As is often the case at debates, in Butte the third-party candidates at once provided answers of substance and some comic relief

The recent Republican Primary election results provided plenty to argue about.

Often, at least in news reports, drones, or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), are affiliated with government overreach or targeting terrorists in far off lands.

If you’re like me, you’ve already planned most of your summer. You’ve marked each weekend on your calendar from now until the middle of September. There are festivals, camping trips and weddings that must be squeezed into the fleeting sunny months. It flies by, but luckily has only begun.

The beginning of the summer and winter seasons are the best of each. The possibilities seem, even if they aren’t, endless. Jamming it all in is impossible. Something always interferes, like rain, sunburns and unexpected visitors. You must have a plan, then a backup plan.

After a heated primary like this one, I often wonder about the fallout, about those awkward moments when opponents and their allies run into each other at the local bar, or Pachyderm meeting or the cereal aisle at the grocery store.

That’s not to say supporters and critics alike shouldn’t voice their opinions about various candidates. After all, we’ve printed many of their letters on these pages. A robust debate is healthy, even within the same political party.

Last week, Tom Lutey of the Billings Gazette reported on an upcoming whistle-stop tour featuring the governor where he would announce a $45 million aid package for eastern Montana towns affected by the Bakken oil boom. The story was straightforward, explaining how Gov. Steve Bullock had previously vetoed legislation that would have delivered similar funds following the last legislative session. Lutey also interviewed lawmakers in the region who suggested, “people were putting pressure on” the governor to help.

The real problem with the failure to pass the North Fork Watershed Protection Act is how it happened. Others can argue over the merits of the legislation, but let’s take a look at how the sausage was made. Or, in this case, not made.

Both Montana Sen. John Walsh and Rep. Steve Daines, who is challenging Walsh in the forthcoming U.S. Senate election, appeared eager to pass this bill and lay claim to protecting an area that conservation groups and energy companies alike agree should be off limits to new mineral development. To be clear, this is a rather noncontroversial bill. In a letter, ConocoPhillips’ vice president expressed support for the added protections.

At a recent Kalispell Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas said that she’s often asked about the prospect of adding a football team, to which she responds, “We’re ready, whenever someone gives us $20 million.”

Karas was joking, but even if such a donation came through, it’s likely not enough. The school would need a new football stadium, budget for travel and scholarships and perhaps even money to pay its prospective athletes.

The U.S. Census Bureau released all sorts of statistics last week that, if you’re like me, make for fascinating reading. I pay especially close attention to population numbers across the state and try to glean trends that may predict what Montana will look like in five, or 10, years from now.

Of course, trends can reverse course, but the latest stats at least tell us a little bit about potential growth in Northwest Montana and elsewhere in the state. And reading population estimates in Flathead County, a question quickly arises: How long until we crack 100,000 residents.

When the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, I first learned of the tragedy from a teacher in a building named after an astronaut. I was too young to fully grasp what had happened as I sat in the second-grade classroom at Alan B. Shepard Elementary School in Bourbonnais, Ill. But I was familiar with rockets – after all, that was the school’s mascot.

Years passed before I began to understand the extent of the tragedy. Seven crewmembers died, including a teacher. Shuttles were grounded for 32 months. NASA was in crisis mode. The program finally continued on Sept. 29, 1988, when Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off into space.

Once the clocks move forward, excuses hold less water. Before, when driving to and from work under the cover of darkness, it was a lot easier to explain away why you’re not running, or biking, or whatever it is you do to prepare for summer – a season that requires some endurance to keep pace with.

Those days are now over. The temperatures are rising as the sun hangs around a little longer. Muscles little used for anything more than balancing on skis and snowboards are awakened. Rudely. And getting back into the routine is sporadic at best.

I remember as a sophomore in Spokane, Wash., watching my older brother play high school football. Nearly every game, besides homecoming, was held at Joe Albi Stadium on the northwest part of the city. The stadium holds more than 25,000 people and always seemed too big for the games it hosted – a nice facility […]

During a June 2013 interview with the D.C. publication Roll Call, former Gov. Brian Schweitzer made waves when he slammed the nation’s capitol as a place with bad traffic, worse weather and an oversupply of “frauds.” During the same exchange, when asked whether it was accurate to report that he was close to jumping into […]

We’ve all seen it in print, or heard it on television. The phrase is used so often that it’s easy to gloss over. Everyone from politicians to celebrities says it: “I can neither confirm nor deny.” They are likely responding to an inquiry or accusation, to which they don’t want to answer. Even though they […]

If you’ve been watching the Winter Olympics, you’ve likely seen the commercial for consumer goods giant P&G. It shows children falling, his or her mom picking them up, the children growing up, falling some more, and ends with their mother embracing them as their son or daughter accomplishes their lifelong dream – in this case, […]