Good morning and happy birthday Elvis Presley.
Topping news on the Beacon this morning, two big city council meetings in Whitefish and Kalispell. In Whitefish, new city council members were sworn in and began to grapple with the myriad issues facing the town, while down in Kalispell, the council took public comment on the proposed Glacier Town Center development, but solutions to the traffic issues remain elusive. Our new Kalispell contributing writer Julius Macker covers the Wedding Expo. And cartoonist Stephen Templeton on the questionable place for public comment when considering new developments.
Topping state news, Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer is far out-pacing Republican challenger Roy Brown in fundraising, according to the most recent reports. In Missoula yesterday, Sen. Max Baucus met with firefighting officials to strategize ways to more effectively manage the increasingly expensive wildfires year after year. The Montana Highway Patrol reported 274 people killed in traffic accidents in 2007, up 11 deaths from 2006. In southeastern Montana, the billionaire former head of the Mars Inc. candy empire is fighting plans to tap coal and natural gas reserves there.
Well, the New Hampshire primaries are tonight, so let the nail-biting begin. In the meantime, if you need to blow off some steam, maybe go shoot some pool – just don’t end up like these guys. Have a great day.