Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 9.9.15

NEWS
Bullock Touts College and Career Prep Programs
Governor visits Columbia Falls for the first day of school to see what local staff are doing to get kids ready for adulthood
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
COLUMBIA FALLS – Gov. Steve Bullock was in town for the first day of the school year to promote job and college preparation programs that he says are critical to the state’s future.
A group of Columbia Falls High School students took the governor to meet with kids who are already taking college courses and others who are getting industrial arts experience that could be used to get a job right after graduation.
The Sept. 3 visit came during a weeklong back-to- school tour taking the governor to Billings, Great Falls, Bozeman, Missoula and the Rocky Boy Reservation. Lt. Gov. Angela McLean was also on the road, visiting schools in Helena and Plains.
“We need to make education relevant to the students and make sure that they can apply what they learn now to their future,” Bullock said. “We need to make sure that every student here gets the skills they need.”
Bullock said to do that, schools need to offer more to their students and that is exactly what is happening in Columbia Falls. Through a partnership with Flathead
Ken Stone, an industrial technology teacher at Columbia Falls High School, shows Gov. Steve Bullock the technology of a new saw blade during a tour of the facilities. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Valley Community College, students in Flathead and Lincoln counties can receive up to six college credits for free while still in high school. They can also take addi- tional credits at a reduced rate.
According to Bullock, the number of Montana stu- dents taking college courses while still in high school has doubled in the last two-and-a-half years. He also
said that in 2014, Montana families saved $3 million on tuition by having their children take college classes early. Bullock also toured the high school’s industrial arts classes and met with students who are becoming certified welders. The certification means the students will be able to get higher paying jobs right after gradua- tion. Principal Scott Gaiser said it was a privilege to have the governor stop by on the first day of school.
“We’re really proud of the programs we’re offering and we’re happy to share them with the community and the governor,” he said.
The governor said the state has worked hard to con- nect schools and businesses to find out what type of workforce needs there will be in the future. Bullock said it is especially important considering that more than 130,000 Montanans will retire in the next decade and yet there are only 123,000 16 to 24 year olds that could enter the work force in the coming years. Bullock said it is critical that students are ready to enter the work force and help move the state’s economy forward.
“We can’t wait until after graduation to start training
Traffic Deaths in Montana on Pace to Surpass 2014 Total Flathead County ranks among the highest in Montana in traffic deaths, many of which due to alcohol or drug impairment
these kids,” Bullock said.
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BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
Montana motorists may have noticed more law enforcement over the Labor Day holiday weekend as the Montana Highway Patrol ramped up its vigilance for drunken driving.
The 20-day, high-visibility campaign began last month and continued through Sept. 7 with DUI checkpoints, as well as increased messaging about drunken driving.
Officials say drunken driving accounted for 38 percent of statewide crash fatalities over Labor Day weekend in 2013.
It’s been a bad year for driving deaths in general across the state, outpacing last year’s total at the same time of year. There were 192 fatalities in 2014. There have been 145 fatalities on Montana highways in 2015 compared to 130 fatalities for this same time in 2014.
After dropping below 200 in 2014 for just the second
time in 18 years, the highway fatality toll for 2015 is climb- ing, and alcohol-impaired driving plays a large factor.
But law enforcement and the criminal justice system have a new tool on their collective tool belt to help curb DUIs and impaired driving.
A law that emerged during the 2015 Legislature doubles the minimum fines for driving under the influence and went into effect upon Gov. Steve Bullock’s signature May 5.
Pushed by Attorney General Tim Fox and the Depart- ment of Justice, and sponsored by Rep. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, the legislation sets minimum fines at $600 for a first DUI offense, $1,200 for a second and $2,500 for a third conviction. Double each of those if a child 15 or younger is in the vehicle.
For the past decade, Montana lost an average of 227 lives per year on public streets and roads, according to the Montana Department of Transportation. In Flathead County, 184 people died on roads between 2004 and 2013.
Compounding those tragedies is the fact that many deaths could have been prevented. Forty-five fatal crashes this year involved at least one driver impaired by alcohol or other drugs, according to preliminary Mon- tana Highway Patrol reports.
Final lab data shows that more than half of fatal Mon- tana crashes have involved impaired drivers over the past decade.
Regier’s bill has prompted MDT to outline goals to reduce the five-year average for fatalities involving alco- hol-impaired drivers by 2015. According to the Traffic Highway Safety Plan for 2016, that average has actually increased in recent years. MDT hopes to fight the trend by maintaining the current average through 2020.
Montana Department of Transportation Director Mike Tooley stressed the importance of wearing a seat- belt, and not driving drunk.
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2015 HIGHLANDER CROSS COUNTRY FLATHEAD VALLEY YOUTH RUNNING CLUB
Coached by local High School Cross Country Athletes from FHS, GHS and CFHS.
PREREGISTRATION at both Three Rivers Banks beginning Wednesday, August 26th. at Three Rivers Bank 233 East Idaho Street or 552 North Meridian Road. Registration forms online at www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com.
LATE REGISTRATION Tuesday, September 22nd, 5:15-5:30 pm at Lawrence Park. Practice will follow. FREE This program is free for all youth of the community, kindergarten through eighth grade.
CONTACT Amanda Beach, 406-755-4271, [email protected] or Linzi Napier, 406-212-5375, [email protected]
Sponsored by
Helping You Financially Around Every Bend of Life.
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SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
SEASON
STARTS Tues., 9/22