The same corporate interests pushing the negative campaign against Initiative 185 pushed cigarettes on me when I was deployed to Iraq. They happily packed the base exchanges with cartons of cigarettes and racks of smokeless tobacco. The Big Tobacco companies made a healthy profit on our nation’s wars by taking money from American servicemen and servicewomen. But now that … [Read more...] about Montana voices: Big tobacco using vets as props to defeat I-185

Aboard the coach from the train station to the Florence Hotel in Missoula, he observed a man riding a bicycle and leading a horse. He suggested that his companion snap a photo of the scene, offering up the caption: “There’s Missoula up to date.” It was the afternoon of August 5, 1895. The man was Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka, Mark Twain). The photo enthusiast and … [Read more...] about Harmon’s Histories: About that August when Mark Twain came to visit

At some point back in 1995 as a student at the University of Montana, I grabbed a copy of the Missoula Independent to peruse the offerings. Back then, before the advent of social media, the weekly paper ran “I saw you” ads in the classified section. I was certain, at some point in time, somebody would certainly see me somewhere around town, and they would be compelled to … [Read more...] about Reporter’s notebook: And then there was one (independent news publication)

As a pediatrician, I am alarmed by statistics that show that a rapidly rising number – now 30 percent - of Montana teenagers are using e-cigarettes or vaping. Without prompt action to reduce the appeal of these new tobacco products to teens, we’ll be raising the next generation of nicotine-addicted kids. We know nicotine exposure in adolescence can harm the developing brain, … [Read more...] about Missoula Voices: Pediatrician supports I-185; alarmed by teenage vaping

Here in Missoula, we have incredible access to public lands. That didn’t happen by accident. When we’re climbing to the summit of Mount Jumbo or gazing out our windows at its profile, it can be easy to take our access to those steep but stunning trails and wide open views for granted.  But we might not have been so lucky. Mount Jumbo and the other public lands that comprise … [Read more...] about Sustainable Missoula: Continued access to open, public lands requires vigilance, investment