The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 327 - 351 of 393
A belated thank you to Michael Stansberry and his crew for cutting the big dead trees on Flesher Pass before someone was injured or killed - working on those step rocky slopes had to be challenging! Now my neighbors won’t be able to refer to driving over the pass as “running the gauntlet”! Mike Grimes Lincoln...
Who was in charge when: 1. Fast and Furious was implemented and thousands of guns were given to the Mexican drug cartels in hope they could be traced back to the U.S. gun dealers and then shut down gun sales in the U.S. A border agent was killed by one of the guns before the plot was discovered. The Attorney General in charge should be in jail instead of practicing law in California to protect illegal aliens. 2. The Benghazi massacre occurred and no military response was even...
I am so tired of reading the false and mean-spirited comments about former President Barack Obama. One doesn't have to like his policies or his person for whatever reason, but, after all, millions of people voted for him (twice), and millions of people still love and respect him for the good that he did do (no sense in making a list – he's out of office and deserves some peace, not everyone haggling over what he did or didn't accomplish.) Those of us who love him are e...
Parker Heinlein's recent column in the Bozeman Chronicle ("Fewer cowboys? Don't blame the American Prairie Reserve," Nov. 1) is a perfect example of the derisive attitude that has turned so many Montanans against the American Prairie Reserve (APR). How could anyone object, Heinlein wonders, to APR creating an "American Serengeti" in north-central Montana? After all, jobs in cattle country are low paying and antiquated, so why won't these people just step aside and let the APR...
Leaders of faith who support I-186, this is a job for the legislature. You Leaders of Faith should comment on the commandment “Thou Shalt not bear false witness.” It is your duty to remind us that this is God’s law. The desecration of this commandment in Judge Kavanaugh’s hearing is appalling Doris and Mike Dey...
Dear Editor Catherine Scott is not a personal friend of mine. She has not asked me to write this letter. I doubt she even knows this is my hometown. She certainly doesn't know (or care) that I tend to vote conservatively. I only know Catherine through her professional position at the Department of Justice, where she exercises considerable professional judgment. I review her work product at least weekly in order to make legal decisions affecting my clients. I have observed...
The Montana Department of The American Legion, at its annual Fall Conference of the Executive Committee in Helena, Oct. 27, unanimously voted to oppose Initiative 185 (I-185). The Initiative would raise taxes on cigarettes from $1.70 per pack to $3.70 per pack. The Montana Department Commander, Richard Klose of Laurel said; "Our members' concerns are multiple. The greatest issue is the negative impact this Initiative would have on future funding of our veteran homes....
Letter to the Editor, Catherine Scott is exactly the person we need to represent House District 80, a diverse part of Montana covering over 2900 square miles. Serving in the legislature is no easy task. I feel confident that with Catherine having over 26 years of experience in law enforcement and public service, including her current job as an investigator for Montana's Dept. of Justice, that she is up to the task. As she is a skilled investigator as well as a Certified Fraud...
Montana is special. That's why my wife, Susan, and I raised our four kids here. It's why we started a business here in our home – one that created hundreds of high-paying, Montana jobs. And it's why I ran for Congress – to protect our Montana way of life. I'm honored to serve as your lone voice in the U.S. House of Representatives. It's a responsibility I take very seriously. The only way I know to do this job is stay connected with Montanans where we live, work and rec...
A recent letter in the BVD expounded the virtues of Jon Tester and the supposed foibles of Matt Rosendale. If you watch TV, one side says one thing, the other side another. Unless you have followed said issues with a microscope how do you know which side is lying? Of course, you have the faction out there who believe what "their" party reports whether it be true or not. I have letters (probably form letters) from Tester telling me how he will support the 2nd Amendment and...
As a citizen of Lincoln, I understand the value of having good law enforcement that knows our whole county, including the smaller communities. Sheriff Dutton and his wife have invested in our area by attending events, joining the Sportsmanship Club and being here for us during fires, floods and earthquakes. I have noticed when he comes to town for meetings, he spends time slowing down traffic on the highway in front of our school. All his actions are guided by his commitment...
Becky Beard who is running for re-election for House District 80 has solid experience as a one-term legislator. I served seven terms in the house and the first term is a real learning experience. Montana State government is so large it is hard to learn in one term. I feel experienced legislators do a better job in understanding the bills and making laws. Term limits have not been good for the Montana Legislature. I will vote for experience in voting for Becky Beard. I'm...
We are a group of pastors and faith leaders from many different perspectives across our great state of Montana writing to express our strong support for Initiative I-186 which is called Yes for Responsible Mining. The purpose of this initiative is to give our state the power to deny any new hardrock metal mining (eg..gold/silver/copper) permits that would create permanent water pollution. This does not apply to coal, oil, or gas operations. This initiative is important and...
Montana's mining industry is a bright spot in our state economy. While our state has been facing growing concerns about declining tax revenue and budget shortfalls, mining continues to be one of the largest employers and taxpayers in our state-supporting over 12,000 jobs and generating nearly $200 million in revenue for Montana. But environmental groups like the Montana Environmental Information Center have introduced a ballot initiative (I-186) that will effectively stop all...
I was deeply distressed by Dave Carroll's comments in his Mountain Musings column in the October 3 BVD. He begins with "all politics aside," and then proceeds to slam the Democrats for "abusing, degrading, and humiliating the family and person of Brett Kavanaugh." He must have missed the President of the United States doing those very things to Dr. Ford in a childish, shameful, untruthful rant that should make everyone cringe! Mr. Carroll didn't even mention Christine Ford...
Lincoln First Responders and pilots at the Lincoln Airport have been working to get improvements in place that will allow flight operations in inclement weather. Representative Becky Beard has been very helpful. She has traveled to Lincoln and met several times with stakeholders. Montana aviation industry representatives are preparing a bill for the 2019 Legislative session to increase funding for the Montana Aeronautics Division (MAD) that owns the Lincoln Airport. With increased MAD funding the odds are better that the...
As a Veteran, I am honored that this country is so dedicated to supporting those of us who have served. It's clear that this nation's commitment to help our veterans is natural and automatic. It's part of our creed, built into our culture and is one of many things that makes America so great. It's unfortunate when this instinct is taken advantage of by special interests who use veterans as political props to sway voters to support bad laws. This is exactly what's happening in...
Imagine a ballot initiative that would give every citizen in Montana $1,000 each year. That initiative would be very popular and would likely pass. But with a $1 billion price tag, it would result in a serious deficit for our state budget and require massive tax increases or cuts to other services. The authors of our Montana Constitution were wise to prevent these types of situations from occurring. Monetary appropriations by ballot initiative allow special interests to use...
On September 28, 2018, Montana Senator Jon Tester announced that he was voting "no" for Judge Kavanaugh for Supreme Court Justice. The FBI hasn't even started their investigation yet. A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Tester has already found him guilty. His vote has nothing to do with Kavanaugh's innocence or guilt. He was appointed by Trump, so Tester is being an obstructionist and he is following Chuck Schumer's orders. If he goes against Schumer's orders,...
I want to call your attention to Andy Shirtliff, a candidate for Public Service Commission. Andy will bring a combination of new energy and solid experience to the PSC. He will focus on unleashing a diversity of Montana energy rather than favoring only one source of energy. Andy served for five years as a Small Business Advocate for the Montana Governor's Office of Economic Development. During that time Andy worked relentlessly with business owners and potential new business...
Now this is getting RIDICULOUS!!!! In case any of you are asleep I mean Kavanaugh confirmation. How far back do we go? How many of you out there, (siblings, cousins, Moms, Dads, Grandparents and so forth), when you were babies were not bathed, slept, taught or shared clothes together? Can this not also be considered inappropriate? It's time for all 535 members of congress to disclose all their history to child birth!! And unless you lived in a glass house since child birth...
Montana is a state in which 10 percent of our population are veterans, a high percentage are 65 years of age or older. While serving in the Montana Legislature, Matt Rosendale supported privatizing the Columbia Falls Veteran's Home. He also opposed a new veteran's home in Butte. Montana is about 1/3 federal public lands, over 27 million acres. Real estate developer Rosendale is on record advocating transferring these federal public lands to the state, which could then be...
Just west of our little ranch on North Willow Creek lies a town that once burst at the seams with mines and miners. Pony, Montana, boasted 5,000 people, banks, bars, schools, churches and a rail line. Mines with romantic names like Boss Tweed and Clipper dotted the hills above town. Between the 1870s and the 1920s, millions of dollars of gold came out of the hills. After the 1920s, when the gold played out, so did the people. Today, our little town upstream of the ranch has one heck of a fun bar and fewer than 200 really...
Montana’s children are off to a new school year and the excitement of learning. Children need and deserve to learn in a safe environment. When children are bullied in schools, it makes them feel unsafe and makes learning (and life) harder. The children doing the bullying need help too. Knowing this, the Montana Legislature passed the Bully-Free Montana Act in 2015 when I introduced this law to stop bullying in Montana’s schools. Because I carried this legislation, I am frequently contacted by citizens regarding bullying sit...
