Good morning and happy July 4 weekend! On the Beacon today, we raided the Kitchen Guy’s recipe stash for a four-course Fourth of July menu. Every year on July 4, the Flathead County Animal Shelter experiences an influx of lost and anxious pups that fled their homes because of the noise from fireworks. A retired Kalispell doctor charged with aggravated animal cruelty for abandoning 12 puppies at a dump site in Somers received a 6-month deferred sentence. David Bernach has pleaded guilty to negligent arson for starting a fire that destroyed several units in an apartment building. Jesse Sheridan of Lakeside, accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend with an ax, has been sentenced to 20 years with a 10-year suspended sentence. Paul LaMott is the new Bigfork boys’ basketball coach. Idaho Timber of Montana says it will close its plant in Whitefish with the loss of 26 jobs.
A new study by the CDC finds fewer Montana teens are smoking and more are wearing their seatbelts. Authorities believe the fire that burned down the Havre Jaycees’ fireworks stand was arson. Ted Turner has been raising his profile in Montana this week, dining with the governor and giving an interview to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. And a man injured in a bar fight in Helena has died.