Good morning and happy birthday to Emmett Kelly, Sr., the sad clown known as “Weary Willie.”
On the Beacon this morning, Flathead County subdivision regulations are finally complete, but with a lawsuit and a review committee ready to make changes, the new rules are likely to change. The Saddlehorn development in Bigfork is donating $40,000 to the community in self-imposed “impact fees.” An advocacy group is suing the Interior Department over management of the National Bison Range in Moiese. And Whitefish Mountain Resort opens for skiing today. Yahoo!
There’s a ton of state news out there today. While the suspicious package mailed to Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s capitol office was determined to be harmless, six governors around the country received similarly strange mailings yesterday. A Missoula state lawmaker will carry a bill in 2009 to put doctor-assisted suicide on the Montana law books, in line with a recent court ruling. Ice and high wind impeded the search for two hikers who died after taking a fall on St. Mary Peak in the Bitterroot over the weekend. The push to grow camelina for biodiesel on the plains of central and eastern Montana is being slowed by competition and a host of other factors. A new brucellosis plan would place the most stringent restrictions on cattle that mingle with elk. Butte is stunned by the sudden death of state lawmaker George Groesbeck, who died suddenly over the weekend at the age of 38. A Fairfield woman spent last week competing in the world arm wrestling championship.
And finally, check out this strangely intriguing story by Billings Gazette reporter Lorna Thackeray, who has investigated the claims of a Forsyth man who says he owns Adolph Hitler’s cutlery set. You have to read this, before you scoff at it. Have a great day.