Good morning and happy Robinson Crusoe Day, a day to be “adventurous and self reliant.”
On the Beacon this morning, Becky Lomax reports on Whitefish’s push for funds to makeover the high school. The much maligned Flathead County planning board is searching for new members, and despite all the criticism the board weathers, no one is jumping at the chance to be a board member. FVCC is set to open a state-of-the-art early childhood education center. In Libby, air quality has improved dramatically after a program to replace old wood stoves with newer models. And Wild Bill Schneider criticizes Helena’s urban deer policy.
It’s a slow news day statewide, but in the run-up to Tuesday’s GOP Caucus, Republican officials say they have added 800 new party volunteers, through less than 2,000 will be voting. Lawsuits over growth don’t just happen in the Flathead, as the Missoulian reports on a slew of new litigation against the city there. And the push for coal development in Great Falls continues in force, with the Cascade County Commission moving to find a new site for the Highwood coal-fired plant, and discussions of a coal-to-liquids plant at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
And finally, the New York Times reports on the intersection of science and Seinfeld, with a study of how many germs are actually transferred when someone “double-dips” their chip. Have a great weekend.