You may have heard someone say, “That person is a real character,” generally in reference to a guy or gal who is somewhat, or very — ummm — unique. Some folks achieve status as a real character without even thinking about it, but should you yoursel...

Hospitals. Schools. Churches. Museums. All valuable buildings that should always be protected. Let’s add libraries to that list. It should come as no surprise that as the owner of a newspaper, I value reading. I love holding a book in my hands, l...

The countywide Sanders Saleing yard sale event is a great way to purge items that have been sitting in your garage or basement gathering dust. It’s a great community event. However, there’s a drawback when it comes to the tons of items leftover. Wha...

“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of N...

As we approach the Fourth of July, it's important to think about the principles this country was founded on. We are the United States of America and the Constitution was an effort to bring people together in a new country. Despite the continued...

In John Prine’s song “Way Back Then,” he sings, “I am out undoing all the good I’ve done.” That could be a theme for the past few years in the United States. Environmental laws passed “way back then” are weakened, international agreements are...

Here we are nearing the end of June, with summer chugging along at a steady pace. Warmer weather, vacation plans and leisure time are all increasing. Thoughts of school – with its classes, books, and homework – have certainly faded long ago. So whe...

On the same day that the 50th anniversary of the Montana Constitution was being celebrated in the chambers of the Montana House of Representatives as producing the most open government of all the 50 states, it was revealed that the Governor of Montan...

Can one person change the world? The skeptic in me prevents me from giving a resounding “YES!” to this well-worn, oft-repeated saying, because change can often seem too slow, and the world can often seem too big. But I do believe that one ind...

I had a friend visit from Tennessee a few years ago, and she couldn't believe the number of deer in Thompson Falls. She took a lot of pictures of deer in the yard, deer on the sidewalks, deer in the streets. It is pretty unique as we live in the...

The community of Paradise needs a community sewer system. The sewer district board agrees. The county commissioners and sanitarian agree. The state agreed to the point of ranking the sewer sytem as a top priority for funding. As you drive through...

My neighbor Aaron Harris showed up with his portable sawmill this week, and we proceeded to make rectangular pieces out round logs harvested from my place by Ma Nature herself: windthrown Douglas fir, cedar and hemlock courtesy of big wind events...

My whole family got COVID recently. Ironically, we were all gathered at a funeral for my uncle, who passed away last fall, from COVID. I'm proud to say my family is fully vaccinated and boosted. More importantly, I'm very glad we all were. I have no...

The Montana Primary election is coming up and I have been thinking about the choices I face in my rural Montana county. I don’t ask a lot of county government, just the basics; roads plowed in winter, graded in the spring, a sensible budget, a deputy...

We sometimes take for granted that things that always seem to magically get done. Such is the case with the Sanders Saleing county-wide yard sale event. This event each June brings hundreds of people to Sanders County. They don't just come looking...

Last weekend I happened to watch "Field of Dreams" for the millionth time. What a great message of believing in yourself and persevering, even when people think your ideas are crazy. I thought of that movie again Monday night at the Thompson Falls...

"Smile, it makes people wonder what you're up to." That's something my mom always says to me when I'm having a hard day. It's one of many things my mom has instilled in me as my best friend and biggest fan. Even in my 40s, my mom is always there...

When my grandparents landed in Montana long, long, long ago, they brought with them some interesting sensibilities. They were of the pioneer type, but missed the big push into the country and so ended up being, in reality, settlers. They arrived 34...