Tuesday: Bugge’s CleanUp, Tourism Puzzler, Barry Beach Judge

By Dan Testa, 1-19-10

Good morning; on the Beacon today, Bugge’s Construction CleanUp & Recycling business cleans the construction sites of new homes, remodels, renovations, demolitions and even haul off waste from foreclosed homes and abandoned rental properties. But instead of taking the material to a landfill, they recycle, resell or donate nearly everything. For several nonprofits in the Flathead, 2010 offers familiar fiscal challenges as well as opportunities to meet the higher need accrued during the last year. Check out our feature photo of rail slides above Whitefish Lake. Montana innkeepers are puzzled over statistics that show visitation at state and national parks was up last year, while hotel occupancy rates plunged. Oil and gas companies are on a high, while NBC is suffering a low, in our weekly index of what's up, down and in between.

A moderate swarm of earthquakes is rattling Yellowstone National Park in what researchers at the University of Utah say is a common event. Six U.S. Navy helicopters touched down on the grounds of Haiti's damaged presidential palace on Tuesday bringing reinforcements in the struggle for security and earthquake disaster relief — more than 100 U.S. troops. The District Court judge who denied Barry Beach's request for a new hearing over his long-fought murder conviction refused to step aside from the case. [End of article]