This past weekend, I checked off two to-do list items with one coffee stop. First, I was looking for a good place to sit, sip and write. Second, I was meeting with the founder of a @StartupWeekend-born startup to discuss how it would go forward. I got more than I expected. It started off with […]

By Joe Carbonari In his run for Montana’s lone U.S. House seat Ryan Zinke faces the classic Republican primary dilemma. Can he appear conservative enough to win the primary without destroying his chances in the general election? He ran successfully for the Montana Senate, in 2009, and has participated in two sessions of the Legislature, […]

It is truly disappointing to watch the Flathead National Forest make a mockery out of the Whitefish Range Partnership collaborative and its Forest Plan revision public involvement process. In local newspapers the past week, the Forest Service demonstrated its utter lack of objectivity and fairness when it comes to public input. The Flathead National Forest […]

The process that federal regulations go through from proposal to enactment is simply baffling. There are seemingly countless comment periods, public hearings and reviews. Keeping up with the process is simply impossible for any small business in Montana. But with 739 regulations that directly affect small businesses under consideration by various federal agencies, it’s a […]

Miles of cars are idling in front of me on the west side of Lookout Pass on Interstate 90. More than an hour has passed and people are getting antsy, exiting their vehicles and wandering around in the rain for no apparent reason – rain that turns into snow a few miles ahead and has […]

By now, most of us have mowed through our leftovers, but a fair number of central Montanans are still choking on theirs. Whether or not you noticed, several years’ worth of squabble over re-districting Montana’s state legislative seats after the 2010 U.S. Census officially ended last February. Unlike most states, which leave re-districting to shamelessly […]

Most everyone I’ve talked to who really cares about their work has that one thing that brings meaning, context and (as my kids used to say) “give-a-care” to the work they do. You might’ve heard it described as “Not on my watch”, a reference to pulling watch duty on naval ships. The best way I’ve […]

Legislators hear monthly about Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks matters from constituents. Last month’s audit of the Block Management program highlighted some needed changes. This program allows public hunting access on private land through a mutual agreement with FWP. The landowners are called cooperators in the agreement while the properties are known as BMAs. These […]

Although a democracy is the most equitable form of government ever devised, it has an inherent weakness that makes it vulnerable and short lived. This weakness is the realization by voters that they can give themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. This flaw in the design of a democracy results in its being temporary […]

Public school students in Montana under the direction of Denise Juneau, state superintendent of public instruction, are moving forward into the 21st century to implement Common Core Standards. After years of slowly slipping behind in student achievement, compared to other countries, Juneau not only worked with colleagues on this process, she also wanted to make […]

Someday, Americans will look back and remember when Christmas came after Thanksgiving. Not only are more stores putting out Christmas items and decorations as early as September, now three big retailers – Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us – will be opening even earlier this coming Thanksgiving Day in a race to launch Christmas sales. […]

When Oracle bought Bozeman-based RightNow Technologies in 2011 it was already involved in a long-running lawsuit with Google, alleging copyright and patent infringement over the search engine giant’s Android operating system. The case dragged on and largely focused on Java technologies, which Oracle now owned with its acquisition of Sun Microsystem a year prior. I […]

Thanksgiving is a nearly 400-year-old harvest tradition. It’s a time to be grateful and share the bounty of the season. It’s a time for the blessings of family, friends and food. Last week one of the biggest national turkey producers announced that there would be a shortage of average-sized and larger fresh birds. Families likely […]

How do customers and prospects look at you vs. others in your industry? For example: What are your competitors best known for? Why do customers choose them rather than everyone else in your industry – including you? How does your competition’s “best known” thing compare to what you’re best known for? Why do customers choose […]

As a former student of Flathead Valley Community College and the University of Montana, and a current student of the University of Great Falls, I was appalled by the decision to limit adjunct facility hours. I personally know the majority of the 25 adjunct teachers who are currently teaching more than 10 credits. These teachers […]