Hi-Line Darts and Laurels

Laurel — Sunnyside fifth-grader Kasee Henderson won the Geography Bee this week at Havre High School. He now stands a chance at moving forward in the national Geography Bee contest. Sadly, geography has been downgraded in many school districts because it is not included in the all-important standardized tests. It's good to see that it is an important part of the Havre curriculum. Praise to Kasee. Geography is still important. Learning about our world is an important part of being a good citizen. Kasee is on his way to being a good citizen.

Laurel — In the olden days, you really didn't have much of a way to communicate with lawmakers in the Montana Legislature. You would write a letter, but by the time it got there, the Legislature may have taken action. Now there are emails, Facebook and lot of other high-tech ways to get your opinion across. But the best way is face-to-face communication. The Havre Area Chamber of Commerce and the Havre school district have set up a way to talk to your lawmakers one-on-one, without having to leave Havre. Weekly video conferences will be held at the Robins Administration Building. People can look their representatives right in the eye via a videoconference. The sessions are noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, starting next week. Stop by and tell your lawmakers what you like and dislike about the goings-on in Helena.

Laurel — Congratulations to Havre Police on their successful effort to find those responsible for the rash of car thefts in the area. Two juveniles were arrested Thursday. People in Havre are used to being able to leave car doors unlocked. In recent weeks, we've learned, sadly, that's not the case any more, but at least we can see that police will find those responsible for such actions.

Laurel — A survey of Havre students showed that most have some form of computers — often iPads at home. The students want to see more learning by technology at school. And the Havre school trustees seem more than willing to accommodate their request. The school district has been a leader in that fields and seems committed to staying a leader.