Flathead Valley Politics: Kalispell, Montana News

Whitefish City Attorney John Phelps has announced his retirement, to become effective in July of 2010.

Citing “all of the good reasons that everybody would like to retire,” Phelps said after 32 years of practicing law he wants to spend more time with his family, including his granddaughter. He also looks forward to hiking, camping, traveling and helping out with the nonprofit organizations with which he’s involved. Phelps owns a ranch with his wife.

HELENA – The state has notified about 2,000 jobless Montanans whose unemployment benefits have expired that they are now eligible for extended payments under a recently passed federal law.

Montana's Department of Labor and Industry sent letters last week informing people of their eligibility for one more week of tier 2 unemployment benefits and up to 13 weeks of the newly created tier 3 benefits. Tier 2 benefits were extended to up to 14 weeks from the previous 13 weeks.

HELENA – Montanans give President Barack Obama poor marks on job performance, don't approve of the federal stimulus spending and think that health care will get worse under the federal health care bill, according to poll results released Tuesday.

The Montana State University poll found that 37 percent approve of Obama's job performance, while 53 percent disapprove and 10 percent are undecided.

HELENA – Montana businesses will be paying higher unemployment insurance premiums next year because of the increased amounts of benefits paid out due to the economic recession.

Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly says the contribution rates in 2010 will average 1.92 percent of wages paid, up from 1.12 percent in 2009. Employers will receive notice of their 2010 rates in mid-December.

CHICAGO – As it maneuvers to close the Guantánamo Bay terrorism camp and move detainees to the US, the Obama administration is eyeing an underused state prison in tiny Thomson, Ill., a town of about 600 people on the Mississippi River in the northwest part of the state. On Monday, a delegation from the US Bureau of Prisons toured the Thomson Correctional Center.

To overcome a congressional ban on detaining the suspects on US soil, local support for the move would likely be key – a hurdle helped over the weekend by strong backing from Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D). Both touted the idea as a rare opportunity to bring some 3,000 jobs and up to $1 billion over four years to a part of the state in desperate need of an economic jolt.

BILLINGS – Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is scheduled to visit Billings next month to promote her new book, "Going Rogue: An American Life."

Officials at Borders Books and Music say Palin is scheduled to attend a book signing in Billings on Dec. 8.

WASHINGTON – When it comes to paying for a health care overhaul, Americans see just one way to go: Tax the rich.

That finding from a new Associated Press poll will be welcome news for House Democrats, who proposed doing just that in their sweeping remake of the U.S. medical system, which passed earlier this month and would extend coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.

BILLINGS – Attorneys for Montana have filed a lawsuit against BNSF Railway Company for failing to live up to a 1984 agreement that the state says requires the company to pay some grain shipping costs in central Montana.

BNSF had agreed to pay a state-designated rail operator for each carload of grain shipped between Geraldine and Lewistown.