If you flip this week's paper to page eight, you'll find a brand new feature in the Bigfork Eagle. It's called "Decoding BHS," and we didn't write a word of it.

This new section was written, photographed and designed by the staff of The Norse Code, Bigfork High School's student newspaper, and we're proud to have them on board. This monthly feature will bring readers a little insight into what's going on inside the walls of our community high school, as well as showcase some of our town's best young talent. The page will be edited by us, but the students have to pitch, write and revise the stories that appear.

We hope that the page will bring our readers some of the things we can't always provide. In this inaugural edition, for instance, you'll find a short movie review as well as a light-hearted and thoughtful feature about a high school senior who went back to a kindergarten class for a week and learned more than just his ABC's.

The Norse Code staff is excited about the opportunity to be published in our paper and their teacher Charlie Appleby has been gung-ho about the project from the start. We feel that the partnership will be good for everyone and that these young writers are more than qualified for a place on our pages.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Decoding BHS and that you'll look forward to our newest addition each month.

Pulling project was stand-up move

Last week Pete Rice pulled his application for a proposed boat dock and storage facility on the Flathead River about eight miles up from the lake. Rice, whose project had incited pretty impressive public opposition, didn't have to do this. He's pointed out in a few news stories that had the case gone to court -- and it almost assuredly would have -- that he would have stood a good chance of prevailing because of the way the laws are written.

And he's probably right.

But Rice did the neighborly thing, the very quintessentially Montanan thing, and changed his plans after it became apparent that virtually everyone around him thought it was a bad idea. He paid good money for the land, and while you'll hear no arguments from this corner about the project being bad for the area, he deserves a hand.

He also deserves a certain level of thanks for highlighting some glaring shortcomings in permitting regulations. A permit for a commercial boat dock should have drastically different parameters than the one for a private resident who just wants to rip-rap 30 feet of shoreline. But under current statute, it's not.

Neighboring residents who may feel they've dodged a bullet with this project shouldn't sit on their laurels, but rather pressure agencies responsible to figure out a better way to handle projects like this in the future.

--Alex Strickland

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