HELENA – State Republicans and Democrats are sifting through late results in close legislative races as the GOP eyes control of the Montana Legislature. Votes in a number of key seats are still being counted, and the races are too close to call. Republicans say they think they could get control of the House by […]

Before I launch once more into the endless mountain biker vs. hiker controversy, I want to reaffirm that I’m still not a mountain biker. I commute around town on paved streets on my mountain bike, but it has never been on a trail. Even though you could say I don’t have a dog in the […]

He said it’s just kind of something he does, and now kayaking is something 17-year-old Dave Meyers will just be doing in southern China. “It’s gonna be crazy,” the Bigfork native said of his upcoming trip. “Definitely a lot of water that’s a lot bigger water than around here.” For the second semester of his […]

Flathead County unofficial election results, with 42 of 42 precincts reporting and absentee ballots counted. FLATHEAD COUNTY COMMISSION Steve Qunell-D – 14,028 (32%) (projected winner) Jim Dupont-R – 27,696 (64%) FLATHEAD COUNTY PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS Barack Obama-D – 15,976 (37%) John McCain-R – 25,361 (58%) Ron Paul-C – 1,644 (4%) FLATHEAD LEGISLATIVE RACES SENATE DISTRICT 2 […]

My favorite images are usually ones that seem a little strange – when one element in an ordinary situation can make a photograph just a little off. The photograph of a Power Ranger surrounded by a sea of legs I think did just that. Although standing in line for hours to register and vote isn’t […]

Regardless of your political affiliation, let’s all take a moment to look forward to Bill Kristol, quite possibly the most wrong pundit in America, eating crow in his next media appearances. Jon Stewart points out the myriad incorrect predictions Kristol has made throughout this election cycle. Though Kristol’s appearance on “The Daily Show,” was just […]

It was a long night last night at the Flathead County Election Department, and when the last voter in line to register and vote filled out his paperwork and headed to the ballot box, everyone there – candidates, reporters, election workers, voters – cheered and broke into applause. I showed up for work late today […]

When I first spoke with Dan about writing a story on media bias in Montana, he joked, “There’s no conflict of interest in that.” It was a solid point. Media writing about media is like a chef writing reviews of his or her competitors’ restaurants. Nonetheless, we ran with the story, which you can read […]

This fall, school-wide recycling programs are being launched at Kalispell Middle School, Flathead High School, and Glacier High School. New, large blue-box recycling containers have been placed in each of these schools’ parking lots to meet high-volume need there, and are open to the public for use as well. The new programs are a result […]

HELENA – U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey says Missoula County’s recent appeal over federal handling of a Freedom of Information Act request is “superfluous and uninformed.” In a telephone interview with The Associated Press this week, Rey talked about the county’s demand for information related to road easements involving the Forest Service, which he oversees, […]

The Whitefish City Council has selected Charles Stearns of Georgetown, Colo., as the new city manager, Mayor Mike Jenson announced on Wednesday. Stearns is replacing Gary Marks, who left this summer to take the city administrator job in Ketchum, Idaho. Stearns was selected after a national search initially yielded 65 applicants. The large field had […]

HELENA – The Montana Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a Eureka man convicted of murder in 2005. Wayne Hixon was found guilty of shooting Robert Mast to death following a dispute. Court records say a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy sent to investigate reports of a gunshot found Mast’s body in his driveway. Hixon […]

2:25 a.m. There were three separate reports of horses on the road. 7:13 a.m. Eight to 10 gunshots were heard. The reporting party thought it was too early to be hunting. 9:13 a.m. A man on Pioneer Road found a dead deer on his property. It had been shot. 9:57 a.m. A chocolate lab had […]

WASHINGTON – Election watchers won’t have to wait for polls to close in the West to know how things are going. The first clues will come early, when voting ends in Georgia, Indiana and Virginia. If Democrat Barack Obama wins any of the three, he could be on his way to a big victory, maybe […]

Well, today’s the day. After two years of campaigning – for the presidential hopefuls, at least – voters across the country are expected to swamp polling places in record-setting numbers. While all eyes will be fixed on the race between Barack Obama and John McCain, and talking heads explain why Virginia, Colorado and, yes, Montana […]