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To The Editor: As a fourth generation Montanan, I feel privileged to have grown up in one of the many farming and ranching communities dotting the landscape of eastern Montana. I was taught old school values, love of God, family, country, and the merit of a hard day's work. Sense of community was strong, a man’s word was his bond, neighbors helped neighbors, and Sunday mornings found most folks gathered in church. As a WW2 veteran, my father was proud of his service to his country and understood that the freedoms we each enjoy were purchased a...
I will begin by stating how important it is for us to make it a priority to vote in the upcoming primary on June 4! Some local and state positions will be won in the primary. Don’t miss out on this important time to make your choices count! Republican Brandon Ler is my choice for House District 33. Brandon is a rancher, business owner and father. A former school board member and volunteer firefighter, Brandon has two Legislative sessions under his belt, and can hit the ground running in 2025. He is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and s...
The Sidney post prom committee is comprised of a small volunteer group of junior and senior parents who seek to keep our community kids safe on prom night. This year’s committee hosted a gathering from 11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. last Saturday night after the Sidney prom. The evening was held at the Richland County Event Center and consisted of pizza and snacks, a photo booth, a cornhole tournament, spike ball tournament, door prizes, bingo games, casino games: roulette, craps, blackjack and poker. Entertainment Explosion, a company traveling here f...
As it is about tax time again, I think these thoughts need to be expressed. Before I start into the main meat of this piece, I am going to throw out these statistics: The U.S. debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio as of December 2022 is now 129% which is very close to what it was at the end of World War II. In other words, it would take everything the U.S. produced in 1.29 years to lower our debt to zero; that’s $100,000 per every living person in the U.S. Ukraine’s debt to GDP ratio as of December 2022 is now around 80%. And because thi...
Some readers, especially those with Scandinavian heritage, may be familiar with the stories of Sven and Ole. I grew up hearing them from my late grandfather. One story comes to mind in the context of our current political climate. Sven and Ole, were two farmers with neighboring farms who had always been very competitive. Ole's father had always been a Ford man, and the bigger the better, especially the F-350s. So, of course, Ole grew up as a Ford man, too! Sven's father had always been a Chevy...
February 4-10th is National Boy Scout Week. This week is set aside to celebrate Boy Scouts and the great things that they do for their communities. Scouting has benefitted the Sidney community in a variety of ways. The Boy Scouts are often called on to do service projects to help the elderly, needy or other organizations that are short on volunteer man power. Scouting has instilled great values into a lot of boys in Sidney. These core values of scouting are Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty,...
My name is Brandon Ler. I am the seated Representative for House District 35, which covers all of Richland County. Due to recent redistricting, I am running for House District 33, which covers Richland County south of Highway 200 and all of Dawson County. As a State Legislator, the topic I receive the most questions about is by far property taxes. Why are Montanans paying so much in property taxes? What’s behind the recent property tax hikes? I believe that property taxes have gone up because of Montana’s lack of natural resource development in...
Dear Editor and Fellow Constituents, Montana’s election process belongs to the people. We want to facilitate open and fair discussions during our primaries. The National Republican Senate Committee-Chairman Daines- does not need to choose the Arizona candidates or the candidates for Montana… Montanans can pick our own candidates, we do not need rich establishment politicians spoon feeding us our choices for Federal or State offices. We want fair and honest Elections not Selections. Now is a time for the Grassroots of Montana to Stand up and...
If we know one thing in District 2, it's the meaning of hard work. Cold days, late nights, long hours, the value of a dollar ... My life's work has been in journalism and media. This career path meant telling the truth, giving a voice to those who were unheard, researching complex issues, and keeping our elected officials in check. We are now at an important crossroads in North Dakota. So many are disheartened with the establishment and seeking a better future. We are all frustrated but resolute...
Dear Editor, It has been my honor to represent the people from Wibaux, Dawson, and Richland Counties in the Senate the past seven years. Because of term limits, I cannot be a senator after eight years, so, I will not be running again, and my term ends at the end of 2024. As I campaigned from the very start, my passion was to give the people in my Senate District freedom. There are special interest groups that try to persuade you to build bureaucracies that would benefit them but the biggest thing on my mind was freedom. As I come to the end of...
In the fabric of Montana's history, woven through the life stories of our people, is a simple yet profound wisdom: "Don't be a sheep". This is the legacy of my Basque heritage, a creed passed down from my father, who turned the rugged terrains of eastern Montana into a home for our family. It's this same spirit that now compels me to seek a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. I want to ensure that our judiciary reflects the strength, independence, and integrity of the state we all love. My story...
There's always something special about the early days of a new year. Optimism. Opportunity for change and making things better. It's how I felt growing up in Montana at the beginning of a new sports season. Whatever disappointments or mistakes might have happened the previous season, a new season was like starting a new chapter, where hard work, dedication, and teamwork can make anything possible. 2023 is like the previous season and much needs to be done to make things better. In 2023, our...
Dear Santa, 11/23/23 What have you been up to this year? How is Mrs. Claus? A couple of things I want for Christmas are a little two cushion couch for a reading corner, the biggest Hydro Flash water bottle, a new red and black mountain bike, and a blue pair of non-wireless JBL headphones. I deserve these things for three reasons. First, I am helpful by helping my mom a little bit by washing dishes for her sometimes. Second, I am kind to my friends because I play games with them. Lastly, I am...
We appreciate you making the effort to come to our fundraising event on Sept. 16 for Martha’s Place, the future residential hospice house. We had an amazing turnout, and we managed to bring in a little over $10,000 between ticket sales, silent auction, and donations! Your attendance and support have played an important role in our event’s success—thank you. With your contribution, we will be able to continue working toward remodeling the old Fischer House, now officially called Martha’s Place, in Richland County. We have been able to install...
With the Dobbs opinion from the US Supreme Court the abortion debate has been returned to the individual states. While there are many different viewpoints on abortion, one view is held by a supermajority of the public, that abortion should not be wide-open up until or after birth. (news.gallup.com July 7,2023) Throughout the 2023 Legislative session, your Montana House Republicans used common sense and biologically sound principles to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us, unborn babies. Building on the historic progress from the 20...
This last election cycle many Republicans campaigned and were elected on the promise to enhance freedom in Montana. This session, Republicans accomplished that mission. House Republicans continued to protect religious freedom in school settings, and passed HB 744, which allows students to discuss faith in school without fear of punishment. After all, our government funded education system exists for our students and they should be able to express their free speech. Freedoms of veterans were strengthened by passing HB 583, which creates...
We have seen shortages of things like eggs and baby formula. Imagine the shortage of energy and products that would result from eliminating 40% of the coal mined in the United States. As far-reaching and unimaginable as that might seem, a federal court in Montana appears set to do just that. The same judge who attempted to eliminate irrigation from the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers is now commanding the Bureau of Land Management to consider eliminating coal mining on federal lands in the Power River Basin. The Basin includes Richland County a...
I am writing to raise awareness and voice my concerns regarding Mid-Rivers’s utilization of the pay-per-gig model for their internet service. As a member-owned cooperative, Mid-Rivers should prioritize the best interests of its customers and foster an environment that benefits the entire community. Since its establishment in 1952, Mid-Rivers has been an integral part of our community, providing essential services to its members. However, the recent implementation of the pay-per-gig model, which I firmly believe should be referred to as the ...
People are now being told to avoid labelling of any kind whatsoever. Discrimination is always bad. Not being able to describe things can also be bad. The “woke” movement preaches that some people are “awake” and enlightened about social injustice. If you are “not woke” then you are obviously inferior and despicable in the eyes of “woke” people. Concerns about these trends are paradoxically not tolerated. Medical school students used to be taught to identify and describe patients we were trying to take care of. For example, while describin...
The parents of the post prom committee would like to extend a sincere thank you to the local area businesses for the support of this event for the safety of our kids. The post prom party was held at Central School from 11:30 p.m.-3 a.m. with MC Nick Kallem. This year’s after prom party featured laser tag, two escape rooms, a cornhole tournament, bingo, black jack, poker, craps, roulette, a photo booth, and plenty of snacks and drinks. Besides all the fun entertainment, the kids received tickets upon entering the event and could earn more t...
Greetings from Helena! The committees are about finished with their work. In Judiciary Committee, we had a Governor’s Judicial appointment for District 9, Gregory Bonilla. Shelby will be his headquarters. He answered my questions on the constitution well. He will be confirmed on the Senate Floor this week. In Fish and Game committee we had two Governor’s appointments to confirm for the State Parks and Recreation Board, Liz Whiting, and John Marancik. They will also be confirmed on the Senate Floor this week. Monday is going to be a busy day...
Greetings from Helena! This has been one of the busiest weeks in the Montana State Legislature since I have been here, for two reasons. One reason is that any Senate bills with a fiscal note have to be transferred to the House by Tuesday, April 4. The other reason is that all house bills that need amended have to be through the Senate by April 13. The time for sine die is getting closer. In Judiciary committee we heard several bills about how to change the path of Child Protective Services. Since Montana has the highest per capita in the nation...
Greetings from Helena! It seems like things are picking up again as deadlines are getting closer. We just have four weeks to finish our work for the year. We haven’t even started on HB2 and other spending bills. Every committee has been full of bills which made long days every day this week. There is a lot of conversation in the Ranger Review about HB234 by Representative Phalen. The conversation mentions two meetings, one in the Glendive Public Library, which Representative Phalen and I attended, and one in the DCHS library. So, I thought I w...
Greetings from Helena! We had quite a bit of activity on the Senate floor this past week, with mostly House bills. One Senate bill we had this week that had appropriations in it was SB 458, which would make the sex on a birth certificate the legal sex. This is to be consistent with Montana Code. There are supposedly 81 genders and climbing so things in the code are getting confusing and there have been some lawsuits threatened. HB450 dealt with bullying in schools and self-defense. In Judiciary committee we dealt with bills about dangerous...
Greetings from Helena! It was good to be home for a few days and seeing the friendly faces in eastern Montana. I get a lot of emails and phone calls from my constituents in SD18. The large majority are in support of how I vote. There are a small few who are not. When I ran for senate, I swore to uphold the constitution. My life is guided by my faith in God and the moral principles He has set. I use these as my guide when I am voting. Governor Gianforte is going to have a bill signing Monday, March 13, 2023, to sign a group of bills including...
