Whatever your view of the so-called “castle doctrine” bill passed by the 2009 Montana Legislature, the fact remains that a Billings man who shot his Wal-Mart co-worker in the head at point-blank range has still not been charged with a crime. And the county attorney there blames the recently enacted self-defense law. To be sure, […]

As President Barack Obama landed at Gallatin Field airport in Belgrade last week, both Fox News and MSNBC were, for once, in agreement: the president was expecting a more confrontational town hall and perhaps even welcomed one after the yawner in New Hampshire a few days prior that prompted speculation that the audience was hand-picked. […]

There are two very visible sides to this debate over whether and how the U.S. health care system should be improved. On the left end are those who argue that a public option (or government-run insurance plan) must be part of any final legislation, and on the right end are those who oppose any form […]

We tend to forget that Web-based e-mail is relatively new, emerging just 10 years ago as a popular form of communication. Then the inevitable happened: It began implicating people, for crimes small and large, from politicians to CEOs, who apparently thought once they sent a Hotmail message its trail would vanish into the thin air […]

In a politically divided region, one that often pits county and city officials against property owners (the lawsuit against the Flathead County planning office is the latest example), the summer evenings in Kalispell have offered some unity. And in a town that can be described as apathetic, with just three of the five much-maligned city […]

Despite appearing as the desperate half in the relationship, Montana’s courting of Hollywood will continue for some time. In 2007, the Legislature voted to sweeten the incentives offered to filmmakers in hopes of luring more movies here and this last session lawmakers extended “The Big Sky on the Big Screen Act” until 2015. And, although […]

Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway was hoping to clear the air last week when it told a group of prominent Whitefish politicians and business owners – oh, and Gov. Brian Schweitzer – that a large swath of the fastest-growing city in the state is habitable. But instead of appeasing those who have watched their property […]

At long last, Kalispell has a city manager. And the decision to hire Jane Howington would be altogether out of place here if it went undisputed. Opposition to the Ohio native is almost entirely based on her compensation package, which includes a salary of $112,500 annually, with another $5,000 deferred to her retirement each year. […]

Shawn Beqaj, the vice president for public affairs with Bresnan Communications, toured Montana last week to discuss, among other things, “wideband,” the blazing-fast Internet service that will, in a few years, allow you to download a feature-length film in a few dozen seconds. But I was far more interested in a contract Bresnan recently won […]

Last week, federal prosecutors moved to drop charges against the final defendant in the W.R. Grace trial. Most of Libby likely shrugged. After a decade, nearly 2,000 sickened townspeople and hundreds dead from asbestos exposure, Libby is accustomed to bad breaks. This, an anticlimactic end to a federal case that made national headlines, was just […]

Gov. Brian Schweitzer made an East Coast swing last week to stump for a pair of gubernatorial candidates, including failed Democratic primary hopeful Terry McAuliffe in Virginia. Inside the Beltway of Washington, D.C., the endorsement was considered a gamble and, when it didn’t pay off, Schweitzer was mildly panned. Why would Schweitzer endorse McAuliffe for […]

I first met Sen. Max Baucus five years ago in a Bozeman cafeteria. He was eating a hamburger while talking trade (one of his favorite topics) and boasting about the potential of RightNow Technologies, a burgeoning company in which he had volunteered his time during one of his trademark “workdays.” Employees there were well aware […]

On a 4-3 vote, the Montana Board of Regents voted last week to raise tuition at Montana’s flagship campuses. Regent Todd Buchanan, who opposed the increase, said it best when he told his colleagues prior to their decision that “we better prepare ourselves for one heck of a conversation in our communities because one is […]

Summer tourists began arriving in droves over Memorial Day weekend. And with them, we heard the first gripes from locals who complain that the sightseers are overcrowding our roads and a few of those same visitors (the humanity!) may opt to stay permanently. But this year, perhaps more than the previous, just as many Montanans […]

In the next few weeks, hundreds of Flathead Valley high school and college students will graduate. When the confetti is swept up, cake has gone stale and accolades have worn off, many of those wide-eyed former students will wonder what’s next. It’s certainly an inopportune time to be looking for a job. These students are […]