Page 29 - Flathead Beacon // 12.17.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS DECEMBER 17, 2014 | 29 The Roundup
From Beacon wire and news services
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FLATHEAD
TWO SNOWBOARDERS RESCUED IN HELLROARING BASIN
Two snowboarders are safe and sound after being reported missing in Hellroaring Basin north of Whitefish on the evening of Dec. 8, according to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Chuck Curry said his office received a report of two lost snowboard- ers outside the boundaries of Whitefish Mountain Resort at about 6:15 p.m. The Flathead Backcountry Nordic Patrol, North Valley Search and Rescue and Whitefish Mountain Resort Ski Patrol coordinated a search and the two board- ers were found at about 9 p.m., 4 or 5 miles away from the ski area boundaries
FLATHEAD COUNTY RESIDENTS LOSING MAILBOXES TO SNOW PLOWS
Some Flathead County residents have complained that their mailbox- es are being damaged by county snow plows.
But, the county responds that that’s the price homeowners have to pay if they want plowed roads.
The Flathead County Road and Bridge Department says mailboxes are considered an encroachment on the county’s right of way.
This means landowners are respon- sible for any damage a plow does to a mailbox. This could be from a plow phys- ically hitting the mailbox or the weight of the snow, that’s being plowed, pushes the mailbox over.
KCFW-TV reports that the number one concern of county maintenance is safety, not mailboxes.
Flathead County Road and Bridge Supervisor Ovila Byrd advises home- ownerstomovethemailboxback3feet from the road surface and anchor it well.
MONTANA
STATE: TALKS ABOUT LOGGING WEREN’T PUBLIC MEETINGS
Discussions about which Montana forests should be designated for expe- dited logging weren’t covered by open- meetings law, a state attorney argued.
Attorney Mike Black asked a judge on last week to dismiss a lawsuit filed by three environmental groups that claim the meetings were illegal because they weren’t publicized in advance, Lee Newspapers of Montana reported.
District Judge Kathy Seeley of Hel- ena did not immediately rule on the re- quest.
State officials, some conservation groups and timber industry representa-
tives participated in the meetings to ad- vise Gov. Steve Bullock on what federal land should be considered for logging and other measures to improve forest health.
The process was authorized by Con- gress to treat insect infestations and dis- ease.
Participants in the Montana meet- ings included the Montana Logging As- sociation, Montana Wood Products As- sociation, Trout Unlimited, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Bullock’s ad- visers.
On April 7, after the meetings, Bull- ock nominated about 8,000 square miles of land for expedited logging.
Wildwest Institute, Conservation Congress and Friends of the Bitterroot filed suit, saying the discussions should have been publicized in advance so oth- ers could have attended.
Summer Nelson, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told the judge that public policy was discussed at the meetings in an attempt to influence the governor’s recommendations, so the sessions were subject to the open-meetings law.
MONTANA AWARDED $10 MILLION GRANT FOR PRESCHOOLS
Montana was awarded a $10 million federal grant last week to help devel- op preschool programs for 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income fami- lies.
The money will help preschools in 16 communities, Gov. Steve Bullock and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said.
The grant was announced as Presi- dent Barack Obama said a public-private partnership would spend $1 billion on programs for young learners nation- wide.
Montana will use its grant for teach- er scholarships and training and to expand access to early-education pro- grams, Bullock and Juneau said in a written statement.
The grant will build on existing early literacy programs in Montana. Officials hope those programs can be models for others to be launched over the duration of the grant.
The grant lasts one year but can be renewed for up to four years.
The initial Montana programs will be in Anaconda, Bozeman, Box Elder, Browning, Butte, Crow Agency, Great Falls, Hardin, Helena, Kalispell, Lame Deer, Lewistown, Libby, Pablo/Ronan, Rocky Boy and Wolf Point.
Bullock also has requested $37 mil- lion from the Legislature to fund early childhood education for 4-year-olds. Block grants would be available to every public school district to create or expand programs.
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