Our View: Hi-Line darts and laurels, April 18, 2014

Laurel — Havre High School students and those from several other area high schools did very well at the District 7 Music Festival last weekend. It was a tribute to the students, their talent and their hard work that they did such a good job. It was also a tribute to the dedicated faculty members who put in countless hours throughout the school year, especially at state festival time. We wish all well at the state competition.

Laurel — Tom Patrick of Patrick Construction has been a valuable member of the Havre and Hi-Line communities for a long time. He has especially contributed to Montana State University-Northern. Among other things, his family sponsors two endowed scholarships to help Northern students. At a ceremony on graduation weekend, Patrick will be honored with Northern’s Founder’s Excellence Award. It is an award that is well deserved.

Dart — No one in particular should get this dart, just the situation in general. It is sad to see the Havre Book Exchange close. Lots of people are switching over to Kindles and other forms of electronic reading, and it’s hard to blame them. But the closing of the store is something of the end of an era. “A book will never fail you ...” said retired Havre-Hill County Library director Bonnie Williamson.

Laurel — People who have to flee their homes because of domestic abuse face a lot of trauma. Hill County has a good system of helping people in such difficulties. There is a safe haven for people who are displaced. While leaving home under such circumstances is always difficult, the staff at HRDC provides support for people in such circumstances. But they can’t provide help to the pet. Animals are often good friends to people in need, and folks have been reluctant to leave abusive situation because it means leaving the animals behind. The safe haven is not pet-friendly. Now volunteers are being sought to care for the pets. Abuse victims can feel assured that their pets are being well taken care of. Want to help? Call Sarah Liston at 530-304-8168 to volunteer or to donate money to help the volunteers.