Good morning; on the Beacon today, in the wake of headlines highlighting student conduct infractions at Flathead High School, a parent group has launched a campaign encouraging teenagers to make good decisions and reminding the community of the many positives at the school that don’t make the news. After a memorable run at the Class AA state volleyball tournament, the Glacier Wolfpack came up just short of the title match and had to settle for third place. State and federal wildlife officials are investigating the shooting death of an adult grizzly bear near Troy. A strong wood-products industry is key to removing thousands of dead, bark beetle-infested trees that threaten to topple onto roads, power lines and campsites or harm watersheds around the West, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Monday.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer launched plans Monday to cut almost all the state’s tax on business equipment and give homeowners a property tax refund as part of his budget plan — making tax relief a primary goal even before Republican lawmakers taking over the Legislature have a chance to do so. The state is seeking applications for the next commissioner of political practices, the person responsible for investigating and helping prosecute violations of election and campaign finance laws. The Montana Democratic Party is getting a new executive director less than two weeks after big election losses to the Republicans. FWP announced that microscopic larvae suspected to be from exotic mussels may be contained in four of 17 plankton samples collected from Flathead Lake this summer. The Montana Department of Transportation says research into the potential misuse of state fuel credit cards found a smaller problem than originally thought.