Did you consider running for office?
2013 promises to be a busy election year, with scores of candidates already entering races across the state on Thursday, the opening day for filing.
That’s good news, but it could be even busier. There remains plenty of time for people who are interested to become candidates, and we urge folks to give it a shot if they have the desire and opportunity.
It would be disappointing to see any position filled without a contested race, which unfortunately happens every election year at one level or another. While candidates may not necessarily prefer to be contested by an opponent, voters want and should have a choice for all races.
A cultural crown jewel
The O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish has been an integral part of the Flathead Valley’s arts and cultural scene since it opened in 1998. When it was time for a facelift, the Whitefish Theatre Co. launched its Act 2 Capital Campaign to upgrade and expand the center.
The first part of a three-phase overhaul is now complete and the O’Shaughnessy is looking better than ever. Once again, Whitefish is setting a positive tone for the project, aiming to raise $1.25 million over five years. In just 11 months the theater group raised $275,000.
Sometimes the Whitefish community’s fundraising ability seems magical, but it’s really folks throughout the Flathead Valley supporting those things they feel enhance their quality of life. The O’Shaughnessy, with its children’s theater camps, films, special events and entertaining productions, does just that.
Viewers caught in middle
If you’re a DISH Network subscriber and want to watch the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics, you might be out of luck.
NBC Montana has been absent from the DISH Network lineup since Dec. 8 due to an impasse in negotiations over subscriber fees paid by DISH. And that signal isn’t likely to be coming back anytime soon.
Both sides are crying foul (as is often the case in financial bargaining) but so far neither one is budging.
NBC Montana says it only wants a few pennies per subscriber per day; conversely DISH claims that amounts to something close to a 300-percent increase.
“We cannot foresee an early end to this matter,” NBC Montana general manager Richard Reingold said this week.
That’s not hopeful news for viewers who essentially are being held hostage. It’s a safe bet that whatever happens in this standoff, consumers will have to pay the price.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.