Good morning and happy birthday to Robert Frost.
On the Beacon today, Kalispell is paradoxically preparing for a boom year of commercial construction. Semitool Inc. has warned all of its 520 Montana employees of possible layoffs in May. For many of the Flathead’s smaller schools, declining enrollment means decreased funding. And in the W.R. Grace trial, a heated exchange between a key government witness and the defense attorney accusing him of having his own motives for testifying against the company.
A bill to ban the death penalty in Montana heads toward a crucial vote in the 50-50 divided House. Businesses around the state are lining up to bid on stimulus-funded roadwork. Salish-Kootenai College President Joe McDonald is retiring after 29 years. Whitefish Rep. Mike Jopek’s property tax reappraisal bill is proving a tough sell in Helena. Fire crews in Miles City have to demolish some dangerous free-standing walls before they can begin to assess the cause of the massive fire. And investigators are wondering whether an autopsy of the pilot following the plane crash near Butte could reveal whether a medical emergency was the cause of the accident.
And finally, an Indonesian worker was mauled to death by Komodo dragons after he fell out of a tree, an extremely rare attack. Have a great day.