Good morning; on the Beacon today, Whitefish will drill exploratory test holes at 22 different locations in the railway district as part of the first major offsite testing for pollution caused by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway’s fueling and repair facility. Flathead County and a group of sheriff’s deputies are waiting on a court ruling that will determine how much they are owed after an error led to their past wages being miscalculated for several years. Flathead County Commissioners voted last week to ratify the withdrawal of controversial phases of a proposed Lakeside subdivision, effectively negating a lawsuit seeking to stop the final phases of the development. And Kitchen Guy Jim Gray writes about the logistics of planning a dinner party for 40 people.
In his first start of the season, Cody Kempt threw three touchdown passes, including a 36-yarder in overtime, to lead Montana State past South Dakota 31-24 Saturday afternoon. And the UM Grizzlies defeated the Eastern Washington Eagles, 41-34. The Missoulian has some great stories from the weekend: One by Michael Jamison looks at the Aug. 27 Flathead Lake boat crash as a product of Montana’s drinking culture. And Chelsi Moy writes about Griz coach Bobby Hauck’s feud with the student newspaper, the Montana Kaimin. Marijuana-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for U.S. prosecution in states that allow medical use of the drug, including Montana, prosecutors were told Monday in a new policy memo issued by the Justice Department. Chuck Johnson writes about the troubled tradition of the “Teddy Roosevelt Republican” in Montana political history. And the Billings Gazette revisits the development of the Hardin jail, in the wake of the debacle involving American Police Force.