Likes Sweeney
Citizens of Whitefish, let's be Frank — as in Frank Sweeney, that is.
Frank has my vote as the hands-down best candidate on the ballot for city council this fall for three reasons: As an incumbent, he embodies all the proven experience and homegrown qualities a citizen representative ought to have; as an outdoor enthusiast, his recreational and environmental values align with mine; and as a hard-working citizen, his commitment to keeping Whitefish economically viable for all residents is an undeniable fact of life.
My involvement with the local chapter board of Montana Conservation Voters has allowed me the privilege to personally investigate Frank's ideals, leading to his sincere endorsement as the standout conservation and community-oriented candidate of this year's race.
Likewise, I respect that Frank's difficult decision-making as a councilor couldn't be based on sounder skills, ethics and reasoning abilities than that of his law profession — not those of a short-sighted businessman serving special interests.
As a downtown homeowner, I want to be able to trust my elected representatives, and I won't lose a wink of sleep at night knowing that Frank will be there to uphold all we cherish about our unique community.
Heidi Marcum
Whitefish
Streetscaping
Streetscaping has begun. In the next two months, the neighboring businesses will definitely shoulder a negative impact, as parking, foot and vehicle traffic become hassles.
Whether you are a streetscape vocal opponent or strong supporter or somewhere in the middle, it is a cold hard fact that riding out this impact will be another challenge in a tough economy.
Over many years, these businesses have served the region well with more than just goods and services. Time and again, they have stepped up to the plate with fund-raising donations and volunteer community leadership.
Small things add up. Maybe make it a point to shop closer to home. Maybe treat yourself and go out for an unplanned, tasty and high-value breakfast, lunch or dinner. Maybe go a tiny bit out of your way to see what they have.
For years and years, they have been there for you. What goes around, comes around.
Andy Palchak
Whitefish
Coal mining
This month, the New York Times is running a set of articles titled "Toxic Waters: A series about the worsening pollution in American waters and regulators' response." If you cherish the rivers and streams of the Flathead, you should take the time to read these articles.
One story, told by a Mrs. Jennifer Hall-Massey, who lives with her husband and two young sons in the small town of Prentice, W. Va., haunted me. Six of her neighbors within a 10-house span had brain tumors. Three of these people, including her little brother, died.
Just upstream from the hamlet of Prentice is a coal mine — a mountaintop removal coal mine, which happens to be exactly the same type of mine that is being proposed in the British Columbian headwaters of the Flathead River.
We are blessed with clean water here in Northwest Montana. I am thankful that we do not have coal mines polluting our waters here — yet. We all need to be on board and support the efforts to keep the Canadian headwaters of the Flathead River free from mining.
Read the story of how Mrs. Hall-Massey cannot let her children play in the bath because the water is so toxic. And then take three minutes and send an e-mail to the premier of British Columbia at premier@gov.bc.ca telling him you don't want a toxic coal mine upstream from our valley.
Heather Cauffman
Whitefish
Two Bear
On behalf of the fifth annual Hammer Nutrition Two Bear Marathon and Half Marathon Race Committee, I'd like to thank the community of Whitefish for making this year's event the best race yet.
Your generous donations of time, in-kind gifts and cash made it possible for us to raise more than $17,000 for The Wave's scholarship fund.
In addition to the people of Whitefish and more than 150 community volunteers who gave our runners a true Whitefish welcome, we'd like to thank the following supporters:
Sponsors — Hammer Nutrition, Grizzly Spine, Pain and Rehab , Whitefish Lake Restaurant, Glacier Bank, Flathead Urology, DeBartolo Family, The Big Fish, Whitefish Radio, The Wave Aquatic and Fitness Center, Ameri-Tech Laser Engravers, LLC, SnowDog Web Development, Inc. and Rocky Mountain Images.
Donors and friends — Parkside Credit Union, Kandahar Lodge at Big Mountain, Richard Kurth Design, Mike and Anne Collins, Northwest Portables, Mike Goguen, Great Northern Brewery, Glacier Wholesalers, Montana Coffee Traders, Safeway, Montana Depart-ment of Natural Resources and Conservation, Mobile Phone and Page Northwest, Whitefish Police Department, Produce Depot, The Engraver and North Valley Hospital.
Meg Murphy
The Wave
Garage sale
We would like to thank everyone in Whitefish who helped make the ninth annual Sale for Refugee Aid a great success. We were able to send more that $3,000 each to two outstanding charities — Doctors Without Borders, and The International Rescue Committee.
We greatly appreciate those who contributed many fine items and all the people who came to the sale and found that special something. We are also most appreciative of the many people who took the time to help us organize the many items we received, and helped with sales.
Thanks to all of you.
Sam and Ruth Neff
Whitefish