(FLATHEADBEACON) — Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg announced on Jan. 27 that his legislation to protect the Jesus statue at Whitefish Mountain Resort will be given a legislative hearing in the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands.
The hearing is scheduled for 7 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Feb. 3. Rehberg, according to a press release, will testify on the first panel.
Charlie Harball, Kalispell city attorney and acting city manager, will testify on behalf of the Knights of Columbus on the second panel.
The fate of the Jesus statue, a veterans memorial located on a small parcel of U.S. Forest Service land within Whitefish Mountain Resort boundaries, became a national storyline and hot-button topic of discussion in local circles last fall after the Forest Service initially announced it planned to withdraw the statue's permit.