Sorted by date Results 583 - 607 of 1183
What is the US Climate Alliance? It is a domestic group formed specifically to undermine President Trump’s excellent decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Now, by executive order, part-time Governor Steve Bullock has undermined all of Montana by aligning Montana with the US Climate Alliance. This is so wrong. To begin, Montana is the Treasure State, not the “Fly Fishing State”. Sure, Montana is a great state for recreation, but to quote Senator Al Olszewski, “Montana’s wealth comes from the ground.” Our natural resources and our...
I take offense at last weeks letter to the editor titled “Clinic essential service.” If I am reading this correctly, this individual does not believe that clinic staff should be able to take a lunch break and he was personally inconvenienced by the fact that the clinic is closed around lunch. I know for a fact that many times staff work through their lunch for emergencies, appointments that run over time and prepare for a busy afternoon of appointments (scheduled and unscheduled). I also am aware of the fact that several of the staff work long...
SEELEY LAKE - We tried calling the Seeley Swan Medical Center during noon hour and got their answering machine instead. We were grateful that my wife’s condition was not an emergency although dealing with chronic pain is difficult. The Seeley Swan Clinic Staff did return the call after the lunch hour. During the week, we drove by the clinic and were astonished because there were no cars outside the clinic. The clinic was closed for lunch. I know there are budget constraints in operating a clinic in rural Montana, but I consider our clinic to b...
SEELEY LAKE - After the June 20 Sewer Board meeting, it was clear that there are innumerable loose ends and many unanswered questions to be addressed before any user agreement reaches the property owners in Phase 1. At one point, I made the comment that we would need many more property owner participants in the district to be able to pay for the proposed sewer system. Costs have always been too high and continue to increase. They are high enough to price many people right out of their homes. That idea seems to go right over the heads of most...
SEELEY LAKE - The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled property owners can go directly to Federal Court if they believe local government regulations....such as the onerous health department septic regulations here in Seeley Lake..... have deprived landowners of the right to use their property. The Missoula County Health Department has regularly for years deprived us of the right to use our properties up here with its constantly-changing regulations without public hearing or input. Just two years ago it created a Special Management Area up here which...
SEELEY LAKE – As I was reading about the Newspaper Association Contest in the June 13 issue, the judges said the story about the elusive Bigfoot won for “originality and imagination.” Sounds like they thought it was a made up story. That story was true. In fact all my stories are true. I hate fiction! But I do change some of the names to protect the innocent....
SEELEY LAKE - In what world does a board director ask the district manager for specific information relating to a topic the manager discussed with the public at a recent meeting and be denied access to that information? That occurred last week in the bizarre world of the Seeley Lake Sewer District. On June 10th I emailed district manager Jean Curtiss requesting the cost estimates for Phases 3 and 4 which became part of the public discussion at the special board meeting on June 6. Ms. Curtiss responded saying that she would not release the data...
SEELEY LAKE - Citizens for Sensible Wastewater Solutions mailed letters to sub-district one residents urging them to attend the Thursday evening Sewer District Board meeting. The location of the 5:15 p.m. meeting has been changed from the Seeley Lake Elementary to the Community Hall. Please note the change and plan to attend....
On June 7, Senator Jon Tester reintroduced the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. As members of the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project, we sincerely thank our senior senator for his leadership and for continuing to champion this bipartisan bill that 73 percent of Montanans support. The reason for the bill’s popularity is simple: It offers something for just about every Montanan. • It opens up new snowmobiling opportunities by creating the 2,000-acre Otatsy Recreation Management Area near Ovando. • It preserves prized mountain bike...
SEELEY LAKE - Are we, Seeley Lake, in need of a centralized waste system we clearly can’t afford with so many questions still unanswered? If septic systems are affecting our ground water, thus the lake, is it all systems in all areas or just defective systems in need of replacement? Are all waste disposal systems around Seeley Lake functioning properly? Should properties on the lake have holding tanks that are periodically pumped out? Are the 500+ lots in the sewer district really the cause of the problems, or should the entire area north a...
We all know the saying, “A fed bear is a dead bear…” This is one that Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks Game Warden Bill Koppen knows all too well. Being a retired local law enforcement officer myself from New Jersey, I know all too well the frustration Game Warden Koppen feels on a daily basis, “Why won’t people listen.” A week or two back I spent time with Bill, vexation was at his highest I’ve seen in some time. He takes his job very serious as well he should - wild animals being fed with scrap human food, in a number of areas. Garbage is le...
SEELEY LAKE - I wrote a letter a couple of years ago urging the “Sewer Board” to change its name to the “Seeley Lake Water Improvement Board” because that is what it should be addressing. Since that time, the Sewer Board continues to push forward on the sewer, as if this is going to solve all the problems in the lake. From the meeting I attended on Thursday, it sounds like it will cost $40+ million to build the system, which will ultimately serve some 500 homes and businesses. The number $83,000 per lot was tossed around. In addition, the annua...
SEELEY LAKE - Eighty thousand dollars per lot – that is roughly what Sewer District residents will pay for the proposed sewer. If your home happens to sit on two lots you will may be obligated for $160,000 of the roughly $40 million, 40-year bond debt obligation. That works out to more than $100 per month per lot (after subsidies) for sewer service in one of the lowest income communities in the county. Subdistrict (Phase) 1 residents who will get a revised user agreement in the mail must just say NO. DO NOT SIGN THE AGREEMENT. If you do, you o...
SEELEY LAKE - The “information” packet mailed to you by the sewer board was not particularly vetted. While the cover letter did have the term “Draft User Agreement” in it a number of times, the text did not make it clear that you should not sign the draft and send it back. They also failed to put the word “DRAFT” in large letters diagonally across the draft. This is just a draft and you SHOULD NOT sign it and send it back in. BEFORE any final User’s Agreement can go out to you, the Phase 1 people, you have a RIGHT to have input in the formation...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board has drawn up a draft “user agreement” for we sewer district residents. That’s the agreement between the board and we “customers” which must be in place before we receive sewer service. It is complicated, technical and full of legal jargon. We must understand it completely before we sign up. The board has called a meeting for 5:15 p.m., Thursday, June 6 at the Seeley Lake Elementary School. Sewer District residents should consider this important meeting a “must attend” event. We can ask questions and...
SEELEY LAKE - Steve and I want to commend our new Ranger Quinn Carver for the opportunity to work alongside the Forest Service this last Wednesday. Allowing for firewood gathering prior to the community clean-up day, helped with reducing the amount of material that had to be moved and stacked for the opening of the campground. Thank you for your vision. On another note, we were disappointed with the amount of help that came from the business community. I am sure that there was a breakdown in communication and am sure that this will be remedied...
SEELEY LAKE - Another senseless bear killing…why?? After being shot in the face by a shotgun and blinded, the bear was unable to see and stumbled around while someone laughed. The game warden was able to capture the bear and put it down to end its suffering. How very inhumane this was. How cruel. What was the reason for shooting this bear? Was it in your garbage, in your chicken house, attacking you or are you just another person who just likes to kill or hurt a bear? The ignorance and killing of bears must STOP! In my 27 years of living h...
SEELEY LAKE - After a winter of wrangling and struggling, the Seeley Lake Sewer Board seems no closer to an equitable funding formula for its sewer proposal than ever. The costs, in fact, seem to be going up and Missoula County officials have reneged on a pledge of more than a half-million dollars in engineering services for the construction of Phase l. That alone has resulted in an estimated cost increase of nearly three quarters of a million dollars. Sewer district residents have a constitutional right to know what the project will cost them...
SEELEY LAKE – Those of us living in Seeley Lake are very fortunate to have the services of the men and women who provide help in emergencies. Numerous times over the past several months I have had to call on them to assist with my husband’s many falls. Twice they arranged ambulance transport to the hospital due to his injuries. I always found the responders to be quite competent, friendly and efficient and they always have arrived within 15 minutes of my call. I don’t know what I would have done without their help and I can’t thank them en...
It can feel like a cosmic event when the government actually does something right. So I was excited to hear that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was rolling out a new rule to protect consumers from payday loans. Then, when I heard that those rules were being taken away before they even got out the door, I was furious. This represents everything people hate about Washington. The CFPB used to look out for the little guy, but now they are putting the profits of a sleazy industry with deep pockets above the needs of working people. Payday...
Several years ago I was involved in a severe single-car auto accident when a left front tire blew out on a country road. I was intentionally placed in a coma for a few months as my body worked to recover from multiple spinal fractures and other broken bones. My doctors treated me with opioids. Upon release from the hospital, I continued to control serious pain with Oxycodone daily for a few years. I never developed a high from the drug and no addiction. When I no longer needed it, I simply stopped taking it. Fast forward to today. Because a...
Representatives and Senators, HELENA - Senate Bill 260 was signed into law on April 3, 2019, establishing the Trenton Johnson Memorial Highway, for the sake of honoring the risks wildland firefighters accept in order to save the lives and property of others, and especially those who pay the ultimate price for their service, like Trenton did at only 19 years of age. Senate Bill 260 passed with a vote of 47-3 in the Senate, and 90-9 in the House. I can’t imagine the reasoning behind the “Nay” votes, but that is far from what bothers me the most....
An Open Letter to Montana State Legislators and Governor Bullock: As former and current Montana Public Service Commissioners, we represented Montanans across this great state in balancing the needs of utilities with the needs of consumers. We took our oath of office seriously and worked tirelessly to faithfully perform the job to which our constituents entrusted us. We often disagreed as Commissioners, and still rarely agree on many issues. Yet we are writing this letter because we share grave concerns about Senate Bill 331. While we may...
Americans pay the highest brand-name drug prices in the world. Congress, the Administration, and importantly, our own Montana State legislators must take action now to lower prescription drug prices, the root cause of this problem. That’s why AARP is launching a national campaign urging federal and state policymakers to Stop Rx Greed by cracking down on price-gouging drug companies. AARP’s goal is to help lower drug prices for all Americans through decisive actions and solutions aimed not only at the Federal level but also at the State lev...
This week, our republican and democratic state legislators notched a victory for Montanans. Working together with the Governor's office, they agreed on legislation that would permanently reauthorize Medicaid Expansion. This is good news for Montana and a triumph for bipartisanship. Republicans and Democrats were able to find common ground on this issue because both parties recognize that Medicaid Expansion works for Montana. Since its passage in 2015, the Montana HELP Act has provided affordable health care to more than 96,000 working...
