I’ve been following developments of the Island Unit (Blacktail Mountain) trail system proposal, at least partly for sentimental reasons. We came to the Flathead when my dad was named commander of the 716th Radar Squadron at Lakeside in early 1972, after three years at Malmstrom. Wow, what a great place to be. The best stretch […]

August 28th’s smoky red midnight moon sure was impressive. With the mountains hidden, we had about 6 to 10 miles of visibility, with Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s (MDEQ) station at Flathead Electric peaked at a Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) level of 59 at 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27. In terms of health, 100 micrograms […]

Last week, after months of rumors, news came that American Prairie Foundation (APF) will buy the so-called South Ranch in Valley County from Page Whitham Land and Cattle, giving the foundation control over another 150,000 acres. What a shame … but that’s capitalism, right? Not quite. In case you don’t already know, APF is a […]

The news is that the American Civil Liberties Union wants state Judge Jeffrey Sherlock in Great Falls to declare lethal injection unconstitutional. Capital punishment foe and attorney Ron Waterman, who has run for election in 2008 to the Montana Supreme Court and tried for an appointment in 2009, is arguing on behalf of Ronald Allen […]

I’m sure the Whitefish Trail folks are pretty excited. They’ve finally presented their Public Recreation and Conservation Initiative, the required second “implementation” step in the Whitefish Neighborhood Plan approved by the state Land Board back in 2004. It proposes a sale of 530 acres of Common Schools trust land so Michael Goguen can add to […]

Like everyone else, I’m glad the Going-to-the-Sun Highway is open and the years of reconstruction are almost over. The crews should be proud of their work. My Dad and I took a spin over Logan Pass a couple of weeks ago, and will punch his Golden Age pass a few more times this year if […]

Just when it seems federal forest policies hit rock bottom, they get worse. First, we have local eco-warrior Keith Hammer threatening to sue the U.S. Forest Service to stop an organized mountain-bike race (on trails that are mostly open to motorized users, no less) after his efforts to block the Swan Crest 100 foot race. […]

Like most all of you, I got plenty of election junk mail. Who sent it? In my “collection” for the Tutvedt/Roberts battle (which isn’t complete – I trashed everything I got from American Tradition Partnership, those weasels), aside from a handful of letters and cards from the candidates’ campaigns, I got flyers from Montanans for […]

Last week, I got to do one of my favorite things: Road Trip, to one of my favorite parts of Montana. The weather was, um, sideways. Going east, I set a personal best for fuel mileage. The wind was blowing so hard, the grass was whipping, not waving. It wasn’t long before I relearned three […]

Now that President Barack Obama is out of the closet on gay marriage, I may as well come out, too: I oppose gay marriage or civil unions. Sorry, but that’s the way it is. Oh, my upbringing was plenty “diverse.” My New York family almost all worked in show business, specifically Broadway, and our social […]

On April 24, Nick Gevock of the Montana Standard reported the city of Butte is pumping water out of Basin Creek Reservoir to make up a shortfall from its main filtration plant on the Big Hole River. As the Big Hole mucks up with runoff, the main plant can filter less water per day. Big […]

This June 5, casting an informed vote (the only vote you should make, dang it) will be hard work. Here in the Flathead, 14 Republicans are vying for two open Commissioner seats. Statewide are numerous contested GOP legislative primaries, and piled on top are seven Republican governor candidates to pick through. Democrats will be not-so-busy […]

Golly gee, yet another U.S. Forest Service project has been blocked in court, this time on the Custer National Forest. Yet again, for what seems like the millionth time, the plaintiffs were Alliance for the Wild Rockies, an Earth First! spinoff; and the Native Ecosystems Council, a one-woman show run out of a former KOA […]

In late February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in PPL Montana, LLC v Montana, a case which Montana seems to have lost, badly. The flap started in 2003 with a federal citizen lawsuit by two “parents of schoolchildren” (actually professional environmentalists), claiming rent was owed to Montana’s school trust on the riverbeds under 17 […]

Hordes of political-correctniks are swarming all over radio bloviator Rush Limbaugh. He used some rather harsh language to pigeonhole Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke Rush apologized, Ms. Fluke rejected his apology, advertisers are leaving, and Rush-haters are milking every political drop – so much ado over the wrong thing … On the surface, the […]