Good morning; on this day in 1806 Zebulon PIke began his expedition exploring the American Southwest following the Louisiana Purchase.
And to you readers who are still checking out the Beacon despite some of the appallingly racist, vile and ignorant comments being posted on certain stories, thank you. On with the news, though it’s a pretty slow day. Two Marion men arrested for a race-based attack on a migrant workers’ camp have been identified as Daniel J. Devine, 25, and Edwards L. Hubbs, 26. Two suspects are in jail after a 67-year-old man was shot to death in Libby over the weekend. The Full Monty is coming to Whitefish, and the elaborate set will only enhance the, er, spare costumes of the actors. And the Columbia Falls swim team kicked butt in Cut Bank, taking second place.
In state news, the state Department of Environmental Quality has stepped in it again. A new audit finds numerous faults with how the DEQ is managing cleanup of the state’s Superfund sites. The Bakken oil formation is making millionaires out of hard-scrabble farmers. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal offices will try a four-day 10-hour workweek to see how much energy savings can be achieved.
And finally, architects have developed prototypes of farms in skyscrapers, so cities can have locally grown food – kind of a jarring image of what the future might resemble. Have a great day.