Good morning; on the Beacon this morning, Flathead lawmakers reflect on the 2009 legislative session. With a new nonprofit organization and a burgeoning foster care program, the Flathead County Animal Shelter is well-equipped for the challenges of the many new animals being dropped off. The W.R. Grace case is now in the hands of a jury after defense and prosecution rested their cases yesterday. The 11-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting his father with a shotgun has been charged with mitigated deliberate homicide.
The massive March fire in Miles City has been ruled an accident. The governors of Wyoming and Idaho say a federal plan to set up a livestock disease management zone around Yellowstone would not prevent brucellosis. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is investigating a grizzly near Coram who appears to have been struck by a train. Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed into law a bill that lays the regulatory groundwork for underground carbon storage related to natural resource development. Even middle class Montanans with insurance pay up to 10 percent of their annual incomes in healthcare costs. And an advisory panel believes Montana needs as many as 900 new prison beds and a new sex offender treatment center, though it’s unclear how the state could pay for such a need, at this point. Have a great day.