Columns/Editorials

This week, May 9-15, is National Hospital Week, and no small city can boast it has a finer hospital than Marysville and the surrounding Union County area. Nearly 70 years ago, March 17, 1952, Memorial...

Around this time last year, we started to hear speculation about a potential “pandemic baby boom.” While that doesn’t seem to have panned out, I’m much more excited about what did - the pandemic pet b...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

On Tuesday, the state of Montana ended its participation in the federal unemployment program. Governor Greg Gianforte said he wants the Treasure State to be open for business because he has heard from...

When people look back on this year and the last, I think they will be recognized as the catalyst of some amazing changes in the use of technology and the general structure of the American workforce. I...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

I wrote, several months ago, about my horse and the need to sell her. Eventually I did and bought a good horse for my son. We have been riding her pretty regularly. About two months ago, we began look...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

Union County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. We see evidence of that every day with all the machinery moving dirt. Over the years, we have heard from new people moving to town who...

The idea of “citizen journalism” is something I’ve never been completely sold on. I frequently reflect on a debate from one of my college journalism ethics classes as to whether people documenting an ...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

President Biden recently established a commission to study overhauling the U.S. Supreme Court. He had indicated his intention to do so during the campaign. Although it is billed as a bipartisan panel,...

I’ve always liked Bigfoot. Maybe it was triggered as a child when I watched the Six Million Dollar Man fight the big shaggy beast, eventually ripping his arm off. Maybe it was because in the 1980s Uni...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

The announcement a week ago that Major League Baseball is moving its All-Star Game set for July 13 from Atlanta to Denver has created a storm of protest. The reason was not because of a COVID-19 dange...

Imagine if politicians in a state decided to pass legislation with the stated intention of increasing both election participation and integrity. As part of that effort, the bill included provisions th...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

The term “Vaccine Passport” has been cropping up in recent news reports. It is proposed electronic or written proof that the person possessing it has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Now that doesn...

Almost two years ago, early in my time at the Journal-Tribune, I took photos and wrote a story about the Union County Health Department’s drive-thru flu shot clinic. At the time, a drive-thru clinic o...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

The death of attorney Robert E. Evans, Jr. last week brings the book on local lawyers who were practicing when I first became a member of the Union County Bar Association closer to its final chapter. ...

We are living through an interesting time here in Union County and it has nothing to do with a virus. In my 30 years of covering local news, this is the first time the two most prominent governmental ...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

The role of a local newspaper has never been more important than during the current pandemic. With many local residents being laid off and their children’s education in flux, the number of citizens wh...

I know that reporters are not supposed to have opinions about the stories they cover. But the best that we journalists can do is work to keep those opinions out of our stories. I work hard to do that ...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

My brother - a huge NBA fan - likes to forward me the latest basketball news, as they combine his interests with my world of journalism. On Tuesday night, he texted me that Miami Heat center Meyers Le...

Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information...

Electric cars have been in the news recently. Several automakers are producing them. Volvo recently announced that it will quit making gas-powered vehicles by 2030. That may sound like a long way off,...

When I saw his stifled grin, I knew there would be no need for coffee on Tuesday morning. My blood was going to be pumping plenty fast on its own. Mac Cordell knows me well, so his amusement could onl...