Columns
Searching for opinion based articles? Below we'll share opinion news articles on a wide variety of topics.
Northern Pike: Love or hate?
Before we get full time into outdoor columns about hunting, let me do a final end-of-summer column about fishing.
Let’s leverage common ground
When I moved to Kalispell a few years ago I visited a new friend’s house and saw that neighbors at the end of her street had hung a massive banner across their garage.
Some duffers don’t need to bluff
We were a few holes into what would be one of the highlights of our summer: A grand tour of prime Flathead Valley terrain during the golden hours of a summer evening.
Dahlia growers bloom at Northwest Montana Fair
Two big fellas load a cart just outside the Mini Horses Barn, a tied-up Clydesdale whinnies at me, and the signs along “Hamburger Road” make their pitches, including for Blended Red Bulls and the alluring combo of …
Summer on the lakes is set to loon music
Last week I enjoyed an early morning fishing trip on a beautiful lake, using only my quiet electric trolling motor. Using my onboard electronics, I slowly cruised around the lake searching my favorite spots for sch…
Lifelong love of trees bore fruit
The valley lost a real good apple recently — Rod McIver.
Book lovers stack up a win
Sara Busse of the ImagineIF Library Foundation floated among the sellout crowd of Flathead Valley folks in their finery and sandals. The temperature hovered at 98 degrees Fahrenheit, but heat couldn't keep readers …
Benediction to merging art forms
A dozen people gathered June 20 under tents outside as photographer Barbara Michelman and writer Charles Finn talked about their collaboration, “On a Benediction of Wind: Poems & Photographs from the American West.”
Don’t quit your daydreaming job
At the University of Montana in the late 1970s, Pete Fromm admits he wasn’t a great student. Consumed by the mountain man stories he’d absorbed as a youth, he much preferred adventure and daydreaming.
Students learn how to go beyond Google
Many adults may not know the difference between primary and secondary sources. I had to look it up to be sure.
Students go beyond Google
Many adults may not know the difference between primary and secondary sources. I had to look it up to be sure.
Of blooms and building booms
I appreciate these semiwild oases. Given how difficult it is to manage larger, popular spaces for the public good, it is these smaller parcels that may mean the most, especially for locals.
Writers dig into ways of China
He spoke flawless Mandarin. I felt a mix of jealousy and awe over his perfect tones, those quirks of pronunciation that give each Chinese word five different meanings.
Handguns and bear spray
Wow, it’s springtime in the Flathead. Last weekend was a great spring weekend with daytime highs in the 70s and 80s, plus bright sunny skies.
Make every birthday phenomenal
Success needs savoring. Milestones mean taking stock. We recently partied to mark the 130-year anniversary of Central School and the 25-year anniversary of its tenant, the Northwest Montana History Museum.