There was welcome news on the local economic scene this week with construction beginning on a new $8.5 million Hilton Homewood Suites in north Kalispell.

Add that project to the proposed $3.9 million senior housing building on Third Avenue East and Center Street and a big shot in the arm is coming for the long-challenged construction industry in the Flathead Valley.

Both projects are due to be completed in a year, although the Sparrow Group’s housing complex still needs to acquire a conditional-use permit.

The 100-room hotel and 40-unit apartment building represent more than just bricks-and-mortar projects.

The Hilton will fill in one of the last undeveloped parcels in Hutton Ranch Plaza. Depot Place, the housing project close to downtown, could be a catalyst for revitalizing Kalispell’s railroad corridor.

Not only do they mean jobs, these projects also mean a return of confidence that can only help the Flathead’s recovery from the recession.

We hope these major construction undertakings will spur more building and restore the valley’s economic foundation.

WHITEFISH kicks off the Relay for Life season today as supporters walk through the night around the high school track to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society.

Communities across America will take up the fight against cancer at similar volunteer-driven Relay for Life events all summer long. The walkathons are poignant events as personalized luminarias shine in the dark around the track, honoring cancer survivors, caregivers and those who have died battling the disease. A hush falls over the crowd as the names of the deceased are read out loud.

In the Flathead Valley there are many opportunities to get involved in the Relay for Life. Kalispell’s walkathon is June 22 at Legends Field. Columbia Falls’ Relay is July 13 at the high school, and Bigfork’s Relay is July 20 at the high school.

Most of us know someone, perhaps a friend or family member, who has cancer. The Relay for Life events unite communities in a fight against a disease we all hope will one day have a cure.