Good morning; on this date in 1983 Arnold Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen.
On the Beacon this morning, Kalispell City Council is finally poised to vote on a balanced city budget. Keriann Lynch spends time at a conference promoting business partnerships and opportunities for Native Americans. The Rocky Mountain Bee plant is sprouting and flowering all over Whitefish, but don’t worry, it’s not a noxious weed.
In state news, the candidates for governor debated in Missoula last night, and covered pretty familiar arguments on tax cuts and energy development. The state Land Board approved energy leases on roughly 122,000 acres of state land totaling $10.9 million – the most lucrative in the state’s history. A federal judge threw out a plan to allow more than 500 snowmobiles a day in Yellowstone National Park. A Bozeman kayaker died over the weekend after capsizing in the Madison River. And the former facilities manager of Butte-Silver Bow County wept yesterday after being sentenced for bilking nonprofits and taxpayers out of nearly $40,000.
And finally, a nude dogwalker was tasered in Florida after getting belligerent with police. His explanation for why he was doing what he was doing is one of the greatest quotes I’ve ever read.