published on Monday, September 28, 2009, 9:37 PM MDT

By GAIL SCHONTZLER Chronicle Staff Writer

Anne Keith, a math teacher at Bozeman’s Chief Joseph Middle School, has been named Montana’s teacher of the year.

Kirk Miller, Bozeman school superintendent, announced the award at Monday night’s School Board meeting.

Miller said the Bozeman community should feel honored that two of the three finalists were from Bozeman schools n Keith and Jim L. Thompson, a longtime Bozeman High English teacher and advisor to the Leo Club, which every year organizes a student bowling competition with frozen turkeys to raise money for the Food Bank.

“Our community should feel honored that we had two of the three finalists,” Miller said.

“I feel very humbled,” Keith…

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National Geographic Adventure magazine has named Bozeman one of the three best cities in the United States for an adventurer to start a family.
In its October issue, which hit newsstands this week, the magazine cites Bozeman’s hiking and biking trails, its proximity to ski resorts and Yellowstone National Park, its highly ranked public school system, and its university culture as reasons why it makes a good backyard for kids and parents.

“Almost any neighborhood you live in, you can access a trail that can take you into state or public lands,” Swithin McGrath said Thursday as she dropped her 11-year-old son Nick off for climbing lessons at Spire Climbing Center. “It’s not like you have to get in your car and drive.”

Despite a 27 percent increase in…

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Now more than ever, the old adage “you only get one chance to make a good first impression” rings especially true for real estate. With a larger-than-normal inventory available for buyers to choose from, sellers need to present their homes in the best possible light at all times. Of course, the selling process begins with pricing the home properly based on its location, size, and condition. The next phase is to critically assess and evaluate a home’s “showability” to get it into showing condition and ready for potential buyers. 

Research has shown that 78% of a buyer’s assessment of a home to purchase will take place before they even see it due to the location of the property and whether the home’s size meets their needs. After that, the rest of the…

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Morning Star School, Bozeman’s largest elementary school, was named Tuesday as one of the 2009 National Blue Ribbon Schools for being one of the top schools in the country and for closing students’ achievement gap.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced in Maryland that 314 schools won the Blue Ribbon award, including 264 public schools and 50 private schools. Only one other Montana school, Central School in Roundup, made this year’s list. Winners will be honored Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C.

“These Blue Ribbon Schools have shown that all children can learn with appropriate supports,” Duncan said. “Some have shown dramatic improvements in places where students are overcoming the challenges of poverty, and others serve as examples of consistent…

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Fewer housing markets are forecast to appreciate making the Housing Predictor Top 25 market list for the year as job layoffs and business failures throw the national economy into a deepening recession. There are now eight markets forecast to experience housing inflation in 2009.

North Dakota and Montana were the last two states to produce signs of a downturn in their real estate markets. At the beginning of the year, Montana placed all five of its markets on the list with forecast housing inflation, but since that time economic conditions have deteriorated and show a powerful likelihood of worsening through the remainder of 2009.

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1.    Amarillo, TX        2.1%    
2.    Rapid City, SD        1.9%    
3.    Davenport,…

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