Good morning; on the Beacon today, a group of wastewater management representatives from all over the Flathead region held their first official meeting on March 9, with the goal of providing more comprehensive and connected communication about wastewater treatment and its effect on Flathead Lake. The Kalispell bypass, also known as the U.S. Highway 93 alternate route, was a long time in conception but now that ground has been broken, progress has been rapid on the early stages of this massive project. At a joint work session of the Kalispell City Council and Planning Board last week, members of both indicated it’s time for the city to focus its annexation policy more on infill and less on extending to the north and south, as it did during recent years of rapid expansion. Grab a bite to eat or a beverage while supporting local non-profits at the Gateway Community Center food court in the former Gateway West Mall. And Kitchen Guy Jim Gray follows up on the travails of solo diners.
Montana will face the New Mexico Lobos in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Officials with the Montana Organic Producers Cooperative say the state’s organic beef growers had a rough year in 2009. The House’s chief Democratic headcounter said Sunday he hadn’t rounded up enough votes to pass President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul heading into a make-or-break week, even as the White House’s top political adviser said he was “absolutely confident” in its prospects. With some grizzly bears out of hibernation in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, skiers, snowshoers and hikers are being advised to carry pepper spray, even though parks now allow visitors to carry guns consistent with state law. And an Associated Press investigation finds female corrections department staff are more often implicated than their male counterparts in prison sexual misconduct.