Citizens help to get traffic light

Community pressure apparently has paid off on a road-safety issue in Somers.

A new stop light will be installed at the dangerous intersection of U.S. 93 and Montana 82 - and the traffic signals are due to be constructed in November.

That's a much better timetable than had been projected by state highway officials last month. At that time, it looked like there would be two years of study before any traffic improvements could be made at the intersection.

Public pressure ramped up, however, after the July 10 death of Dane Shattuck, 14, who was killed as he was trying to cross the U.S. 93/Montana 82 junction on his bicycle.

More than 2,000 signatures were gathered on a petition and impassioned community meetings were held.

Congratulations to the citizens who raised their voices and the state Department of Transportation for heeding their calls for a safer intersection. In a sense, this traffic signal will be a memorial to Dane Shattuck, and everyone hopes it will help to spare other families from having to experience the loss of their own loved ones.

If you want to get to Glacier National Park's Logan Pass this year, you'd better get there soon.

The scenic alpine highway will close for the season on Sept. 16 - about six weeks ahead of normal - to allow major road reconstruction to take place.

Visitors will be able to drive as far as Avalanche on the west side and Siyeh Bend on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road.

But the Logan Pass segment will be closed to allow road crews to tackle massive damage to the road from last November's torrential rainstorms.

Fall is traditionally a time when locals get to enjoy a quieter Glacier - quieter because of fewer visitors.

But this year those wanting to explore Logan Pass have only a couple of weeks left to do so.

The early closing of Logan Pass, coupled with a late July 1 opening (also due to flood damage) makes this the shortest season ever for the fabled high-country highway.

MANY OF us get a day off on Monday as America celebrates Labor Day. It's the last three-day weekend of the summer and a perfect opportunity to do that hiking, fishing, swimming or lounging we've been meaning to do.

The holiday isn't celebrated as fervently as it once was. Labor Day was created by the labor movement in the 1880s and always has been dedicated to the achievements of the working class. Parades, speeches and organized celebrations have given way to a more relaxed holiday, but it's still a national salute to America's workers.

Whether you're a ditch digger, dishwasher or a dock builder, our hats are off to you. The labor force is the fabric of our society and it takes every one of us to keep it from unraveling.