Opinion / Editorial
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 496
Gathering to share and make memories
With the nice long Memorial Day holiday this past weekend, I had the chance to catch up with my friend Troy. His grandparents had the ranch next to ours, and he comes back to visit every few years. We played in Beaver Creek, shared stories, looked...
Worthy of celebration
Last week I got to help one of my employees celebrate a pretty big milestone. Reporter Ed Moreth turned 70. Friends and family gathered to celebrate Ed. It was a fun evening. Ed is a fantastic...
Take advantage of arts opportunities
On Monday, I went to Thompson Falls Christian Church for the Piatigorsky Foundation concert. This was the first time I was able to see the concert that the Clark Fork Enrichment Corporation provides free to the community. Watching the concert on...
Our Viewpoint: All kinds of moms
As I sit here writing this, my mom is sitting at the conference table in the back of the Ledger reading pages. She comes in and edits for me on Tuesdays. Also today she brought me a jug of water from the ranch (I live in town and well water is just...
A little experiment
There was something different in last week's Ledger, however, no one really noticed. Last week, I wrote an article using artificial intelligence (AI) software. A friend of mine from California visited recently and asked if I had ever used AI in the...
Celebrating our community heroes
There are many people in Sanders County who do a lot for others and never ask for any recognition. It's time to start recognizing those people. Let's start with Angie Lowe of Thompson Falls. I went to school with Angie and have known her most of my l...
Our Viewpoint: Controlling information
Montana legislators voted this month to ban TikTok. The legislation states that "TikTok's stealing of information and data from users and its ability to share that data with the Chinese Communist Party unacceptably infringes on Montana's right to...
It's bear season
Last year, it seemed as though there was some sort of bear conflict in the area just about every day. Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff was busy taking care of issues and trying to educate property owners how to reduce conflicts. The majority of...
Make adjustments when they are needed
The editorial cartoon (at right) this week got me thinking about what we're willing to give up. It's Lent, but I doubt a lot of people gave up eggs. They are a pretty basic food staple that everyone buys. With the prices going up, people are still...
Encouraging the next generation of leaders
At the forum discussing Montana’s state constitution earlier this month, there was a diverse group of more than 100 people. There were politicians and retired people and realtors and volunteers. There were people who had lived in Sanders County...
Our Viewpoint - Spring is here
Spring is here – finally! The other day I spoke with a friend on the east coast who was lamenting about the 58-degree weather. I laughed and said I had considered not wearing a sweater on my walk in 38-degree weather the same day. The humidity and...
Forgiveness is a powerful thing
On Monday in Justice Court, Sanders County Sheriff's Deputy April Phillips addressed the young man who hit her patrol vehicle head-on last year. She told of her injuries and of the lasting effects. Phillips was firm in her statement before Judge Doug...
Opportunities come from learning to listen
On separate occasions recently, I was influenced unexpectedly to listen. I’m a pretty good listener, given my occupation, but what I took away from the instances last week was being open to listening. Our lives are busier every day with more...
Opportunities to excel
I recently traveled to Polson to cover the District 14-C basketball tournament. I’ve been to Polson before, but never for that long of a stretch. Polson may have a Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Starbucks, but it’s still a small town. One morning dur...
Learning to get along
I am usually at the courthouse a couple times a week. I attend meetings, conduct interviews and take care of business matters. When I bought the Ledger six years ago, there would maybe be two people at different public meetings, if that many. I was...
Trust our leaders
In the last couple of weeks, there have been two items voted on by county commissioners that were split votes. It’s not that unusual, but it’s still noticeable. Why? Because it’s a reflection of how our county is changing. People in Sanders...
Our Viewpoint: It's all local news
When I was in junior high, we traveled to Hale, Missouri, to visit my dad's aunts and cousins. It was a town about the size of Noxon. It had a hardware store and a feed store, and my extended family ran the one restaurant in town. My Great Aunt Ila e...
Committing to a career
I always love going to the years of service celebration at the courthouse. It’s amazing to see how long people have been at their jobs, and definitely an accomplishment worth recognizing. With my parents’ generation, it seems like most everyone...
Same stuff, different day
Nanette Blake from Farmhouse Blooms brought over some newspaper pages she found under the flooring of the house she recently purchased in Thompson Falls. One of the newspapers was the November 10, 1911, issue of The Sanders County Ledger. On the...
Focus on continuing
Well, here we are in mid-January. How are those New Year’s resolutions going? The fact that the second Friday in January is called “Quitters Day” provides a pretty clear answer. Even if you made it to this point, research shows that most of us...
Make your story a memorable one
One of my favorite parts of the newspaper is the obituary section. It's also one of the most read. Obituaries are such a personal look into a life. I love reading obituaries and learning about people. I discover unknown facts about peopel I've known...
Being good public servants
Last Thursday was the swearing in ceremony for the elected officials who won races in the November General Election. With the new year now comes new leadership in some key roles for Sanders County. We have two brand new commissioners and a new sherif...
Taking care of our mental health
Well, another year is coming to an end. It’s this time of year, as we get ready to say goodbye to the old, that people start focusing on renewal and starting over. People will make resolutions, and a few will keep them for the next 12 months. Many...
Finding the truth
The photo on this week's front page of Mya Aquino is priceless. Ed Moreth is great at capturing special moments. When she's older, Mya may not appreciate this photos as much, but it's a memory and a moment is something to which many parents can relat...
This is 'our' community
Last week during the Holiday Stroll, I had the privilege of meeting several people who had just moved to the area. It's not a secret or anything new that the Sanders County population is increasing. It seems there are new people every time you go...