Good morning and happy NoRuz, the Persian New Year.
On the Beacon this morning, our top story reports on the DNRC’s commencement of the water adjudication process in the Flathead Basin. In Kalispell, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore is selling used building materials, as a cheaper and greener alternative to buying something new. With the season drawing to a close, Warren Miller muses on the meaning of skiing. And on the Police Blotter, a “mutual” girlfriend’s two boyfriends are not getting along.
The top news across the state details the coming election season as candidates for various offices scrambled to file before yesterday’s deadline, and Republicans and Democrats made predictions as to their coming conquests. Gov. Brian Schweitzer has five opponents, including a Kalispell businessman running as a Democrat. Former Republican state Senate President Bob Keenan of Bigfork surprised many by opting not to take on Schweitzer or U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., but instead threw his hat into the ring for House District 9. Four GOP incumbent lawmakers face challenges from the right, as several young Ron Paul supporters have filed against them for the Republican nomination. But strangely, the Bozeman conservative who recruited many of these Ron Paul supporters to run against GOP incumbents, Rep. Roger Koopman, has opted not to run for re-election, nor has another powerful Bozeman Republican, John Sinrud.
In other news, with the deadline to participate in the federal Real ID program looming, Montana and several other states continue to hold out. In a long-running lawsuit with the U.S. government, American Indian plaintiffs maintain that they are owed $58 billion. And in Butte, city officials await instruction from the U.S. Secret Service regarding security for the arrival of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama April 5.
And finally, sorry I just can’t get enough of stories about giant weird animals. Check out the discoveries of huge sea creatures made by a recent Antarctic expedition. Have a great weekend and try not to watch TOO much hoops.