By John Fuller The Montana State Legislature seems to be bipartisan in its consensus that Montanans need property tax relief. The Republicans want to reduce property tax mill levies, exempt the first $250,000 worth of business equipment from property taxation or both. Democrats are united under Gov. Steve Bullock’s plan to give a one-time $400 […]

In response to Kellyn Brown’s column in the Feb. 13 Beacon, “Unfair Playing Field” – interesting, but you’re missing a few important points: When the all-beverage and beer/wine license “with gaming“ were developed, it was done so with a few caveats. The original intention was to allow only one license per family. This was to […]

Rep. Pat Noonan, D-Ramsay, is one of the handfuls of moderates serving in the 2013 Montana Legislature. Noonan serves with other moderates like Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad. Jones carries the new natural resources component for public school financing. Notably Noonan sponsored this Legislature’s most critical task, to implement Montana’s Medicaid expansion. Over the next four […]

A state association of businesses has pushed legislation into the Montana House that would limit the on-premise retail sales volume of a related group of businesses. For an established business with good wholesale distribution in place, this wouldn’t be a big deal – except that those same businesses already have legislated production and sales volumes […]

The recent news about cuts to federal agencies under sequestration (Feb. 27 Beacon: “Glacier Park’s Great Uncertainty”) has me worried. If these arbitrary cuts go through, there will be numerous impacts here in Montana, including Glacier National Park. If there’s a fall off in tourism due to delays in opening Going-to-the-Sun Road or reduced flights […]

By John Fuller Rep. Scott Reichner, R-Bigfork, has introduced a bill (HB436) that would establish a version of Louisiana’s “top-two” primary election system. This “top-two” structure would allow voters to choose any candidate, irrespective of political party, in primary elections. If adopted, this would be the most dramatic change in Montana election laws since the […]

The story on Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s ten-year study of declining moose populations (Feb. 20 Beacon: “What’s Happening to the Moose?”) seems to be a case of “ignoring the elephant in the living room.” Barely mentioned is the wolf factor. If FWP collared 12 cows, how will they record the killing of the calves? […]

One of the most important issues facing the 2013 Montana Legislature is whether to take advantage of the opportunity to expand health insurance coverage to low-income Montanans who fall in the gap between those eligible for Medicaid and those who typically can afford private insurance. The Administration and Board of Directors of North Valley Hospital […]

Last week the Democratic-leaning firm, Public Policy Polling, released a survey of potential matchups in Montana’s 2014 U.S. Senate race. Right now, one Republican has declared he is running and another has said he is considering running for the seat currently held by Sen. Max Baucus. But PPP also polled hypothetical matchups, which were far […]

Does your community talk about the flight of youth? The shrinkage and simultaneous aging of communities is a critical issue for rural places. Young people graduate and move away for good jobs or for college and they may not come back for a decade or more, if at all. Recently, a high-achieving, hard-working college student […]

Because I abuse my Second Amendment rights just as enthusiastically as I abuse my First Amendment rights, the post-Newtown “sensible gun control” kabuki dance in Washington, DC has my rapt attention. Trouble is, when it comes to Congressional hearings or press events, “news” organizations almost never cover the really important stuff. Thank God for C-Span […]

Sen. Jim Peterson, R-Buffalo, is gathering bipartisan support for a bill that will close a loophole that adversely impacts Montana politics. Currently PACs calling themselves “educational” need not disclose their source of money. We’ve seen the result: Outside “dark money” influences are undermining the spirit of local representative government. Campaigns are shifting from grassroots efforts […]

The recent guest editorial in the Beacon (Feb. 20: “Whitefish’s Identity Crisis”) accuses Heart of Whitefish of being anti-business. The letter was both inaccurate and false. Many readers are familiar with our organization and the good work that we do, but for those of you who are not, please take a minute to read this […]

I envy the architects and engineers who are asked to produce renderings of what the future could look like, especially when they are allowed the freedom to present their vision with few limitations. Especially when they go big. Often these drawings of new landscapes and grand structures are altogether improbable. The Kalispell Core Area Revitalization […]

By John Fuller The first example of support for public education in America was in Plymouth Colony in 1642. Massachusetts’ Bay Colony citizens deemed it necessary to provide for the education of its children so they would be able “to read and understand the principles of religion and the capital laws of this country.” Two […]