Commentary: Like I Was Saying ...
Drug Testing’s Mixed Returns
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As Whitefish High School makes a strong push to begin drug testing its students, school officials supporting the policy should heed the wisdom they pass on to many of their pupils: Don’t overreact.
That is not to advocate complacency, especially if the drug problem there is as grave as what was described at an April 22 school board meeting:
Whitefish Theatre Company
Rocking the Schoolhouse
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Jesse Walburn grimaces with hair spray. --Becky Lomax, for the Beacon |
Starting Friday night, kids plan on rocking the schoolhouse when Whitefish Theatre Company presents their annual kids musical. In a take off of the Emmy Award winning 1970s educational cartoon, kids do a hip romp through school subjects, singing about math, grammar, history, and biology.
In the last rehearsal before opening night, 31 antsy cast members walk through the finale for School House Rock Live! Junior. They take their places as Director April Dawn Vogel adjusts the look of the scene. Four boys on spotlights practice focusing beams on the cast, and the actors learn to bow before hitting the dressing rooms to put on costumes for the full show—a preview for families.
One percent fees buoy marketing budget
Putting Whitefish on the Map
A pedestrian pulling a suitcase walks past the Whitefish Visitors Center entrance on West Second Street in downtown Whitefish. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
For city dwellers in need of a break from frenetic urban life, Montana seems like a grandiose getaway. Perhaps they’ve seen the movie “A River Runs Through It” or are familiar with John Steinbeck’s “Travels With Charley.”
[read more]Whitefish Workers
Woodworker Molds With Native Woods
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Mike Block slides a drawer front into an entertainment center. - Becky Lomax for the Beacon |
Dust is part of Mike Block’s life. In a shop below his home, the owner of Whitefish Woodworks sands one-of-a-kind hand-built pieces of furniture. Dust clouds his short dark hair and lingers on his jeans until he vacuums it off.
You can’t buy Block’s work in a store, nor order it out of a catalog. He crafts unique furniture to customer specifications--coffee tables, entertainment centers, armoires, bookshelves, desks, and cabinets. He designs each piece for a particular space with whatever functional needs the client has in mind.
Much of his furniture is Shaker-style. While it may sport simple lines, it has multiple little parts and pieces. “I like the simplistic functional form,” he laughs. “I’m a linear person.”
Whitefish Votes To Appeal District Court Ruling
Doughnut Feud Headed to Supreme Court
WHITEFISH – It appears the next stop for the doughnut rollercoaster is the Montana Supreme Court.
At the end of a lengthy council meeting Monday night, the Whitefish City Council voted 4-1 to appeal a recent district court ruling that essentially handed jurisdictional authority of the “planning doughnut” to Flathead County, removing it from the hands of Whitefish. The council came to its decision within 20 minutes.
Councilor Turner Askew cast the lone dissenting vote.
Highway 40 Fatal
Whitefish Crash Victim Identified
WHITEFISH – Officials have identified a 52-year-old Whitefish man who was killed in a motorcycle crash south of Whitefish.
Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Glen Barcus says it happened about 9 p.m. Sunday on state Highway 40, 2½ miles east of U.S. Highway 93.
Highway 40 Fatal
Whitefish Man Dies in Motorcycle Accident
WHITEFISH – A Whitefish man was killed in a motorcycle accident south of Whitefish.
Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Glen Barcus says it happened about 9 p.m. Sunday on state Highway 40, 2½ miles east of U.S. Highway 93.
Whitefish and Kalispell City Councils
On the Agenda: Whitefish Response to Court Ruling, Kalispell Government Access Channel
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The Whitefish City Council has a packed agenda at tonight’s 7:10 p.m. meeting, deciding how to react to a recent court ruling against the city, discussing two large downtown improvement projects and looking at the budget overview for fiscal year 2008-2009, among other items.
Kalispell City Council meets tonight at 7 p.m. in the new chambers at 201 First Avenue East. Topping the agenda will be a vote to implement the policy for the Government Access Channel 9 and a vote on $126,477 in amendments to the 2007-2008 fiscal year budget.
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