By Bill Vander Weele There was a time that it was a lot happier nation. It was a time before social media and everyone racing to put up their latest great thoughts on Facebook or some other site. The old, popular saying “don’t talk about politics and religion” apparently doesn’t apply anymore. That change in philosophy has definitely hurt small communities, not to mention even families.

Christian Alexander Perez was sentenced for possession of dangerous drugs during a district court hearing on Tuesday, June 28. Based on a plea agreement, Perez was sentenced to five years, with two years suspended with the Department of Corrections. He was fined $1,000. The sentence is to run concurrently with two other cases. District Judge David Cybulski said that considering Perez’s

Creator’s Game organizers have scheduled a family fun day at the Wadopana Grounds in Wolf Point July 7. It will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All ages are welcome with consent from parents and/or guardians. The fee event will include horseback riding, a petting zoo, lacrosse, archery, face painting and a tug of war, as well as additional games, food, snacks and drinks. For more information,

A proposed property tax cap and three other ballot initiatives supporters had hoped to put before Montana voters in November’s general election are dead in the water after failing to meet signature- gathering thresholds, their respective backers have said. The failed proposals included CI-121, which would have amended the state Constitution to dramatically reconfigure Montana’s tax system

The public is invited to these upcoming events at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center near Williston, N.D. All events are free and open to the public. All times are Central time. July 9-10: Sixth Infantry Encampment. Reenactors will perform demonstrations of military life on Saturday, July 9, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including a marching drill and cannon demonstration in the afternoon.

Singer/songwriter Effron White will be performing at Wolf Point’s Missouri Breaks Brewing Thursday, July 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. The performance will complete White’s Montana/Wyoming/Washington tour before he heads back to the Nashville, Tenn., area. Singer Myklynn Lewis will be performing on her home stage July 8. Her performance is set for 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free. Breaks’ regular

The test of a new elections system this month revealed some tweaks that need to be made, but several elections officials in Montana said they anticipate the new system will be ready in 2023 as planned. Elections have been in the public eye in Montana and nationally the last couple of years as some people, even high ranking officials, made many unfounded allegations of fraud, but this week in Montana,

Humanities Montana, the statewide nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is now accepting applications for their regular grants and film and video grants. Organizations with festivals, podcasts, radio shows, conferences, lectures and other ideas are eligible to apply for regular grants. Film and video grants fund multi-year media projects in research and script development,