I just returned from my annual fall vacation – each year I squeeze in a few days of sunshine in Mexico before the snow falls. But on Nov. 3, when my plane touched down in Kalispell, white already blanketed the valley. So began the quick transition into winter. And three days later I was hiking […]

By John Fuller The National Security Agency has been caught spying! Imagine that. There have been two schools of thought about the revelations that the NSA has been listening to the conversations of U.S. citizens and foreign leaders. The first says that spying is a sovereign right of nations, everybody does it (wink, wink) and […]

John Henry “Gatling Gun” Parker had earned his moniker by providing the covering fire for Teddy Roosevelt’s immortal assault on San Juan Hill. Nearly 20 years later his six-feet three-inch frame made him an easy target while charging at the head of his command, the 362nd U.S. Infantry. As the heroic Parker went down with […]

Voters in Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Whitefish chose four newly elected women to help run their cities. In Whitefish, newly elected Pam Barberis helps with local agriculture advocacy. Jen Frandsen grew up on a farm and helps organized the Whitefish Farmers Market. Jenny Lovering was the top vote getter in Columbia Falls and also director […]

Frustrated with the rate of change or accomplishment of new work in your business? I had a conversation recently that might help. Ann: Sometimes I think some of us are un-coachable. Mark: Reminds me of “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” It’s huge for those who teach and/or coach – you have […]

It is the expectation of students, parents and the community that a school district will create a course of instruction where every student can expect to be ready for a career or to enter post secondary education. In order to successfully complete this task, schools must be clearly able to answer four questions. What do […]

Just before the solid Democrat vote for Obamacare, Nancy Pelosi said, “We have to pass it before we know what’s in it.” Well, now we know – they still don’t know! Mitzi Anderson Whitefish

The other day while dispatching the legions of expired press releases and newspapers that assemble in yard-high columns on my desk, I unearthed a packet of family photographs that I’d forgotten about. My mom mailed them this summer after my family’s annual junket to Montana. They live in Minnesota, where I grew up, and the […]

By John Fuller In 1916, while WWI was raging in Europe, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson’s re-election promise was that he and the U.S. would “remain neutral in thought as well as action” and keep the U.S. out of the war. Wilson had not conducted a “neutral” foreign policy and on April 2, 1917 asked Congress […]

While rural Americans have already waited too long for passage of a new Food, Farm and Jobs bill, last week brought a promising new development. Conferees from the Senate and House met to begin work on the creation of a bipartisan, long-term Farm Bill. Their work could not be more timely – and they are […]

Almost lost in the recent blather about shutdowns and Obamacare were several news items about “dark money.” Yep, the guck that slimes our politics, or as Wikipedia explains: “funds used to pay for an election campaign without disclosure before voters go to the polls.” First out of the gate was news that U.S. District Judge […]

One of the things I notice while working with clients (and being one) is that some of us are pretty good at making things hard on our customers. Hard on customers? You might be. Let’s clean up a few things so you can make it easier on them (and easier to keep them as clients). […]

My dad called me recently to ask what size jeans I wear. It was the middle of October and he was Christmas shopping with my mom in Seattle. I told him it seemed a little early to be buying presents, but he disagreed. He hates shopping, but strives for efficiency. About two hours later he […]

By John Fuller National news outlets and political pundits are speculating as to whether Brian Schweitzer will or should run for president. Some would say that a small-population-state ex-governor having the audacity to run for president would be pretty cheeky. Others say that Brian’s ego is big enough for the job. And others observe that […]

A while back, a friend sent me a link to an old blog post called “30 things to stop doing to yourself“. It struck me that while the list was intended for application in your personal life, the list could also be applied to your business – with a tweak or two. Rather than talking […]