Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 5.18.16

DATA POINTS
$67 Million
Amount by which Montana’s general fund is behind projections, with oil and gas tax receipts down by more than half.
275,000
Tons of methane that leaks annually from the Bakken oil elds, an amount that’s less than previously reported, according to a new study. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. It’s the primary component of natural gas.
THE GOOD
GLACIER PLOWS
Plow crews on Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road arrived at Logan Pass last week, a sure sign that summer is around the corner.
THE BAD
COLD BISON
A baby bison was euthanized in Yellowstone National Park after a group of tourists loaded the animal into their car and took it to a ranger station because they thought it looked cold.
884
Square miles burned as of
May 13 by the Horse River Fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta. More than 88,000 people have ed the advancing ames and the re ranks as the costliest, most impactful wild re in Alberta’s history. An estimated 2,400 homes and other structures have been destroyed and 540 damaged.
THIS WEEK’S POLLS FROM FLATHEADBEACON.COM
SHOULD BERNIE SANDERS DROP OUT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY?
TOTAL VOTES
SHOULD MONTANA SPEND MORE TAX DOLLARS ON INFRASTRUCTURE?
TOTAL VOTES
DO YOU VOTE BY MAIL?
TOTAL VOTES
20% YES
80% NO
84% YES
16% NO
66% YES
34% NO *READER POLLS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
189
201
197
“My hope is that this beautiful state will help lead the nation in the political revolution.”
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at a rally at MetraPark in Billings last week. Sanders also appeared in Missoula, marking the rst stops by
a major candidate in the state since the primary season got under way.
232,731
Absentee ballots mailed out last week to Montana primary voters, reaching over
a third of the state’s 645,000 registered voters. County elections o ces must receive absentee ballots before the close of polls on Election Day, which is June 7.
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MAY 18, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM