Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 11.26.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
NOVEMBER 26, 2014 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
GAY MARRIAGE
A federal judge in Great Falls struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage last week, leading to dozens of same-sex marriag- es across Montana. Attorney General Tim Fox said he would appeal the judge’s ruling.
STATE CHAMPS
The Glacier Wolfpack capped their undefeated season by win- ning the Class AA state cham- pionship, the program’s first and the first for a Kalispell team since 1970.
ANTI-HATE LAWS
A debate centered on Whitefish is raging over First Amend- ment rights and cracking down on “anti-hate” organizations following a city council meet- ing that drew over 100 people who urged council members to enact an ordinance barring hate-group activities in the community.
INFRASTRUCTURE
A panel of civil engineers gave Montana’s infrastructure a “me- diocre” C-minus in a report card issued this month, pointing out aging schools, roads and bridg- es, among other infrastructure issues.
THANKSGIVING
The Beacon wishes everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
First Gay Couples Receive Marriage Licenses in Flathead County
Eric Hummel, a private attorney who filled in as Justice of the Peace last week, weds the first gay couple at the Flathead County Courthouse on Nov. 20.
GREG LINDSTROM FLATHEAD BEACON
Nearly 50 same-sex couples receive licenses across Montana a day after a federal judge strikes down ban
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
A day after a federal judge struck down
the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, the first gay couples received marriage licens- es in Flathead County on Nov. 20, mark- ing a watershed moment in one of the last states to allow equal rights to gay couples.
“It feels like we can be a real family now,” said Heather Bryan, who received a marriage license with her partner of four years, Tamara Walter, at the county’s Jus- tice Center in downtown Kalispell.
It had been an emotional 24 hours for the two local women, who found out Wednesday night that they could suddenly legally marry.
“We were thinking of moving some- where. I was raised here. I didn’t want to move just to get married. It just wasn’t fair,” said Walter.
Walter said the community seems to have gotten more accepting of gays and lesbians in recent years.
See Gay Marriage PAGE 24
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