Good morning and happy birthday Rosa Parks.
I hope everyone is recovering from the Superbowl and didn’t bet on the Pats. Media Director Lido Vizzutti spent the weekend chronicling the traditions and events of Whitefish’s winter carnival. Check out his photo slide show if you missed the festival. Keriann Lynch writes about the two youngest regular members of the Glacier Symphony. The family of one of the victims in a January avalanche north of Whitefish Mountain Resort that killed two, writes a guest column about the warmth they encountered during the funeral proceedings. And Warren Miller advises that good snow conditions are where you find them.
In state news, it’s politics, politics, politics of the red variety with Tuesday’s GOP caucuses on the way. Montana is actually in play, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney sending his son, Josh, to Helena and Bozeman to campaign today. At the same time, Sen. John McCain’s decision to ditch Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger in favor of former Sen. Conrad Burns to chair his campaign here is apparently raising the Arizona presidential hopeful’s prospects in Montana. A fascinating investigation shows nine state lawmakers carry concealed weapons – some are surprises and some are most definitely not. And Pyramid Lumber in Missoula is adding jobs, hiring more workers and increasing profits at a time when most lumber companies in the region are doing the opposite.
And finally, German police were able to catch a thief after tracking the DNA on a piece of half-eaten salami left at the scene of the crime. You really can’t eat and work at the same time.