Good morning; on the Beacon today, a routine traffic violation turned into a curious and prolonged legal ordeal for the city of Whitefish – this one’s a must-read. Glacier Park International Airport is in its first week of “rolling closures” that will shut down the main runway three days a week through August to allow for a $7 million resurfacing project. For a slightly more private Flathead Lake experience, take the time to travel south on U.S. Highway 93 and visit the West Shore State Park.
State tax collections through July are down 6.5 percent. A draft report on the Office of the State Public Defender by a team of criminal justice experts credits the state for creating the office, but says it suffers from “major management deficiencies.” The Missoula County Sheriff’s Department says a 20-year-old man has died after a skateboarding accident. The smoky haze across Montana is due mainly to fires burning in British Columbia. A wildfire east of Seeley Lake, the Yellowjacket Creek fire, is currently burning at 30 acres. D.A. Davidson & Co. of Great Falls has settled a class action lawsuit over client information compromised by a hacker.