When the rubber meets the road

Gov.-elect Brian Schweitzer will be tested numerous times in the coming weeks and months to prove that he is the reasonable man he says he is, and not just another pandering politician.

But it was with some concern that we noticed last week that Schweitzer signaled his interest in turning U.S. 2 into a four-lane highway from Idaho to North Dakota.

He said he considers that road project to be crucial to economic growth in northern Montana.

Maybe so, but we would have to be convinced that some business would consider moving to Wolf Point just because the road to town got a little wider.

Meanwhile, Schweitzer hasn't explained how he thinks he can pay for the four-lane highway, which has been vetoed by both the Montana Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Earlier estimates pegged the cost of a border-to-border four-lane at around $1 billion.

Admittedly, Schweitzer is reasonable enough to know that "will not happen anytime soon," but we think he needs to be pressed harder on why the four-lane road should happen at all.

Coach Paul Jorgensen calls Zoe Nelson "probably the top female distance runner ever out of Montana."

That's high praise but probably an accurate description of the Flathead High School senior, who on Saturday raced to eighth place in the national cross-country championships.

It was her fourth straight national race (a feat only three runners have accomplished) and her third top-10 finish, including the national title two years ago.

Many others in addition to her coach likely rank Zoe as Montana's best runner ever. Chief among those would be all the opponents in the last four years who have seen her only from the back as she pulls away to victory after victory and course record after course record.

Along the way, of course, she also won four straight state cross-country titles and set a new standard for excellence and dominance.

Zoe's splendid high school cross-country career may be over, but it's unlikely she's done running her way into the record books. There's still the track season left and next year she'll be stepping out for the University of Oregon's top-flight running program.

Way to go, Zoe.

Merry Grizmas, Montana!

The University of Montana Grizzlies have continued their holiday tradition of getting into the playoffs. Montana football fans also tend to get bonus goodies in the form of repeat home playoff games.

But it's a special treat when Montana advances to the Division I-AA championship game. And that's what we got this year, thanks to a team that has a shown a remarkable knack for improving performances leading up to a crescendo of domination.

When that happens, Montanans get a deserved taste of an exciting, big-time sporting event. Go Griz!