With presidential debates rapidly approaching, I contacted a Montanan who is one of the nation’s most respected experts on debating. Kalispell native and graduate of both Montana State University and the University of Montana, Allan Louden is a professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina where he coached the intercollegiate debate team to two […]

1989 was the 100th anniversary of Montana’s statehood. Teachers were instructing students about the history and importance of statehood and the reasons for the centennial celebrations. One teacher and her students developed what turned out to be the most interesting and far-reaching of all centennial projects. A Helena teacher, Mrs. Sandy Heffelfinger, and students at […]

Is the Flathead destined to become the LOST Best Place? It’s a serious question. Ask tourists, new businesses, and most residents and they will tell you they came to the Flathead because it truly is one of the Last Best Places in the country. Ask economic development specialists and they will tell you that the […]

Joe Mazurek was a wise and insightful peacemaker. His passing was not unexpected, but his legacy for fairness and gentle persuasion will live on in the memory of all those who had the good fortune to work with him in the political process of our state. Jim McGarvey was a brave and gallant fighter. He […]

Dave Skinner’s Aug. 15 column (“Cruel and Unusual”) on the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana’s lawsuit challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol did readers of the Flathead Beacon a disservice by its effort to inflame emotions of rage and vengeance by focusing on details of the crime committed by Ronald Smith. The issues placed […]

If you live in Montana, chances are you know someone who has headed to the Bakken in search of it.? ? Thanks to that large source rock formation, and the technology that makes it accessible, North Dakota has now vaulted to the No. 2 position among oil producers in the United States, following only Texas. […]

Montana is a composite; its identity defined by the beholder. The journalist Joe Howard saw it as “high, wide, and handsome;” the historian Harry Fritz as “a land of contrast;” and K. Ross Tootle described “an uncommon land.” East to west, Montana’s landforms vary from an occasional saline, wind-whipped desert to lush wheat fields to […]

You can’t steal second base with one foot firmly on first – a saying that is as true for business as it is for baseball. Businesses are either confident enough in their future and the stability of their surroundings to move forward, innovate, hire new employees and grow – or they are plagued with uncertainty, […]

I believe public access and opportunities to recreate and enjoy our great outdoors are important components of our community’s heritage and culture. Over the past several months, Whitefish Legacy Partners (WLP) and the City of Whitefish have been working diligently to refine a suite of conservation transactions that will be presented as a formal proposal […]

“The least man in the chamber, once he gets and holds that floor, by the rules can hold it and talk as long as he can stand on his feet providing always, first, that he does not sit down, and second that he does not leave the chamber or stop talking.” That’s straight out of […]

Our civilization – especially in Montana – simply cannot function without a strong transportation infrastructure. Our Sen. Max Baucus knows this. With a deadline of June 30, Baucus was one of a handful of lawmakers given the job of coming up with a compromise before the transportation bill expired. Given all the headlines highlighting extreme […]

During this year’s gubernatorial primary race it was our pleasure to meet with many individuals and small business leaders from across Montana. Time after time, the No. 1 issue that resonated with the citizens of Montana is the fear that overregulation at the state and federal level is a job destroyer! The Patient Protection and […]

Last month marked 40 years since the Watergate scandal. The anniversary has me remembering a discussion in 1987 with the Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill who, 15 years earlier, had seen the foreboding shadow of the distant Watergate tsunami a full year before it crashed over the nation’s political shoreline. No one who lived […]

In a recent column by Helena lawyer Cory Swanson (May 23 Beacon: Security Bill Needed to Protect Northern Border), Swanson concurs with Rep. Denny Rehberg’s support of H.R. 1505 (the National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act), “a bill that strengthens America’s ability to protect itself by securing our borders against illegal aliens, drug and […]

We could almost hear the shot of the starter’s pistol as the race for Montana governor began in earnest earlier this month. First out of the gate was Democrat Steve Bullock with an election year promise of a $400 payment for certain property owners. Republican Rick Hill responded that Montanans need permanent tax reductions, not […]