A neighborly solution to dust

Inter Lake editorial

While paving isn't in the cards for dust abatement on Flathead County Roads, at least there's an option this year for neighbors to get help in addressing the problem.

For the first-time, the county will be offering a cost-share program to help pay for magnesium chloride or oil applications to curb dust pollution on minimum half-mile stretches of road. The catch: neighbors must work amongst themselves to come up with a match for the county funding and they have to do so by March 27.

It's obviously not a cure-all for dust pollution that has generated increasing complaints in the county, but it's better than a shrug from a county road department that simply doesn't have enough funding to do anything more.

If you have a problem with dust in your neighborhood, you might want to take advantage of the county's offer to at least double your money in an effort to protect your health.

For Kila School Principal Renee Boisseau, education is a two-way street: "As a principal," she says, "you have to be constantly learning."

That willingness to go the extra mile for her kids is what earned Boisseau a rare honor this year. She has been named the middle-school-level recipient of the 2009 National Distinguished Principal Award for Montana by her peers in the School Administrators of Montana.

As principal at Kila School, Boisseau actually works with students from kindergarten all the way up through eighth grade, but keeping the older students interested and engaged is a special challenge because of the constraints of a rural school budget.

This award is testament to Boisseau's dedication and creativity. The community is lucky to have teachers and administrators of her quality working to give our students the best education possible.

There's new hope for some cancer patients deterred by the daunting prospect of lengthy radiation treatment.

A new therapy regimen offered by Kalispell Regional Medical Center provides radiation treatment for five days, compared to the usual seven weeks.

This cutting-edge treatment currently is only for certain types of early stage breast cancer, but it holds great promise for speedier therapy and allowing more patients to be treated.

As it stands now, many patients who live far from the hospital don't get needed radiation treatment because of transportation and cost obstacles that come with longer treatment protocols.