Good morning; today is the birthday of economists Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes.
On the Beacon today, the employees at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company are bracing for layoffs as production will be cut back by two-thirds. A federal judge has banned extended season snowmobiling in the Flathead National Forest. After three years of delays, the Bibler bicycle trail in Kalispell appears to be moving forward again. Whitefish’s Piggyback barbecue is reopening in a bigger facility with an expanded menu. And Beacon columnist Wild Bill Schneider rails against the shabby treatment of bicyclists by drivers on Montana roads.
In state news, political observers around Montana are stunned by the two major upsets in Tuesday’s Congressional primaries. Lee Newspapers’ Helena bureau has profiles of the two winners, U.S. Senate challenger Bob Kelleher, a man who is anything but a Republican, and John Driscoll, the man who will challenge U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., without raising a cent. Three Republican incumbent legislators were brought down by the nasty campaign tactics of fellow Republican lawmaker Roger Koopman of Bozeman. And the record turnout for Democrats in Tuesday’s primary may or may not translate to big wins for the Dems in November.
And finally, check out this video of brides scrambling to the top of a giant slice of wedding cake for $25,000. Have a great day.