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News Buffet: Wildlife Film Fest, Skyland Fire, Democrats Needle Baucus

By Beacon Staff

Good morning and Happy National Punctuation Day.

It’s a brisk, sunny day here in the Flathead. Check out the Beacon’s community pages this morning, where Bigfork contributor Katrin Frye reports on the Bigfork Steering Committee’s endorsement of a massive bond to build new school structures. Whitefish contributor Becky Lomax writes about the arrival there of the International Wildlife Film Festival, one of the coolest film festivals to visit Montana.

The Missoulian’s Michael Jamison had an interesting story in the Sunday edition about the necessity of local lobbying legislation in Whitefish, due in part to controversy over the town’s Critical Areas Ordinance. The Great Falls Tribune reports on the cleanup of the Skyland Fire, south of Glacier National Park.

Topping statewide political news, U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. and up for reelection next year, is apparently under fire from more liberal factions of his own party, according to a report by Jennifer McKee, reporting for Lee from Helena. Also a must-read, is the establishment of a new division within the state government dedicated to the promotion of power infrastructure. Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer put $330,000 into the state budget this spring to set up the division, though legislation that would have set up a similar government commission to review the issue of energy transmission failed.

Please, please have a safe and sane National Punctuation Day – and remember to use semicolons responsibly and in moderation.