Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/page/96/)
I was planning to ride off into the sunset today, but if I may appropriate an observation by Benjamin Franklin, it looks as though I might be heading in the direction of the rising sun.
In the week since I announced that Last Best News would cease publication today, I have heard so many expressions of interest in reviving it in some shape or form, with or without my continued involvement, that it appears likely that this independent online newspaper will live on.
Depending on what happens during the legislative session now underway, Montana could join 32 states that offer their residents an innovative, low-cost method of financing energy-efficiency projects for houses and businesses.
The method is known as Property Assessed Clean Energy, which enables property owners to obtain no-money-down loans and pay them off over many years as part of their county property tax assessments. Continue Reading →
I didn’t march this weekend in the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. I swam. Swept into a sea of compassion, dense with weight, I connected to hundreds of thousands of strangers.
As a Montanan, I crave open space. I like to see large distances of nothing. My favorite towns consist of a bar and a post office. I love our Big Sky. Continue Reading →
Though the 2017 Montana Legislative session has seen more than its share of partisan disputes, one issue has united lawmakers—reforming state law on rape and sexual assault.
The Montana Senate advanced a package of bills last week that deal with everything from the parental rights of children conceived by rape to the very definition of “consent.” Continue Reading →
The Montana Legislature debated two bills last week that would give patients a more active role in determining the cost of their health care.
Senate Bill 100, introduced by Sen. Cary Smith, R-Billings, would give patients the option of directly determining payment options with their doctor for day-to-day care without having to go through insurance. Continue Reading →
[View the story “Thousands demonstrate at Montana Women’s March” on Storify] Continue Reading →
I’ve been spending a lot of time on the Montana Legislature’s website since the session began almost three weeks ago, mostly looking at bill drafts.
A few days ago, I scanned through the descriptions of all 2,546 introduced and unintroduced bills, wondering whether our esteemed lawmakers had any of the usual crazy ideas in the wings. Continue Reading →
As U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke prepares to serve at the helm of the Department of Interior, he will be in a position to oversee more than 500 million acres of federal lands. During the Montana congressman’s confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, he reiterated his desire to be a “Teddy Roosevelt conservationist.” Continue Reading →
January 19, 2017
Oceti Oyate, Cannon Ball, N.D. — A half-mile north of the main encampment at Standing Rock lies a small highway bridge over Cantapeta Creek. Continue Reading →
