Good morning; on the Beacon today, a NorthWestern Energy employee responding to a gas line break in Columbia Falls was killed Thursday afternoon when a home near the work site exploded. Three suspects linked to the robbery and murder of 49-year-old Kalispell resident Wesley Collins pleaded not guilty to all charges Thursday morning in Flathead County District Court. Sen. Max Baucus says asbestos-sickened residents in Libby will soon be able to apply for Medicare benefits. Mick Holien praises Griz former receiver Mike Ferriter as a fighter on and off the field. And Warren Miller mentions an insult he suffered in Vail that doesn’t bother him in Montana.
More confident employers stepped up job creation in April, expanding payrolls by 290,000, the most in four years. The jobless rate rose to 9.9 percent as people streamed back into the market looking for work. A lawmaker’s deal to get stimulus money for a family business drew some criticism from colleagues even as that firm testified Thursday on the results of its study to develop biomass energy. A proposal introduced Thursday in the U.S. Senate would require government agencies to publish all their public records online. A judge has pushed back the trial of a former Great Falls mayor accused of promoting prostitution at the bar and strip club he owns west of the city. A homeowner killed a wolf that was threatening his dog northwest of Missoula last week, and state officials confirmed a new pack has moved into the Evaro Hill area. Kalispell’s House District 8 Democratic candidates answer questions from the Missoulian. Those involved in a beating in the Bitterroot tied to medical marijuana include a Boy Scout leader, a disabled veteran, a plumber and an ex-car title loan officer recently turned medical marijuana dispensary owner. The Air Force will release a report next month outlining the impacts of its plan to train bomber pilots over massive stretches of Montana and neighboring states. Many state agencies turned in their budget wish lists seeking additional spending to the Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s budget office Thursday, but these may be futile requests.