If the passing of House Bill 259 doesn’t represent the warped and skewed priorities present in our state and federal governments nothing does. “Of, by and for the people” once again takes a back seat to the monetary interests of the few and our elected officials’ corporate masters. The working and less fortunate portion of […]

I sometimes wonder why my ancestors in South Carolina owned slaves before the Civil War. How could they possibly have not realized the horror and evil they inflicted upon others? Why did they not immediately correct their wrongdoing and free those who suffered under them? To the modern mind, the relative excuse that my ancestors […]

It seems all the Republican “wannabes” won in the November election. Even “their” President won in Montana. Even after 16 years they won the office of the governor! Now the special interest legislators are springing their surprises. Home construction owners don’t want individual cities to set rules regarding low income housing requirements. They lose dollars […]

Senate Bill 267: Authorizes bounty on wolves, disguised as reimbursement of expenses. House Bill 138: Legalizes trapping on private property without landowner permission. Senate Bill 314: Allows for the reduction of wolf population from 1200 to 150. House Bill 468: Allows hound hunting and chasing of black bears, outlawed since 1921. House Bill 225: Extends […]

Thirty percent of Montana is public land but, according to the Montana Wilderness Society, only 3.7% is protected as wilderness. In the United States, 12% of the land has some protected status. These places provide vital habitat for fish and wildlife, recreation and solitude, and clean water storage. Yet, wildlands everywhere are undergoing rapid change […]

By KATE BURNABY WRIGHT Guest columnist As spring’s fickle weather unfolds, these longer days offer fresh energy after a dark stretch of winter. South-facing walls in warmer pockets of the valley harbor the first tulips of the season, the COVID-19 vaccine is increasingly available, snowpack is near normal, and people are out walking snow-free paths. […]

My LTE against Senate Bill 379 was ready to send this morning (March 26) when I opened the paper to find the Chronicle’s excellent editorial against the “stick-it-to-the-ratepayers” bill. Thank you for taking the words right out of my mouth. There are just a few more things about this “worst-of-the worst” bills left for me […]

There’s a bill working its way through the Legislature that will change the rules for developing nuclear power in Montana. House Bill 273 aims to overturn Initiative 80, Montana’s law about building nuclear power plants in Montana. I-80 requires safety measures and gives Montana Citizens the right to vote yes or no if someone wants […]

Montana receives more federal dollars than we Montanans pay in federal taxes. The Republican controlled Montana Legislature can’t wait to spend the COVID-19 relief dollars to help supplement their cuts to the Montana budget although they are about to approve a budget of $12.6 billion. Sen. Daines wasn’t worried about the federal debt when he […]

The right to vote and express your opinion politically is important to all Americans and House Bill 406 goes directly against this. However, not all Americans have equal access to submitting an absentee ballot for their voices to be heard. Native Americans living on reservations or people in rural areas do not always have a […]