For lack of competition, middle school bid goes to Pepsi

After the sides weighed in and the Havre school board cast a rare split vote Tuesday night, the victor was clear: Pepsi, not Coke.

It wasn't a difference of opinion over taste that sparked the debate and 5-2 vote, but a question of whether the board should reject a late bid, or reject both bids and call for new ones.

The proposals for a five-year contract to stock four soft drink vending machines at Havre Middle School and supply fountain drinks at HMS activities were due on Jan. 6 by 10 a.m. The bid from the Havre branch of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Great Falls was the only bid that arri...