Good morning; on the Beacon today, Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart Stadler recently dismissed a lawsuit from a local property-rights group that called on the court to void the county’s subdivision regulations. A fundraiser on Aug. 14 at Bigfork high school is the latest community effort to save a cross country program that often finds itself on the chopping block when budget dilemmas arise. A former Kalispell man has made an initial court appearance on an attempted robbery charge for a December confrontation with a suspected drug dealer in which he was shot and seriously injured.
U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester both said Monday they support confirming Elena Kagan as a Supreme Court justice. Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Monday that efforts to track down tax cheats is leading to a big increase in audit collections at the Department of Revenue. The reclusive 104-year-old daughter of Montana copper king and former Sen. William Clark is staying in a New York hospital, according to a news report. A Flathead County lawmaker on Monday called for legislation allowing residential property owners to pay a lower property tax rate if they can prove – through a private appraisal – that their property has fallen in value since the state’s 2009 reappraisal. A Browning man who died Thursday on the eastern edge of Glacier National Park was remembered Monday as a talented and popular Indian drummer and singer, as well as a keeper of Blackfeet culture. With 54 percent giving it a thumbs-up, voters in the Polson area have approved creation of the North Lake County Library District. A Helena man accused of shooting his wife and the couple’s nanny told a District Court judge Monday he was mentally incapacitated at the time of the assault because he unknowingly ingested an intoxicant. The Canadian Border Services plans to close a little used port across the border from Montana’s Whitetail port of entry, which is undergoing a widely criticized $8.5 million upgrade.