Good morning; on the Beacon today, the first in a three-part series by Keriann Lynch on the dramatic rise in foreclosures throughout the Flathead. Glacier National Park rangers have found the body of James R. Greene, a 22-year-old from Harrisburg, Pa., and a canoeist believed to have drowned in Swiftcurrent Lake on the park’s east side. A new analysis finds that, if societies commit to cleanup and restoration, ecosystems can recover faster than previously thought.
The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research says four Montana counties, including the Flathead, fail to provide affordable housing. The U.S. Attorney’s office says former Montana county prosecutor Richard Eddleman, convicted on cocaine charges, should serve extra prison time because he obstructed at least one felony drug case while still in office. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the Obama administration intends to overhaul the nation’s 137-year-old hardrock mining law. Leaders of Montana’s two-year colleges praised Obama’s announcement that he was pumping $12 billion into community colleges across the U.S. Agricultural giant Monsanto Co. announced it purchased Montana wheat seed developer WestBred for $45 million yesterday.