Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 12.16.15

NEWS
CITY BEAT
KALISPELL
Regier Recognized with 2015 Leadership Award for E orts to Curb Drunk Driving
A national not-for-pro t organiza- tion funded by distillers in an e ort to eliminate drunken driving and under- age drinking has recognized Rep. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, with its 2015 Leader- ship Award.
On Dec. 11, the Foundation for Advanc- ing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsi- bility.org) honored Regier, saying that during the lawmaker’s tenure in the Montana House of Representatives he has shown an outstanding commitment to ghting drunk driving.
Last session, as a representative for House District 4, Regier sponsored House Bill 111, which enhances drunken driving penalties for felony o enders by extending Montana’s DUI sentencing and program length from 13 months to up to 2 years.
“Representative Regier has been a tireless advocate for the people of the 4th District of Montana,” said Ralph Black- man, president and CEO of Responsibil- ity.org. “We can’t thank the Representa- tive enough for his dedication and leader- ship to prevent drunk driving by sending a clear and consistent message that it is
LINCOLN
County Declares State of Emergency After Flooding
Heavy rain across Northwest Mon- tana last week resulted in minor ood- ing throughout the Libby and Troy area and local government o cials declared a state of emergency.
Lincoln County Sheri Roby Bowe said lowland ooding damaged at least six homes in the Troy area and at least three secondary roads were covered in water or washed away on Dec. 9. Late Wednes- day, Libby Mayor Doug Roll and the Lin- coln County Commission both declared a state of emergency in an e ort to open up disaster funding to aid in the response. According to the National Weather Ser- vice, heavy rainfall resulted in rapidly rising streams and the Fisher River near Libby rose from roughly 100 cubic feet per second to over 1,000 cubic feet per second in a matter of days. The water began to recede the same day.
FLATHEAD
County to Vote on Rural White sh Zoning
The Flathead County Commission will host a public hearing on adding new language to the county’s zoning regula- tions to account for the court-approved jurisdiction for the land surrounding
illegal and will not be tolerated. We look forward to expanding our relationship and continuing to save lives in the future with Representative Regier.”
KALISPELL
FVCC Student Levitt Honored for Community Service
Zach Levitt, a Flathead Valley Com- munity College student, received state- wide recognition for his commitment to community service recently among 15 people in the state.
Levitt was presented with the Mon- tana Campus Compact’s Montana Ath- letes In Service Award by members of the Montana Campus Compact (MTCC) Board and Gov.Steve Bullock at the Brawl of the Wild Cat-Griz Football Game in Bozeman.
Levitt is a sophomore from Columbia Falls studying secondary education at FVCC. For over two years, he has been a dedicated participant in the college’s intramural programs. Levitt also has been actively engaged in the college’s Ser- vice Learning program by volunteering at the local food bank, serving meals to those in need at the Community Kitchen and playing a key role in FVCC’s annual Red White and Blue Run, which honors local veterans and emergency responders
White sh.
During the Dec. 17 hearing, taking
place at 10:30 a.m., the commission will listen to public input on the new text amendment for the Flathead County Zoning Regulations. Following that hear- ing, the commission will vote at 11 a.m. on whether to create the new Rural White- sh Zoning District.
The zoning district will include new designations for the land located within the doughnut, a disputed land area sur- rounding White sh. Jurisdictional bat- tles between the county and the City of White sh ended up taking the issue through a lengthy court process, ending in summer 2014 when the Montana Supreme Court ruled that the county had control.
Since then, emergency interim zoning has been in place to account for the pre- viously created zoning under which the landowners were already living, since most of it didn’t have a matching zoning designation in the county regulations.
The newly proposed zoning will include 13 new designations, including those speci cally tailored to residen- tial properties on Big Mountain and at the resort, as well as a business service district.
A list of the zoning designations and the areas they would a ect can be found at http:// athead.mt.gov/commissioner/.
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on 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Outside the college, Levitt has volun- teered as a coach for the Columbia Falls High School girls’ basketball program while encouraging the players to give back to their communities and to always strive to do their best. As a student at FVCC, Levitt has dedicated an average of 118 hours each semester to serving the community, far exceeding the 45-hour average of service hours completed by FVCC students in one semester.
FVCC President Jane A. Karas praised Levitt for his contributions to the com- munity, particularly as a role model for his college peers and young athletes in his hometown of Columbia Falls.
“Zach’s impact on the community is far-reaching through his service as a role model, coach and volunteer,” said Karas. “Zach has done an exceptional job bal- ancing his studies with serving his com- munity and staying active through stu- dent athletics, setting a standard for other students to aspire to.”
MARION
Library Re-Opens after Extensive Redesign
The ImagineIF Library in Marion has reopened to the public after undergoing
a renovation and redesign. The loca- tion, which shares space with the Mar- ion School Library, has been closed since October. The library reopened last week with a fresh coat of paint, new furniture, a self-checkout station and volunteer sta ng. The new hours are 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Since 1992 ImagineIF Libraries has collaborated with the Marion School to o er library services to the Marion com- munity after school, including books and DVDs, public computers, wireless Inter- net, and programs such as storytime and Summer Experience.
“All of the changes we’ve made during the closure are really exciting,” said Sean Anderson, senior librarian for branch services. “We’ve done a lot of freshen- ing in the space, which, along with a new self-checkout station, makes the library in Marion feel much more colorful, mod- ern and fun.”
After-School Storytime will resume on Jan. 20, taking place every other Wednesday from 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Longtime volunteer Deborah Borgaro will continue to lead storytime.
For more information, visit www. imaginei ibraries.org.
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NEWS
COUNTY BEAT
SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT
A school bus collided with a large truck at the intersection of U.S. Highway 93 and Montana Highway 82 near Somers on Dec. 9. Although there were students on the bus at the time of the collision, no one was seriously injured, according to Somers Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Hayes. The accident blocked multiple lanes of tra c and resulted in delays of 15 to 30 minutes through the area. According to law enforcement, the accident occurred after the bus driver failed to follow a tra c signal. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
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DECEMBER 16, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM