Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Bravo Blaine! Hit the nail on the head for all the silent majority. I am visiting from California and read your article with great interest. I could only wish that Californians shared the same moral values as Montanans. Larry Kroepel, San Diego, California...
In June, I celebrated four years of being a business owner. I bought The Ledger in 2017, a month after I turned 37. A friend's mom reminded me then that I had told her in high school one day I was going to come back and buy The Ledger. I always had a dream in the back of my mind of owning a newspaper one day, but I wasn't really ready until all the pieces fell together in 2017. I was the last of Generation X, born in 1980. As I was getting ready to graduate high school, there was no question about whether or not I'd go to college. Cellphones...
Somebody help me out and explain, what, in today’s climate, is not racist? This isn’t intended as a rhetorical question. I’d really be curious to hear an honest, yet logical, answer to that question from one of our so-called “progressive liberals” (I believe these people’s logic is actually regressive but a topic for another column). The news is full of events and circumstances that are referred to as “racist” that I never would have remotely considered. Quite frankly, I don’t see how the peopl...
Slow down. Do we need another dollar store? Probably not. The one we have is quite nice. I hope the residents of this area will continue to support the one we have, and not make a corporation bigger. There used to be approximately four or five ranches east of Thompson Falls, now it looks like Reserve Street in Missoula. It will probably continue to get worse. Dennis Lyght, Thompson Falls...
The Ledger is always thrilled to see the creation of Little Free Libraries like the one mentioned in our June 17 edition. Our community (and society as a whole) should also be pleased. Why so much hype about such a small thing? The need for and continued use of these small, free, nonprofit book exchanges prove that reading is important. We are fortunate enough to live in a country where we can read what we want. Many of us have access to unrestricted internet and free public libraries. Imagine living somewhere that limited access to books,...
Of all the troubling issues that have surfaced in the past year, the idea of private funding of government military operations is close to the top of my list. Specifically, I am talking about a million-dollar gift from Tennessee billionaire Willis Johnson to the state of South Dakota to cover the costs of Gov. Kristi Noem sending National Guard troops to Texas to help “secure” the U.S.-Mexican border. Was Noem acting in accordance with the law in committing her troops to Texas? Yes. States are...
A friend recently reminded me about the Olympics coming up. He had been watching the Olympic Trials on television and was in awe of these athletes. They have trained their whole lives for these brief moments in Tokyo starting July 23. That dedication and commitment to their sports and to having that chance to compete for Team USA is unmatched by many athletes. It's not something many of us can compare anything to, for that matter. We'll all gather around our televisions and streaming devices later this summer to catch a glimpse at the...
Early this year, I made some predictions regarding what I expected under a Biden presidency. I just reviewed that article and found it interesting how many of those predictions have already come true. I thought mine was going to be a four-year forecast. I was wrong. The Biden administration has exceeded my low expectations. I set the bar at ground level, and they’ve managed to burrow under it. Let’s review just a few of the most recent examples. A curious reader can confirm the following wit...
We are all pretty much sick of politics, I think. At least I am, but I have been for quite some time, since Y2K, in fact. The shenanigans of those who govern us, from county commissioners to Senators, are as entertaining as they are disturbing. Altruism is not a common trait in the halls of government, while self-service and acrimony are. There is good news, though. Q-Anon is fading. Their prophecies have proven false and their proselytizing for belief in the “deep state” is waning quickly. It’s hard to hold up an idea that has shown itself unb...
My mom and I went to a few garage sales last weekend. I ended up getting a few things I probably didn't really need. After going through my own things to contribute to our church's garage sale this weekend, I was trying not to take more stuff home. More than searching for those amazing finds and deals, trekking to yard sales is a fantastic social event. We saw people last weekend that we hadn't seen in quite a while. I hadn't driven past the fire station up Cherry Creek Road in a couple of years, and it was amazing to see the new houses and...
Editor: During June, which is National Healthy Homes Month, I would like to commend three local entities for providing housing that is healthier, safer and cleaner because they are going tobacco-free. A few years ago, Sanders County Community Housing Organization (SCCHO) adopted a smoke-free, tobacco-free policy for their duplexes in Plains. Tobacco use is not allowed in the housing units, as well as on the properties. This limits the exposure of other tenants to the harmful chemicals in secondhand and thirdhand commercial tobacco smoke. There...
Remember the recount of the presidential ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona? Well apparently, they’re going to finish it in Montana at a mystery location near Bigfork. I’d like to think that it’s because in Montana we don’t need to take off our boots to count past 10, but I can’t say for sure. Anyway, the recount was initiated by the Arizona Senate — the Republican part — and they used $150,000 of their taxpayers’ money to hire a firm out of Florida named Cyber Ninjas. I must say they do spr...
That old saying "turn that frown upside down" has been on my mind a lot lately. There are many ways to say it, including seeing the glass half full or half empty. We make hundreds of choices. We choose to get up every day. We choose to go to work or stay home. We choose what television programs or news to watch. We choose to be positive and smile, or we choose to be negative and complain about the world around us. I've always been one of those people who believes the best in others and thinks that the world is generally a good place. Being...
When I sat down tonight in front of the keyboard, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I’m sick of politics. Biden and Harris are screwing things up at such a record pace, that it’s hard to stay current. Besides, there’s really no point in overstating the obvious. I wanted to focus on something else this time. I’ve been collecting quotes for years, so I decided to check there to see if I might find some inspiration. There has never really been any criteria for the quotes I collect...
Some time ago I threw in my two-cents’ worth on the controversial topic of “critical race theory.” Since then, across the U.S., more states and local school boards have jumped in with efforts to forbid the topic in school curricula. As I said previously, I disagree with the theory’s basic tenets as I understand them, but I think legislation against it is the wrong move. Forbidding things generally increases publicity and stirs up more controversy. Look what happens when individual book titles are banned. But publicity isn’t the main issue her...
In last week’s Question of the Week, we asked what type of activities people would like to see in the area. Several said live music. A variety of musical talent has been visiting The Rex recently. On Thursday, Tylor and the Train Robbers, a band from Boise, played at The Rex Theater. Though it wasn’t a packed house, the band members played their hearts out and made each of those 70 people feel like it was a sold-out show. Their energy and storytelling was amazing. They had people dancing up front and got a standing ovation. When it was ove...
“That few in public affairs act from a mere view of the good of their country, whatever they may pretend; and though their actings (sic) bring real good to their country, yet men primarily considered that their own and their country’s interests were united and so did not act from a principle of benevolence. “That fewer still, in public affairs, act with a view to the good of all mankind.” That was written in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, and as you can see, not much has changed. Nor had much ch...
Last weekend, we had a lot to celebrate in Sanders County. The remaining graduates received their diplomas. The weather was sunny and warm. Most people had a long weekend to enjoy with their families camping, traveling and gathering. There were also celebrations of freedom throughout the county. Memorial Day isn't just about the start of summer and the countdown to the last days of school and the long weekend. Community members gathered at local cemeteries to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving our country. Along with...
I got a call from my buddy the other day that had me cracking up and provided the topic for this week. Before I explain why I laughed so much, I have to provide a little background. My friend Cody is a no-nonsense, straight forward, plain spoken kind of guy. What you see is what you get and that’s one of the many things I admire about him. You’re never left wondering where Cody stands on an issue, or, where you stand with him. When I first started this column, Cody bought me a bumper sti...
This week, the first Sanders County seniors will become graduates of the Class of 2021. When we create our graduation supplement each year, it's amazing to read the future plans for each of the students. Though they are all members of small communities in northwest Montana, they all have different aspirations. When I was graduating, I said I wanted to major in journalism and computer science. I followed through on the journalism. As I look back, I'm not sure where the computer science piece came from. Maybe it was my love of MacGyver. For...
In 2014, I opened a Facebook account. I was taking a job overseas, where I thought communication would be a problem. Although I’m kind of a “technophobe,” my grandkids were in their early teens and I wanted to stay in touch. It seemed like a good idea at the time. At first, I really liked Facebook. I was able to keep up with the grandkids and really appreciated all the photos sent to me. However, as time passed, I saw what I believed to be a sinister side of the technology. I finally stopped using Facebook when I saw so many of the conversation...
Letter to the Editor I am writing today to send out thanks to the beautiful ladies at the Reflections Academy and I thought that the community should hear this shout out to the girls and the staff. I had the privilege of working with several of the students during the course of my two-year position as the Exalted Ruler (President) of the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls. The girls come in and work hard, always with a smile on their face and with grace and manners. I wish we could bottle their work ethic and energy! The staff at...
“When I was a boy, I was told that anybody could become President; I’m beginning to believe it.” – Clarence Darrow Dick Vinson, Thompson Falls...
Fairness is not a partisan issue. Fairness is the goal of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act currently being considered in the United States Congress. The bill has bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. H.R. 1735 / S.673 is critically important to protecting the future of high-quality, local journalism in Montana and across our nation. Support is growing for the legislation, yet much more needs to be done before it can become law. This bill would make negotiations for fair compensation possible...
Last week I read the transcript of a New York Times podcast with longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz. It gave me hope, not because Luntz was changing his politics, but because he was worried for the future of our country because of the divisiveness and bitterness between political factions which he, in part, has helped to fashion. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he doesn’t see a way out of it. Luntz has been very good at what he does, which is not just conducting polls on who...
