Good morning; on the Beacon today, the idea of changing state law, or the state Constitution, to allow citizens to convene grand juries in their counties appears to be gathering steam in some conservative circles of Western Montana. Despite regional timber groups’ predictions of an increase in demand for next year, some in Montana say that forecast may be a distant lifeboat for the industry. The Montana Highway Patrol says a 33-year-old man was killed when he lost control of his car and crashed into a tree near Seeley Lake. And Dave Skinner finds one of the hidden costs of health care reform charged to the timber industry.
n examination of Montana’s first public gray wolf hunt showed at least nine of the animals were killed in an area prone to livestock attacks — a finding that could blunt criticism that the hunt was ineffective. The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in October as exports surged to the highest level in nearly a year. The Montana Republican Party has a new executive director: Gary K. Carlson. A city councilman in Libby has dropped his restraining order against the town clerk, saying “it served its purpose, and it’s time to move on.” NorthWestern Energy says the current cold snap drove up demand for natural gas to record highs. American Indians living in Montana stand to receive about $27 million from the proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit that charged the federal government with mismanaging Indian trust accounts. A new medical marijuana shop has opened for business in Butte. Montanans are concerned about unemployment, but are more optimistic about the state’s economy than that of the nation and, for the most part, are satisfied with the health insurance they currently have, according to a poll released this week by the Montana Chamber of Commerce.