In the Rockies today, and in our In-depth section, we offer a series of articles about Montana's Gallatin County and how the arrival of wealthy part-time residents has changed that county over the past 16 years.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle's series written by Scott McMillion looks at the economic changes that have occurred in the Montana county since 1992.
That was the year Tim Blixseth first purchased land in the Montana county, which eventually led to the creation of the exclusive Yellowstone Club near Big Sky.
Also in the news, the merger of Delta and Northwest is back on, British Columbia reports a record 430 grizzly bears were killed in 2007, and will the salmon crisis in the Northwest eventually make it into the presidential debates?
Rockies today
Presidential hopefuls still on the fence on salmon
Republican presidential contender has expressed his support for maintaining the four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington in the past, but neither Democratic presidential contender has waded into the issue, despite the deep divide in the Pacific Northwest over the issue of endangered salmon, dams and water.
Idaho Statesman; April 15
Environmental groups say 430 grizzly bears killed in B.C. in 2007
The number of grizzly bears killed in British Columbia fluctuates from year to year, but the record 430 killed in 2007 has reignited the debate about hunting the big bruins in the Canadian province.
Toronto Globe & Mail; April 15
Influx of wealthy newcomers changes Montana's landscape
Over the past 16 years, wealthy newcomers have flocked to Montana's Gallatin County, bringing a host of changes, both positive and negative to the county. First in a series.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; April 13
Delta, Northwest agree to merge
The pilots at Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines are still not on board their companies' decision to join forces, but concerns about rising fuel prices and the hopes that a merger would result in huge savings for the airlines, prompted management to override pilots' concerns and agree to a $3.1 billion merger.
New York Times; April 15
Work begins on CO2 capture, sequestration project in Alberta
ARC Resources Ltd. and the Alberta Research Council are working on a project to pump carbon-dioxide emissions from industries located near the Redwater geological reef northeast of Edmonton into the Redwater reef, pushing production of older oil wells on the reef, and then capturing the CO2 underground.
Edmonton Journal; April 15
Montana PSC to hear NorthWestern, wind producers rate case
NorthWestern Energy, the primary purchaser of wind power in Montana, and the small wind farms in the state are at odds over what NorthWestern should pay for the wind power produced at those small wind farms, and the state Public Service Commission is expected to make a decision on that rate today.
Missoulian; April 15
Technology whips up interest in home-based wind-power systems
Wind power is going much more mainstream these days, with a number of states offering incentives to homeowners to install wind turbines to be used as their primary source of electricity, using the utility as a backup source.
New York Times; April 15
Opinion
A vote against coal-fired power is a vote against human prosperity
Half of the nation's electricity comes from coal-fired power, and if the environmental groups have their way, no new coal-fired power plants will be built in the nation, and then what will Nevada do for electricity?
Las Vegas Review-Journal; April 15
Idaho needs to get serious about water conservation
Water has become more precious than gold in the Rocky Mountain West, and Idaho can take a lesson from other states and communities on efforts to preserve this precious resource, like Bozeman's Toilet Tradeout Event launched last week in the Montana city that gives a $75 rebate to residents who trade in their old toilets for new low-flow models.
Idaho Statesman; April 15
Wyoming needs to end the senseless ambush, killing of wolves
None of the reasons Wyoming has posited for the 24/7 open season on wolves in much of the state make much sense, and the state should immediately end the killing of wolves that pose no threat to humans or livestock.
Salt Lake Tribune; April 15
It's time for federal intervention into immigration situation in Arizona
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been rounding up day laborers for months to send a message to the federal government, enraging Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who has demanded the federal government step into the volatile situation, and since it was the federal government's foot-dragging on immigration that created this situation, federal authorities must intercede and take the reins on the issue that is rightly theirs.
Arizona Republic; April 15
Beyond the region
Companies race to find new ways to capture, store sun's power
The difficulty of solar power is how to capture the energy for use on demand at night or on cloudy days, and now companies are working on solar thermal methods that capture the sun's heat, use it to boil water and convert it into steam which is then used to power a turbine and create electricity, just like solar power is now used, but solar thermal plants can store the heat to be used on demand.
New York Times; April 15
Economic slowdown hits America's malls
As Americans pay more for fuel and food, they're spending less at stores such as Linens 'n Things, which may file for bankruptcy as early as next week according to sources briefed on the matter, while other national chains such as Foot Locker, Zales and Ann Taylor are planning to close dozens of stores across the nation over the next year.
New York Times; April 15
Canada takes the lead, labels polycarbonate building block 'dangerous'
Bisphenol A, or BPA, one of the most widely used synthetic chemical in the world, is basically a building block for polycarbonate, the shatter-proof, translucent plastic used for water bottles, the resin lining on most tin cans, sports helmets and compact discs, and on Monday, Health Canada officially labeled the chemical as dangerous, because it leaches into the water and food from containers, and mimics the female hormone estrogen.
Toronto Globe & Mail; April 15
Washington state to pay $1.1 million for Konnowac Pass open space
A $1.1 million deal between Washington state and an unidentified landowner will keep 1,229 acres of land in the Rattlesnake Hills south of Yakima free from development.
Yakima Herald; April 15
In depth
Many in Montana's Gallatin County struggle to keep afloat
Wealthy, part-time residents are both a boon and a hindrance in Gallatin County, providing nonprofits access to new sources of funding and expertise, but those residents also drive up the cost of housing and other expenses in Montana's Gallatin County, where the overall cost of living is 4 percent above the national average, and average wages are 30 percent below that standard. Another in a series.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; April 15
Blixseth's Warren Miller lodge in Montana a 'basic $100M lodge'
The Yellowstone Club, an exclusive community near Big Sky in Montana, has been in the news a lot lately as founder Tim Blixseth and his estranged wife battled for control of the development, which has created thousands of jobs and pumped millions of dollars into Gallatin County's economy since construction began in the 1990s. Part of a series.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; April 15
-
How Blixseth made his way to the Yellowstone Club
In 1992, Tim Blixseth and his partners picked up the pieces of a failed effort of The Nature Conservancy and CNN founder Ted Turner to buy 16,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber Co. in Montana, most contained within the Gallatin National Forest, and bought the land for $27.5 million, setting in motion a series of land sales and swaps that culminated in what would become the Yellowstone Club.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; April 15
|
