, often shifting their incentives to create the illus...
Donald Trump made history in three ways this month when he defeated Kamala Harris for the presidency. First, some news sources say he might have scored the greatest political comeback in U.S. history: he's only the second man to win the presidency in non-consecutive terms, and the only Republican to do it. The first man to get two non-consecutive victories was Democrat Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving first from 1885 to 1889. He then lost to Benjamin Harrison, one of the last Civil War veterans in the...
Sometimes we run into people who have mental health problems that are difficult for family members or society to deal with. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is one of them. Here are parts of an article from Good Housekeeping magazine on the subject. Perhaps you may know of or have even voted for someone with this disorder. (Disclosure: I once earned money by selling Good Housekeeping magazine subscriptions door-to-door.) source: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relation...
In response to the negative letter concerning the election results, it only adds to the division which exists in this country now. You talked about veterans like that gave you the right to judge Trump. Let's see - my grandpa Henry served in WWI. My uncle Bunell stormed the beaches of Normandy during WWII and miraculously survived. My uncle Maynard was killed in the Korean War. My father Richard (Dick) Thompson was in the Navy in teh South Pacific during WWII. Uncle Jerry served in Korea, brother Bob was in the Air Force and I was a MP in the...
The current Church Street Emergency Water Main Replacement (CSEWMR) encompassing construction from Big Horn Drive to 4th Avenue began the week of November 4th. Residents traveling Church Street in this area are encountering one lane traffic. Fourth Avenue has been closed, so alternately using 5th Avenue or streets below 4th Avenue are the options. The weeks of November 11th and 22nd are projected to continue up to Big Horn Drive. During this time of visible digging, they will also be screening the backfill material and plan to tentatively...
I only made it to one Veterans Day event with it being on Monday, but it was still an endearing day. Thompson Falls High School put on a lovely assembly with the choir and band. They also served lunch to veterans and their families. I was impressed with the students who helped serve the veterans their meal. There probably was a bit of coaching from school staff, but they thanked each veteran for their service as they served their meal. More students then came in to sit amongst the veterans during the performances. I heard students again...
