Guest Opinions

My name is Stephen Smith, but everyone that knows me calls me Steve, and I am the son of Henrietta Smith, the substitute teacher who was killed at Fergus High School on Dec. 4, 1986.

I am also a staunch supporter of Second Amendment rights, and I think it’s time to talk about a few things.

Attorney General Tim Fox Thursday joined a bipartisan coalition of 30 Attorneys General in a letter to Congressional leadership, calling for preservation of state oversight of the student loan industry.  In the letter, the attorneys general urge Congress to reject legislation blocking states from preventing and combatting fraud and abuse by student loan providers.

In the last year we have heard over and over about all of the state’s budget cuts and how they will affect Montanans, but what we have not heard about is the new challenges that brain injury survivors and their families will be facing.

These budget cuts may be necessary, but they are affecting much needed services and ultimately hurting many of the people that we work with. As a part of these cuts, the Brain Injury Alliance of Montana was recently notified that the funding for our Brain Injury Help Line is being canceled at the end of March.

The second full week of March is always a busy one around Montana as the snow melts and the bears and residents come out of hibernation.

The week of March 11 culminates with a Saturday St. Patrick’s Day with parades and other celebrations. Starting in the middle of the week is the giant Western Art Week shows, sales and parties in Great Falls, and in Missoula the annual Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival shakes things up on Thursday and Friday.