Dispatches from the first day of school at the West Valley School District

Montana students apply for federal financial aid at strikingly low rates, foregoing millions in monetary support for post-secondary education. According to education experts, a lack of incentives to apply, knowledge barriers and government distrust may explain the phenomenon. 

Three decades after its inception, Flathead Valley Community College’s dual enrollment program has expanded into two dozen high schools, giving students a boost on college access and bolstering the industries that power Montana’s small towns

One student remains in the ICU following a Monday lightning strike at a Glacier High School soccer tryout. Per Kalispell Superintendent Matt Jensen, the team was abiding by proper guidelines ahead of the incident. 

Trustees on Tuesday night voted unanimously to return Superintendent Andy Maheras to the school district following a decision earlier this year that he would work remotely. Maheras in July pleaded no contest to one count of corporal punishment after a physical altercation with a student.

From the shadow of shuttered mines and timber mills, the rural county in northwest Montana is forging a new path. At the center of its growth is Flathead Valley Community College’s Lincoln County Campus, which is training skilled workers in high-demand fields while bringing down barriers to post-secondary education. 

One player and a coach were responsive, another player was receiving treatment in the ICU as of Monday evening

Students in Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Evergreen, Fair-Mont-Egan, Helena Flats, Smith Valley, Marion and Swan River will receive free meals at school this year thanks to the federally funded Community Eligibility Program

The district will utilize non-traditional classroom spaces this fall as crews continue to replace the high school’s decaying roof and address water damage from recent rain  

In a victory for abortion rights advocates, the court unanimously upheld a district court ruling that a 2013 state law infringed on Montanans’ constitutional rights to privacy and bodily autonomy 

Rising Wolf Charter and Flathead PACE Academy are two of the 17 charter schools that will open across Montana this month. Kalispell administrators say the charter programs will offer increased flexibility for high school students as demand for customized scheduling and career opportunities grows.

A poll conducted this week shows Republican candidate Tim Sheehy taking a slim lead over Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. With Sheehy’s marginal edge, the polling reinforced the neck and neck nature of the high-stakes Senate election.

A once powerful force in state politics, Montana's Democrats have faced mounting electoral losses in recent decades. As the state's most popular Democrat faces an uphill battle to reelection in the U.S. Senate, questions about the viability of the party in a post-November landscape loom.

At this beloved Columbia Falls brewery, the fresh, seasonal veggie burger is a star on the menu

The longtime public servants are vying to represent Whitefish, Columbia Falls and northern Flathead County in the newly drawn Senate District 2. In conversations with the Beacon, Democrat Fern discussed his bipartisan work on tax and healthcare policy, while Republican Adams emphasized his desire to cut taxes and government regulations.