Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Before the Forest Service logs a drainage or the Bureau of Land Management leases a parcel to a driller, the agency must publish what it intends to do, allow the public to respond, and answer the objections. That arrangement is 56 years old and 640 million acres of federal land run on it. But on July 3 of last year, five federal departments filed rules in the Federal Register that gutted their own environmental review regulations. Agriculture. Interior. Energy. Transportation. Defense filed twice. All six took effect the day they were published...
GEORGIA, I have a question. A grown man untied my daughter’s bikini top at a water park while his buddies cheered him on — so I slapped him across the face in front of all of them. Now HE wants to press charges, and my husband says I should have just yelled. My daughter just turned eighteen. She’s beautiful — the kind of beautiful that makes strangers stupid — and Saturday was her last weekend home before she leaves for her freshman year. She was climbing out of the pool when a college guy came up behind her and pulled the strings of her top....
If, like me, you were born between 1965 and 1980, you might recall vividly some scenes from I Dream of Jeannie, which starred Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman. As a comedy half-hour sitcom, Hagman, as a befuddled astronaut, finds a bottle on a beach and, lo and behold, becomes the “master” of the Genie in it, Barbara, who creates all kinds of trouble for him. As reruns go, it is still available on the internet. Has our culture in recent years turned Jesus into a personal genie? One trend has even been given a name: the Prosperity Gospel, whi...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way this week, Aries. You may not get many chances to test your mettle in the weeks to come, so it’s important to act now. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, something that started out as a part-time venture could turn into much more. Figure out whether this is the path you see yourself going, then make your move. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Let loose and have fun for a change, Gemini. Don’t delay when others want to invite you out for a night on the town or even a brunch. Say “ye...
This August marks the 91st anniversary of Social Security and for generations of Americans -- and more than 258,600 Montanans today -- it has provided financial security and independence after a lifetime of work. Recently, AARP Montana asked Montanans a simple question: What was your first job, and how old were you when you started working? The responses offered a powerful reminder of something often lost in today’s political debates: Social Security is not a handout. It is earned. The people who responded described lives defined by hard w...
Dear Editor, My name is Amber Williams, and I am a lifelong advocate for abortion access. I have made a career of building custom homes, running chainsaws, and standing up for women's rights. I am a former volunteer at Mountain Country Women's Clinic in Livingston and a co-founder of a local NNAF chapter that provides financial support to women in MT and across the Western US. I was featured by Carhartt in 2017 and Mountain Living in 2020 (pg. 84). In the mid 2000's, I served as a client escort...
Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes. The world's oldest known recipe is over 4,000 years old and describes how to prepare an ancient Babylonian stew. The longer you stay on the wrong train, the more expensive it is to get home. The first oranges were green - they turn orange in cooler climates. Sometimes your value isn't seen until your absence is felt. A "butt load" is an actual historical measurement of 126 gallons of wine. You are what you do, not what you say...
GEORGIA, I have a question. My fiancé (37M) and I (33F) are getting married in six months; just a small destination wedding. His cousin Maddie isn’t close to us. I’ve met her briefly, a handful of times. Last year she had a traumatic birth that nearly killed her. The baby is healthy now, but Maddie spent four months in the hospital and left in a wheelchair. She’s done extensive physical therapy since and has literally had to relearn how to walk. She’s up to short distances with a cane now. Last weekend, we were at a family dinner when her mom...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 You have been burning the candle at both ends, Aries. You can’t run on caffeine and grit all of the time. Find a day to rest before your body makes that decision for you. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Someone is testing your patience this week, Taurus. Before you stick to your guns, ask yourself if this is a battle worth fighting and then proceed. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 It’s time to mute as much internal noise as possible, Gemini. Focus on one project and make a concerted effort to finish it before jumping to the next thing on you...
Dear Editor, Last year I put up this sign on the freeway about a mile east of town. I was surprised that most people do not understand the meaning. So I'll try to explain. When the founding fathers were hashing out the laws and ideals of the future United States, government overreach was a major concern, as they had just freed the Colonies from the rule of the king. The original intent was to keep the government out of state affairs and citizen freedoms. After pounding out the Constitution,...
Dear Editor, More than a century ago, our state confronted a difficult question: Who should government ultimately answer to, its citizens or concentrated wealth? The influence of the Copper Kings shaped Montana politics so profoundly that generations of Montanans fought to restore a basic principle: government should remain accountable to the people. That struggle eventually led Montana to become a national leader in limiting corporate influence in elections. Today, we find ourselves asking a...
Life is so fragile, yet so abundant. Pee generally gets dirtier when it goes into the toilet. The influencers of the world don't hold the title of influencer. TIP: Snell rubbing alcohol when you're nauseous. Sniffing an alcohol wipe stops sudden upset stomach twice as fast as pill medications. AI is an excellent servant, but a dangerous master. A distant ancestor decided to try sharpening things, and then everything changed. We get mad at dogs for rolling in poo, but wear perfume with...
I found Representative Maness's diatribe suggesting the neglect of Federal management on our public lands published in the July 29 2026 issue of the Ledger to be a misleading ploy. In my opinion, his intended strategy is aimed to support a policy of selling off our public lands to the private sector for a nominal cost at the public's expense. His justifications for ending public land ownership are distorted, deceptive and in one example preposterous. I'm not suggesting that management of our...
I’m the Executive Director of Forward Montana. Every day, my staff and I organize and build political power with other young people across our state. These people are working multiple jobs while struggling to afford rent. They’re wondering if they’ll ever be able to buy a home or even be able to stay here in Montana. They’re worrying about lengthening forest fire seasons and dwindling snow. They’re watching their parents come into retirement with little saved and rising costs. They don’t know how long they can keep barely making ends meet in th...
GEORGIA, I have a question. My wife and kids have been begging for Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), so I picked it up on my way home. They were at the grocery store when I got home with the food, and I couldn’t fight my inner demons not to eat the skin off every single piece of chicken (it was only 12 pieces). When my wife got home, I told her I had dinner plans with my buddies - we play golf every Saturday and then do dinner after. I’m at dinner, and my wife calls me FURIOUS. She’s demanding I come home and bring them new food. I refused. She’s...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 You’re pure rocket fuel this week, Aries. Charge ahead with all of your bold ideas. Your charisma is off the charts right now. Use it before your energy starts to wane. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Treat yourself to something delicious and expensive this week, Taurus. Just do not blame the cosmos when you get the receipt for this luxury. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Say yes to spontaneous plans this week, Gemini. Your brain is going a mile a minute, so you may need someone along for the ride to keep you grounded. CANCER - Jun 2...
Seven hundred years before Paul walked this earth, Isaiah compared God to a potter (cf. Isaiah 29:16). As Paul brought Christ’s message to the Roman Empire, he presented Jesus in an intimate way, in the same tradition. In the United States, this “God with us” has held until the current generation. The second book of Timothy shocks me: “But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, is obedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, u...
Dear Editor, Teddy Roosevelt is often known as one of the biggest supporters of conservation and protecting lands from overuse. During his presidency, he was able to protect many areas for future users. Since then, we as a country have done a fabulous job of setting aside lands for public use. I believe if President Roosevelt were to see our public lands today, he would have some harsh words of criticism for what has happened to our public lands and how we have stewarded what he left behind for...
Dear Editor, The writer of last week's Op-Ed attacked Montana's STUPID laws regarding traffic cameras. I must respond. In my life, I have served as a member of the Montana Legislature a total of fourteen years. An area of greatest concern to me has always been protecting our citizens' right to privacy. Traffic cameras are an unacceptable invasion of that privacy. When you leave your home in the morning, where you go and what you do for the rest of the day is nobody's business but your own. Surve...
Dear Editor, The Koopmans came to America in 1910, in the steerage section of a ship headed for Ellis Island. Grandpa was a man of peace, seeking peace. He wanted no part of Prussian militarism and "the Kaiser's wars." So he packed up four kids and a wife, and three generations later, the Koopmans are still seeking peace, not war. I guess I have it in my blood. Pop would often say, "The Democrats are the war party." Even as a kid, that stuck in my head, and probably had a lot to do with me...
Dear Editor, THEY DID IT AGAIN!!! The play performed by the Whitehall Jr. Theatrics was FANTASTIC! Everyone knew their part, even little Linkyne! I can't believe she only rehearsed with the cast for two days! Another successful performance under the director's leadership. Each night was a little different from the night before but still quite funny. I definitely do not want to be a college entrance interviewer. I could get puked on, hit on, or bitten, among other things- a very dangerous job....
You cannot use someone else's map to find yourself. Maybe your garden isn't growing because every time a flower grows, you cut it to prove to someone you're a gardener. Both fear and faith ask you to believe in something you can't see; you choose. Maybe "forever" was a word meant for memories, not people. The meaning of life is to give life meaning. If you're persistent, you'll get it. If you're consistent, you'll keep it. If you're grateful, you'll attract more of it. I know it's heavy, but it...
For 250 years, our nation has stood as a beacon of freedom-not because prosperity was guaranteed, but because generations before us were willing to work hard, sacrifice, and leave something better for their children than they inherited. As we continue to celebrate America's 250th birthday, that responsibility now belongs to us. When I was appointed to serve in the Montana Legislature, I understood that my responsibility was simple: represent the people of this district with integrity, listen bef...
Guess what Montana is really good at. Amongst the best in the world. Just behind Cuba, Rwanda, and Turkmenistan. Any idea? Locking people up. Yep. Montana's incarceration rate is not just one of the highest in the United States. It's one of the highest in the world. Roughly 758 people per 100,000 population. Locked up. If Montana were a country, its incarceration rate would be higher than any democracy. Think of the cost. Take a minute. Really think about it. Roughly $50,000 to $60,000 per...
GEORGIA, I have a question. Am I wrong for refusing to babysit ever again after my brother’s wife charged me for dinner? A bit of history... For the last two years, I’ve babysat my brother’s three kids (3, 6, and 8) completely free, twice a month, so he and his wife can have their date nights. I’ve never asked for a dime. They’re family, and I love those kids. Last weekend they asked me to take them from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, as they wanted a night away. I gave up my whole weekend just to help and spend time with the kids. The...
