Guest Opinions

Republicans advance pay plan for state employees

On Jan. 22 in House Appropriations, Representative Julie Dooling, a Republican representing HD70, presented a bill to increase state employee pay. The specifics of the bill, were negotiated by the

Find which level of education is best

All parents want their child to succeed in life, and students want to prove themselves in some walk of life. The problem often is how to determine the best path

Abuse of ag trade costs taxpayers

In 2018, President Trump pledged $12 billion to provide direct aid to corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean and wheat producers. Through the Market Facilitation Program, the U.S. Department of

How to lower the cost of medication in Montana

Everyone agrees the high cost of prescription medications is a huge issue, but there hasn’t been a serious attempt to solve the problem in Montana. We’re changing that by bringing

$8M of Montana money for border wall? No thank you

The “Butte Weekly” recently ran an editorial cartoon that depicts a dazed and confused Montana Sen. Scott Sales (R-Bozeman) with a bone protruding from his noggin. The cartoon is fitting

Report from the legislature

We have over 3,000 bills proposed for this session. We are working on several bills to help balance the budget and also provide needed services. This week in Helena, the

Republicans prioritize education funding

On Jan. 18, House and Senate Republicans along with the Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen held a press conference to lay out their plan to prioritize school funding. Representative

Western states face inequality due to abundance of federal lands

The challenge farmers and ranchers in western states have when it comes to public lands has its roots back in the Revolutionary War, when states were fighting for self-governance, according

Central Montana is “ground zero”

Central Montana is “ground zero” for the destruction of America’s food industry as the international investors bring their millions of dollars to buy private property surrounding public land to gain

Save the Cowboy…stop the American Prairie Reserve

What do those banners mean anyway? They mean, yes, the past, our heritage, the settlers, the old families who have been here for generations and whose knowledge has been passed

Poll

When do you think the snow will finally be melted in Lewistown?