Thursday: Skate Problems, Meth Use Down, State Revenue

By Dan Testa, 7-02-09

Good morning; on the Beacon today, skateboarders at Woodland Park say the Kalispell Police have been cracking down hard since a vote to relax the helmet law died in city council. A new grocery store in Kalispell and the reopening of the Safeway in Whitefish have brought in a few hundred jobs at a crucial time. A fire in a mobile home park in south Kalispell killed 28 cats and a bird. Charges were filed Wednesday against Timothy Withrow of Somers for shooting his 18-year-old son in the chest and stomach. A jury found Stephen Thomas not guilty in the shooting death of Larry Kingsley at a campground near Libby. And Wild Bill Schneider discusses the need to pass the "No Child Left Inside" Act.

The Montana ProLife Coalition is proposing three ballot measures that would effectively ban abortion in the state. A new survey shows fewer Montana teens are using methamphetamine. The Legislative Fiscal Division told lawmakers yesterday state revenue collections could drop even further than anticipated. And the EPA is now testing for asbestos fibers near the site of a former W.R. Grace & Co. factory in the Spokane area. [End of article]