Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 4.6.16

DATA POINTS
9,377 Permit applications for the Smith River this year, up from 8,096 the previous year and 6,662 in 2013. The reputation of the Central Montana
river has spiked as headlines have spread about a proposed copper mine being built at its headwaters.
“You have damaged our election process for the people of Montana, because the people of Montana are entitled to know who is contributing and spending in candidate campaigns.”
Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl
in his testimony last week in the trial of state Rep. Art Wittich, who a jury found had coordinated with and taken illegal contributions from eight corporations that are not required to disclose their donors or spending.
THE GOOD
4,600
BNSF Railway employees being furloughed nationwide due to declining oil prices and a reduced demand for coal. The furloughs amount to about 10 percent of the railroad’s workforce, about the same level of furloughs it had in 2007 and 2008 — the beginning of the Great Recession.
ROSE GRANT
Kalispell’s Rose Grant won her rst U.S. Cup race over the weekend on the pro mountain bike tour.
THE BAD
WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME
A deadly fungal disease that is decimating bat populations across North America was recently con rmed in Washington, the rst time it’s been reported in this region.
THIS WEEK’S POLLS FROM FLATHEADBEACON.COM
SHOULD OCCUPIERS AT THE OREGON WILDLIFE REFUGE BE PROSECUTED?
TOTAL VOTES
IS DEFERRED MAINTENANCE
IN NATIONAL PARKS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM?
TOTAL VOTES
WILL DONALD TRUMP WIN THE GOP NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT?
TOTAL VOTES
Signatures submitted by John Kasich’s campaign to qualify for the Montana primary ballot. Fellow GOP presidential contender Ted Cruz has raised questions about the signatures’ validity.
72% YES
HTTP://WWW.PSC.MT.GOV
28% NO
86% YES
14% NO
51% YES
49% NO *READER POLLS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
246
148
390
“There is this culture of ‘let the customer pay for all of
our miscalculations, for our lack of due diligence for our
mistakes.’ I don’t like it.”
Montana Public Service Commissioner Roger Koopman criticizing NorthWestern Energy for failing to protect customers after the 2013 Colstrip coal plant outage forced it to buy electricity on the open market. The PSC ordered NorthWestern to refund customers $8.24 million.
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