Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 12.31.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
AIRASIA
An AirAsia plane carrying 162 people disappeared over stormy Indonesian waters last week. The Malaysia-based carrier’s loss comes on top of the still- unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March and the downing of Ma- laysia Airlines Flight 17 in July over Ukraine.
THE INTERVIEW
After a high-profile cancelation, Sony released “The Interview,” the Seth Rogan and James Franco comedy about killing North Korean leader Kim Jong- Un, online last week. Sony was the target of a computer hack later traced to the hermit na- tion, which protested the films release. The movie earned $15 million from online rentals.
RYAN ZINKE
Montana Republican Rep.-elect and Whitefish native Ryan Zinke will be sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives next week as part of the 114th Congress. Zinke’s communications staff says he’ll be the first Navy SEAL to serve in the U.S. House. He is a retired SEAL commander.
EMPIRE BUILDER
After spending most of 2014 on a new schedule that had it coming through the Flathead earlier in the morning and later at night, Amtrak’s Empire Builder will return to its traditional timetable in January.
Lines of cars wait at the West Entrance to Glacier National Park. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Economic Momentum Carries Flathead County into 2015
After a slow recovery, the local economy is quickly re- gaining steam as one of the fastest growing in the state
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
As analysts and economists begin re-
viewing the data for 2014, a clear message has already surfaced: Flathead County is one of the fastest-growing economies in the state.
“It was definitely a good year in Flat- head County,” said Patrick Barkey, direc-
tor of the Bureau of Business and Eco- nomic Research at the University of Mon- tana. “There are lots of things that seem to be looking up for the Flathead lately. There are things that give you an idea of what’s going on, and it’s pretty strong.”
Last week Barkey was in the final
See Momentum PAGE 24
I want to help make your journey as memorable as your destination.
Proudly serving the Flathead Valley since 1975 with
3 Convenient locations.
Glacier Park Int’l Airport 406-755-7500 Downtown Whitefish 406-862-8170 AMTRAK Whitefish 2988 US HWY 93 South
www.budget.com
Brad ”Budget Brad” Cain
Flathead Valley Manager, All Locations
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