Good morning; on the Beacon today, Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Thursday he is using his line-item veto authority to take about $4.5 million out of the state budget, including some funding for the Montana Meth Project. A new site is needed for a proposed prerelease center in Kalispell after nearly three-quarters of nearby property owners surveyed objected to the site on the southern edge of the city. Forest thinning projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk are keeping loggers and log haulers at work during the housing slump. And in Kalispell, “America’s pastime” is alive and well, where youth baseball is more popular than ever.
In other news around the state, two Billings dealerships are on the chopping block as Chrysler restructures. Also in Billings, shoppers celebrated the opening of the state’s first Cabela’s, packing the 80,000-square-foot store. And a federal retraining program helps 40 former Stimson Lumber workers graduate from the University of Montana this weekend.
Congratulations to everyone graduating from FVCC tonight! And get out and enjoy the weekend; the weather forecast (fingers crossed) actually looks good.