People in the news: Whitefish resident to compete for Miss Montana

Whitefish resident Bethany Barnes will compete in the Miss Montana competition Saturday, July 2 in Billings. Five women will compete for the title. Miss Montana is the state preliminary to the Miss America Competition. Barnes attends College of Idaho and is studying biomedical sciences. Her contest talent is ventriloquism “Anything You Can Do.” Her social Impact initiative is “Speak Up: teaching public speaking skills.”

Flathead High School graduate Leah Spangler is among 24 high school graduates from across the nation and world, including nine from Montana, who are recipients of the 2022 Montana State University Presidential Scholarship, the university’s most prestigious scholarship.

Spangler plans to study political science. She has competed in speech and debate and received four all-state awards. In 2021, she attended American Legion Auxiliary Girls State, where she was selected to be Girls State Governor. Her parents are Todd and Holly Spangler of Kalispell.