Columns

Things to do while waiting for Livingston trains

Published on Fri, 04/28/2017 - 3:09pm
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If you live on Livingston’s north side, pretty much a third of your life is spent waiting for trains — a third for work, a third for sleeping, and the rest for sitting in your car at the Fifth Street crossing waiting for mile-long trains to pass by.

Shutdown showdown — again

Published on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 8:58am
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WASHINGTON — As Donald Trump approaches the 100-day marker of his first year in office, he has defined himself not as the Dealmaker in Chief but as The Backdown President.

What a deliciously strange irony that until Monday night he set the stage for a government shutdown over, of all things, his campaign centerpiece — The Wall. 

Infrastructure update

Published on Mon, 04/17/2017 - 8:42am

As the 65th Legislative Session enters the home stretch, here are a few thoughts and numbers to share concerning infrastructure dollars and projects in the next two years.

GUEST COLUMN: A supreme nominee

Published on Mon, 04/03/2017 - 4:44pm

One of the most important votes a U.S. Senator casts is a vote for a U.S. Supreme Court nominee. An Associate Justice for the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment.

That’s why a decision on who to vote for, who to stand behind, and who to stand with is so important – not only to me but to our children and grandchildren.

We want a Supreme Court Justice who upholds the rule of law and follows the Constitution.

IN-HOUSE COLUMN: Text messages turn into high explosives

Published on Thu, 03/30/2017 - 1:39pm
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Texting is like playing with famously unstable nytroglycerin: Tap something the wrong way, and it can blow you up.

WRITERS ON THE RANGE: Standing Rock and lessons from the past

Published on Wed, 03/15/2017 - 2:39pm

Democracies usually prefer not to wage war on their own citizens, and in particular, on peaceful demonstrators. Yet what images were evoked when you saw those photos in the news of police attacking the “water protectors” at Standing Rock with dogs, tear gas, Mace, rubber bullets, water cannons? The marches for civil rights in the American South in the 1960s — and the attacks on those peaceful demonstrators. 

GUEST COLUMN: Fish and Wildlife Service should slow down on grizzly bear delisting

Published on Tue, 03/14/2017 - 3:28pm

The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to delist grizzlies from the protection of the Endangered Species Act in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The basic rationale for delisting is that the geographical distribution of bears has increased, particularly in areas south and east of Yellowstone Park, as well as population growth.

But there is a debate about whether this is enough to justify delisting, and more worrisome is whether the bear’s continued population growth is really ensured.

Halftime update from the State Senate: Balancing the budget is a balancing act

Published on Thu, 03/02/2017 - 8:47am

When my wife Barb and her partner opened their restaurant in 1985, money was tight – both for the business and at home. They started with lunches only, and then as income allowed, they hired more employees and offered dinners and catering services. In 32 years since, they’ve been successful by always finding the right balance between income and expenses.

When I look at the state budget, the same principles that drive business success come to mind: when money is tight, take a hard look at expenses and adjust.

WRITERS ON THE RANGE: Planting in the zone — in Montana, it’s tricky

Published on Wed, 03/01/2017 - 9:05am

This is the time of year to think about planting trees. It’s a powerful, important and often a genuinely fruitful thing to do. Planting a tree is also a long-term commitment. It requires a deep look into the future, and given the way the climate is shifting around us, it’s like aiming at a moving target you can’t even see.

WRITERS ON THE RANGE: A true hunter tells all

Published on Thu, 02/23/2017 - 3:31pm

When I interviewed Western writer David Petersen for a magazine article several years ago, I really only had one question to ask him: Could hunting be morally defended in the 21st century?

At a time when few people seem concerned about that question — either they’re already convinced that hunting is barbaric, or just the opposite, that it’s a right that ought to be exercised with as few restrictions and as easily as possible — Petersen has spent much of his life examining what it means to kill in order to eat.

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