Good morning; today is Winston Churchill day, the anniversary of the day Churchill was posthumously made a U.S. citizen.
It’s a sunny morning in the valley and the new Beacons are on the stands. Man, I like Wednesdays. In our top story, after the epic political weekend Montana has just had with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama visiting the state, we look ahead to the general election, to see just how much of a hold the GOP still has over the state and whether John McCain is vulnerable. After a massive fuel spill on MT Highway 35, crews have things just about cleaned up. Montana’s federal delegation has introduced legislation to offer a $1 commemorative coin in honor of Glacier National Park’s 100th anniversary. National Geographic has published its geotourism “Mapguide” of the Crown of the Continent region. And business columnist Mark Riffey outlines why small business owners should be blogging.
The state GOP has filed a complaint against Gov. Brian Schweitzer, saying that Schweitzer broke ethics laws by running a public service announcement after filing for reelection. Obama is opening three more Montana offices, in addition to his Helena and Missoula offices. Lee’s Mike Dennison has an excellent analysis of U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg’s record on 16 key votes, and how closely the incumbent congressman really sides with Pres. Bush on certain issues. Another story looks at the three Democrats vying for Rehberg’s seat. More than six years after the brutal murder of three Florence women, two suspects pleaded not guilty to the killings in court yesterday. Nearly 30 outdoor groups from Montana are part of the chorus calling for reform of the 1872 Mining Law.
And finally, you may be wondering what to do with your ice scraper now that spring is creeping into the valley. One woman in Iowa used her ice scraper to chase down and hold a burglar at bay. Not a bad use for them: crime fighting. Have a happy humpday.