Good morning; on the Beacon today, Flathead County has the highest population of veterans in the state, and a high proportion of them are homeless. At a work session Monday, Kalispell Public Works Director Jim Hansz spoke to the city council about the need to amend his department’s budget in order to pay for the relocation of certain water and sewer lines necessitated by the imminent construction of the bypass. And business columnist Mark Riffey describes how business owners, even in a rural area like the Flathead, can take advantage of mobile technology to help tourists find them.
Melinda Gopher, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, has joined the race for the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., in 2010. Montana legislators said Tuesday they want to know more about a secretive California company that wants to take over an empty jail in Hardin in the southeastern corner of the state and build a military training center on adjacent property. Gov. Brian Schweitzer applauded the agencies in his administration that spent less money than expected, a boost he said Tuesday improves an already decent budget picture. In a long-anticipated showdown, liberal Democrats twice failed on Tuesday to inject a government-run insurance option into sweeping health care legislation taking shape in the Senate, despite bipartisan agreement that private insurers must change their ways. Sen. Max Baucus’ vote against a public option has prompted a pair of liberal groups to vow to use a critical TV ad to “pummel” the senator for his action. Helena attorney Michael Cotter said he is honored to be nominated as Montana’s next top federal prosecutor. Defending Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Sens. Baucus and Jon Tester have teamed up with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators in urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates not to trim the number of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles.