Opinion
Searching for opinion based articles? Below we'll share opinion news articles on a wide variety of topics.
Opinion: Christman recalls flood
The Great Flood of 1964 had a profound effect upon my life. In fact, in my stories of “Tales of a Misspent Youth,…
Parks deserve investment
Montana’s national parks have never been more popular. The surge in park visitation has added millions to our state economy and helped create new employment opportunities for Montanans. However, more tourists visit…
Thoughts on resort tax, school renovations
Over the past few months a couple of big ticket items have come up in Columbia Falls. The first is the reconstruction and/or renovation of the city’s two elementary schools.
52 ticks
I’m not sure there is such a thing as a “normal” spring on the North Fork. If there is, this May is certainly not normal. A couple of nice days doesn’t cut it. They have only made me more unhappy with cloudy, windy…
A real nailbiter
This week G. George Ostrom has selected a classic column from April 5, 1968.
Seeing grizzlies
This week G. George Ostrom has selected a classic column from Oct. 18, 1968.
A few bills you may have missed
Many bills during the 2019 legislative session grabbed headlines. Here are a few that passed quietly but will be of interest to Montanans.
Bad camps
I’ve camped in a lot of different places over the years. The first camping trips were in the backyard of my grandmother’s farmhouse under 200-year-old maple trees.
Thoughts on grizzlies
The grizzlies are back! By any measure, the grizzly bear, with a lot of human help, have made a remarkable recovery. Many folks, including Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks feel that they should no longer be liste…
Lions Club says thanks
The Columbia Falls Lions Club would like to thank the community of Columbia Falls for their support for our recent pancake breakfast. This fund raiser will help us continue to assist our youth with their vision nee…
A story of struggle and community pride
Almost 15 years ago, Melanie Byrd and I were trying to buy Jack’s Liquor located up on the old Downtown District of Nucleus Ave in Columbia Falls. We were preg…
The War of the Republicans
A half century ago the power in Montana politics was the Montana Power Company. Created to provide electricity for the operations of the Anaconda Copper Company, “the terrible twins” dominated Montana both economic…
About hippies and high places
This week G. George Ostrom selected a column from September, 1970.
Ode to the Carhartt
I saw a guy yesterday walking into Smith’s with a crumpled wide-brimmed hat on and a jacket with what looked liked dried mud all over it. I can’t say for sure it was mud — it was whitish stuff, maybe asbestos, or p…
'Ostrom's Rules' for taking risks
This week G. George Ostrom picked out a column from August, 1969.
An apology, and other news
It is sometimes hard to imagine that I have been writing this column for over 30 years. Mostly, it has been fun writing about North Fork Events, commenting on issues and sprinkling in a little history when things a…