Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 5.14.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
MAY 14, 2014 | 5

NEWS

WORDS
••••
of the Week

AN INDEX OF
RECENT
NEWSMAKERS

FIRE OUTLOOK
Fire oicials from federal and
state agencies briefed Gov.

Steve Bullock this week on
the forecast for wildires this
summer. A hefty mountain
snowpack in the Northern
Rockies has driven down the
wildire potential and bumped
up prospects that farmers
in most of Montana and
Wyoming won’t go dry.

BIG MOUNTAIN JESUS
Montana Attorney General
Tim Fox iled a friend-of-the-
court brief last week with
the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals saying he supports
keeping the Jesus statue on
Big Mountain. The court is
considering a legal challenge
by an atheist and agnostic

organization.

KEYSTONE XL

A student at Glacier High School works on an assignment to build cross-cuts during an intro to engineering design class earlier this year. FILE PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM | A widely popular, bipartisan
FLATHEAD BEACON
energy savings bill fell victim
School Levies Pass in Kalispell, Columbia Falls
in the Senate to election-
year politics and the Obama
administration’s continued
indecision on the Keystone
XL oil pipeline. The legislation Voters approve two of three seeking $1.2 million for technology im- coordinator for the Kalispell schools, said
would tighten eiciency provements over the next decade, split he was pleased that the elementary levy
guidelines for new federal levies by narrow margins
buildings.
evenly between the elementary and high passed but was disappointed that the high
schools. The $600,000 elementary school school levy didn’t ind the same success.
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
levy passed by just 32 votes, with 2,896 “We’re going to have to reassess our
votes in favor and 2,864 opposed. The budget and do the best we can moving for-
TOURISM
An elementary technology levy in Ka- $600,000 high school technology levy ward,” he said. “We’ll have to be frugal.”
lispell and a high school funding levy in failed by 248 votes, with 5,797 votes for In Columbia Falls, a $478,984 high
Summer is fast approaching, Columbia Falls passed by small margins and 6,045 against.
school levy will help balance the books
signaling the beginning of
the bustling tourism season, in last week’s school elections. But a levy The high school district has not had a and pay for everyday classroom needs. In
which is sure to build on last to fund new technology in Kalispell’s high technology levy in three years and the ele- the last ive years, the general fund bud-
year’s record visitation.
schools failed by more than 200 votes.
mentary district’s levy is ending this year.
The Kalispell School District was
Mike Koford, community outreach
See Levies PAGE 22

Elect Debbie Pierson

REPUBLICAN FOR FLATHEAD
COUNTY CLERK & RECORDER

“I have worked with all three primary election

candidates and hands down I believe that “Debbie Pierson has the modern technical and
organizational skills and the old fashion people
Debbie Pierson is the only candidate who has
both the strategic vision and working knowledge skills to be a great clerk and recorder.”

necessary for this position.”
- Bob Brown, Former Montana Secretary of State

- Paula Robinson, Flathead County Clerk & Recorder

Paula Robinson, Debbie Pierson & Bob Brown

[email protected]
Paid for by Pierson for Clerk & Recorder, PO Box 3202, Kalispell, MT 59903, Lois Lauman - Treasurer , Amy Dexter - Deputy Treasurer
electdebpierson.nationbuilder.com