Decision day is nearly here

Decision day is at hand for Flathead County voters.

Tuesday’s voting will mark the finale of the primary election season.

And voters have some big choices to make.

Who should be the next county sheriff? Three law enforcement veterans are running as Republicans for the top law job. Since there is no general-election opposition, whoever wins the primary will in all likelihood be our next sheriff.

In a separate segment of the world of law and order, voters are being asked to pare down candidates for justice of the peace and a new District Court judge position. Four people are vying in each race; the top two vote-getters Tuesday advance to the general election.

And don’t forget county commissioner. A trio of Republicans and a pair of Democrats are seeking their party’s nominations for the November election.

In addition, voters in seven local legislative districts have primary contests to decide.

For those of you who are using absentee ballots to vote, remember that those ballots must be returned by the time polls close on Tuesday.

EVERY SO OFTEN a lawsuit comes along that makes us collectively roll our eyes and say “you’ve got to be kidding.” The latest such legal maneuver comes from a California woman who is suing Google for supplying her with unsafe directions. Google Maps led her to a four-lane boulevard without sidewalks where she was struck by a car and injured when she tried to walk across the four lanes of traffic on a dark night.

The case has hit a nerve as critics fault the woman for ignoring her own safety to blindly follow online directions. Here’s where we put in a plug for common sense and issue a word of caution for people who rely entirely on Google Maps to get them places.

It’s a dandy service and a lifeline for those with no sense of direction. But there are spots in our own Flathead Valley where the Internet service has been known to lead drivers up unpassable mountain logging roads in the dead of winter.

Remember, there’s no harm in asking a real live person how to get somewhere. And you are still responsible for your own life, no matter how easy the Internet makes it.