A Daily Taste of Top Stories: Monday: FVCC Budget, Oregon QB, July Fourth Travel

Good morning; on the Beacon this morning, buoyed by enrollment increases, Flathead Valley Community College's budget looks strong. The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee agreed last week to distribute $250,000 to the city of Kalispell to help modernize and improve the safety of the city’s public safety building, which houses the police department, fire station and city court. Former Oregon quarterback Justin Roper has confirmed that he will play for the Montana Griz.

In other news around the state, Montana Sen. Jon Tester's mother, Helen Tester, died Saturday of natural causes. Travel in and around Montana has largely been a last-minute decision this year, and that trend will likely continue into the Fourth of July weekend. Cascade County Attorney John Parker has received a trial by fire introduction to the job; in his first six months, there have been four deaths classified as homicides — already more than the county's yearly average.

Happy Monday, everyone!