Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 12.30.15

DATA POINTS
THIS WEEK’S POLLS FROM FLATHEADBEACON.COM
$111 MILLION
Spent so far on campaign ads for the 2016 presidential election, according to data tallied by SMG Delta. By comparison, $35 million had
been spent on ads at this 85 YES 15 same point during the 2012 % %
campaign.
THE GOOD
POWDER
Concerns about El Nino ruining Christmas on the ski slopes were unnecessary as over 2 feet of fresh snow blanketed the mountains last week, providing idyllic conditions for skiers and snowboarders across the region.
THE BAD
TIMBER AND MINING
Another tough year is predicted for Montana’s timber and mining industries amid slowing worldwide demand and lower prices.
% %
“We don’t have enough good-paying jobs. A lot of our growth has been in low-paying jobs.”
Virginia Mermel, who coordinates the BackPack Meals and Teen Pantry Program for Billings School District 2, to the Billings Gazette in a story on why the number of people receiving food stamps in Montana remains high.
“We all know
6
DECEMBER 30, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
ARE YOU TRAVELING FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR?
NO
WILL YOU SET NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2016?
TOTAL VOTES
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE FIELD OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES?
TOTAL VOTES
TOTAL VOTES
124
78
267
1,032,949
Estimated resident population of Montana, a 4.4 percent increase from 2010, according to numbers released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.
321,418,820
Estimated resident population of the United States, a 4.1 percent increase from 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
%
21 YES
%
79 NO
34 YES
66 NO *READER POLLS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
someone who has
lost a job.”
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nensh
in a recent speech. Alberta has shed an estimated 40,000 oil and gas jobs since crude oil prices plummeted in the last year.