Good morning and happy birthday to Benjamin Franklin.
Topping local news this morning, the search for two reported victims of Sunday’s Canyon Creek avalanche has been suspended. Two ballot initiatives introduced by Northwest Montana citizens are already facing mounting opposition from powerful groups in Helena. Myers Reece checks in with Kalispell football phenom Lex Hilliard, training for NFL tryouts. And columnist Bill Schneider considers federal legislation to increase recreation opportunities on public lands.
Topping state news, the Choteau school board is facing heavy criticism after denying UM professor and Nobel laureate Steve Running the opportunity to give a speech to students – because a discussion of global warming might be too controversial. The state GOP and gubernatorial candidate Roy Brown are demanding an apology from Democrats for falsely accusing one of Brown’s campaign donors of tax evasion. The Rev. Michael Warfel was installed yesterday as bishop of the Great Falls-Billings Catholic diocese. A new report from the Attorney General’s office found several charity hospitals in Montana that did not incur costs for services that exceeded or came near the value of their tax exempt status.
And finally, scientists and media are behind the curve in learning something many of us have known for a long time: Clowns are scary.