Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 3.4.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
MARCH 4, 2015 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
HOMELAND SECURITY
With just hours left before a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Congress patched together a week-long funding extension on Feb. 27. Con- gress will try and work out a funding solution this week, but as of Monday it appeared Democrats and Republicans were still far from seeing eye-to-eye on the matter.
WINTER CLASSIC
One of the longest running and most successful charity events in Montana, the 30th and final Whitefish Winter Classic is March 5-8.
KEYSTONE
President Barack Obama last week vetoed a Republican bill forcing construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, freezing a top GOP priority.
NEWBERRY
Brandon Lee Walter Newberry pleaded not guilty to charges of deliberate homicide on Feb. 26 in Flathead County District Court. His trial has been set for August.
In 31-19 vote, the Montana Senate gave initial approval to the water-use agreement on the Flathead Reservation. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Water Compact Faces Tough Road in House
CSKT water rights sails through Senate, now seeks approval by House
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
The state Senate’s final vote on the
tribal water compact Feb. 26 sent the con-
tentious bill to the House just as the clock wound down to the Legislature’s trans- mittal deadline, and while compact pro- ponents hail Senate passage as a success, the measure faces another pitched battle in the House.
Sen. Chas Vincent, R-Libby, sponsored the water compact, which is the culmina- tion of decades of negotiations between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes and the state and federal govern- ments. It recognizes the tribes’ imme- morial right to the water on the Flathead Reservation while also securing water for non-tribal residents and irrigators.
The measure passed after two hours of sometimes-heated debate, with senators voting 31-19 in favor of Senate Bill 262.
See Water PAGE 20