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  • Thought Provokers: 11/26/2025

    Nov 26, 2025

    Any alien observer would conclude that toothpaste must be the most valuable substance on our planet. As a species, we are so wasteful of any and all resources - except when it comes to toothpaste, of which we collectively refuse to waste a single drop. For centuries, porcelain was considered a luxury item. Now, we make our toilets out of it. If you go to a prison and stand there long enough, eventually you get to stay. Whether we look under the ground beneath our feet or at the stars up above, we’re looking at the past. In flight simulators, e...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 11/26/2025

    GEORGIA|Nov 26, 2025

    GEORGIA, I have a question, My husband is trying to gain more muscle. He has changed his entire diet, workout regimen, and the way he looks at food. We have three kids (13M, 12F, and 11M). They have started copying him by weighing their food, checking the calories, and the like. My issue is that last night our pre-teen daughter said she was fat (she isn’t even chubby), and her dad did not correct her, but actually started on about what her calorie intake should be. He then mentioned that she was probably way over that intake limit, as she h...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 11/26/2025

    Nov 26, 2025

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Right now, you are inspired to roll up your sleeves and clear away the clutter so you can focus on what counts, Aries. Your productivity soars this week. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Your words will carry extra weight between this week and next, Taurus. Don’t hold back on speaking about what is in your heart. You may navigate your way to romance. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, this week you may feel energized to pursue new connections with family and friends. Plan a few long-overdue catch-ups and bask in that feeling of c...

  • CONNECTING POINT: Thanksgiving was Paul's Message, Even Under House Arrest

    BILL LANES, Whitehall Assembly of God|Nov 26, 2025

    Whole passages within the Bible demonstrate greater insights into diverse cultures than do others. The provincial capital of Ephesus brings about such clarity in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Paul’s teaching to this metro community did not sugarcoat Christ’s message. In the First century, Ephesus was widely known for the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Sounds amazing. Well, think again, because this temple, dedicated to the Roman goddess Diana, was a place for sacred prostitution and dark practices. This “wonder” was...

  • Dear Editor: Take Off the Partisan Blinders

    ROGER KOOPMAN, Montana Conservative Alliance|Nov 19, 2025

    Dear Editor, The well-orchestrated "No Kings" protests across America had my conservative buddies bristling – so much so that they made a point of wearing their MAGA caps at our weekly breakfast. I was not the most popular item at the table, after suggesting that the protesters – while motivated more viscerally than intellectually – were in fact illuminating the darker side of our current president. A side that rejects rather than embraces conservative ideals and principles. Principles ancho...

  • Dear Editor: Honor Your Caregivers This Thanksgiving

    SANDY BAILEY, AARP Montana|Nov 19, 2025

    Dear Editor, This Thanksgiving, as we gather with loved ones, let's pause to honor Montana's unsung heroes: the 214,000 family caregivers who keep our families whole. I know their sacrifices firsthand as I spent time caring for my significant other, balancing meals, medications, and midnight worries while holding down a job. These Montanans -- 23.8% of our adults -- provide $1.76 billion in unpaid care annually, helping parents, spouses, and neighbors stay independent at home. They bathe, feed,...

  • Dear Editor: Don't Buy the Beltway Spin

    KEN WALSH, MT House District 69 Representative|Nov 19, 2025

    Dear Editor, Don't buy beltway spin-Montana's budget is built the Big Sky country way. Glossy mailers, social media posts, and robocalls from Americans for Prosperity (AFP) are flooding Big Sky Country with talk of "exploding spending." But AFP is based in Virginia, with no stake in our land, and they're twisting the numbers to fit a story that just doesn't add up. Here's the reality: our nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Division reports state spending growth at about 0.7%-well below inflation....

  • Dear Editor: Congressmen Need to Put Partisan and Self-Interests Aside and Return Working for the People

    DON LEPINSKY|Nov 19, 2025

    Dear Editor, In recent years, the United States Congress has been unwilling or unable to fulfill its lawful mandate to serve the American People in a timely manner. I am referring, in part, to the 12 appropriation bills that Congress must pass by the end of September each year to fund the federal government. Congress's repeated failure to approve government funding by September 30th results in the passing of a continuing resolution, (CR), to keep the government open. This year, the House once...

  • Thought Provokers: 11/19/2025

    Nov 19, 2025

    If ignorance is bliss, then knowledge is misery. Septic tanks under major international airports probably contain more human biodiversity than anywhere else on Earth. It took the universe around 13.8 billion years to write a complete copy of Shakespeare. Most women in the world probably know how to get blood stains out of fabric. There’s no point in only charging to 80% to protect a battery; you’re effectively using it like it’s already degraded. The number of suicides in our society is greater than the number of homicides. Maybe if 15 is to...

  • Stories that should be News... But Aren't

    JIM BUTERBAUGH|Nov 19, 2025

    Here are a few things I’ve read this week. • GPS Spoofing: The act of jamming the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). On October 25, the airspace around the west coast of Ireland was being jammed, affecting 87 planes and on October 29, the airspace over Utah was jammed, affecting 25 aircraft. GPS has been in use since 1983, but GNSS isn't infallible. In the past, a South Korean airliner was shot down when it accidentally flew over Russia; on December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijani airline crashed in Russia due to jamming. Russia and North Kor...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 11/19/2025

    GEORGIA|Nov 19, 2025

    GEORGIA, I have a question, My (M23) girlfriend (F22) and our parents went to a trivia night together last night. Her parents brought a lot of food, which was very welcome and appreciated by everyone at the table. There were other drinks and snacks available to all guests, but her parents brought enough for a full meal, and I ate more than my fair share. It was a good night overall, and our parents get along very well when we all go out. Skip to the end of the night, and her parents are deliberating on how much food they have leftover and what...

  • CONNECTING POINT: Forgiving Others and the Sunset

    BILL LANES, Whitehall Assembly of God|Nov 19, 2025

    As light overcomes darkness, truth overcomes evil. In the middle of the fourth chapter of Ephesians, Paul addressed Gentile Christians as well as Jews. His goal was to encourage them in their newfound faith in Jesus Christ. The Jewish people believed deeply in the Ten Commandments given to them through Moses; however, Gentiles (non-Jewish) people in Ephesus had literally no Scriptural background. Paul helped unite Jews and Gentiles. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futili...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 11/19/2025

    Nov 19, 2025

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you understand that when you’re working hard toward a goal, the process isn’t always straightforward. You may tolerate a fair amount of challenges along the path this week. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, it may seem like others around you do not get your sense of humor. While you’re confident at telling stories, it takes others a bit of time to appreciate your funny side. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you may be tempted to look past a recent challenge. But reflecting on that adversity and your ability to overc...

  • Op Ed: When the Government Gets Involved, Prices Soar

    JIM BUTERBAUGH|Nov 12, 2025

    I, for the life of me, can’t understand how people haven’t figured out that when the government gets involved, prices will soar. Year after year cost will increase. A good example is university tuition. The original program was the G.I. Bill, created at the end of WW2. This was available to servicemen and women at the end of the war. In 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act of 1958 (NDEA) into law. They were direct loans capitalized with U.S. Treasury funds. This program was recommended by economist Milton Fri...

  • Dear Editor: If Ignorance Were a Virtue...

    DOUG JAMES|Nov 12, 2025

    Dear Editor, If ignorance were a virtue, Montana's Republican leadership would already be saints. Senate President Matt Regier and Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen have decided that the biggest threat to our children's education isn't underfunded schools, teacher shortages, or rising student suicide rates-it's "woke" teachers spending two days at a professional conference learning how to better educate our kids. Let's be clear: our teachers are professionals. They're highly...

  • Thought Provokers: 11/12/2025

    Nov 12, 2025

    The 80s music era was such a unique time that a “The Best Of” or “The Worst Of” album would probably have the same songs. If a 100 Grand candy bar costs its face value, and you got all your calories from eating this candy, your lifetime consumption would be about $30 billion. With how fragile electronics are, there’s a good possibility that future linguists won’t know what any of our slang means. Assuming my normal day is someone else’s dream, then someone else is living my dream day. Every photo of the Earth from space contains NSFW content. P...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 11/12/2025

    GEORGIA|Nov 12, 2025

    GEORGIA, I have a question, Today, my spouse decided to help with the laundry. The clothes in the washing machine were done; my spouse went to take them out and put them in the dryer. I called out that the long-sleeved white shirt does not go in the dryer. I could’ve sworn I said it needs to be hung up, but apparently I didn’t. I walk back upstairs to see my clean white shirt lying on top of dirty clothes next to the washer. Now my spouse knows when I don’t put clothes in the dryer, it’s because they need to be hung up. When I asked why it wasn...

  • CONNECTING POINT: The Grace Lens

    BILL LANES, Whitehall Assembly of God|Nov 12, 2025

    For over 2000 years now, God’s grace in Jesus Christ has pointed all of Christianity —well, almost all of Christianity —toward grace, and it has been interactive, even throughout the United States’ history. That theme is “communicate well with each other.” Paul focuses on this often. For the Christian, “grace manners” are for each of us, either in public or private. We try hard to be the same person every day and hour of the week. If God’s grace has saved us and kept us, then throughout our lives, transformation is a continuous proces...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 11/12/2025

    Nov 12, 2025

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Insecurity may be sparking some hesitation, Aries. The key to coping is figuring out why you are feeling this way. Is it a trust issue or a lack of recognition? TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, creative pursuits may interest you this week. Even if you lean more towards the practical, an artistic streak flows through you as well. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Working with others may prove challenging this week, Gemini. You may be too focused on a singular task. If this is the case, keep to yourself if you can. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22...

  • Thought Provokers: 11/5/2025

    Nov 5, 2025

    An AI celebrity will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame one day. Younger generations will never get to appreciate the fun of discovering hidden menus, games, and other bonus content on DVDs as we did. Next year, Stranger Things will have been around for a whole 10 years, thus making the 80s revival era as long as the actual decade itself. Rotary phones never pocket-dialed. The better someone is at recreating the Wilhelm scream, the less one might believe it when they share a video of them doing it. When you slap a mosquito that has just...

  • Op Ed: Hunger Crisis Averted, No Thanks to Governor Gianforte

    SEN. MARY ANN DUNWELL AND REP. MARY CAFERRO|Nov 5, 2025

    Happy November, friends. Great news! SNAP benefits will be released. BUT that doesn't forgive our Governor for turning his back on wealthy, out-of-touch Montanans and their needs. Let's hear it for Montana's Multi-Millionaire Governor Gianforte - a man who knows how to live the Gospel according to Greed. Gianforte did it again - proving that when it comes to compassion, he's running a budget deficit. While 77,000 Montanans wondered how they would feed their families during the federal shutdown,...

  • Dear Editor: Thankful for Screams

    CORINNE PEDERSON|Nov 5, 2025

    Dear Editor, We visited the "Screams Come True" Haunted House last weekend and had a great time. This was our first time visiting the haunted house. The lines were LOOONG!! It rained, the wind blew, but we persisted: bound and determined to see what all the fuss was about and, of course, to see our granddaughter! I truly do not know how you managed to get 27 rooms in there, but it was great. Every single room was different and scary. All the participants were respectful of not touching, but did...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 11/5/2025

    GEORGIA|Nov 5, 2025

    GEORGIA, I have a question, I’ve been invited to a wedding—not a family member, just a couple I’ve known for years. The couple getting married knows I am married as well. I wasn’t allowed a plus one. I sent in my RSVP as a ‘not attending’ because of this. Now the bride’s family is contacting me, asking why I’m not coming, and not accepting the answer that if my wife can’t come, I won’t be coming. I’m getting harangued from multiple directions. I’m not even family, so I don’t understand the importance of my attendance. Am I wrong for not wanting...

  • CONNECTING POINT: Let's Get Personal

    BILL LANES, Whitehall Assembly of God|Nov 5, 2025

    Throughout the New Testament, we see the connection of individual faith in Jesus and the Bible as our source for truth and life. This is what sets Christianity apart from other world religions—the personal connection. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, entered the world as a child, lived sinlessly, and gave His life for each one of us! Our job is to grow in gratitude and love: it is personal! Paul shares a very personal prayer in Ephesians chapter three that I see as needed in our broken world. We, too, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and n...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 11/5/2025

    Nov 5, 2025

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 This is a great week to start a new project or hobby, Aries. Your energy is very high right now. Just be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 This week is all about treating yourself, Taurus. You have been working very hard, and it’s about time you indulge in some well-deserved relaxation. Think about ways to unwind. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, your social calendar is buzzing. You will be the life of the party this week, so get ready for fun conversations and exciting invitations in t...

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