Grandma taught values of kindness and hard work. She tended to the sick and fed the hungry. Nurturing moms and grandmas around the world share these basic values. Last month Rep. Steve Daines helped pass a bill that cut the food provided to hungry people by $4 billion annually. If the House has its way […]
The federal income tax credit for qualifying children under the age of 17 may be worth as much as $1,000. Credits help taxpayers reduce the amount of income taxes paid. The tax code has plenty of credits like earned income, childcare, education, retirement savings and first-time homebuyer. Integral in the Affordable Care Act are transferable […]
Next week Congress returns to work after enjoying a European-style five-week summer recess vacation. Members will work for a couple weeks, then recess again for another week. Congress is scheduled to work 125 days in session this year. The U.S. House has voted 50 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But defunding Obamacare became […]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations said that 2012 was the hottest year recorded in the U.S. since the organization began tracking weather in the late 1800s. It’s not just hotter weather that is causing farmers to take notice; it’s the size and power of the new super storms. Farmers in Gallatin County showed Sen. […]
I was buying black licorice in Arlee when the Jocko Fire had just exploded in the mountains far outside the store window. By the next day nearly 2,000 acres burned. Hopefully it soon rains long and steady. There are numerous fires burning in Montana, all of which thirst for a good long rain. Most people […]
“I love Montana. I want to be here,” said former Gov. Brian Schweitzer, declining a run for the U.S. Senate. Schweitzer will enjoy private life after running three consecutive statewide campaigns. In his last election, the Democrat won reelection with nearly two-thirds majority. Needless to say, Schweitzer is popular in Montana. After three terms of […]
The price of a gallon of milk or a pound of sugar hinges on policies Congress enacts this summer in the five-year Farm Bill. The Senate passed its Farm Bill 66-27 with seven members choosing not to vote. Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester voted for the bill. Tea Party senators like Ted Cruz, […]
News of non-approved genetically engineered wheat discovered growing in Oregon put regulators on high alert. With the bulk of Montana wheat exported and Japan and North Korea temporarily suspending orders of western white wheat, markets and farmers were shaky. All GMO wheat related questions were directed to Washington D.C. Montana grows some white wheat, but […]
With Congress pledging to reauthorize a new Farm Bill before the fall deadline, there was plenty of political will to get the $1 trillion per decade spending bills toward floor votes. Last week, the Senate was voting on various floor amendments to the Farm Bill. Senators previously wanted to pass the Farm Bill before this […]
Young moms like Sylvia Malaga of Whitefish are organizing an educational day of action called the “March against Monsanto.” These events are planned in 200 places worldwide. One hundred and sixty are in the U.S with four rallies in Montana. The Kalispell event is Saturday, May 25 from noon to 5 p.m. at Depot Park. […]
The 63rd Montana Legislature is over. The assembly of elected servants passed a state budget, gave public servants a small raise, funded public education, shored up public pensions, invested in public infrastructure, and conducted themselves more-or-less with the respect that service warrants. In the closing days, politicians passed a lopsided $150 million income tax cut […]
There are not many moments left in the Montana Legislature as next week lawmakers adjourn from the regular session. Their 90 days is up. The major policy decisions facing Montana will be made over this weekend, heading into the start of the next and final week. Bills once tabled easily resurface amended into other bills […]
Speaker of the House Mark Blasdel, R-Somers, and Senate President Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, are unlikely to let Montana expand access to free federal health care for nearly 70,000 Montanans. The federal Affordable Care Act budgeted free Medicaid health insurance expansion to all citizens with incomes of less than $15,400 annually. The catch being that the […]
Next week Montana’s Legislature begins hearings on the most critical bills of the session. Lawmakers must choose whether to expand Medicaid in Montana, with the federal government paying for 100 percent of the cost over the next three years and 90 percent thereafter. Over the next eight years Montana’s economy could see a $6 billion […]
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 […]
As the Springsteen biopic "Deliver Me from Nowhere" hits screens, Whitefish sound engineer Toby Scott looks back on decades in the studio with the Boss
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it can’t legally dole out SNAP funds in November during the government shutdown, despite previous assurances federal funding would continue. More than 77,000 Montanans would be affected by the delay, which is unprecedented in the food-assistance program's history.
The outcry stems from a series of audio recordings a student posted on his personal X account, which have gained attention in conservative circles. The Montana Federation of Public Employees called the rhetoric and response an example of “misinformation.”