Good morning; on the Beacon today, as Kalispell’s new city manager enters her second week of work, Jane Howington’s plate is heaped with expectations. Standing near the bridge below the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead Rivers, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday he hopes there can be some type of designation protecting Glacier National Park and the Flathead Basin from upstream natural resource development in place by next year. On Aug. 15, the “Flathead Touchdown Club,” a group dedicated to supporting Flathead High School’s football program, is holding its first annual “Female Football Fans Frolic.” And early indications show that Polson is a great fit for its new city manager, Todd Crossett.
A new plan being developed by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council indicates about 85 percent of this region’s new power needs could be achieved simply through conservation. State Auditor Monica Lindeen has asked Missoula attorney Elizabeth Kaleva to conduct an investigation into allegations that her deputy, Walt Schweitzer, used the office for political fundraising. President Barack Obama will hold a town hall forum at Gallatin Airport in Belgrade Friday. An absolute must-read in the Billings Gazette: The recently enacted “castle doctrine” law may protect a man accused of shooting a Wal-Mart co-worker over the length of a work break. And a new study shows fewer Montana teens are using tobacco.