Federal payment assists county

Inter Lake editorial

It's been a long time coming, but finally Congress has managed to ante up the full amount due to counties for untaxable lands under government ownership.

With the prodding of Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes program is being fully funded this year and the next three years, for the first time since 1994. In the years since then, counties have been getting in the range of 41 percent to 77 percent of the funding the feds are obligated to provide. And it makes a big difference for jurisdictions such as Flathead and Lincoln counties, which have huge chunks of land in their defined boundaries under government ownership.

Last year, Flathead County received just over $1.3 million and this year it will get $2.1 million. That's not chump change for a county struggling with road maintenance problems.

When national parks and forests were established in the early 1900s, the federal government made a commitment to counties that should continue to be honored. Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is rightly seeing to it that Congress lives up to its obligation.

For many hunters, this weekend is the final push to bring home big game, and for many it will be a traditional blend of hunting and holidays.

There's just a nice mix between a morning in the field, followed by a big Thanksgiving dinner, followed by three more days of opportunity. And for many hunting families, there is no better way to cap the season than to come home with game AND a Christmas tree.

Let the weather be favorable and your aim be true.

And, finally, a bit of good news the weekend after Thanksgiving.

No, we don't mean the massive sales found at stores throughout the valley, but rather the re-opening of a restaurant that offers respite for many shoppers and others throughout the year.

The local Perkins Family Restaurant is expected to reopen sometime today, seven months after a fire put the popular eatery out of commission.

Owner Craig Witte has been committed to bringing back the restaurant even though the building was originally categorized as a total loss. His example reinforces once again just why the entrepreneurial spirit is so vital to the American character, and why small business is the backbone of the American economy.

Stop by and congratulate Craig and the rest of the staff on the re-opening and enjoy a meal or a piece of pie in the weeks ahead.