Good morning and happy Boy Scouts Day. Be prepared.
Just two days after Montana held its first ever GOP caucus – from which Mitt Romney emerged the winner – Romney announced yesterday he’s suspending his campaign. Turns out “suspend” is an important distinction there: Because he has not “withdrawn” from the race Romney retains control of Montana’s 25 delegate votes he won Tuesday. In other national news, it looks like a lot of us might be receiving a little extra dough soon. Congress, nervous about recession, passed an emergency plan Thursday that rushes rebates of $600 and $1,200 to most taxpayers. Don’t spend it all in one place.
On the Beacon today, reporter Dan Testa compares the compensation for city managers throughout the state, and Martin McGrew filed a complaint yesterday against the city of Whitefish to fight his removal from the city council because of residency concerns.
In other state news, a 25-year-old lawsuit over environmental damage caused by mining in southwest Montana was settled yesterday with a price tag of $168 million. And a black Labrador survived not only an avalanche, but a week in the Montana backcountry before returning to its owners this week.
And finally, Beacon photographer Lido Vizzutti is out of the office today. He’s joining his family in Helena to see his uncle, Allen Vizzutti, be honored with the Governor’s Arts Award. In hopes of starting your day off on a more cultured note, here’s a clip of Vizzutti playing the Carnival of Venice in Hungary. Have a good weekend everyone!