Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 1143
This “Thank You” has been a long time in coming. Through the hot line, various people learned that a flower bed I planted in memory of my sister-in-law, had been damaged by someone or something. That ignited the giving of donations from people known and unknown, in support of, and kindness and appreciation for the flower beds. That list of people is long and I thank each and everyone of you for your generosity and caring. I am not the only one who plants along Hwy 83. Thank you all for those flower beds that are planted with love and care. Tha...
The recent spate of headlines about grizzly bear attacks and human-bear conflicts highlights the need for the federal government to return management of grizzlies to the State of Montana. Grizzly bears are still listed under the federal Engendered Species Act despite their populations having been recovered, robust, and growing in both the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) for years now. When grizzlies were listed on the Endangered Species Act, there was good reason for it, but the reality...
The Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) has reviewed the scoping notice for the North Seeley Wildland Urban Interface- Highway 83 Project #64580 proposed by the Seeley Lake Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest. The primary objective of the project is to reduce high intensity, stand replacing fire adjacent to private property and Highway 83 by thinning forest stands within the Wildland Urban Interface. This is appropriate considering the continuing risks of wildfire to the community of Seeley Lake. However, we found that the scoping...
As a past paramedic/firefighter I want to acknowledge another first responder that is rarely recognized or thanked. Recently one of our county newspaper articles had a thank you given only to the police, fire, and ambulance. We do not seem to value our tow truck drivers. They too face the horrors of every bad accident scene; get called out at all hours of the night and work in the worst weather, longer than the other 1st responders. More tow truck drivers are killed or injured every year on these calls than police or fire personnel. WHY?...
Congressman Zinke is fighting the battle against fentanyl by co-sponsoring a bill that puts Narcan- the overdose treatment for fentanyl-in hands of first responders. He’s done more work single-handedly in Washington D.C. since taking office to address the immediate health needs of the Blackfeet Nation than the entire Indian Health Service staff in the Washington D. C. and Montana Offices combined....
The 2023 legislative session wrapped up less than five months ago. Many bills don’t go into effect until October 1st of this year, January 1st of next year, or later. But several of the bills that became law this spring and summer are already having a noticeable impact in Montana. Perhaps the most stark example of this is prosecuting human trafficking. Before the 2023 Legislature, no one had ever been convicted under Montana’s old laws against human trafficking, with the outdated laws not providing law enforcement the tools they needed. That ch...
The federal Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 (CCCA) has been touted as a means to reducing the credit card interchange fees businesses pay to process credit card transactions. But as can often be the case, government schemes to intervene in free-market transactions inevitably create distortions, misaligned incentives, and unintended consequences. Unfortunately, the CCCA would create more problems than it purports to solve. Interchange fees aren’t just arbitrary costs. They cover a plethora of services: fraud protection, transaction f...
(Disclosure: Mullen is the owner of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder and several other local newspapers in western Montana. The Pathfinder is editorially independent from Mullen) Montana holds a special place in our hearts. It’s not only a place of breathtaking landscapes, rugged mountains, and endless horizons - it’s where I’ve built my life, my business, and where I’ve witnessed, time and time again, the strength and resilience of its people. I’m Jesse James Mullen, and I’m running to be your Secretary of State because I believe in Montana’s p...
It’s fairly common knowledge that Montana’s legislative branch of government is a citizen legislature that only meets in session for 90 business days every two years. While true, those facts often lead to misconceptions about the real nature of legislators’ work. In reality, the Legislature works year round. Being an effective legislator is much closer to full-time public service than a part-time job. Constituents regularly contact their elected representatives looking for assistance, asking about various laws, and pitching their ideas for f...
Democracy is about listening to people. To hear from Montanans, state Democrats this summer and fall are traveling across the state, holding well-publicized, public meetings to receive input directly from citizens about how their government can better serve them and help create opportunity for their families and businesses. Montanans deserve the chance to meet their citizen legislators face-to-face to discuss issues important to them, their families, and their communities. Our state has a long, important tradition of elected officials meeting w...
Health care policy is a perennially hot topic, and with good reason—it’s about the welfare of the people and how the nation takes care of its most vulnerable. When it comes to health care, few programs have been as transformative as Medicare Advantage, a public-private initiative that provides high-quality, low-cost health care for seniors and people with disabilities. In health care, consumer choice is paramount. While original Medicare offers a one-size-fits-all model that might not be optimal for every senior, Medicare Advantage plans provid...
During the past legislative session, the Montana Taxpayers Association was excited to support the Gianforte administration’s ideas that improved Montana’s tax systems and provided tax relief. We look forward to continuing that working relationship. However, unless the administration decides soon on the level of the State’s property tax collections, when tax bills go out this coming November the State of Montana could receive a windfall collection of 65 million dollars in ongoing property tax revenue. This windfall is in addition to the 22 mi...
Thank you for the article on the proposed expansion of Holland Lake Lodge and ardent opposition to the proposal to build a giant destination resort on the ecologically sensitive and pristine Holland Lake. We want to correct one portion of the article that says that members of Save Holland Lake agree that the U.S. Forest Service can keep its “process private.” Americans, Montanans, Save Holland Lake and others – like the Missoula County Commissioners – have urged the U.S. Forest Service, in order to restore trust in what has been a secreti...
Pharmaceutical patents are a key instrument that promote innovation in America. They provide a financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in research and development, and allow them to recover costs and make a profit once their medication hits the market. However, an alarming trend has emerged: companies are increasingly manipulating the patent system to create and extend monopolies on their drugs far beyond what is fair. This is not by any means what was intended when our patent system was created, and it has increasingly...
OK, armed and ready, I sat down with a computer, a postcard and letter from Governor Gianforte and two letters from his Revenue Department on how to get a property tax rebate. Logged on to website and bonk – What’s a geocode? Frustrated, I set the paperwork aside. Days later, thought I’d try again and Googled, “What is a Montana Geocode?” Good ole Google took me to a website with four pages of instructions on how to get the code necessary to complete an application for a tax rebate. Adding more paperwork to the pile, I found the 17-digit...
Across western Montana, people are being squeezed out of their homes and communities by rising prices. Teaching positions go unfilled – and no one is applying to fill them because a $40k salary - the high end of starting teacher salaries in Montana, doesn’t afford a home, even if you’re lucky to find a house for sale in rural places like Seeley Lake. The 2023 Montana GOP had a super-majority and a $2.9 billion surplus, thanks to federal democratic policies. Armed with power and money, the Montana GOP imposed a permanent tax increase on resid...
Matt Rosendale is the kind of proven conservative Montana needs in the race for the U.S. Senate against Jon Tester. As a group of committed conservative leaders and citizen legislators representing Montana, we are committed to our principles and the individuals who elected us. We are uniting our voices to encourage Matt Rosendale to enter the Montana Senate race. Congress has been drifting from our Constitutional principles for too long, leaving grassroots conservatives and everyday Americans feeling overlooked. The current bureaucratic party...
Anyone driving Montana’s highways knows the risk of colliding with deer and other wildlife. Hardly a mile goes by without the gruesome reminders of hit animals, broken bumpers, or smashed headlights scattered on the shoulder. According to the Bozeman-based Western Transportation Institute, collisions with wildlife can be reduced by up to 85 percent with the installation of wildlife crossing infrastructure such as fencing and under and overpasses. Such installations have been effective in several western states, including Nevada and Wyoming, as...
This is a huge shell game by Gianforte and the Republicans in Montana 1. Greg implies it is the fault of local governments that taxes are increasing. Yet Montana Republicans refuse to give local governments meaningful ways to increase revenue in the face of increasing costs other than through increasing our property tax. Of course taxes will continue to rise. 2. Greg states in this odoriferous letter that his rebate will ‘almost completely offset what residential taxpayers will pay over the next two years.’ There’s no way that the pitta...
Montanans have worked for decades to restore our state animal, the grizzly bear. We’ve come a long way in recovering grizzlies in their core habitats, the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone ecosystems, and beyond. That’s happened because of hard work by landowners, conservationists, hunters, state and federal wildlife officials, tribal interests and many more. That’s why it’s so unfortunate that our state legislature passed a bill this year allowing ranchers to kill grizzly bears on our public lands, just for being there....
Standing proudly at the corner of Highway 83 and Highway 200, appearing fresh and healthy, a newly painted “Big Cow” stands to greet those traveling past. Behind the bull’s unique and unforgettable stiffness lie softly rising hills that attract the eyes of most travelers. Still farther beyond these hills, on high snowy mountain peaks, are melting cold crystal water drops that form the headwaters of the iconic Blackfoot River. As the runoff moves down the mountains, the melting snow moves through the lush agricultural lands and wetlands of th...
I’ve been hearing some questions from Montanans who are grateful for the over $1 billion in one-time and ongoing tax relief passed by legislative Republicans, but also say they want to see the state make smart investments for the long term. The conservative budgeting from the legislature and resulting historic budget surplus allowed Republicans to do both tax relief and long-term planning. Here are some of the major investments we made that will pay dividends for years to come. • “Debt free in 2023.” The Legislature paid off the state’s...
“Montana was awarded $4,800,000 through the Federal 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) which included the Stronger Connections grant. This was a one-time-only grant through a competitive application process that was offered to our over 400 public school districts. Federal and state qualifications were met in spring of 2023 and funding awards were given to 25 school districts in July 2023. This Federal law, PL 117-159, which amended 20 U.S.C. § 7906 prohibits the use of many Federal education funds ‘for the provision to any pers...
As homeowners directly affected by the Highway 83 road construction, we would like to share some observations and comments about this project. The first observation is dust - we have a layer of dust on everything inside our house. We closed the blinds to minimize dust and now they are covered with fine sand, as are rugs, furniture and every surface in the house and garage. Outside, everything has been affected, including the dock, deck, patio furniture, beach toys and even trees. Second observation is the change being made to the natural shorel...
Too many vacation rentals. Banks buying houses. Committed and hardworking Department of Revenue staff. There are an awful lot of options for who and what to blame for the steep property tax appraisals that many of us received in the mail the last few weeks. But I’ll tell you about the best kept secret in Montana this summer...the Republican supermajority could have prevented this. Let’s look at how. Last week, I attended the Department of Revenue’s community meeting in Helena about our property tax appraisals. People were frustrated and had l...
