Good morning. Today, in 1950, the comic strip “Peanuts,” created by Charles M. Schulz, was syndicated to seven newspapers.
On the Beacon this morning, the crisis roiling the U.S. financial sector has made its way to the our local market, where some lending behavior is beginning to change. Jazz musicians and enthusiasts are converging on the valley for the 15th annual Glacier Jazz Stampede. In the wake of high-school student Jeffrey Bowman’s death last year, a Bigfork parent is raising funds to buy more portable Automatic External Defibrillators. And U.S. Sen. Max Baucus has accused White House and Environmental Protection Agency officials of orchestrating a “conspiracy” by squashing a decision to declare a public health emergency in Libby three years after it was revealed more than 200 people died and another 2,000 fell ill because of asbestos exposure.
In other news around the state, three Griz football players have been charged with felonies in connection with an assault on campus in which another student suffered a broken jaw. Montana’s two senators, both Democrats, split Wednesday night on a $700 billion bailout plan for the nation’s crumbling financial sector. The state Republican Party this week challenged the eligibility of 6,000 registered Montana voters in seven counties historically considered Democratic strongholds.
And today’s kicker is a shameless plug for my friend-since-kindergarten, A.J. Miller, and his band mates, The Clintons. The Bozeman-based band has been chosen as winners of this year’s Gibson Acoustic Guitar New Musician Award. Congrats, guys. Here’s a spoof love song they wrote for Hillary Clinton earlier this year. Happy Thursday.