Good morning and happy Burns Supper.
It’s another cold day in the Flathead, but at least the weekend is approaching. Dan Testa catches up with Kalispell firefighter Brandon French who, when not dousing flames, wins ski mountaineering races. The parole hearing for Jacob Woods, the Kalispell man convicted of intentionally running over two bicyclists, has been postponed until March. And guest columnist Tim Lydon on why wilderness is not a four-letter word.
In state news, an update on our university athletic programs: Former Griz football player Qwenton Freeman has pleaded innocent to a drug-related burglary. At MSU, assistant men’s basketball coach Ryan Orton denied partner assault charges. Montana pea and lentil growers are selling their goods to Cuba. And prominent Great Falls architect David Scott Davidson passed away.
And finally, the Hershey Co. has stopped production of new brand of mints. Philadelphia police say the powder-filled packets look too much like heat-sealed bags of drugs, and I have to agree with them.
Have a great weekend.