fbpx

Monday: Cherry Harvest, License Plates, Yellowstone Fugitives

By Beacon Staff

Good morning; on the Beacon today, Dale Nelson, president of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers co-op, said he expects his 102 members to harvest at least 3 million pounds of cherries this year, up from a yearly average of 2.5 million. And demand is high. State lawmakers met last week for interim committee hearings, during which a local legislator presented his proposed bill to lower a resident’s taxes if they can prove depreciated property value since last year’s reappraisal. The latest count puts available sponsored Montana license plates at 118, not including 17 collegiate plates benefiting higher education or 17 military options. The Bigfork stormwater project is zeroing in on finally being able to break ground and begin construction on the village’s new system, which should significantly decrease the amount of residuals and chemicals flowing into Flathead Lake. Kitchen Guy Jim Gray reflects on the closing of a Philadelphia culinary institution.

The search for two men who escaped from a private Arizona prison and their suspected accomplice has turned to the vast Yellowstone National Park area after one of the inmates was linked to a double homicide in New Mexico and efforts to find them intensified. At least three people have been killed in separate motorcycle crashes in South Dakota leading up to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Federal biologists will recommend four options for dealing with salmon hatchery programs that feed into the Columbia River Basin, the toughest of which would pull federal dollars from the programs. A person doesn’t have to live in Montana to receive a medical marijuana card from the state, health officials said Friday. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has scolded the Environmental Protection Agency for awarding bids for the Superfund cleanup of mining wastes in and around Superior to companies from outside Mineral County. Michael Jamison relates the story of a trapper and outlaw who has become a hero of Columbia Falls and Glacier Park. Archaeologists working on the Blackfeet Indian reservation in northwestern Montana say they have uncovered a vast former hunting complex where bison were stampeded over a cliff at least 1,000 years ago. Federal officials looking to head off livestock disease outbreaks are drafting regulations that would require farmers to identify animals that move across state lines. And the Missoulian reports on fewer seasonal workers needed in Montana, due to high unemployment leading more Montanans to take those jobs.