Tuesday: Silent Siren, Ember Danger, Baucus Hospitals

By Dan Testa, 7-07-09

Good morning; on the Beacon today, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Union narrowly turned down a vote of no confidence in Sheriff Mike Meehan last week. With the Whitefish siren having recently gone silent, some residents there are finding that they missed it. The the recent opening of Miracle Field at the Kidsports complex in Kalispell gives the state its first athletic complex designed specifically for children and adults with special needs. Fire crews are working to extinguish a six-acre blaze in the Swan Lake Ranger District, about two miles south of Woods Bay, above Highway 35.

The Missoulian has more details on the fatal boating accident from over the weekend. A new national study says embers play a major role in determining which homes burn and which are spared by wildfires. Col. Pete Hronek will be the new wing commander of the Montana Air National Guard. Sen. Max Baucus is close to a deal with the nation's hospitals to pick up a portion of the cost of health care reform. And swine flu appears to be expanding rapidly in Butte. [End of article]