April 20, 2012

Getting back to it ... a reintroduction of sorts

I've been away from this blog for so long that it seems almost pointless to retrace my steps between my last post and now. Initially I launched this blog to help promote my book "Blue Man in a Red State: Montana's Governor Brian Schweitzer and New Western Populism." It was published in 2008 as Schweitzer was making his run for a second term. He won that election and is now in the last six months offfice. The book? It was pulled from the shelf last year. So if you were lucky enough to get a copy, hold on to it. Could be a collector's item one of these days. If you didn't get a copy ... believe it or not I still have a few and we can work a deal.

I'm the editor/publisher of the oldest continually published weekly newspaper in Montana – The Madisonian. It started printing in 1873 and, God willing, will keep going for another 61 years and longer. I've been in Ennis three years and can say that heading up a newspaper vital to a growing community is challenging, rewarding, frustrating and exhilarating all at the same time.

Today I'm preparing for Monday's Ennis School Board candidate forum. Part of our obligation as a publication is to inform our readers and local citizens and that's what I'm trying to do with this forum. However, it's always a challenge to coordinate and emcee these sorts of things. The controversy surrounding the race this year is going to make it more so. It should be interesting.

The forum will be Monday April 23 at 7 p.m. at the Ennis Schools. We initially planned to have it in the new multi-purpose room, but it might be moved to the gym. Stay tuned.

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