Good morning; today is the anniversary of Abraham Lincolns assassination.
It’s a warm morning in the valley, and the Beacon is all about local spring sports this morning. Myers Reece profiles a Flathead High school senior preparing to finish her gymnastics career at a regional competition. Mark Riffey has photos of the Columbia Falls Wildcats tennis teams kicking off their season. Lido Vizzutti profiles a Columbia Falls senior softball player. Editor Kellyn Brown examines the legal standoff between Whitefish and Flathead County. And in a guest column, former Congressman Pat Williams touts the virtues of a restoration economy in Montana as a way to spur job growth.
In state news, two vicious crimes of the recent past resurface in different forms. Residents of Florence are breathing a long overdue sigh of relief after the arrest of two suspects in the grisly 2001 murder of three women. Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, accused of killing and cannibalizing a boy in Great Falls, was found dead in his cell Sunday at Montana State Prison. Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul will speak in Missoula April 21. A land feud west of Eureka between the Wilderness Club and neighboring landowners ended with a judge ordering the landowners be paid $1.35 million. According to new U.S. Census figures, Montana ranks solidly in the middle of many educational funding categories. An AP story details the problems facing the exclusive Yellowstone Club.
And finally, a skinny 22-year-old Chicago man won the World Oyster Eating championship in New Orleans after slurping 35 dozen. Yes, you read that correctly. Here’s to a light lunch. Have a great day.