Editorials

GUEST EDITORIAL: Time to get kids’ immune systems ready for school

Published on Mon, 08/01/2016 - 3:28pm

Summer was fun while it lasted, but you can now count on one hand the number of weeks until school starts again.

With school opening comes the chance to meet new friends and become reacquainted with old ones. But while kids’ minds are adjusting to the new social situation, their bodies are reacting to new microbes those interactions bring along.

That’s why August is National Immunization Awareness Month.

GUEST EDITORIAL: Improving the health of Montana’s forests

Published on Fri, 07/29/2016 - 3:21pm

Until it has the full support of Montana’s congressional delegation, the forestry solutions proposed for an area along the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex probably won’t get much attention from Congress members in other parts of the country.

That’s why it’s so important for Republican Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke to join Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in backing the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project 100 percent.

PETA ... again

Published on Thu, 07/28/2016 - 3:20pm

Here we go again.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently lodged a complaint against the City of Billings for how the city is controlling an infestation of Richardson’s ground squirrels in its playing fields.

According to an Aug. 9 Billings Gazette story, the city is using a sandy slurry to fix the problem. It propels the slurry into burrows the rodents use, which efficiently seals them out — or in. Problem solved.

Recent county happenings an antidote for cynicism

Published on Fri, 07/22/2016 - 3:51pm

Just when the news leaves you cynical and jaded about the state of international and national affairs — from the recent killings in Nice, France, to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland — recent developments in Park County provide inspiration.

There were many high points along the way as we rocketed through another July — how can it be almost over already? Following is an outline of some noteworthy items.

Thank you

Published on Thu, 07/21/2016 - 3:03pm

We take them for granted, the men and women of law enforcement who provide us with round-the clock protection, sometimes at the risk of their own lives.

That risk has been tragically apparent in the recent killing of police officers in Dallas, Baton Rouge and other cities around the country.

Being a law enforcement officer is more than a job — it’s a service to one’s community.

That’s why they do it.

GUEST EDITORIAL: Independent crash investigations will keep railroads safe

Published on Wed, 07/20/2016 - 3:01pm

There was a time in America when railroads were a sovereign power — close to being a fourth branch of government.

In the 19th century, thanks to their enormous land grants and economic clout, they had the power to make some communities boom or bust. They held plenty of sway in Washington, D.C., too.

Even today, railroads pull plenty of might down their tracks, and can wield similar power within the industries and economies that rely on them.

GUEST EDITORIAL: Pokémon Go gets players out and about

Published on Tue, 07/19/2016 - 3:01pm

Urgently, secretly, behind closed doors a few years ago, doctors, personal trainers and fed-up parents must have hatched the idea behind “Pokémon Go.”

There is no better explanation of a game designed to get teens and young adults off the couch, launching their squinting, sunlight-shy eyes out into nature, onto city sidewalks, walking their community parks, campuses, neighborhoods. Yes, they are still looking at tiny screens and grunting, but they are no longer hiding indoors.

GUEST EDITORIAL: Drug abuse tearing Montana families apart

Published on Mon, 07/18/2016 - 3:46pm

It’s no coincidence that Montana is seeing an increase in its prison population at the same time that it is seeing an increase in the number of children in state care. Both are rooted in the same problem: a drastic rise in illicit drug use, especially meth.

The situation has reached the point of crisis; drug abuse is literally tearing Montana families apart, and local and state resources are woefully insufficient to keep up with the rising demand on our courts, our prisons and our child welfare systems.

City deserves praise for reducing spending

Published on Fri, 07/15/2016 - 4:20pm

The headline on the front page of Wednesday’s edition of this newspaper, “City holds spending down for upcoming budget year,” may have caught you by surprise.

So often we hear about our nation’s leaders at the local, state and federal levels raising taxes to offset ever-increasing costs to maintain crumbling infrastructure, pay employees and keep the lights on.

Driving U.S. Highway 89 South

Published on Thu, 07/14/2016 - 3:15pm

Anyone who’s lived here for even a short time has found out: U.S. 89 South is a dangerous road.

It’s two-lane, it’s heavy with local and tourist traffic, it features lots of connecting driveways, lots of deer, and has a world-class view that can distract even the most conscientious driver, let alone vacation-goers who’ve never seen anything like it before.

According to the Montana Highway Patrol, since 2011 five people have died on U.S. 89 South — two in 2012, one in 2013 and two in 2014.