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  • Op Ed: The Republican Party Platform - A Reply

    JIM BUTERBAUGH|Sep 18, 2024

    I read Don Lepinsky's op-ed with great awe. Amazing. Capable of analytical thought? Distressing? Feel-good talking points? Oh my! Now, I realize Don is a hardcore Democrat. The proof is in talking to him and his ridiculous sign by the Interstate. I have had many discussions with him, and we are always civil. The one thing that had always bothered me was that I would give him facts and where to find them on the internet, but I don’t think he ever looked them up. But his op-ed. It is so full of it that I can not let it be. The first thing that m...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 9/18/2024

    GEORGIA|Sep 18, 2024

    Georgia, I have a question, Am I wrong to ask a customer if she wants her penny back? I work in a local retail establishment while figuring out the next stages of my life. At my location, a popularly purchased item is $1.99. Of my customers, 90% of them hand me $2 when purchasing said item, and 95% of those customers will leave without a word. The other 5% vocalize they don’t want the penny in change. Towards the end of my shift today, a customer came through, purchased the item, and handed me $2 as payment. I asked her if she wanted her p...

  • CONNECTING POINT: Grace that Can Change the World

    BILL LANES|Sep 18, 2024

    Last week in the Look What the Doctored Ordered series, based on Luke’s account found in the New Testament, I brought forward the idea that Jesus was a world changer. Jesus was “revolutionary” or often “counterculture” in today’s terms. He was somewhat radical but not so extreme, where He discounted the core truths of Judaism. Jesus did follow many Jewish practices and aspects of the Law; however, He came to fulfill the messianic prophecy: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 9/18/2024

    Sep 18, 2024

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 A disagreement may have you questioning a relationship this week, Aries. Do not get ahead of yourself, as you’ll figure out that the turmoil will subside soon enough. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Group activities or time spent with a significant other may not go as well as usual this week, Taurus. With your mind elsewhere, focusing on having fun is hard, and others will catch on. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Do not believe everything you hear this week, Gemini. There are a lot of rumors floating around, and only a portion of what i...

  • Dear Editor: Promoting Humane Treatment of Animals...

    CHERYL HASSAKKER, Jeffco ASC|Sep 11, 2024

    Dear Editor, "Promoting humane treatment of animals through shelter, education and spay/neuter endeavors in Jefferson County, MT." Join us on our mission to provide a better future for our furry friends. Since Jefferson County does not have animal control services or an animal shelter, the AS&C has been first responders, saving animals using our chip readers and Foster Care network. With grateful hearts and paws, together, we have made a difference in the lives of many lost and found animals in...

  • Dear Editor: We are Saddened the Matter has Come to This Juncture

    WHITEHALL TOWN COUNCIL and MAYOR HENSLEIGH, Town of Whitehall|Sep 11, 2024

    Dear Editor, As members of the Whitehall Town Council and Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh, we are saddened that the matter with the Whitehall Saddle Club has reached this juncture. It's our view that the Whitehall Saddle Club, over many decades, has put time and great effort into making the rodeo arena better; we appreciate those endeavors and their volunteers hosting events. However, we believe the grants and donations for the Rec Facility procured by the Whitehall Saddle Club were always...

  • Dear Editor: Thank You to Those Who Helped

    JEFF FRINK, Whitehall Saddle Club|Sep 11, 2024

    Dear Editor, I would like to thank everyone who showed up on Saturday, the 17th of August, to help in the arena. JEFF FRINK Vice President Whitehall Saddle Club...

  • Dear Editor: Change is Coming to Our Little Town

    CHARLES HADDON SHANK|Sep 11, 2024

    Dear Editor, Yes, I'm harping on the shop local thing again! Before I get too far though, I must admit that I DO shop at Walmart once a month. The reason? The local grocery store does not accept my Humana Healthy Benefits card and Walmart does. This is not the ONLY reason, though it IS the MAIN reason. One thing many may not consider concerning the slightly higher prices local merchants charge is their own overhead. For instance, the asking price for whatever given item may be somewhat lower,...

  • Dear Editor: Endorsing Nancy Jane Lien

    LAWRENCE PETTIT|Sep 11, 2024

    Dear Editor, I am pleased to endorse Nancy Jane Lien for Montana House District 75. Nancy Jane was a Political Science honors student when I was a Professor at Montana State. She served as an intern at Montana's Constitutional Convention. I have followed Nancy's career in business and public service, and know her super powers are customer service and mediation, skills she will bring to representing all the people of Jefferson County. As a Montana farm girl Nancy understands the value of...

  • Thought Provokers: 9/11/2024

    Sep 11, 2024

    There are only 11 days a month where you can switch the day and month by mistake. You’re the most predictable person you know. You can make more people laugh with one comment online than you do your whole in-person life. Freedom is free. Taking someone else’s freedom requires energy and resources. Alphabet books never prepared me for how little quince I would encounter growing up. And unless your career is music-oriented, your window for xylophones probably ended in kindergarten. The “best movies of all time” discussions are usually dominat...

  • Op Ed: The Republican Party Platform

    DON LEPINSKY|Sep 11, 2024

    Has anyone had a chance to read the Republican Party platform? Its policies are mostly a collection of vague talking points out of touch with reality. Anyone who has read this document and is capable of analytical thought has probably come to a conclusion similar to mine: that this manifesto, as a whole, is an unmitigated disaster waiting to happen. What is distressing is not what it contains but what is missing. First, let me briefly critique a few issues mentioned in the platform. The platform has a lot of feel-good talking points on...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 9/11/2024

    GEORGIA|Sep 11, 2024

    Georgia, I have a question, My boyfriend (25) won’t let me (20) get face tattoos. I don’t want a big face tattoo, just a half mandala on my temple or a little heart below my eye or something. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but he says he “can’t bring a girlfriend with face tattoos to work events." He’s in law school and going to be a lawyer. I’m a hairstylist, and it’s 2024, and I don’t think anyone cares about tattoos anymore. I feel like it’s my body and my choice, but he said I won't do it if I like waking up next to him. It IS a face tat...

  • CONNECTING POINT: World Changer

    BILL LANES|Sep 11, 2024

    When we take the time to read AND understand the Bible, the implications of Christ’s teachings are powerful, turning cultural barriers upside down. The first-century community was deeply immersed in staunch traditions and religious jargon, portions of this ideology Jesus challenged with simplicity. In Luke 8 we read one of many parables that Jesus utilized to communicate a simple message, most know this as the parable of the Sower. I would point out that this could be better understood as the parable of the Soil. “While a large crowd was gat...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 9/11/2024

    Sep 11, 2024

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you are quick to spend money lately, and that can prove problematic in the long run. It may be a good idea to sit down with a financial planner and sort out spending and saving habits. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, this week you have free rein to follow your intuition and express your emotions to those around you. It’s beneficial to get in touch with how you are feeling and explore things further. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 There is some unfinished business you need to clear up before you can fully focus on the week or...

  • Ledger Editorial: It Ends With US - A Stronger Message Needed

    ELIZABETH PULLMAN, Whitehall Ledger|Sep 4, 2024
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    As a founding member of both Gold Junction Presents (a Whitehall non-profit that now operates the Star Theatre) and We Are HER (a Whitehall non-profit that helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault), my two non-profit worlds collided with the showing of It Ends With Us this past weekend. Having heard from teens who had read Colleen Hoover’s book, which the movie is based on, I was very torn about this movie. I had heard that the guy who hit her “was so hot” in the books and such a bad boy they’d “let” him do that. I worried tha...

  • Thought Provokers: 9/4/2024

    Sep 4, 2024

    If alcohol were discovered today, it would be made an illegal substance. No matter how accurate a historical drama is, it will always be ruined by a perfect Hollywood smile. When was the last time you blinked in a dream? Most superheroes couldn’t eat fast enough to maintain their caloric needs. Sub-par golf is a good thing. The best time to correct someone for mispronouncing your name is the first time; the next best time is never. The easier it became to make ice, the faster the polar ice caps started to melt. Since it happened 23 years a...

  • Dear Editor: I am Katherine Carey Smith, not Kathryn "Katie" Smith

    KATHERINE CAREY SMITH|Sep 4, 2024

    Dearest Editor, It has come to my attention that a recent letter caused quite a stir with some of your readers. I was unaware of said letter until I kept receiving comments, good and bad, about the subject matter. I, Miss Katherine Carey Smith, am not Mrs. Kathryn "Katie" Smith. Just to clear that up for folks. Some may know both of us, some may know only me and not her and visa versa. We have been mistaken for each other in the past on multiple occasions. The statements made in that letter...

  • Dear Editor: To Mr. Tim Sheehy

    TERRY MINOW, Big Sky 55|Sep 4, 2024

    Dear Editor - this letter is directed to Tim Sheehy. Mr. Sheehy: One of your ads, which promotes demonstrably false and dangerous misinformation on Social Security, is airing on Montana television. The ad, paid for by the Tim Sheehy Campaign for U.S. Senate, features Nora Fouhy of Billings, and misrepresents the truth about Social Security, using terms like raids and cuts. Big Sky 55+ respectfully calls on you to immediately cease and desist airing this dangerous misinformation. Thousands of...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 9/4/2024

    GEORGIA|Sep 4, 2024

    Georgia, I have a question, My spouse and I frequently host meals of 10-20 guests, personally and professionally. We debate whether to put spoons at meals at which we are not serving soup. My spouse contends that spoons may be used for things other than soup (e.g., spreads or consuming remnants of thin sauces). I prefer not to set out spoons to save on the volume of washing or waste (if using disposables, although we have switched to compostables) We have agreed to abide by your determination as to the proper etiquette: spoons at every meal,...

  • CONNECTING POINT: Give & Take

    BILL LANES|Sep 4, 2024

    In last week’s column, I presented or reiterated a core principle of being a Christian, self-denial. Jesus embodied this to the greatest degree and if we are to follow Him, we learn to practice the discipline of self-sacrifice daily. As humans, we are born into a world that is driven by self-interest. The first stages of our life are predominantly “dependent.” This means that as infants, we require complete dependency on others, and parents and caregivers give endlessly day and night. Self-interest fades in various ways as we age; in time,...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 9/4/2024

    Sep 4, 2024

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 It’s easy to lose perspective regarding the important friends and family in your life, Aries. Start rethinking where to devote your attention and energy. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, if you feel adventure is calling you, you can always take a break, get out there, and answer that call. Take a road trip this week or even explore a nearby neighborhood. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, be sure to get off to an early start regarding plans this week. Let others involved know that you’ll probably be picking them up bright and ea...

  • Dear Editor: 50 Reasons Donald Trump Isn't Fit to be President

    JASON SALVAGNI|Aug 28, 2024

    Dear Editor, 50 reasons Donald Trump isn't fit to be President: #1 Back in 2016, Donald Trump targeted and mocked a disabled reporter in a vicious political campaign speech: Don't believe it? Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX9reO3QnUA. #2 - #50 aren't necessary. Anyone who openly mocks the disadvantaged and contributes to the hateful behavior affecting our communities is a NO for me. JASON SALVAGNI Whitehall, Montana...

  • Dear Editor: Montana Democrats Bring Real Solutions to Lower Property Taxes

    REPRESENTATIVE KIM ABBOTT|Aug 28, 2024

    Dear Editor, Montana Democrats bring real solutions to lower property taxes. This week, I read the recommendations from the Governor's Property Tax Task Force with great interest. The Republican failure on property taxes has been well-documented. Last legislative session they had everything they needed to fix property taxes for regular Montanans - including the revenue to pay for it - but they did what they always do and gave more tax breaks to wealthy folks who don't need them. Montanans are...

  • Thought Provokers: 8/28/2024

    Aug 28, 2024

    There are probably a ton of people entirely willing to murder people but don’t because they don’t think they can do it without getting caught. If we ever defeat global warming, the denialists will never be proven wrong. Maybe we should start fighting for a lower maximum wage. Raygun is the most famous breakdancer of our time. The average woman sees more blood matter in her lifetime than the average man. In 257 B.C., Eratosthenes used trained walkers to measure the distance between two cities. Two thousand years later, Google Maps is doing the...

  • Op Ed: Nobody Talks About Freedom Anymore

    ROGER KOOPMAN, President of the Montana Conservative Alliance|Aug 28, 2024

    “The Divine Knowledge has ebbed out of us, and we do not know enough to be free.” - Daniel Webster Have you noticed? When the election season rolls around, nobody talks about freedom anymore. Sure, that word is sometimes still dropped into campaign speeches, sprinkled like salt over a bland plate of political platitudes. But freedom is never the primary subject, let alone the goal of modern political messaging. It’s just a rhetorical enhancement that leaves the scene as quickly as it arrived. Why do you suppose that is? What does that tell...

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