The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 377 - 393 of 393
Dear Editor: President Trump wants to drain the swamp. What lives in the swamp? Leeches, they only suck blood (money) and contribute nothing. In the real world they are called Democrats....
I would like to reiterate the comments of Dennis Conkle in the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch’s May 9, 2018 paper about wood cutters and gatherers keeping the roads and ditches clear of all brush and logs at the end of your wood gathering. Road maintenance is contagious. My husband’s and my experience with wood gatherers on Moon Drive is unfortunately disappointing. Many gatherers leave brush and sticks and logs in the road and in the ditches which we must clear. This hampers snowplowing efforts and on one occasion caused a fri...
Montana Senator Jon Tester ruined a mans reputation by taking a handful of rumors and running to CNN without first verifying their validity. A professional would have went to the committee and brought up the rumors. In a commercial, Tester holds up eight fingers. That stands for eight years that he hid from view under Obama. He voted as Harry Reid demanded and now he follows Chuck Shumer’s lead. His votes have no concern for Montana’s needs or wants. In another commercial, a group of ‘hopefully’ veterans brag about all the...
I do not know if this community really knows how fortunate & lucky we all are that we have so many dedicated Ambulance & Fire Volunteers. They are on call 24-7. I hope people realize these volunteers drop everything to respond. There are many breakfasts, family dinners & family activities they miss to serve the Lincoln Community and help the Helmville volunteers. I am not sure we could have a viable community if we did not have our Medical Center, Ambulance & Fire Facilities. I hear that someday soon the older ambulance will...
A poll on public lands from the University of Montana generated quite a bit of controversy recently. In fact, most of the poll was a yawner-it found Montanans really like our public land, want more public input on its management, and recognize that it benefits our economy. In other news, Montanans strongly support mom and apple pie too. Really only one question generated all the controversy. It had to do with Wilderness Study Areas has been criticized as being slanted and misl...
Governor Bullock and his surrogates, most recently Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney, have been pushing the narrative that Republicans are the ones to blame for Montana’s short-term budget problems. The Montana Legislature has only one constitutional requirement and that is to establish a balanced budget. It first starts with estimating revenue for the next budget cycle. The legislative staff works with the Governor’s budget office and spends many hours working to establish a re...
In the past few months, judicial and regulatory bodies alike have concluded that the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes Water Compact is unquestionably the best way to secure existing water rights for the use of future generations of Montanans. The CSKT Water Compact is an agreement negotiated and enacted by the State of Montana to ensure the equitable use of Montana’s water resources and protect the existing water rights of Montanans both on and off the Flathead Indian Reservation. Without the Compact, the CSKT are, by s...
The week of April 21 thru 29 marks National Parks Week, a time to celebrate the natural wonders and unique cultural heritage our Parks protect and put on display. This year’s National Parks Week couldn’t come at a more opportune time—that’s because right now proposals in Congress to dedicate funding for deferred maintenance in the National Parks are gaining momentum. It is appearing likely that Congress will this year solve one of the most pressing issues affecting the future of our National Parks. Deferred mainten...
It’s a simple fact: Wilderness Study Areas have resulted in less access for Montana sportsmen and sportswomen. In a literal sense, these public lands are essentially locked up. With hunting and fishing access becoming more precious each year, it only makes sense to review the WSAs in Montana, and release those that are not suitable to become full-blown Wilderness. Senator Daines and Congressman Gianforte have proposed just that—and surprisingly, they’ve caught hell for it from groups that normally support increasing publi...
There is a real tragedy of Governor Steve Bullock’s deep cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services budget: He didn’t have to make them. On multiple occasions Bullock could have sided with protecting Montana’s most vulnerable citizens who depend on help from government services for their daily lives. But he has so far shown minimal interest in doing so, and has put very little effort into finding better solutions. In fact, the Governor’s stubbornness has many legislators starting to think that he is using the funding...
The radical proposal by the American Prairie Reserve (APR) to fundamentally shift long-established grazing practices on 250,000 acres of public property ought to be rejected by the Bureau of Land Management. Not only would the proposal cause destruction of rangeland and wildlife habitat, ultimately the APR represents a fundamental threat to the Montana ranching families who’ve made this area their home for generations. The APR has petitioned the BLM to make several major c...
In support of Craig Byington’s comments on Jon Tester in the April 4, 2018 edition of the BVD, I’d like to add the following: He may have voted for these Trump proposals, but politics being what they are, his vote wasn’t even needed for these items to pass. Also, in his latest TV ad, have you noticed the Model 99 Savage rifle in his pickup? Yet he votes against pro-gun related issues and supports every anti-gun person nominated for an office or position. His Supreme Court votes for the last three judges verify this. What...
After the recent school shooting the usual cries for gun “safety” went out. Stephen Smith who lost his mother in a school shooting wrote a great pro-gun guest editorial which pretty much reflects my views on the subject. Democrats and other liberals are always in favor of “common sense gun-safety laws” as a way to save lives. They want to modify the Second Amendment to restrict what kind of gun you can own and how old an adult must be to buy a gun. These are the same people who believe convicted violent illegal immigra...
Snow may still be on the ground, but last year's wildfire season isn't too far from memory. We have good news for Montanans, though. After years of negotiation, we have finally secured a deal that moves forward on much-needed forest management reforms. Montanans get it: a managed forest is a healthy forest. But decades of mismanagement, environmental lawsuits and excessive red tape have kept responsible forest management projects from moving forward on thousands of acres....
With dysfunction in Washington DC near an all-time high, it’s nice to see the Montana delegation help lead the way to a badly needed deal to help our federal forests. Last week, in spite of a four-inch “blizzard” in our nation’s Capitol, a deal was reached that will truly help Montana avoid another smoke-filled summer, and hopefully start bringing the health of our forests back from the brink. Working with colleagues from around the country, Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. Steve Daines, and Rep. Greg Gianforte helped broker a comprom...
Wow, Jon Tester’s ads tell us he’s “out of fingers” counting the ways he’s just like Donald Trump. Truth is, he WISHES Montanans would run out of fingers when remembering the times he bowed to Obama, Pelosi, Clinton and Shumer, and left Montana stained with his collusion. Jon, some may clutch their noses and swallow the pasty grime that you’re “not finished getting things done for Montana”, but the facts are you never started – you didn’t dare! Montanans remember how you voted a straight Democrat Party line and forsook us...
I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone at the March 28 Envision Lincoln for losing my temper and causing a disruption. I guarantee, it had nothing to do with Envision Lincoln or the goals of the meeting itself. I believe in the effort and hope to be involved in seeing it succeed. Unfortunately, a little exhaustion, a bit of anxiety about what we have and haven’t been able to cover and concerns about the future of the BVD didn’t mix well in the face of comments that no one in town seems to know what Envision Lin...
