Looking Back: Drug bust at the high school
Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 3 weeks, 6 days AGO
The Whitefish Fire Department was stumped when it came time to get a boat from a tree near Whitefish Lake. They gazed skyward in disbelief from parked trucks on Birch Point Drive in 1986. (Steve Schunk photo)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
April 15, 1976
The District 44 school board stood by its appointment of John Morris as assistant Superintendent despite a teacher protest that the board had not followed proper procedure in hiring him. A resolution signed by the Whitefish units of the Montana Education Association and Montana Federation of Teachers charged that Morris was appointed, “in an atmosphere of secrecy and closed communication.” It questioned whether the school board had adequately studied the need for the new position and whether the board was within the law in not publicizing the job before filling it.
40 Years Ago
April 16, 1986
Six Whitefish School students were arrested and charged with possession or sale of dangerous drugs. The bust was a result of the work of an 18-year-old undercover agent who posed as a student to collect evidence. Small amounts of marijuana, hashish and hallucinogenic mushrooms were bought by the agent and confiscated from subjects. One adult has also been charged. “We will do what we have to do to create a drug-free environment in Whitefish High School,” said John Morris, principal. Assistant Whitefish Police Chief Lonnie Herrmann said the 10-week undercover operation at the school was conducted with the cooperation of the Flathead County Attorney and Youth Court with the support of the Whitefish school administration.
30 Years Ago
April 18, 1996
The Whitefish City Council was looking at putting an end to taxpayer subsidies for large lot subdivisions. At issue was the future maintenance and repair costs related to water and sewer lines servicing subdivisions with large acreage lots or extraordinary infrastructure needs. Typically, developers pay for the installation of the sewer and water lines, then transfer the utilities to the city, which pays for future repairs. But the bill for maintaining sewer and water lines and subdivisions where lots are spread far apart often exceeds what homeowners in the development pay the city in utility fees, according to the council. Larger lots mean more sewer and water lines are needed to hook up homes. More lines means more repair costs. In those cases, city taxpayers end up paying the difference.
20 Years Ago
April 13, 2006
Negotiations in the Best Bet Casino inverse condemnation lawsuit bogged down over the issue of litigation expenses, with the attorney for the casino asking for $263,507. That's on top of the $176,833 that a jury awarded K&R Partnership in July last year. In a 12 - 0 ruling, the jury decided the city owed $161,000 for the value of the land taken to build 13th Street between U.S. Highway 93 and Baker Avenue and $15,833 for breach of contract based on how paving and drainage was done for a parking lot behind the casino. Altogether, K&R was asking for $437,340.
10 Years Ago
April 13, 2016
Spring corn and sun ruled the slopes all weekend as locals gathered for a few last turns, last splashes and last laughs of a season that exceeded all expectations. An El Nino weather phenomenon that was forecast to all but shut down winter proved to be more bark than bite. Whitefish Mountain Resort made it to closing day April 10 with 103 inches of settled base at the summit and 311 inches of total snowfall, the most of any ski area in Montana. Last season ended with 221 inches of total snowfall and 73 inches at the summit. Overall, skier visits to the resort topped 320,000.