Gateway revival is good news
The former Gateway West Mall in Kalispell is coming alive again, and it feels good. With the exception of TeleTech and a couple of other private businesses, most of the mall space has been vacant for years, but that's all changing as the Gateway Community Center takes shape.
One by one, area nonprofit organizations are moving into what once were bustling retail stores. Gateway Community Center Inc. is the nonprofit corporation that is leasing more than 55,000 square feet from American Capital to provide room for agencies that serve this corner of the state.
United Way, the fiscal agent for the community center, also will call the center home. They're operating out of temporary quarters, even as the annual fundraising campaign commences. They can always use volunteers, but now even more so as they prepare a permanent facility within the center.
The Flathead Food Bank is moving to the center within a week and will be able to offer its patrons expanded services.
There's energy and a renewed sense of purpose flowing not only through the mall corridors but also the nonprofits that work so tirelessly to help our community.
FOR ANYONE wondering if it's really OK to chat on the cell phone or text while driving, consider these chilling numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
Some 5,870 people were killed and 515,000 were injured last year in crashes connected to driver distraction. Those distractions often involved mobile devices or cell phones, with driver distraction blamed for 15 percent of all fatal crashes.
Driving while distracted, then, is more serious than just a cause of fender-benders - it's killing people.
The federal government is taking steps to address part of the problem by pursuing a ban on text messaging by bus drivers and truckers.
That's a start, but curbing this growing problem is going to require a sea change of attitudes among people accustomed to multitasking while on the road.
As Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood put it: "Driving while distracted should just feel wrong - just as driving without a seat belt or driving while intoxicated. We're not going to break everyone of their bad habits - but we are going to raise awareness and sharpen the consequences."