In an emotional meeting Thursday morning, Hill County Commissioners voted 2-0, with Diane McLean abstaining, to leave health insurance rates for county employees at the same levels as last year. Instead, the county will launch an effort to convince voters to approve a mill levy in the November election. McLean, before abstaining on the motion to retain the existing rates,…
Posts published in April 2020
BY JOHNATHAN HETTINGER At Cyndi Johnson’s farm near Conrad, spring planting preparations are continuing as in any other year. Johnson and her husband are getting their equipment in order, leveling a spot where they got the sprayer stuck a couple of years ago, and finalizing seed, fertilizer and chemical contracts for the season. At first, there was some uncertainty over…
Editor: Many of you will have noticed the internet chatter about the impressive COVID-19 responses in countries led by women. The nations of Finland (Sanna Marin), Germany (Angela Merkel), New Zealand (Jacinda Ardern), Taiwan (Tsai Ing-wen), Iceland (Katrin Jakobsdottir), Norway (Erna Solberg) and Denmark (Mette Frederiksen) are currently led by women. In a recent interview, former Secretary of State Madeleine…
BY ALEX MCKENZIE The COVID-19 pandemic may have brought many aspects of daily life to a halt, but Montana’s June 2 primary election is steadily approaching. While this year’s candidates launched their campaigns under relatively normal circumstances, facing off on issues including health care, prescription drug prices, public lands and jobs, the public health crisis has dramatically transformed the political,…
BY DRS. MARC C. MENTEL AND PAM V. CUTLER As Montana physicians practicing in a rural community, I feel it is timely to share my thoughts and feelings with all my neighbors as our state prepares to transition from ‘shelter-in-place’ to the next phase of our battle against COVID-19. Our strongest feeling is one of gratitude. We are grateful for…