Congratulations to the champs

Last weekend was a big one for local athletes as state high school softball and track seasons wrapped up.

No teams came up bigger than the Flathead Braves on the track and Glacier Wolfpack on the diamond, as both teams claimed Class AA championships.

The Flathead boys were a pleasant surprise in surpassing expectations and sharing the state title with Helena. A powerful surge in final events at the state meet in Kalispell gave Flathead the 26th state title (eighth for the boys) in school history.

The finish for the Glacier Wolfpack was no less dramatic. The Wolfpack broke a 3-3 tie with two home runs in the sixth inning (their final at-bat) and then a sensational outfield catch in the top of the seventh robbed a Missoula Big Sky batter of a home run and sealed the Wolfpack’s first-ever softball championship.

There was plenty of other drama throughout the weekend as well as a host of superlative individual performances by competitors from all local schools to cap the prep sports year.

Congratulations to all the champions.

Tuition freeze will help many

Graduating seniors (and their parents) got good news last week when the state Board of Regents voted to freeze in-state tuition for the next two years at most state colleges.

This will actually extend the tuition freeze at four-year colleges to a total of six years. The Legislature has had to allot millions in additional funding for the university system to make that happen, and parents and students all appreciate that effort.

Most students are still coming out of college with massive student debt, and we appreciate the state’s willingness to lessen that burden on our young work force.

We were sad to see that Flathead Valley Community College, where the regents happened to be meeting, did have to ask for a tuition increase, but students there still get a bargain on a quality education that will serve them well whether they enter the work force or transfer to a four-year college.