Our View: Hi-Line darts and laurels, March 28, 2014

Laurel — Twenty Havre High School students graduated from Leadership High School this week. The program is operated by the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce. Students learn leadership skills and get practical experience in community involvement. Students have visited area businesses and community institutions and volunteered at organizations such as the Havre Food Bank. It’s a great program. We’re sure students learned a lot. In a few years, we are sure, some of these students will be community leaders and will be back addressing some future Leadership High School class.

Laurel — The Giveaway House is back in order and serving the people who need its services. For decades, people having a hard time have been able to count on the Giveaway House for free, clean clothing and other personal and household necessities that have been donated by community residents. A bitter internal struggle brought the Giveaway House to a standstill. But the program has a long history of good people giving time, money and clothing. We knew it would live through the tough times.

Dart — State officials have questions to answer about the case of Jordan Carlson, who police say strangled his girlfriend. Carlson exhibited some troubling behavior when he tried to burn his apartment building down and when he threatened suicide. He was in a state mental hospital and transferred to the state prison at Deer Lodge. Eventually, he was released. There seems to be a shortage of solutions caused by troubled people such as Carlson. We will all be better off when ways can be discovered to help such people or keep them off the streets when necessary.

Laurel — Gilbert Horn has won another honor. The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation resident was part of Merrill’s Marauders during World War II. He used his Assiniboine language as a code talker. His unit suffered some of the highest casualty rates of the war, but Horn survived to live a long, productive life at Fort Belknap. Now he will be honored with a doctorate of humane letters at Montana State University-Northern’s graduation ceremonies. A well-deserved honor.