The recent guilty verdict in the murder of George Floyd demands all communities, including ours, embrace necessary changes in the socio/political landscape, revisit how we got here, and chart a new path forward. For nearly half a millennium on this continent, we have lived within a caste system designed by European colonists to stratify people and keep those layers in … [Read more...] about Missoula County: Floyd verdict demands pursuit of more equitable, just communities

It’s easy to see why so many are fed up with modern politics and the “us versus them” rhetoric. Thankfully, a trip up the Blackfoot Valley puts this chaotic world into perspective with stunning mountains, clean waters, expansive ranchlands and people who still wave as you pass by. The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act is common-sense policy and represents what Montana … [Read more...] about Letters: Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act cuts through partisan politics

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway has been polluting the land between E. Alder Street and N. 2nd Street E. since 1880. In fact, their fueling and switching yard in downtown Missoula was first designated a Superfund site in 1994. Residents in this neighborhood are forced to live in close proximity to free product diesel and other industrial compounds considered unsafe … [Read more...] about Letters: Northside residents deserve full residential cleanup of rail yard

The original sin of the Republican party was Nixon’s Southern strategy--the appeal to southerners through racial and social animus, similar to the fascists of 1930s Germany. This Southern strategy has reemerged in America and come home to roost in Montana politics. Since losing the Presidential election in 2020, rather than represent the majority of people in America they … [Read more...] about Opinion: The Republican Party has devolved into a syndicate

On April 28th, the legislature passed in both houses a bill that includes 3,000 guaranteed tags for outfitters. If this sounds familiar and surprises you, it should. This passed in spite of the fact that Montanans abolished these tags by ballot measure, and the bill that was introduced this session trying to overturn that measure was killed after having public hearings. … [Read more...] about Opinion: Legislature’s tags for guides bypasses revenue, locks out hunters