Gigantic grizzly makes big news
For all the news about bears this week, the biggest news was about one of the biggest bears ever captured in Montana.
Darted by a state bear manager on the Rocky Mountain Front in the Teton River drainage, the male weighed 750 pounds and likely will grow to more than 900 before hibernation this fall.
The gargantuan grizzly stands 7 1/2 feet tall, has paws just over 7 inches wide and a neck measuring four feet around. Not surprisingly, the bear was dubbed "Big Daddy" by a biologist.
There was bad news, too, about a boy being killed by a black bear in Utah and a troublesome grizzly in the Swan Lake area.
The good news about the massive Montana bear is after eight years roaming the Front, he has been successful in avoiding any trouble with people.
Justice was swift for Mike Nifong, the North Carolina district attorney whose pursuit of a spurious rape case has left him disgraced and disbarred and about to lose his job.
Nifong was famously at the center of the Duke lacrosse prosecution that attracted national attention but turned out to be a modern-day witch hunt.
Last weekend, Nifong was disbarred for breaking a host of legal rules during the rape case. Among his transgressions: He lied to the court, withheld critical DNA evidence and made inflammatory statements about three indicted players.
It's reassuring - and a little surprising - that the legal establishment acted with such speed to discipline Nifong.
If nothing else, this should set an example to deter other overzealous prosecutors from forgetting justice in a quest for publicity.
THIS WEEK'S tip of the hat goes to Lincoln Cheetham, who has made it fun - and rewarding - to show up every day for school at Canyon Elementary School in Hungry Horse.
He spearheaded an effort to award new bicycles to students with perfect attendance.
Through the generosity of businesses and area residents, Cheetham raised roughly $5,000 for the bikes and gift cards.
His efforts are much more than a simple giveaway. By giving students a tangible goal, he's helping convince Canyon students they need to be in class. "It helps them take responsibility for what they're doing, which is kind of neat," he said.
We think it's kind of neat that Cheetham, who has two children attending Canyon Elementary, would go to such lengths to reward faithful students. That type of parental involvement should be commended.