Good morning; on the Beacon today, opportunities in the Flathead for local musicians to showcase their talent seem to be constantly expanding. The Big Wheels basketball tournament, where teams compete in wheelchairs, gets rolling on April 9. Authorities say a 37-year-old Whitefish man apparently died in an avalanche while skiing in Glacier National Park. And sports columnist Mick Holien wonders how young is too young to recruit promising high school basketball players.
The Bozeman Chronicle, as of Friday morning, is tracking an apparent gas leak prompting evacuations in downtown Bozeman. U.S. Sen. Max Baucus told more than 5,000 Montana seniors who dialed into a conference call Thursday that the health care bill he had a big hand in drafting will help Medicare, not hurt it. A group of scientists on both sides of the border say British Columbia’s grizzly hunt is too aggressive. Missoula County Commissioners are alarmed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer‘s demand that they write a letter in support of coal for a road project there even as they draft the letter. A Missoula accountant and Republican legislative candidate said Thursday that she intends to begin gathering signatures to recall Gov. Brian Schweitzer, even though the secretary of state’s office says her petition fails to meet legal requirements. State Auditor Monica Lindeen, who recently returned from a meeting of the nation’s insurance commissioners, said Thursday that her office will play a key role in implementing federal health reforms. Finance Committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Thursday called on the International Trade Commission to investigate Chinese trade barriers for agricultural products.