Good morning and happy birthday Dorothy Parker and Ray Bradbury.
A 10-year-old Marion boy has been charged with felony criminal endangerment for the June shooting of a 7-year-old girl in the stomach. A search is underway in Glacier Park for a backpacker three days overdue. Money is being raised quickly for a new library and community center in Columbia Falls. Also in C-Falls, fly tyer Bob Arends is focused on fishing – not fancy fishing gear. Kalispell woman Tamara Hamilton won $40,000 in the lottery. Mark Riffey survives a week of canoing the Hungry Horse reservoir with Boy Scout Troop 41. Tidbits from Whitefish include a big donation from Bill Foley and a weirdly popular toy.
In state news, the official overseeing an ethics complaint against Gov. Brian Schweitzer has recommended he be fined $750. A documentary on the Montana Sedition Project has premiered at the University of Montana. The new owners of what was formerly called the Bull Mountain coal mine south of Roundup plan to invest up to $450 million to develop the property and increase coal production. A new study finds protecting homes in wooded areas from wildfires is costing the state millions every year, and it’s only set to increase.
And finally, check out this North Carolina man who caught a record breaking catfish with his granddaughter’s pink, Barbie rod. Have a great weekend.