Good morning; on this date in 1940 the Tacoma Narrows bridge in Washington collapsed.
On the Beacon this morning, the Flathead Braves face a formidable playoff opponent in Billings West. With Flathead County commissioners poised to vote on streamside setback regulations, residents on either side of the issue are nowhere near reaching a compromise. The curtain goes up on two great plays in Whitefish this weekend, The Curious Savage and A Body of Water. And Warren Miller actually wrote about what he knows best this week: skiing!
In state news, Democrats are vying for the Speaker of the House position, with Bob Bergren of Havre and Dave McAlpin of Missoula as the two main contenders. Sen. Bob Story Jr., R-Park City, may become the Senate president if Republicans vote him in Wednesday. Linda McCulloch won the very close election for Secretary of State, meaning Democrats swept all statewide offices. A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling rejected an appeal by environmental groups, ending a 2 1/2-year legal battle over a U.S. Forest Service thinning project in the Bitterroot’s Middle East Fork community.
And finally, researchers at Oxford University compiled a list of the ten most obnoxious phrases in the English language – though I can think of a few horrible expressions that didn’t make their list, like “ginormous.” Ugh. Have a great weekend.