It was early 2009 when, following the tragic death of its finance director and departure of its city manager, Whitefish began to get its finances in order. Amid a recession that had hammered budgets elsewhere, the municipality remained quite optimistic. It reported having robust cash reserves and officials there were confident building permits would pick […]

Gov. Brian Schweitzer wants to know if Canadian, or any other, oil companies “will skedaddle back” to where they came from in case of a spill, “and leave you hanging?” (June 22 flatheadbeacon.com: “Pipelines Bigger Threat Than Wells in Montana.”) Charming. That is a statement hardly worthy of any politician, especially one who’s anxious to […]

One of the most frequently asked questions of legislators these days is, “Why are there conflicting reports on Montana’s financial state of affairs?” The Legislative Fiscal Division reports that expenditures are greater than revenues and significant action will be necessary in the future to balance the budget as required by law. Meanwhile, the governor touts […]

I’m guessing that when you visit a doctor’s office for the first time, the experience is identical to most other first visits to most other doctors. You get a clipboard of paper to fill out, since they don’t know you from Adam – even though you have an appointment. The forms usually require that filling […]

The Supreme Court upholds gun rights in a wide-reaching ruling, while Gen. Stanley McChrystal is dismissed from commanding the Afghan War. HIGH 2nd AMENDMENT – A Supreme Court ruling Monday affirms gun rights apply nationwide. HORSE RACING – This popular sport is returning to the Northwest Montana Fair, Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, courtesy of […]

BOZEMAN – The first debate of the campaign season between incumbent Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg and Democratic challenger Dennis McDonald was the first time I have ever seen the two men in the same room. It appears that they don’t much like each other. In front of an audience of 100, about a quarter of […]

I read with great interest a series of articles about one of my favorite places: The Rocky Mountain Front. Nowhere else in Montana can we still witness what Lewis and Clark saw as they made their way through the state on their Journey of Discovery except through that of the Front. I have had many […]

You won’t get much debate in Washington or elsewhere if you say the United States must at some point seriously reduce its ballooning budget deficit. Perhaps after the economy has recovered further. Other developed nations are already cutting back. President Obama, having appointed a commission to make deficit-reducing suggestions, is requesting further authority to cut […]

Ever created / sold something so compelling that people lined up to get it? I remember a trade show about 10 years ago at which the crowd around our booth was so big, they flowed into the booths across the aisle (yes, they were angry – rather than appreciating the traffic). It got to the […]

Who watched President Barack Obama’s speech on British Petroleum’s oil spill? I did. Obama got a couple things right, or almost right. He called the Deepwater Horizon blowout the “worst environmental disaster America has ever faced.” It will certainly be the worst in terms of dollars spent. The president spoke of 30,000 cleanup personnel, along […]

Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The country is divided into two halves. The one half of the population that pays all the income taxes, and thus pays for all the governments programs, and the other half that pays no income taxes and uses most of the entitlement programs. Out-of-control government […]

There was speculation among those milling around the Flathead County Courthouse on the night of the primary elections that several Democratic voters must have “crossed over.” The Republican ballot, after all, featured more closely contested races and every candidate who filed in the sheriff’s race. But that alone doesn’t explain the staggering discrepancy. In Flathead […]

As a local citizen I feel a strong need to voice my concerns about the proposed Swan Crest foot race. I am an avid runner who has completed many marathons and can completely understand the desire to establish a challenging local course in such a beautiful location as the Swan. However, I feel that setting […]

The quagmire of medical marijuana continues to intensify. The exploding number of cards being issued by mostly traveling caravans of doctors who spend less than 10 minutes per patient prior to signing a card allowing the use of marijuana for alleged medical purposes is staggering. The impact of this on Montana businesses is as yet […]

One of Montana’s best business assets is a customer service training program called “Montana Superhost”. Why every session of this course isn’t overflowing with people is a mystery to me. People should be lined up for it as if they’re giving away iPads or hot crispy bacon. Even if they do resume charging for the […]