The city of Kalispell has been working on rebuilding relationships with the rural volunteer fire departments since January 2010. The city’s new administration, inclusive of the city manager, fire chief, myself and the city council, felt it prudent to begin discussions with the West Valley Fire Department in particular, as West Valley’s tax base was […]

Recently NY Times’ “You’re the Boss” blog had a piece about the 10 reasons small businesses fail. It’s a laundry list of pretty fundamental stuff, much of which we regularly talk about here: a business model whose math doesn’t work, owners who can’t get out of their own way out-of-control growth poor accounting insufficient cash […]

On Jan. 10, state District Judge Joe J. Hegel told environmentalists they could proceed with litigation against the preliminary leasing of the so-called Otter Creek tracts to Arch Coal. That the Greens are pursuing this case strikes me as otter stupidity. But first, some history and numbers: Otter Creek came into Montana’s trust portfolio in […]

More jobs. The two words every Montanan was promised by candidates running for the state Legislature. Many of these now-elected officials plan on living up to their promises, but I have to question the sincerity of Rep. Derek Skees, R-Whitefish, now that he has introduced House Bill 244, which attempts to repeal our Renewable Energy […]

Former Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin moved to Montana a few months ago and has vowed to mold the state into what he thinks it should look like. The potential 2012 gubernatorial candidate also has an opinion about those who lived here before him. “There are a lot of people that were born in […]

While an impressionable young soldier in Vietnam, my First Sergeant once told me, “God gave soldiers, through the genius of John Browning, the Model 19ll pistol and that it carried eight shots because that was enough.” However, he went on to say that the only purpose of a pistol was to defend yourself adequately while […]

In the beginning of this school year, the nation’s public schools suffered a significant amount of negative media attention that aligned with the release of the film “Waiting for Superman.” This film features the achievements of selected, privately managed charter schools. It depicts public education as a failed enterprise. I have had the opportunity to […]

Recently, I stopped into a niche retail business for the very first time. They’ve done a nice job with it. Hasn’t been open long, so some of the obvious things I’d suggest to make the place a real customer magnet weren’t in place yet. I think they’ll get there over time. What worries me most […]

In 1974 President Richard Nixon resigned, stating that “the interest of the nation must come before any personal considerations” and acknowledging that some of his private actions were wrong. Those were strong words, but the president’s policies still have meaning today. Nixon enacted Title IX, which says, “No person in the United States shall, on […]

I’m pleased to share with you two wonderful chicken casseroles that may be prepared one day or more in advance prior to serving. In fact, preparing them ahead of time can make the dishes taste even more delicious by allowing time for all of the elements to immerse together. I invite you to try these […]

At the recent Polson Rural Fire District board meeting, the board voted to impose the following fees for traffic accident response: 1.) If firefighters are called to a crash and spend less than an at the scene: $500 if special tools are not required or $750 if special tools are required to extricate a victim. […]

Montana Republicans swept into the state capitol for a variety of reasons, but perhaps none as big as the rising national debt and dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama’s health care plan. Both issues have dominated the debate in the first weeks of the Legislature, except now it’s the GOP on the defense. One of the […]

Since 1964, I’ve owned and operated an RV park and campground just several miles from the western entrance to Glacier National Park. Over the years, I have heard from people who have spouses working in Glacier and some who came here to retire. They did not realize at the time that nothing stays as it […]

As the Montana legislature kicks into gear, the air is heavy with rhetoric and of course… talk of new jobs. While I don’t agree with all that our various governments do, I can’t think of a single time that any of them have prevented me from getting a new customer, hiring someone or for that […]

The outrageous mass murder in Arizona has the political crisis cockroaches (and their media enablers) crawling out of the woodwork. But as Robert Barnes, staff writer for the Washington Post wrote, “There is, at this point, no evidence that the suspect in Saturday’s shootings that left six dead and [Congresswoman Gabrielle] Giffords and 12 others […]