Science Jun 01 Viewing the Venus Transit: What’s the Safest Way to Stare at the Sun? // As the sun sets on June 5 in North America, a last-in-a-lifetime astronomical event will be visible to those who wish to look. Just don't do it with your naked eye. A transit of Venus, wherein the planet Venus…
Politics Oct 01 Heartland Palpitations: Democrats Find Little Comfort in Small Town America One trend that is becoming clearer as the midterms approach is that Democrats are struggling to hold on in the heartland. These big-in-size, small-in-population districts throughout the Midwest, known in our Patchwork Nation project as Small Town…
Economy Aug 09 Property Taxes Emerge as Latest Front in Housing Crisis MISSOULA, Mont. | Foreclosures make headlines. They are a big focus of the media's attention as the troubled economy continues to dominate the news. But even where banks aren't taking over properties, the collapse of the real estate market is…
Politics Jul 19 Democrats Bank on Local Strategy to Help in Red States According to conventional wisdom, it is going to be a bad year for Democrats. Historically the party of the president has lost seats in the mid-term, ugly fights over health care and the soaring deficit have owned media headlines and…
Politics Jun 28 States, Communities Struggling With Medical Marijuana Regulations Whether it's the LAPD attempting to close 400 of the city's marijuana dispensaries or Montana adding nearly 20 percent more card-carrying medical marijuana users just last month, states and municipalities are struggling this summer with legislating about medical pot. Some…
Politics Jun 14 In Montana, GOP Looks to Regroup After Primary Infighting As we get further from last week's primaries and the rush of analysis on races in Nevada, Arkansas and California, there's more to say about what's happening politically at the state level. In Montana, there was only one statewide…