Good morning; on the Beacon today, city officials from Whitefish, Kalispell and Columbia Falls met with Flathead legislators last week to stake out their positions in advance of the 2011 session on a host of issues, from property taxes to the state public defender program. Montana legislators are introducing several new measures for the upcoming session with the intent of tightening enforcement and increasing punishment for drunken drivers. But for one freshman Flathead legislator, the cause hits closer to home. Local businessman Terry Kramer announced his candidacy for county commission at a recent Pachyderm Club meeting, which he described as a friendly environment to do so since he is running as a Republican for the District 3 seat. A Kalispell man pleaded guilty to bilking Flathead area investors of nearly $200,000 through felony embezzlement and securities fraud by Ponzi scheme on Dec. 16 in District Court. A 22-year-old Evergreen man who killed a woman before shooting himself in the face will be re-sentenced after the state Supreme Court ruled the original term was not in line with a plea deal signed with prosecutors. The holidays offer a chance to catch up with old friends, and fans of the Flathead music scene are going to have the opportunity to reunite with Bettreena “Betty” Jaeger and Josh Harvey once again.
Potential jurors staged a "mutiny" during a felony drug case, a Missoula County prosecutor says, and authorities worry the result will be viewed as a game-changer when it comes to future attempts at prosecuting drug cases in Montana. Quarterback Gary Wagner had an 83-yard touchdown run, Tom Yaremko kicked a 22-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter and Carroll College beat Sioux Falls 10-7 on Saturday in the NAIA championship game, snapping the Cougars' winning streak at 42 games. When the U.S. Census Bureau releases its first 2010 population figures on Tuesday, Montana will once again miss a chance to recover its second congressional seat. The Cascade County Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved a special-use permit to Invenergy to build a 16-turbine wind farm about 20 miles southeast of Great Falls. The Montana Supreme Court is considering restrictions to public access of certain information now available throughout the court system, including a proposal to seal all documents filed in family law cases except for final orders.
Potential jurors staged a "mutiny" during a felony drug case, a Missoula County prosecutor says, and authorities worry the result will be viewed as a game-changer when it comes to future attempts at prosecuting drug cases in Montana. Quarterback Gary Wagner had an 83-yard touchdown run, Tom Yaremko kicked a 22-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter and Carroll College beat Sioux Falls 10-7 on Saturday in the NAIA championship game, snapping the Cougars' winning streak at 42 games. When the U.S. Census Bureau releases its first 2010 population figures on Tuesday, Montana will once again miss a chance to recover its second congressional seat. The Cascade County Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved a special-use permit to Invenergy to build a 16-turbine wind farm about 20 miles southeast of Great Falls. The Montana Supreme Court is considering restrictions to public access of certain information now available throughout the court system, including a proposal to seal all documents filed in family law cases except for final orders.
Comments (0) TotalGood morning; on the Beacon today, we feature the valley's top athletes in our fall 2010 Best of Preps. As part of an effort to court an industry with enormous potential for growth, Whitefish state Sen. Ryan Zinke is co-director of a project focused on bringing unmanned aerial systems, or drones, to Montana for testing and research. An 18-year-old Polson man has pleaded not guilty to stabbing his mother's boyfriend to death during an argument. And Whitefish Rep. Mike Jopek cautions against plans to encourage nuclear power development in the upcoming Legislative session.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday the state budget picture already looks rosier since last month, using the news to needle Republicans who have taken a more pessimistic outlook. University of Montana cornerback Jimmy Wilson has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct for biting a woman's leg over the summer. Montana's two Democratic U.S. senators voted Wednesday with the 81-member Senate majority that approved the tax cut package negotiated by President Barack Obama and leading Republicans. But Montana's sole U.S. House member, Republican Denny Rehberg, said he plans to vote against the deal when it hits the House floor this week. County commissioners with federal land slated to be designated wilderness in Sen. Jon Tester's controversial forest bill blasted his move to insert the measure into a massive spending bill this week. Bozeman's Bridger Bowl has been a successful ski resort, in part because it's a nonprofit. DirecTV Inc. has settled a consumer protection dispute about how it tells customers about cancellation fees and other contract terms.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday the state budget picture already looks rosier since last month, using the news to needle Republicans who have taken a more pessimistic outlook. University of Montana cornerback Jimmy Wilson has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct for biting a woman's leg over the summer. Montana's two Democratic U.S. senators voted Wednesday with the 81-member Senate majority that approved the tax cut package negotiated by President Barack Obama and leading Republicans. But Montana's sole U.S. House member, Republican Denny Rehberg, said he plans to vote against the deal when it hits the House floor this week. County commissioners with federal land slated to be designated wilderness in Sen. Jon Tester's controversial forest bill blasted his move to insert the measure into a massive spending bill this week. Bozeman's Bridger Bowl has been a successful ski resort, in part because it's a nonprofit. DirecTV Inc. has settled a consumer protection dispute about how it tells customers about cancellation fees and other contract terms.
Comments (0) TotalGood morning; on the Beacon today, there's some talk that the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company may be able to begin operations again next year. A Columbia Falls High School junior returned to school on Tuesday after the school board made the unanimous decision not to expel her for unintentionally having an unloaded hunting rifle on school property in the trunk of her car. The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a stay of execution for a Canadian man as the death-row inmate challenges the state's method of lethal injection. A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after prosecutors say he shot a man who was trying to steal cocaine from him in Kalispell. And business columnist Mark Riffey reflects on what we can all learn from logger James Stupack.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester's bill to increase both logging and wilderness areas has been included in a final spending package the lame-duck Congress is expected to take up in the coming days. The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation says land and mineral management this year has produced $133.3 million for Montana public education. President Barack Obama has signed legislation that calls for the U.S. mint to produce palladium coins if there is sufficient market demand. A growing chorus of conservative criticism is prompting some House members to rethink the $850 billion package of tax cuts and extended jobless benefits that President Barack Obama negotiated with top Republicans in Congress. Enacting new crackdowns on drunken driving is a near certainty at the 2011 Montana Legislature - and the only question may be, how will lawmakers do it? A Missoula man who has long proclaimed his innocence in a jailhouse rape case filed dramatic new evidence Tuesday with his latest petition to overturn his conviction: a signed statement from the alleged victim, saying the rape never happened. There will be important discussions regarding health care, housing and economic development when Indian leaders from across the country - including Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chairman E.T. "Bud" Moran - meet Thursday with President Barack Obama and White House officials.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester's bill to increase both logging and wilderness areas has been included in a final spending package the lame-duck Congress is expected to take up in the coming days. The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation says land and mineral management this year has produced $133.3 million for Montana public education. President Barack Obama has signed legislation that calls for the U.S. mint to produce palladium coins if there is sufficient market demand. A growing chorus of conservative criticism is prompting some House members to rethink the $850 billion package of tax cuts and extended jobless benefits that President Barack Obama negotiated with top Republicans in Congress. Enacting new crackdowns on drunken driving is a near certainty at the 2011 Montana Legislature - and the only question may be, how will lawmakers do it? A Missoula man who has long proclaimed his innocence in a jailhouse rape case filed dramatic new evidence Tuesday with his latest petition to overturn his conviction: a signed statement from the alleged victim, saying the rape never happened. There will be important discussions regarding health care, housing and economic development when Indian leaders from across the country - including Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chairman E.T. "Bud" Moran - meet Thursday with President Barack Obama and White House officials.
Comments (0) TotalGood morning; on the Beacon today, the Kalispell Vet Center, which provides readjustment counseling to veterans of combat, is now open. A Columbia Falls High School student who inadvertently brought an unloaded rifle to school in the trunk of her car will not be expelled. Even though November's visitor count was down 14 percent compared to the same time last year, the 13,000 visitors last month to Glacier National Park were enough to push this year's total visitation past the 1983 record year. Two 20-year-old Flathead County men have been sentenced to five years in the custody of the Department of Corrections for their roles in holding a man at gunpoint while trying to get money from him after a drug deal went bad. A 21-year-old Marine from Ronan was critically injured by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.
A federal judge declared the Obama administration's health care law unconstitutional Monday, siding with Virginia's attorney general in a dispute that both sides agree will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Wolverines should be added to the list of endangered and threatened species, but other species considered in greater danger will prevent the small, ferocious mammal from protection for now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said talks over lifting federal protections from Northern Rockies gray wolves stalled last Monday on several points, in particular a mandate for Idaho to maintain 500 to 700 of the predators. State Sen. Dave Wanzenried of Missoula says he is running for governor in 2012, when current Gov. Brian Schweitzer will be leaving office. With a record-breaking wheat harvest and strong prices, Montana may have its third $1 billion wheat harvest in four years. Montana's two U.S. senators, Democrats Max Baucus and Jon Tester, voted Monday to advance a tax package negotiated between President Barack Obama and Republicans, to extend current federal tax rates for all citizens, including the wealthy. A Helena research group released a report on Monday identifying ways for the Legislature to increase state revenues by millions of dollars instead of relying mostly on spending cuts to balance the state's budget.
A federal judge declared the Obama administration's health care law unconstitutional Monday, siding with Virginia's attorney general in a dispute that both sides agree will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Wolverines should be added to the list of endangered and threatened species, but other species considered in greater danger will prevent the small, ferocious mammal from protection for now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said talks over lifting federal protections from Northern Rockies gray wolves stalled last Monday on several points, in particular a mandate for Idaho to maintain 500 to 700 of the predators. State Sen. Dave Wanzenried of Missoula says he is running for governor in 2012, when current Gov. Brian Schweitzer will be leaving office. With a record-breaking wheat harvest and strong prices, Montana may have its third $1 billion wheat harvest in four years. Montana's two U.S. senators, Democrats Max Baucus and Jon Tester, voted Monday to advance a tax package negotiated between President Barack Obama and Republicans, to extend current federal tax rates for all citizens, including the wealthy. A Helena research group released a report on Monday identifying ways for the Legislature to increase state revenues by millions of dollars instead of relying mostly on spending cuts to balance the state's budget.
Comments (0) TotalGood morning; on the Beacon today, the Whitefish City Council voted 3-2 on Dec. 6 to grant a sign variance for Mrs. Spoonover’s ice cream parlor on Second Street kitty corner to Whitefish Middle School. A development company and construction company that authorities say are responsible for dumping 400 cubic feet of dredged and fill material into Flathead Lake have been fined $15,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency. A valley scooped between Woodland Avenue and Dry Bridge Pond creates rides of unassuming slopes facing each other. The Kalispell City Council is delaying a decision on initial approval of expansion plans for Kalispell Regional Medical Center in order to assess whether a plan for broader transportation improvements is necessary for the neighborhood surrounding the hospital. A study on the channel migration zone, sponsored by the Flathead Lakers, Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, looked at 24 miles of the Flathead River and attempted to map how it might behave over time.
Montana's former tourism director who was fired last summer has filed a lawsuit in federal court contending her civil rights were violated. The number of livestock killed by coyotes, grizzly bears, black bears and mountain lions in Montana has increased dramatically in recent years, according to a report by the state bureau of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services. The Internal Revenue Service on Friday filed a $15.4 million claim against Yellowstone Club co-founder Edra Blixseth for unpaid income taxes during the two years leading to the exclusive Montana resort's bankruptcy. Swiss Philanthropist Hansjorg Wyss' most ambitious project to date has come to fruition as conservation groups this month closed a deal to purchase vast tracts of Plum Creek Timber Co. land in western Montana. The Missoulian outlines the salary negotiations of the Polson city manager. As Republicans take the reins of the 2011 Legislature next month, high on their agenda is revising Montana's energy and environmental laws to boost natural-resource development and jobs.
Montana's former tourism director who was fired last summer has filed a lawsuit in federal court contending her civil rights were violated. The number of livestock killed by coyotes, grizzly bears, black bears and mountain lions in Montana has increased dramatically in recent years, according to a report by the state bureau of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services. The Internal Revenue Service on Friday filed a $15.4 million claim against Yellowstone Club co-founder Edra Blixseth for unpaid income taxes during the two years leading to the exclusive Montana resort's bankruptcy. Swiss Philanthropist Hansjorg Wyss' most ambitious project to date has come to fruition as conservation groups this month closed a deal to purchase vast tracts of Plum Creek Timber Co. land in western Montana. The Missoulian outlines the salary negotiations of the Polson city manager. As Republicans take the reins of the 2011 Legislature next month, high on their agenda is revising Montana's energy and environmental laws to boost natural-resource development and jobs.
Comments (0) TotalGood morning; on the Beacon today, Kalispell’s Christian Center church is ringing in the holidays with one of the best theatrical shows in the valley. Geoff Hogan, a 2007 graduate of Flathead High School, is in his third year as a walk-on playing for the Tulane University Green Wave basketball team. State wildlife officials killed a mountain lion that had been killing barn cats in a residential area about five miles north of Kalispell. Police in northwestern Montana say a 56-year-old man who had been sleeping in his car died of hypothermia after the car's battery died, shutting off the electric blanket he was using for warmth. And Mick Holien acknowledges the difficulties of scheduling Griz basketball.
Attorney General Steve Bullock on Thursday proposed a statewide expansion of a pilot program that requires anyone arrested more than once for drunken driving to take a breath test twice a day. The federal tax package negotiated between President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress contains many elements that will affect Montanans. The former chairman of the Hungry Horse Fire Department board of trustees has pleaded not guilty to taking about $2,600 from the district. Mary Whittinghill is retiring later this month as president of the Montana Taxpayers Association and will be succeeded by Nancy Schlepp, the group announced this week. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., is asking the Air Force to delay decision-making on a massive training area over Montana so his constituents can weigh in. The three members of Montana's congressional delegation say they haven't decided yet whether to support the federal tax package negotiated by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans.
Attorney General Steve Bullock on Thursday proposed a statewide expansion of a pilot program that requires anyone arrested more than once for drunken driving to take a breath test twice a day. The federal tax package negotiated between President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress contains many elements that will affect Montanans. The former chairman of the Hungry Horse Fire Department board of trustees has pleaded not guilty to taking about $2,600 from the district. Mary Whittinghill is retiring later this month as president of the Montana Taxpayers Association and will be succeeded by Nancy Schlepp, the group announced this week. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., is asking the Air Force to delay decision-making on a massive training area over Montana so his constituents can weigh in. The three members of Montana's congressional delegation say they haven't decided yet whether to support the federal tax package negotiated by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans.
Comments (0) TotalGood morning; on the Beacon today, private school enrollment is down in Flathead County, and several administrators believe the tight economy has finally forced many families to cut tuition expenses. Want to cut down your own Christmas tree? Here's how. Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler has changed his mind about playing college basketball, again. The Montana Highway Patrol says a two-vehicle crash on icy roads near Plains has claimed the life of a 29-year-old Plains woman. And Dave Skinner reflects on the mandate of Montana Republicans.
The Endangered Species Act is a "nonsensical" policy that hurts businesses, property owners and farmers to protect animals and plants that may not be at risk, a panel of Democratic and Republican governors from throughout the West said Wednesday. Idaho highway officials say they have no doubt that four oversized loads of refinery equipment can cut across northern Idaho along a scenic river byway safely and with only a minor inconvenience to the public. American Indians and black farmers will be paid $4.6 billion to address claims of government mistreatment over many decades under landmark legislation President Barack Obama signed Wednesday. As the state's top political policeman prepares to leave office, two major ethics cases over which he presided have yet to be resolved - against Gov. Brian Schweitzer and, separately, Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar. Most of the major lawsuits filed against NorthWestern Energy following the 2009 downtown explosion -- including one filed by the husband of the only person to die in the blast -- have been settled, according to plaintiffs' attorneys. Leaders of the 2011 Legislature on Wednesday released the committee assignments for the upcoming session.
The Endangered Species Act is a "nonsensical" policy that hurts businesses, property owners and farmers to protect animals and plants that may not be at risk, a panel of Democratic and Republican governors from throughout the West said Wednesday. Idaho highway officials say they have no doubt that four oversized loads of refinery equipment can cut across northern Idaho along a scenic river byway safely and with only a minor inconvenience to the public. American Indians and black farmers will be paid $4.6 billion to address claims of government mistreatment over many decades under landmark legislation President Barack Obama signed Wednesday. As the state's top political policeman prepares to leave office, two major ethics cases over which he presided have yet to be resolved - against Gov. Brian Schweitzer and, separately, Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar. Most of the major lawsuits filed against NorthWestern Energy following the 2009 downtown explosion -- including one filed by the husband of the only person to die in the blast -- have been settled, according to plaintiffs' attorneys. Leaders of the 2011 Legislature on Wednesday released the committee assignments for the upcoming session.
Comments (0) TotalGood morning; on the Beacon today, when when the housing market and economy plummeted, logger James Stupack started, in his own words, “having fun.” Heavy snows combined with the rut to give hunters a successful whitetail deer harvest in Northwest Montana during the final week of elk and deer season. A 16-year-old Columbia Falls High School student faces expulsion after inadvertently bringing an unloaded hunting rifle to school. Bigfork Schools held a pertussis vaccination clinic after two students and a teacher have been diagnosed with whooping cough. A 48-year-old Rollins man accused of joking with employees at a Lakeside bank that he had a gun and was going to rob them has been charged with felony criminal endangerment.
The youngest Montana Highway Patrol officer ever killed in the line of duty fought to the end as a warrior in a shootout on a rural road, the patrol's chaplain told the officer's grieving family and thousands who attended the funeral Tuesday. A state attorney had tried to contact the judge in a Canadian death-row inmate's criminal case at least three times before a different judge ordered a stay over Montana's execution methods, according to court documents. His political credibility on the line, President Barack Obama testily defended his willingness to choose compromise over combat with Republicans on Tuesday, lecturing fellow Democrats not to be "sanctimonious" purists. With Republicans controlling both chambers in the 2011 Legislature, some GOP lawmakers are proposing a broad collection of bills to restrict or possibly ban legalized abortion in Montana. Montana lawmakers soon will consider bills to ban the death penalty and to allow or forbid physician-assisted suicide when a terminally ill patient requests it. The Department of Labor and Industry says most Montana employers will see an increase in unemployment insurance rates for the second straight year. State utility regulators Tuesday approved sweeping rate changes for NorthWestern Energy's electric and gas customers, including new "tiered" electric rates for homeowners and other mechanisms meant to encourage conservation. A California company that revived horse racing at tracks in Missoula and Great Falls has gone out of business.
The youngest Montana Highway Patrol officer ever killed in the line of duty fought to the end as a warrior in a shootout on a rural road, the patrol's chaplain told the officer's grieving family and thousands who attended the funeral Tuesday. A state attorney had tried to contact the judge in a Canadian death-row inmate's criminal case at least three times before a different judge ordered a stay over Montana's execution methods, according to court documents. His political credibility on the line, President Barack Obama testily defended his willingness to choose compromise over combat with Republicans on Tuesday, lecturing fellow Democrats not to be "sanctimonious" purists. With Republicans controlling both chambers in the 2011 Legislature, some GOP lawmakers are proposing a broad collection of bills to restrict or possibly ban legalized abortion in Montana. Montana lawmakers soon will consider bills to ban the death penalty and to allow or forbid physician-assisted suicide when a terminally ill patient requests it. The Department of Labor and Industry says most Montana employers will see an increase in unemployment insurance rates for the second straight year. State utility regulators Tuesday approved sweeping rate changes for NorthWestern Energy's electric and gas customers, including new "tiered" electric rates for homeowners and other mechanisms meant to encourage conservation. A California company that revived horse racing at tracks in Missoula and Great Falls has gone out of business.
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Gabby Johnson said: "New poll out today: A roaring 10 percent of the American people think Congress is doing a good job. Denny Rehberg picked a bad time…
waterman said: "It might mean that some just do not like successful people or accomplishments."
RIGHTOFCENTER said: "Yea, just look at what Unions have done in this Country. They have just about bankrupted local and State governments all across this great country. …
ponymt said: "I’m not sure why it cut my statement short but the following is the complete sentence.. Additionally, consider how “responsible” society has…
RIGHTOFCENTER said: "I have to agree with Craig moore, I too was a big supporter of Gallagher, but I would have been a big supporter of anyone…
Yudamni said: "I would not trust Tester. He is supposed to represent Montana. When over 60% of us were against Obama Care he still voted for it! …
waterman said: "It might mean that some just do not like successful people or accomplishments."
Gabby Johnson said: "New poll out today: A roaring 10 percent of the American people think Congress is doing a good job. Denny Rehberg picked a bad time…
JB said: "Oh, joy…more taxpayer dollars being spent for a worthless circle jerk, to benefit a minority of folks that don’t believe in God."
ponymt said: "I’m not sure why it cut my statement short but the following is the complete sentence.. Additionally, consider how “responsible” society has…