Good morning; on the Beacon today, the Baldy Fire near Lakeside is now 100 percent contained. Three Montana men are trying to bring the hunting trophy photos off the wall and online, melding tradition with modernity on their Web site, No Name Outdoors. Political hay is being made by the Democratic challenger for Denny Rehberg’s seat, Dennis McDonald, who has been issuing press releases almost daily blasting Rehberg for how he handled the accident and its aftermath, saying his drinking was irresponsible and asserting that Rehberg bears some responsibility for the injuries suffered by his younger staff members. Two bow hunters from Columbia Falls fired their pistols at a group of bears that charged them on a trail west of Essex over the weekend, but it’s unclear what happened to the bears. And we’re high on natural gas prices and low on property tax reappraisals in our weekly index of what’s up, down and in between.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, pitching his large forest bill to a packed room at the courthouse in Bozeman, said it needs to both create more logging and more wilderness area in order to get enough political support to pass. A 51-year-old Sidney man accused of shooting another man in the face, arm, leg and hand before engaging police in an armed standoff has been arrested. The U.S. Forest Service said it has burned the vegetation off 80 acres near the Red Lodge ski resort – part of an area that was threatened with being overrun during a fire last year.