Canada makes neighborly gesture

It may seem like a token gesture, but the British Columbia provincial government's invitation for Montana to be represented on a panel reviewing a mining project in the Canadian Flathead is actually quite significant.

Canada, after all, is a sovereign nation that has no obligation to include Montana in its internal affairs. But in this case, the B.C. government is recognizing that there are valid external interests in the Cline Mining Corp. project on Foisey Creek. And there is an implied recognition that mining development in the Canadian Flathead may have effects that cross the border.

Now Montana will be represented on the panel that sets terms and conditions for the environmental review that will precede mine development. That's more than neighborly of provincial officials, and Montana will benefit from having a voice in the process.

"Collywobbles," "polenta" and "euphonious" added up to an "impeccable" spelling performance last week for Abby Connolly.

Connolly, a West Valley School eighth-grader, won the Flathead County Spelling Bee by correctly spelling those words.

Now she and the county's two other top spellers - Hunter Lapp and Jenna Egdorf - will compete in the state spelling bee in April.

They were the top finishers among the 35 word wizards who matched letters at the county spelldown.

It's refreshing to see these young minds focusing their skills on the building blocks of language - particularly in an era where Web assaults on the English language apparently have diminished the spelling skills of many people.

Good luck at state to our sterling spellers.

Wanted: some civic-minded people interested in participating in a good time for a good cause.

The Creston Auction is April 1-2, and auction organizers are looking for a few good people to help stage the annual extravaganza.

It takes roughly 200 volunteers to put together the auction, which annually attracts more then 7,000 people. The auction is a key fundraiser for the Creston Fire Department.

As the auction has grown over the years, however, volunteer numbers have not quite kept pace.

Anyone interested in helping should call Janet Szabo at 261-5913.