http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/ The Flathead Beacon is a weekly print and daily online news source serving Western Montana's Flathead Valley. en webmaster@flatheadbeacon.com Copyright 2012 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:07:25 MDT Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:07:25 MDT Molly Priddy http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/cure_your_cabin_fever_in_the_canyon/26537/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/cure_your_cabin_fever_in_the_canyon/26537/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:12:08 MDT It’s winter in the Flathead, and spending your time cooped up can make your brain do some funny things. For instance, have you caught yourself staring at a barstool, picturing a set of skis attached to its legs and calculated how much added weight it would take to make that baby really fly down the hill? Matt Gouras, Associated Press http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/tester_asks_rehberg_to_seek_ban_on_third_party_ads/26560/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/tester_asks_rehberg_to_seek_ban_on_third_party_ads/26560/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:07:25 MDT HELENA – One of the hottest U.S. Senate races in the nation has sparked a bitter series of attack ads from supporters of both candidates, prompting incumbent Democrat Jon Tester to seek a truce Wednesday from his Republican challenger. Sen. Tester asked Rep. Denny Rehberg to join him in seeking a ban on third-party advertisements in Montana, an offer the congressman's campaign said it would consider. Matthew Brown, Associated Press http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/judge_rejects_challenge_to_montana_coal_lease/26559/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/judge_rejects_challenge_to_montana_coal_lease/26559/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:56:57 MDT BILLINGS – A judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging the state Land Board's lease of 587 million tons of publicly-owned coal in southeastern Montana. Conservation groups had argued that further environmental studies were needed and that the lease sale would make mining inevitable if allowed to stand. Matt Volz, Associated Press http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/new_lawsuit_filed_against_catholic_church_in_montana/26558/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/new_lawsuit_filed_against_catholic_church_in_montana/26558/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:33:23 MDT HELENA – Ten people filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming they were sexually abused as children by Roman Catholic priests and nuns in central and eastern Montana, including a priest who was on a board that reviews allegations of child sex abuse for the church. It is the third sex-abuse lawsuit filed against the Catholic church in Montana since last year and the first against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. Dillon Tabish http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/charlie_harballs_double_duty/26534/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/charlie_harballs_double_duty/26534/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:28:58 MDT Charlie Harball has a vivid memory of being 18 years old and shaking hands with Mike Mansfield, the esteemed former U.S. senator from Montana. “Hi Charlie,” Mansfield said, reciting the name of the young man he had met several years earlier. Mike Jopek http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/whitefishs_economic_engine/26540/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/whitefishs_economic_engine/26540/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:10:11 MDT During the past decade, the tri-cities of Flathead County were the fastest growing places in Montana. Propelled by record growth, property valuations skyrocketed. The 2009 worldwide credit-fiasco depressed the valley leaving middle class prospects dismal. Three years later, Whitefish is trudging back. Median home values again hover around late 2009 levels, which ballparks the pre-bubble values of the growth years. Today, Whitefish is the sole city in the Flathead posting recovery gains. Proper community planning protected property values. Christie Burns http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/brotherly_love1/26553/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/brotherly_love1/26553/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:04:02 MDT 10:51 a.m. Someone’s catalytic converter was stolen. 3:49 p.m. According to a worried mother on Haywire Gulch, her 10-year-old boy kicked his little brother then scurried out the door and ran “up a mountain.” Associated Press http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/stapleton_chooses_bigforks_keenan_as_gubernatorial_running_mate/26557/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/stapleton_chooses_bigforks_keenan_as_gubernatorial_running_mate/26557/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:53:51 MDT HELENA – Two Republicans running for governor in a crowded primary have chosen running mates. Former state Sen. Corey Stapleton says former legislative colleague Bob Keenan of Bigfork has agreed to be the candidate for lieutenant governor on his ticket. Myers Reece http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/wisconsin_group_files_lawsuit_seeking_removal_of_whitefish_jesus_statue/26556/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/wisconsin_group_files_lawsuit_seeking_removal_of_whitefish_jesus_statue/26556/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:43:14 MDT The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Missoula over the U.S. Forest Service’s recent decision to reauthorize a permit for the much-publicized Jesus statue at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The litigation seeks the statue's removal. Kellyn Brown http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/baucus_working_hard_to_save_testers_seat/26555/ http://www.flatheadbeacon.com//articles/article/baucus_working_hard_to_save_testers_seat/26555/ {primary_category} Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:48:28 MDT Roll Call published a piece Tuesday on Senate Democrats raising money for colleagues who are in tough reelection contests as the party tries to retain control of the chamber. And that holds true for Sen. Max Baucus, who, according to the report, has begun fundraising for and directing resources to Sen. Jon Tester and other Democratic senators on the ballot in 2012. From Roll Call: Tester, locked in a tough reelection battle with Rep. Denny Rehberg (R), is considered to have one of the most difficult races of the 2012 cycle.…