Flathead Valley News Buffet: Kalispell, Montana News

Good morning; on the Beacon today, Lex Hilliard counts his blessings as a Montana boy playing in the National Football League and constantly striving to help his team – the Miami Dolphins – in any way he can. As a part of the park’s 100th birthday celebration, the Glacier Centennial Film Festival will offer seven chances to look into the back story of some of these films and their place in the park’s history. The Montana Land Board is accepting a resolution that is part of a bigger plan to protect the North Fork of the Flathead River from oil and gas development. Mick Holien observes the improbable but not impossible task facing the Montana Grizzlies as they cap off opening night of the East Region of the NCAA Tournament against eighth-ranked University of New Mexico Thursday night.

Secretary of State Linda McCulloch said Thursday that the start of the ballot initiative process has brought complaints over the way signatures are being gathered. The curious case of Brent Arthur Wilson, who attempted to steal Polson homes in an extraordinarily bizarre manner, was continued for a week, but not before he and District Court Judge Kim Christopher sparred briefly Thursday morning at an omnibus hearing. A federal judge in Missoula has approved a first-of-its-kind settlement requiring the government to suspend 38,000 acres of oil and gas leases in Montana so it can gauge how oilfield activities contribute to climate change. Some children playing in a Lolo field found what appears to be a homemade pipe bomb on Wednesday, and Missoula County sheriff's detectives are seeking more information. A man who was shot in the face and stomach west of Kalispell in December has been charged with attempted robbery. The state Land Board, undeterred by anti-mining protesters who disrupted the board’s Helena meeting for 45 minutes until they were arrested, voted 3-2 Thursday to approve leasing 570 million tons of state-owned coal for development of a mine in southeastern Montana’s Otter Creek Valley.

Good morning; on the Beacon today, at a recent meeting of the Flathead Area Young Professionals – a group dedicated to fostering networking and socializing opportunities within the valley’s younger, working community – interviews with several people revealed observations of a local economy still largely struggling, despite the broad optimism of its workforce. The Mountain Highlanders marched through Kalispell yesterday for its St. Patrick's Day parade. The public took ownership of 112,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber Co. land earlier this week when the second phase of the Montana Legacy Project took effect. And Dave Skinner notices a trend in taxpayers footing the bill over planning conflicts gone wrong.

Internal e-mails show top officials at the governor's office and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks knew that a poaching investigation involved a prominent Republican who later went to work for Rep. Denny Rehberg. But the e-mails, released Wednesday in response to a freedom of information request from The Associated Press, show no evidence that political pressure influenced the case. House Democrats are on track for a Sunday vote on sweeping health care legislation that will expand coverage to millions of uninsured while also reducing the federal deficit, leaders said Thursday. The president of Montana Furniture Industries says the company is going out of business, the victim of the downturn in the economy. Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday that if Montana's Land Board approves an $86 million bid for state coal leases, the money could be used to reduce pending state budget cuts he is considering. The National Resources Defense Council says the average Montanan will spend more than 10 percent of his or her income on gasoline if prices shoot past $3 a gallon, as they're expected to as the weather warms. Underage drinking appeared to be down during the St. Patrick's Day celebration in the Butte Wednesday. A District Court jury convicted a 39-year-old East Helena man of two counts of incest Wednesday evening following a weeklong trial.

Good morning; on the Beacon today, the Museum at Central School is incorporating a series of “new-school,” interactive features in its display rooms – less clutter, more stylish presentations with high-quality panels and the arrival of the digital age. Glacier Bancorp, Inc. has announced the pricing of a $132 million common stock offering. A 67-year-old country musician from Montana, Louis Rogers, who spent four days in his car stuck on a remote mountain road said he wrote a goodbye letter and was preparing himself for death when he was rescued. Gov. Brian Schweitzer has ordered state and national flags to be flown at half-staff on Friday and Saturday in honor of a soldier from Hungry Horse who was killed in Afghanistan. And Mark Riffey recommends keeping your employees from playing Farmville.

The Missoulian talks to Chip Weber, the new Flathead National Forest Supervisor. Coal-mining giant Arch Coal Inc. on Tuesday offered to pay nearly $86 million for the right to develop state-owned coal in southeastern Montana’s Otter Creek Valley, setting up a vote this week on whether the bid will be accepted. Three well-known, veteran legislators — Reps. Ed Butcher, Bill Glaser and Mike Jopek — have decided to hang it up rather than run for re-election this year. The secretary of state says more election judges are needed to help deal with an anticipated shortage for the fall elections.

Good morning; on the Beacon today, March 17, the Flathead Lake Brewing Company is reopening its doors, with a new look. The body of Pvt. Nicholas Cook of Hungry Horse arrived in the Flathead Valley early Monday afternoon. Montana's governor on Monday asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to prevent future drilling outside Glacier National Park by canceling oil and gas leases on more than 200,000 acres. A 67-year-old Montana musician, Louis Rogers, who spent four days stuck on a remote mountain road says he wrote a goodbye letter and was preparing himself for death when he was rescued. The five local Flathead teams – boys and girls – that played in state tournaments on March 11-13 went a combined 1-10, with the Columbia Falls girls claiming the only victory.

Democrats and Republicans, each eyeing control of the Legislature, were both optimistic as candidate filing drew to a close Monday. Analysts predicted Monday in a new report that the state is still facing a deficit by the middle of 2011, but for the first time in months that deficit is not growing. NorthWestern Energy is telling the governor that it is investing more in system improvements and paving the way for more renewable energy. It is an outcome that the Obama White House and its loyal supporters are absolutely not willing to entertain in public: failure to pass comprehensive healthcare reform. The Dalai Lama is coming to Missoula, organizers of the trip announced Tuesday. The Crow Tribe is exploring the idea of making use of the vacant Hardin jail, possibly as a drug-and-alcohol treatment center for Indians from across the country. Eight people are running for Montana’s lone U.S. House seat in this off-year election when it is the premier on the state ballot.

Good morning; on the Beacon today, a group of wastewater management representatives from all over the Flathead region held their first official meeting on March 9, with the goal of providing more comprehensive and connected communication about wastewater treatment and its effect on Flathead Lake. The Kalispell bypass, also known as the U.S. Highway 93 alternate route, was a long time in conception but now that ground has been broken, progress has been rapid on the early stages of this massive project. At a joint work session of the Kalispell City Council and Planning Board last week, members of both indicated it’s time for the city to focus its annexation policy more on infill and less on extending to the north and south, as it did during recent years of rapid expansion. Grab a bite to eat or a beverage while supporting local non-profits at the Gateway Community Center food court in the former Gateway West Mall. And Kitchen Guy Jim Gray follows up on the travails of solo diners.

Montana will face the New Mexico Lobos in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Officials with the Montana Organic Producers Cooperative say the state's organic beef growers had a rough year in 2009. The House's chief Democratic headcounter said Sunday he hadn't rounded up enough votes to pass President Barack Obama's health care overhaul heading into a make-or-break week, even as the White House's top political adviser said he was "absolutely confident" in its prospects. With some grizzly bears out of hibernation in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, skiers, snowshoers and hikers are being advised to carry pepper spray, even though parks now allow visitors to carry guns consistent with state law. And an Associated Press investigation finds female corrections department staff are more often implicated than their male counterparts in prison sexual misconduct.

Good morning; on the Beacon today, Defense officials said 19-year-old Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook of Hungry Horse was killed in Afghanistan's Konar province on Sunday when insurgents opened fire on his unit. With five days to go until the filing deadline, Flathead County Commissioner Joe Brenneman turned in his paperwork to run for reelection for Commission District 2 on Wednesday morning. There are roughly 6,000 bighorn sheep in Montana and wildlife officials fear that nearly 700 of them could be dead by the time a pneumonia outbreak runs its course. The Kalispell Planning Board voted 4-2 Tuesday to amend the zoning ordinance so it prohibits any new medical marijuana business from operating, in a sign that city officials plan to take a hard line against the dispensaries. Northwest Montana’s unemployment rolls rose precipitously in January to the highest levels since the beginning of the recession.

Democrats claimed momentum Wednesday in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues despite persistent Republican efforts to knock them off stride. They called it a cold case in California, but more than 30 years later, the brutal murder of Mary Bennett still simmers in Montana. Anthony Johnson scored 34 of his career-high 42 points in the second half, including the Grizzlies' last 21 points in a 66-65 win over Weber State in the Big Sky tournament championship game Wednesday night. The head of the Bowl Championship Series thinks Congress "has more important things to do" than look into the way his group distributes money to college football conferences. Another staff member for Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., was on a hunting trip last November that led to citations this month against Rehberg's new state director for poaching a young bull elk and leaving the carcass behind, a Rehberg spokesman confirmed Wednesday. A longtime state Commerce Department official says the Schweitzer administration forced him to quit Friday because he responded to a Republican senator's inquiry about why $3.5 million in local government grants were being stalled. Montana Change That Works, a vocal advocate for health care reform, is running out of money and will close shop at month’s end, a spokesman confirmed Wednesday. Medical marijuana's growing popularity is presenting Montana's public schools and universities with a new set of challenges and legal gray areas.

Good morning; on the Beacon today, holders of state cabin leases say the rise in rates has hit a "tipping point" that's going to create a mass exodus of leaseholders abandoning their sites. The body of Army Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook of Hungry Horse, who died in Afghanistan, arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware early Tuesday. Former NFL star Doug Betters is organizing the 25th Whitefish Winter Classic this weekend. Flathead County authorities say a man whose body was found in a snowbank on the southern edge of Glacier National Park was an 18-year-old from Lake Forest, Ill., Alexander Charles Rettinger, who had been reported missing in September. And columnist Mark Riffey writes about how milking the "strategic cow" can boost your business.

A top staff member for Rep. Denny Rehberg, Randy Vogel, has been put on voluntary leave and is facing poaching charges in Madison County for allegedly taking an elk out of season and abandoning the carcass. NorthWestern Energy is facing another lawsuit stemming from a natural-gas explosion last year that killed one woman and destroyed half a city block. An envelope containing a suspicious powder burst open while being handled by state workers in a Montana government office. Sarah Palin is coming to Missoula in September to fire up a fundraising campaign for Teen Challenge Montana, organizers said Tuesday. In an exchange with U.S. Sen. Jon Tester on Tuesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his agency has no plans to create a new national monument in Montana or buy up private land in the Missouri Breaks area east of Fort Benton. Former Secretary of State Brad Johnson on Tuesday joined the race for the Public Service Commission district stretching from Helena to Kalispell, creating a contested Republican primary for the chance to challenge Democratic incumbent Ken Toole this fall.

Good morning; on the Beacon today, a move by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to hold back spending on $3.5 million in grants for infrastructure projects across Montana is causing major financial headaches in the Flathead, leaving the county and Columbia Falls on the hook for road projects completed last fall with the understanding that the state would be reimbursing their cost. Flathead County commissioners voted 2-1 Monday to pursue a settlement on the North Shore Ranch Subdivision lawsuit, with an amendment that provides for a 30-day deadline that allows various entities to purchase the entire property and make it protected land. Identities were released Monday for four people killed in a head-on crash on U.S. Highway 2 near Libby: 17-year-old Jacob Colclough of Libby; 59-year-old Ramona Bauer of Columbia Falls; 12-year-old Jade Ulrich and 13-year-old Jeremy Dodge-Sanders. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are increasing the payouts for this year's Flathead Lake trout fishing tournament in an effort to entice more anglers and reduce the lake trout population.

A conservative group filed a lawsuit in Montana on Monday that seeks to overturn the state's ban on corporate political advocacy. A Dodson-area rancher accused of starving 200 goats to death by locking them in a barn without food and water for more than a month pleaded not guilty Monday to aggravated animal cruelty. A Montana schools superintendent who was showing students his black powder muzzleloader says he accidentally fired the weapon into a classroom wall during a history lesson. Tea Party leaders in Montana have some advice for lawmakers when they come to town for next year's 2011 Legislature: Try to cut general fund spending by about $1 billion. With just one week remaining for candidates to file for office in Montana, nearly two-thirds of the 126 contested legislative seats are without a candidate from one of the two major parties.