Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 4.27.16

NEWS
CITY BEAT
KALISPELL
Glacier High Journalists Honored
Two student journalists from Glacier High School were recognized in April, and one has been awarded a week-long trip to Washington D.C. to study jour- nalism along with top student reporters from every state.
Junior Audrey Mostek will represent Montana at the 2016 Al Neuharth Free Spirit Conference June 18 to 23 in Wash- ington, D.C. She also received a $1,000 scholarship to use at the college of her choice. Only one student per state is chosen to attend the conference and the Freedom Forum will pay all expenses for Mostek.
Senior Debbie Gilbertson was awarded second place in Montana for her photo of Glacier boys basketball. She won second place in Class AA in the 2016 High School Newspaper Competition, sponsored by the Montana Journalism Education Association and the School of Journal- ism at the University of Montana.
Ted Burnham, who is the journalism, yearbook and photojournalism teacher at Glacier, said he is excited and proud of his students.
“This is a case of hard work paying o ,” Burnham said. “Audrey is full of ideas and she works her stories from many angles. She saw the opportunity to attend this conference and went for it. She could barely contain herself when she found out she won the spot to represent Montana.”
“Debbie was our go-to photographer this year,” Burnham added. “She could be counted on time-and-again to deliver some great sports pictures. She deserves this recognition.”
Mostek, who is editor-in-chief of the GHS student newspaper, the Howl, said she is looking forward to the conference and can’t wait to y to D.C. “I’m honored
FLATHEAD
School District Voters to Cast Ballots
Voters in White sh and Creston will vote whether to approve tax levy requests during the school election on May 3.
In White sh, school administrators are faced with a new structure for tax increment nancing that is forcing the district to seek voter approval of a build- ing reserve levy for the rst time in nearly 30 years. The Montana Legislature last session passed House Bill 114, which changed the ways school district could use TIF funds, or incremental increases in property tax revenue that are ear- marked for a fund that supports improve- ments in a designated district.
The school district is seeking $400,000 annually for seven years, or $2.8 million, for Muldown Elementary, the city’s lone elementary school, and $300,000 annu- ally for seven years, or $2.1 million, for
to be representing such a great state,” said Mostek, who called the the opportu- nity to visit the nation’s capitol and learn from famous journalists a “once-in-a- lifetime experience.”
Gilberston, who took a semester of photojournalism, covered about 30 extracurricular events during the 2015- 2106 school year. She said she was drawn to photography because “there are so many di erent ways to take one picture.”
Gilbertson’s winning photo was of a GHS boys basketball player who was knocked to the oor and was looking back at the referee. Gilbertson said she is uncertain if photojournalism is in her future, but that she expects it to be at least a lifetime hobby.
the high school.
If approved, annual property taxes
could increase an estimated $36.50 for a home with a $200,000 assessed market value in both districts.
White sh School District Superinten- dent Heather Davis Schmidt said home- owners would most likely not see a com- plete $36.50 increase in property taxes because the TIF funds could o set any added costs from the levy.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., May 3 at the White sh School District O ce in White sh Middle School.
Creston School District is seek- ing $15,000 annually for ve years, or $75,000, to renovate and maintain its facilities. If approved, property taxes would increase $16.65 annually on a home with an assessed value of $200,000.
Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m inside the school’s gymnasium.
TROY
City Looking For New Police Chief
The city of Troy is looking for a new leader for its police department after Chief Robert McLeod announced plans to retire earlier this year. McLeod will leave the department next month after six years.
Until a replacement is found, Allen Dye will serve as the interim chief.
Dye has a varied resume and has been a sheri ’s deputy and Troy’s city judge. Dye was appointed by the city council last week and will be sworn in on May 1.
The Marion School, which serves kindergarten through eighth grade, is seeking a general fund levy of $48,064 annually for day-to-day operations. If approved, taxes on a home worth $200,00 would increase $18.69.
Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. at the Marion Fire Department.
In Columbia Falls, two school trustee positions are up for election for three- year terms in the combined elementary and high school district. Benjamin Sha- fer, Elen Joy Hoerner and incumbents Barbara Riley and Larry Wilson are running.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Glacier Gateway Elementary School and Canyon Elementary School.
In Kalispell, two trustee seats with three-year terms are open in the ele- mentary school, along with one two- year term seat. Diane Morton Stout and
WHITEFISH
Youth Bike Patrol Program Seeks Volunteers
White sh Legacy Partners is unveiling its new White sh Trail Youth Bike Patrol program aimed at engaging young people as volunteers on the White sh Trail.
The goal of the White sh Trail Bike Patrol is to o er a regular presence on the trail system and to provide visitor assistance. New for 2016, the White sh Trail Youth Bike Patrol will provide an avenue for youth in the community to be mentored by experienced members of the White sh Trail Patrol. Parents are also encouraged to volunteer with their chil- dren to form a patrol team. Youth Bike Patrol members must be at least 14 years old to mentor with a current member of the Patrol, or at least 12 years old to patrol with a parent.
Members of Youth Bike Patrol are encouraged to perform two patrol rides per month during the summer. All mem- bers of Youth Bike Patrol will be trained in bike maintenance, CPR, and rst-aid.
The annual training for all bike patrol, including youth, is scheduled for May 3 at 6 p.m. at the White sh Legacy Part- ners o ce, at 525 Railway St., Suite 206, in White sh.
For more information, visit www. white shlegacy.org/bike-patrol or call 406-862-3880 or email info@white sh- legacy.org.
To date, White sh Legacy Partners and City of White sh have established over 36 miles of a recreational trail sys- tem accessed by ten trailheads. The White sh Trail continues to pioneer conservation, education and recreation initiatives, with strategic partners, vol- unteers, and nancial support from the community.
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incumbents Anna Marie Bailey and Mary Tepas are seeking a three-year term and Rebecca Linden and Frank Miller are seeking a two-year term.
Kalispell is conducting a mail-in bal- lot election.
In Evergreen, Dave Lowitz, Brant Karlstad and Tamara Williams are seek- ing two seats with three-year terms. Polls will open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the school dis- trict’s administrative building at 18 West Evergreen Drive.
In Smith Valley, three candidates — Jerril Ren, Doni Bennett and Rand Norby — are running for two trustee seats with three-year terms. Three other candidates — incumbent Richard Frank Sutton, David Fairbank and Jonathan Sharpe — are run- ning for one seat with a two-year term.
Polls will open from noon to 8 p.m. inside the school’s gym.
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CLEANING UP CAMP
Dan Haynal, with Montana Department of Transportation, clears out garbage and debris from homeless camps along Ashley Creek on April 20. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
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