Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 11.30.16

DATA POINTS
47 26% Years, from 1959 to 2006,
Fidel Castro ruled Cuba with almost total cotrol of what is now the last communist
nation in the Western Hemisphere. Castro died last week at age 90.
Amount by which Montana coal production is down in 2016 compared to last year, according to the Billings Gazette. The main reason for the decline is availabilty and a ordability of natural gas.
THIS WEEK’S POLLS FROM FLATHEADBEACON.COM
DO YOU EAT TURKEY FOR THANKSGIVING?
TOTAL VOTES
SHOULD MONTANA COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL REAL ID ACT?
TOTAL VOTES
ARE YOU SHOPPING ON BLACK FRIDAY?
TOTAL VOTES
48.7
184
136
282
MILLION
77% YES
23% NO
52% YES
48% NO
11% YES
89% NO *READER POLLS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
Americans who were expected to travel 50 miles or more over the Thanksgiving holiday, the most in almost a decade.
“If these mussels arrive in Flathead Lake, their impact will be catastrophic.”
Flathead Lake Biological Station Director Jim Elser in an alert newsletter published last week. State o cials have identi ed the presence of invasive mussels in Montana. In response, the Biological Station announced it is increasing its monitoring e orts.
THE GOOD
SKI SEASON
Opening day for White sh Mountain Resort is scheduled for Dec. 7. Pray for snow and see you on the slopes!
THE BAD
REAL ID
The federal government says Montana residents won’t be allowed to use their driver’s licenses to access certain secure areas beginning on Jan. 30 because they don’t comply with the REAL ID Act.
“UM currently has too many faculty and sta . Last year UM had more faculty and sta than they did at their peak enrollment.”
Kevin McCrae, a deputy in the state o ce of the Commissioner of Higher Education, to the Missoulian in an interview last week. Enrollment at the University of Montana’s main campus has fallen by 22 percent since 2010, but the commissioner’s o ce says UM is spending more than 80 percent of its budget on personnel, compared to a university system average of 68 percent.
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NOVEMBER 30, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM