A Daily Taste of Top Stories: Thursday: Kalispell City Manager, Helena Shooting, Fire Season Prep

Good morning; on the Beacon today, after nearly 11 hours of interviews and deliberation, the Kalispell City Council offered the open city manager position to Matt McKillip, a former Republican mayor and manager of Kokomo, Ind. Flathead homeowners should prepare their trees for a deadly pine beetle attack this summer. Karly Tait has been named head coach of the Flathead High School girls basketball team. And three Idaho prison escapees were arrested in Montana.

In other news around the state, one man is dead and two other male juveniles are seriously injured after being shot late Wednesday night in south Helena. Long processing times have been the norm since the Montana Enhanced Registration and Licensing Network, or MERLIN, was launched at Montana DMV's five weeks ago (read here and here). And experts say now is the time to trim trees and brush to protect homes on the wildland-urban interface from forest fires.

Happy Thursday, everyone!