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Weekend: Creston Captives, Economic Forecast, Wolves Holding On

By Beacon Staff

Good morning; on the Beacon today, loan defaults and foreclosures are altering the landscape of western Montana’s real estate market, driving down prices, forcing banks to become landlords of unwanted properties and shifting the role of Realtors. A 30-year-old Creston man, Justin Calvin Calbick, accused of holding six duct-tape-bound people captive at gunpoint was arrested Thursday. A 23-year-old California man, David M. Palumbo, accused of shooting a Kalispell man in the stomach and face has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. The presenters at the eighth annual Economic Future of the Flathead breakfast delivered a grim outlook for the valley this year. Shay Smithwick-Hann is off to play quarterback at the University of Montana.

A new tally of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies shows the population held steady across the region in 2009, ending more than a decade of expansion by the predators but also underscoring their resilience in the face of new hunting seasons in Montana and Idaho. The economy grew faster than expected at the end of last year, though the engine of that growth — companies replenishing stockpiles — is likely to weaken as consumers keep a lid on spending. Embattled Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke won confirmation for a second term Thursday, but only by the closest vote ever for the crucial post and after withering criticism from lawmakers for bailing out Wall Street while other Americans suffered in recession. A Turah man accused of killing two teenage girls last month in Missoula while driving under the influence of alcohol apologized to the victims’ families during an emotionally charged court hearing on Thursday. Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. is to appear in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Friday to disclose its plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and pay off the $3 billion it owes to creditors. A number of state government departments will outline today how they will cut their general-fund budgets for various programs by 5 percent, if necessary. The trustee overseeing the estate of the bankrupt founder of Montana’s exclusive Yellowstone Club is due in federal court Friday, seeking permission to sell a piece of Edra Blixseth’s property for $8.5 million.