JetBlue is offering a curious promotion to its customers. If your presidential candidate of choice loses the election, you could win a free plane ticket to leave the country. It’s called “election protection” and it plays on Americans’ mostly bogus, and short-lived, threats to uproot when a bitterly contested vote doesn’t go their way. The […]

Before last week’s governor debate in Kalispell between Rick Hill and Steve Bullock I was asked, “Are you going to be more Jim Lehrer or Candy Crowley?” Those journalists oversaw the first two presidential debates and what observers thought of their moderating performances was largely influenced by their politics. Obama supporters largely panned Lehrer, who […]

At the 2009 state Legislature lawmakers overwhelmingly endorsed the so-called “castle doctrine.” The law made it clear that Montanans have no obligation to retreat when they feel threatened before using deadly force to protect themselves or their homes. Just months after the session ended, a dispute between Walmart employees in Billings over the length of […]

It’s not unusual to meet someone outside the office, tell them what I do for a living and for them to immediately want to talk about politics. They want to engage about the state of the races for higher office, policy discussed in the last city council meeting and why they agree, or disagree, with […]

Considering the tone of advertisements in Montana’s U.S. Senate race in which candidates Jon Tester and Denny Rehberg are berated as hypocrites, traitors, or worse, it will be interesting to see how future campaigns for the state’s coveted judgeships will be conducted. By interesting, I mean awful. If you own a television, you have seen […]

Congress returned from recess last week but no one expected it to get much done. That’s probably best, anyway. Then, if lawmakers pass any meaningful legislation – say, the five-year Farm Bill extension to provide certainty to an agriculture industry dealing with one of the worst droughts in the country’s history – those lowly expectations […]

The idea for a University Center at Flathead Valley Community College should be vigorously pursued. Some four-year degrees are already offered at the school, but working with the state’s universities to set up satellite campuses on Kalispell’s existing one could have a huge impact on this area. The school announced recently that its board of […]

That’s what’s being discussed among city leaders as the Core Revitalization Plan is passed around. And, for good reason, it has provoked some excitement from residents who have seen it. To be sure, there are some who believe downtown Kalispell is just fine the way it is. I’m not one of them. I love the […]

If you turn on your television set, you’re bound to see a politician saying that he or she should be elected because he or she will remove obstacles in the way of “responsible” energy development. He or she will “cut the red tape.” And that will fix everything. If only it was that sample. True, […]

In recent weeks, both Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and his challenger, Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg, have worked to distance themselves from policies supported by their respective parties and may be unpopular in Montana. It is a competition between the two over who can establish himself as more independent, or (what’s that hollow, overused word?) a […]

The other day at the gym my teacher forewarned the class in front of him that the next exercise made a previous student puke from exhaustion. So goes the slog to get and maintain the physique to keep up with many of my colleagues, specifically my friend and second-in-command in the newsroom Myers Reece. Reece […]

Montana has a unique problem on its hands. It is flush with money, at least according to the governor’s office, which is touting a $453 million surplus for the fiscal year ending June 30. That’s the state’s second-largest surplus on record, just behind 2007’s mark. Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, with a knack for the theatrical, […]

The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization, reported that Montana’s proportion of college graduates has increased over the last three years faster than any other state’s. It was a bit of good news for a higher education system that needed some. For months, stories about the unsettling events at the University of Montana have dominated […]

Flathead County’s jobless rate fell to 8.5 percent in June – not exactly a reason to cheer but perhaps for guarded optimism. Yes, the rate is non-seasonally adjusted. And no, it doesn’t factor in those who have given up looking for work altogether or simply left the area. But we still haven’t seen a number […]

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal Obamacare – for the 33rd time. After the 244-185 decision, Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg said, “This law will actually do more harm to our health care system than good, and on top of that, it’s also holding back our economy.” Also last week, the Montana […]