HELENA – Economic worries are the biggest issue for Montana voters. Exit polls for The Associated Press and television networks show that half of Montana voters say the economy is the most important issue facing the country. More than eight in 10 voters are worried about the direction of the nation’s economy in the next […]

Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson just sent out an e-mail titled: “Statement on Election Practical Jokes.” Apparently, his office has received a “few” complaints about a text message that encourages Montanans to wait until Wednesday to vote because the lines are so long. Of course, you can’t vote tomorrow. And there have been no […]

The Flathead Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society and the First Best Place Task Force are starting a moist forest native plant garden west of the Glacier Discovery Square Building. We need volunteers Friday, November 7th to prepare the site and amend the soil for spring planting. Please bring shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes and large […]

In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, the looking glass transports Alice to another world, opening up new perspectives. As another name for mirror, the looking glass can reflect ourselves and the world, often in surprising ways. It is a tool used for inspection, for overall views as well as great […]

I spoke with a state Democratic operative last week who said he had sent this story from the Washington Post to many of his colleagues. The awkwardly headlined story, “Never could I have anticipated . . . a black man being at the top of the ticket,” looks at voters in rural, central Montana who […]

A fugitive accused of causing a disturbance at a Creston home and then shooting at sheriff’s deputies has been convicted of federal weapons charges. Daniel Schwindt pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The 40-year-old Schwindt entered the guilty plea late last week in U.S. District Court in Missoula. He faces […]

HELENA – Melisa Synness is among a small army of volunteers helping Democrats put unprecedented resources into their election-year drive to register and get voters to the polls. She has spent evenings and weekends organizing other volunteers to knock on doors and make telephone calls, part of a huge ground game of calls and door-to-door […]

Good morning; on this date in 1948, the Chicago Tribune reported that Thomas Dewey defeated Harry Truman. He didn’t. On the Beacon this morning, Whitefish pediatric dentist Timothy Kramer is dead after his truck crashed Friday night. Woods Bay resident Barry Schieber has just completed his fifth book about his incredible dog, Moritz. A Big […]

4:25 a.m. A text message was sent to someone in Flathead County informing him or her, that if they did not forward the message, people would die. 6:32 a.m. A man said a bear would not leave his yard. 8:21 a.m. An unoccupied, 18-foot aluminum boat vanished on the Flathead River. 10:53 a.m. Delinquents spilled […]

A new poll by the North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling shows Obama up by 1 percentage point in what is the most recent poll taken in Montana. I can’t verify the accuracy of this polling firm, as this election has introduced me to all sorts of polling organizations I’ve never heard of before, so take […]

Over the weekend, Columbia Falls defeated Corvallis 27-26, giving the Wildcats a long-sought state tournament victory. In a wild game that saw Columbia Falls blow a 20-0 victory, Corvallis, trailing 27-26 with 1:21 left in the game, opted to go for the win instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game. On the […]

WEST GLACIER – A group that raises private dollars for Glacier National Park will donate more than $200,000 to the park in 2009. The Glacier National Park Fund usually limits its giving to programs or projects considered above and beyond core park services. But in the coming year, private donors will help pay for such […]

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and Obama national campaign co-chair Tom Daschle is stumping across Montana for Obama today. From the AP Report: BILLINGS – Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle says the flagging economy will push undecided voters to back Barack Obama — allowing the Democrat to eke out wins in Montana, North […]

The New York Times’ Jim Rutenberg has an extremely insightful story on how different coverage of the presidential candidates looks on any given day, depending on whether you’re watching conservative Fox News or liberal MSNBC. The perfect example of hypocrisy by the networks’ star hosts is illustrated by the coverage of the flap over Sarah […]

These students are far too young to vote tomorrow, but that’s not stopping them from learning about the presidential candidates and having a voice in the election. A group of sixth and seventh graders at Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta rewrote the lyrics to a song by rapper T.I. as part of their debate class, […]