By Keriann Lynch, 5-21-09
Good morning; on the Beacon this morning, a local economic development group, along with Flathead County officials, is working to entice new employers and additional jobs by competing for state grant monies. The Montana Department of Transportation has about two months to secure remaining right-of-way easements – or come comfortably close – on the south portion of the U.S. Highway 93 bypass in Kalispell before taking stimulus money elsewhere. A new report says that Native American inmates were subjected to group strip searches before and after sweat-lodge ceremonies at the private Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby. And the weekend of Whitewater Festival in Bigfork, one of the best ways in the valley to kick off summer, is upon us this weekend.