A slippery slope with a solution

The hazardous winter road conditions on the west end of Adams Street in Lakeside lead us to believe the county should make an exception to a long-standing policy and start plowing and sanding the street.

The county has refused to touch that stretch of road because of a 1983 policy not to accept new roads into the county’s maintenance network. But the unmaintained west end of Adams and a short extension of Grayling Road provide a key connector route to central Lakeside and constitute a route used by schoolchildren to walk to nearby Lakeside Elementary School.

Lakeside School Superintendent Paul Jenkins has implored the county commissioners to make an exception for the sake of safety, not only for schoolchildren but also for motorists who tend to slip and slide down the steep street.

The county granted a variance for the steep grade of that portion of Adams Street, quite literally creating the slippery slope of this situation. It behooves the commissioners to grant this one-time exception.

Women of the Moose generously give their time

It’s always enchanting to read about the generous spirit of our local residents, and the story in Monday’s paper about the Whitefish Women of the Moose was no exception.

We know this isn’t a particularly large group, so hearing that they donated more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service last year is just remarkable.

Of course, the mission of fraternal organizations and their affiliates has always been largely focused on service, and we commend all these groups for their many contributions to strengthening our community.

Whether it is providing scholarships for college students or providing the gift of song for residents of local nursing homes, the Women of the Moose are making a difference.

Another act of kindness

The Flathead’s generosity surfaced in an unusual way this week as well.

 A Kalispell man with expertise in three languages spoken in the typhoon-ravaged Philippines is heading to the islands to help deliver emergency supplies and assist residents as they begin putting their lives back together in the wake of the devastation left by Typhoon Haiyan.

Chris Keyes, a shuttle driver for Red Lion Hotel, became fluent in the languages when he was a missionary there several years ago. He knew his communication skills would be useful for the relief efforts.

We applaud Keyes for selflessly stepping up to help these people in their time of greatest need.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.