A Daily Taste of Top Stories: Monday: Canyon School Closure, Libel Laws, $1.6 Trillion Deficit

Good morning; on the Beacon today, the idea of closing Canyon Elementary to help battle education budget deficits in School District 6 drew no support from a large crowd in Hungry Horse gathered Wednesday as the community rallied around their school. At a recent informational meeting, a group of citizens, including two Flathead-area state legislators, listened as Montana Political Practices Commissioner Dennis Unsworth explained how difficult it is to monitor smear campaign tactics. For Flathead High School’s Danika Johnson, basketball has been a family affair. Officials with the city of Whitefish say four city employees have been laid off and all other city workers will get a one-day furlough before the end of the fiscal year as part of a plan to save money. And Kitchen Guy Jim Gray writes up one of his favorite cooking shows from the BBC.

President Barack Obama's proposed budget predicts the national deficit will crest at a record-breaking $1.6 trillion in the current fiscal year, then start to recede in 2011 to $1.3 trillion, a congressional official said Sunday. A city attorney in Missoula is requesting that all DUI trials be held before a jury in an attempt to get stiffer sentences. A Montana health official says the tough economy is making it difficult for people in the state with HIV or AIDS to get vital medications. The City Lights blog by Ed Kemmick is back at the Billings Gazette! As huge power line projects in Montana are pitched as the catalyst for a new wave of wind power development here, Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar, R-Laurel, is asking whether the lines might end up harming Montana electricity consumers. And the Missoulian's Michael Jamison has a great piece on how the Troy Mine has managed to bounce back in a tough economy.