| Montana Western Faculty Member Receives Alumni Award | Date: 6/11/2008 |
| Dr. Rob Thomas, professor of Geology at Montana Western was recently awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from Humboldt State University. Thomas received his bachelor of arts in geology from Humboldt in 1985. Here is the story released from the Humboldt State website. A man known for studying the history of rocks is also making a history of his own as man with a passion for change, public outreach, and of course, geology. Rob Thomas’ childhood summer trips to National Parks first ignited his interest in geology, something that still burns strongly today. As a professor at University of Montana Western, his professional passions are still field geology and geological education. During his tenure at Montana Western, he helped the campus evolve from a traditional state ‘normal school’ into an experiential learning university, that uses an immersion scheduling system where students take one course at a time. Thomas teaches most of his courses where the class’ lab is the natural lab of southwestern Montana. With another strong passion for public outreach, Thomas has helped run 10 “Geo Venture” field trips for the Geological Society of America, for which he was awarded the Society’s Distinguished Service Award. The Geo Venture trips provide both scientists and the average person with enriching learning experiences of each unique destination, such as the Canadian Rockies and the Yellowstone, Teton and Glacier National Parks. In addition, he has also co-authored 25 geological road signs that have been placed along the Lewis and Clark trail in Montana, and is co-writing a layperson book entitled “Geology Underfoot in Montana.” With such a long and extensive resume of accomplishments, Thomas still thinks his most important contributions are his two daughters, Abbey and Haley, and his nearly 20-year marriage to Anneliese Ripley. |
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| Flood Waters Receding | Date: 5/23/2008 |
Photo right shows one of many old cars used to reinforce the banks of the Flathead River, circa 1964. After some flooding Monday, water levels throughout the county began receding Tuesday and are expected to continue to drop as temperatures cool later this week. There are still flood warnings for the Flathead River and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River as well as a flood watch in effect for the North Fork of the Flathead River near Polebridge. “We’re expecting a little shot of rain tonight, but don’t expect that to cause a large change in the rivers,” Ray Nickless, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service, said. “We should see the rivers drop some as temperatures cool this week, but there’s a system coming through late Wednesday into Thursday and Friday that could have some pretty good rain along the Continental Divide and the headwaters of the Flathead.” Temperatures could drop low enough, Nickless said, that the storm produces snow instead of rain in the mountains, which would lessen the chance of more flooding later this week. Low-lying areas in West Glacier were flooded Monday when the Middle Fork of the Flathead River rose almost three feet between Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon, capping out at 11.23 feet – more than a foot above the river’s 10-foot flood stage. The rising waters affected about a dozen homes in the area and the Glacier View Golf Course. But, by Tuesday afternoon, the Middle Fork had dropped below flood stage to about 9.5 feet. The Flathead River near Columbia Falls also experienced a precipitous decline: after spiking to just above its 14-foot flood stage Monday afternoon, water levels there dropped to about 13.5 feet Tuesday. The North Fork of the Flathead near Polebridge remained steady Monday through Tuesday, hanging around 11.25 feet, just below its 12-foot flood stage. Nickless said waters would continue to rise on the Stillwater River and Whitefish River, but didn’t expect them to reach flood stage. |
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| Amtrak Sees 5th Year of Growth | Date: 4/18/2008 |
| There was an increase in the number of Amtrak riders at Montana's small stops offseting a decrease at the largest stop, in Whitefish. This increase helped to push the state's total number of riders up for the fifth consecutive year in 2007. There were 153,760 riders on Amtrak's Empire Builder line, which runs across northern Montana, an increase of nearly 1,500 from 2006. Larry Bonderud, mayor of Shelby said the increase is good news to the many Amtrak employees and their family's who call Shelby their home. In Shelby, 16,894 boarded and got off the train in 2007. That's up by about 50 from 2006. The train is enjoying a sharp rise in riders due in great part by the escalating cost of fuel. More and more riders from Canadian Providences and other parts of Montana are taking advantage of the train system. Decreased Federal funding for Amtrak still threatens to hinder the growth of the economic people mover. The Bush administration has proposed a $500 million cut in subsidiaries for the fiscal 2009 year. "I'll keep fighting to make sure Amtrak has the funding it needs," Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont, promised in a statement. "Folks in big cities might not realize how important long-distance rail service is and Amtrak connects Montana's small towns, providing folks with the kind of access and opportunity that keeps these communities going strong." |
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| Obama Gets Second Superdelagate Endorsement | Date: 4/7/2008 |
| Former U.S. Sen. John Melcher wil likely cast his key Democratic Party superdelegate vote for Barack Obama. Melcher says his key reason for choosing Obama rests on the fact that Obama has been opposed to the Iraq war from the beginning. Melcher is one of eight Montana superdelegates who have the power to cast their vote for whichever candidate they choose at the party's national convention this summer. Melcher joins Ed Tinsley, who earlier announced his support for Obama. The remaining delegates, including Gov. Brian Schweitzer and U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester stated they will wait until after the state's June 3 primary to make up their minds on which candidate to endorse. |
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