Page 24 - Flathead Beacon // 8.26.15

ROUNDUP
93 1 KALISPELL
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FROM BEACON STAFF AND WIRE SERVICES
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BILLINGS
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3 GREAT FALLS
HELENA
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MISSOULA
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DEPARTING FROM LAKESIDE MARINA
DAILY CRUISES AT 1pm
EVENING CRUISES AT 7 pm Sunday through Wednesday
BUTTE 7 15
BOZEMAN
ADULTS $22
CHILDREN $10
UNDER 6 FREE
COLUMBIA FALLS
1. Fire at Plum Creek Plant Shuts Down Production Line
An early morning fire at the Plum Creek medium-density fiberboard plant in Columbia Falls will result in the com- pany shutting down a production line for up to six days.
The fire, which started at about 6 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20, originated on Line 1 at the plant. It started in the area where the fiber is held before it is fed into the processing line, according to Kathy Budi- nick, senior director of communications with Plum Creek.
There were no injuries as a result of the fire, and all employees were able to exit the building safely.
While it appears that there was no damage to the equipment on Line 1, production won’t start up again until the fire-suppression equipment can recharge, Budinick said, which can take four to six days. The company is also investigating the incident and taking time to clean up, she said.
Line 2 at the plant is already back to production, she said.
The MDF plant was closed for about a month last summer after a fire and explo- sion blew out the building’s walls.
MISSOULA
2. Research Grants Announced for Montana, Montana State
Research projects at Montana State University and the University of Mon- tana have been awarded a total of $8.3 million in grants from the university sys- tem’s $15 million Montana Research and Economic Development Initiative.
MSU plant sciences professor Barry Jacobsen won $2.27 million for his proj- ect that seeks to make farms and ranches more efficient by using data from satel- lites and other sensors to target pesti- cides and fertilizers to specific spots.
Professor Joe Shaw won $2.49 million for research on compact optical sensors that could be used for precision agricul- ture and medical imaging.
In Missoula, assistant research pro- fessor Sarj Patel received $2.2 million to develop diagnostic tools for survivors of traumatic brain injury and to expand clinical services.
Chemistry professor Chris Palmer received nearly $1.3 million to advance new technology to allow continuous water quality monitoring.
MISSOULA
3. Montana Officials Delay Release of Infant Autopsy Review
The Montana Department of Justice won’t release the results of an indepen- dent review of a former medical examin- er’s autopsies on infants and young chil- dren without a court order, a spokesman for the agency said.
Attorney General Tim Fox’s office has denied separate requests by the Missou- lian and The Associated Press to release the results of the review it ordered this spring of Dr. Thomas Bennett’s work. The department received the results on June 19, around the time it notified Bennett that his appointment as associate state medical examiner would end July 1.
The state Justice Department plans to ask a judge to examine the results to determine whether the public inter- est outweighs Bennett’s privacy rights, spokesman John Barnes said. The agency is adding the review to a legal petition it filed July 31 seeking a judge’s declaration on whether to release three state emails concerning Bennett to the Missoulian.
Bennett has objected to the release of all the documents, saying to do so would be an invasion of his privacy.
“Our purpose here is to prevent expos- ing the state to liability for either failing to release documents which should be released, or for violating individual pri- vacy rights by releasing documents which should not be released,” Barnes said in an email to the AP.
The documents in question could shed light on what led to Bennett’s termination and confirm whether the examinations he performed were properly conducted.
Reservations Only For Groups Of 10+ DISCOUNT WILL APPLY
Arrive 30 Minutes Prior to Departure Also Available For Private Charters
Cruises continue through Labor Day,
Monday, September 7th at 7pm
THERE’S STILL TIME!
Book your Special Charter through September.
Advance ticket sales available online.
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AUGUST 26, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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