Page 19 - Flathead Beacon // 6.11.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS JUNE 11, 2014 | 19

The Roundup
SPOTLIGHT ON

ACADEMICS:
From Beacon wire and news services

Graduation Is John Alexander Waller was arraigned in
FLATHEAD
Flathead County District Court on June
a Gateway
5.
PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS According to court documents, on
LATEST KALISPELL BYPASS the night of May 7, Dustin Gibbs was
STAGES
camping near Murr Creek and South
AThe Montana Department of Trans- McGregor Lake Road when Waller and
portation is nearing the inal stages of Claude Trusty approached his camp-
mong the 114 WHS graduates connecting the U.S. 93 Alternate Route site. Waller was reportedly upset with
this June are a pair of sisters,
one of whom has earned in Kalispell between U.S. 2 and U.S. 93, Gibbs and wanted to talk to him. Waller
enough credits to graduate a year ahead and state oicials are hosting an upcom- allegedly walked up to Gibbs and took
of her peers, moving on to the Univer- ing public meeting to discuss the latest his Kimber .45 pistol and then shot at
sity of Nevada in Las Vegas next fall. construction plans.
him with another gun. Gibbs said he ran
The proposed roadway will con- away through the trees and called 911
Her older sister has committed to the struct four travel lanes and provide the while Waller continued to ire his weap-
Colorado School of Mines upon gradu- inal connection of the eight-mile route on into the woods.
ation with our class of 2014. Plans such for traic traveling from north to south Waller says Gibbs had pulled his pis-
as these lend a sense of forward motion,
rather than an air of inality typically of Kalispell with grade-separated in- tol out and threatened him. When Flat-
surrounding graduation ceremonies. terchanges at U.S. 2, Three Mile Drive, head County Sherif’s deputies arrived,
Students like these just can’t wait for Four Mile Drive and Old Reserve Drive.
they found Waller with two loaded pis-
their next chapter!
The project will also complete a tols.
shared-use path for bicycles and pedes- Waller could face up to 20 years in
And they are not alone among the trians covering the entire eight-mile prisonoramaximumineof$50,000.A
WHS class of 2014. Indeed, young length of the Bypass. The path links to trial has been set or Nov. 3.
adults from Whiteish will bring their
pragmatic, achievement-oriented, small the U.S. 93 shared-use path that heads
town, big heart ways to the halls of south to Somers and the path also links HASKILL BASIN PROJECT OPEN
Columbia University, the US Naval to the Ashley Creek Rails-to-Trails Cor- HOUSE PLANNED
Academy, Arizona State University, ridor that heads west along U.S. 2. Con- The proposed protection of land and
struction on the inal stages began in water in Whiteish’s Haskill Basin is
Middlebury College, Washington and demonstration of citizenship, based on April.
moving forward with broad support, and
Lee University, Colorado School of relationships and the nurturing of our The new improvements will result city oicials will update the public on the
Mines and Santa Clara University, to in the permanent closure of Parkridge conservation project’s progress at a June
name a few. And yes, there is a Bobcat Whiteish community. Our District’s
(or thirteen) and a Griz (or six) num- approach to teaching and learning Drive between Stillwater Road and Bar- 17 meeting.
bered in this group as well.
intends to give our students a height- on Way. Parkridge Drive was planned The project seeks to protect more
So the question, really, is how? How ened sense of community relation- as a temporary roadway, to be in place than 3,000 acres in Haskill Basin near
do our children, who, not all that long ship, geared toward building more only until the four-lane, high-speed Whiteish. The property, owned by the
active citizenship. Our students have route was built, according to MDT. To F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. and
ago, were running the Mully Mile at come to recognize the importance of reduce traic noise intrusion into near- located beside Whiteish Mountain Re-
Muldown, or were performing in their by homes located in the Empire Estates sort on Big Mountain, is highly vulner-
irst Middle School Orchestra concert, community participation, exempliied subdivision, construction will also in- able to the pressures of development,
aspire to and achieve such lofty goals?
by our National Honor Society mem-
The answer lies in a framework of bers’ fundraising effort to support the clude noise walls on both the west and proponents of the easement say, and is
academic opportunity, a community Whiteish Reading Partnership. Or,
east edges of the new bypass. The walls the source of 75 percent of the municipal
of relationships and encouragement as as another outstanding example, they will be 12 feet or less in height and ex- water supply in Whiteish.
well as a rigorous self-development. impact the environmental health of our tend from Three Mile Drive to north of Last year, Stoltze and the Trust for
area through Freelow’s ongoing part- the (current) Parkridge Drive.
Public Land, a nonproit land conserva-
This framework provides a launch pad nership with Whiteish Lake Institute, There will be an open house meeting tion organization, reached a deal that
built on the combination of individ- on Wednesday, June 18, at the Red Lion would keep the land permanently pro-
ual effort and the solid background monitoring water quality of our lakes
provided by our school system. Proof and streams.
Hotel Kalispell, Ballroom A, 20 N. Main tected for water, wildlife and recreation
of effectiveness is borne out in our And speaking of community, there St., to discuss the Parkridge Drive clo- uses, while still allowing Stoltze’s sus-
students’ assessment scores, which are some graduates who are sticking sure, the proposed noise walls and con- tainable timber management to contin-
are consistently not only well above closer to home, taking advantage of the struction updates. The open house will ue.
stellar educational bargain offered by run from 6 to 9 p.m. with a short presen- The project has support from Mon-
the State average, but also the highest FVCC. As they explore their potential, tation at 7:15 p.m.
tana’s congressional delegation, as well
overall in the Flathead Valley!
Comments and concerns may be sub- as Whiteish’s mayor and city council.
Whiteish constantly raises the bar they enjoy our local support system, mitted in writing at the meeting, by mail to The Forest Service ranks such proj-
to provide rigorous and meaningful ex- while gaining inancial and emotional
periences. Our students’ and teachers’ independence here in the Flathead. Ed Toavs, Missoula, District Administra- ects for funding through its Forest Leg-
partnership in AP coursework remains Some of our students aspire to build tor, at MDT’s Missoula district oice at PO acy Program, which awards grants to
second to none, with our students their family business locally, starting Box 7039, Missoula, MT 59807-7039 or on- states to purchase permanent conserva-
earning scores high enough to garner right off with a career in the trades. Fi- line at http://www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/com- tion easements and other property inter-
nally, some of our graduates work hard ment_form.shtml. Commenters should ests that protect forest land resources.
college credit in US History, Biology, to graduate early in order to join the indicate that their feedback is for project With its No. 1 spot, the Haskill Basin
Spanish, Calculus, English Literature, UPN 2038018. Comments must be submit- Watershed Project is slated to receive
Statistics, and Environmental Science. global community. One of our students
Some individuals have achieved AP has done just that, and will receive her ted by July 18.
$7 million in Legacy Project funding.
mastery as Juniors and even Soph- diploma a year in advance in order
The top ranking will give the project a
omores, allowing them to pursue a to depart for Morocco on a year-long FLATHEAD COUNTY MAN signiicant boost toward raising the $17
college degree while still enrolled at scholarship program. The possibilities PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO million needed to buy the development
for our students seem endless, thanks to ASSAULT
rights from Stoltze by the end of 2015.
WHS.
their solid foundation! Are we proud A Flathead County man pleaded not The June 17 meeting at the
Another feature that makes our of these students and citizens today?
guilty to assault with a weapon stem- O’Shaughnessy Center in Whiteish be-
students attractive to the best institu- ming from a May 7 incident near Marion.
gins at 7 p.m.
tions of higher learning lies in their
Yes, Bulldog proud.

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