Etc.

Odds and ends:

Glacier National Park has a new entrance sign on the west side. Done by park sign craftsman Dave Yeats, it features mostly wood right from our own woods and a local mill - RBM lumber.

Terry Werner has retired from School District 6. Not only did he run the high school's in-school suspension, he also ran the school's iHigh Web site, which was named tops in the state and one of the top five in the country. Most local schools use iHigh servers for their Web sites, but virtually none of them update as often as Terry did Columbia Falls' site. Shoot, Werner would update basketball game scores by the quarter.

We used the site for school information a lot - not just for sports, but for other academic stuff going on at the school. So long, Terry, the Web just ain't the same without its Wizard.

Mark Beckwith has resigned as the assistant boys varsity basketball coach. Beckwith coached JV team as well and was instrumental in helping lead the Columbia Falls basketball team to three state A titles in the past four years.

I'll miss Beckwith. He was the sort of coach that could quietly right a tipping ship.

I found it fairly interesting that school board is considering spending $30,000 on parking improvements at the softball fields. The girls youth softball program is going gangbusters since its humble beginnings a few years ago. What worries me about the $30,000 expense is the school board is looking for someone else to pay for it.

For one, I don't recall there ever really being a problem with the parking at the fields - at least not at the games I attended. Secondly, the whole complex was built with a blend of county and school funds, yet when the soccer program a few years back wanted to use some of the wasted outfield a few years back, the answer was no.

In fact, the youth programs can't use any of the fields if there's a high school event at the football field. Even though the football field, in its entirety, is fenced in.

For example, if there's a football game, a youth program isn't supposed to use the adjacent fields.

It irritates me to no end. Makes you wonder why anyone would want to pay taxes.

Jumping off the soap box, we've had a string of spectacular days in this valley. Let's hope it holds through Heritage Days. A little shower wouldn't hurt, but no endless days of rain, please.

My house will soon be filling with family.

There is nothing worse than days of downpours when company is here.

Chris Peterson is the editor of the Hungry Horse News.