Good morning; on the Beacon today, local hip-hop artist IQ raps nonviolent rhymes, but that doesn’t mean they’re PG-rated. In case you’ve been under a rock and haven’t heard, the world-class equestrian triathlon the Event at Rebecca Farm kicks off this weekend. Kenton Weimer, who was sentenced in January 2008 to 40 years in prison, after pleading guilty to killing a woman and then shooting himself in the face, wants his sentence overturned. And Warren Miller reminisces about past Fourth of Julys.
A wildfire burning in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, seven miles northwest of Stevensville, has expanded to 400 acres. Montana’s fire season could begin in force this weekend. The number of snowmobiles allowed in Yellowstone National Park would be cut by more than half under an Obama administration proposal announced Thursday. Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday abandoned plans for a vote on health care before Congress’ August recess. Burlington Northern Santa Fe says second-quarter earnings rose 15 percent as big savings from cheaper fuel and other cost cuts offset plunging demand.