With a captivating and consuming presidential election, voters head to the polls Nov. 4 to decide who is best suited to steer the course of the country. But another question looms for voters on that day: Who is best suited to steer the course of your community? • Bonds: Voters Asked to Back 911, Conservation, […]

In many ways, Woods Bay resident Barry Schieber is learning what it’s like on the other end of the leash. Since getting Moritz, his Bernese mountain dog, in Switzerland eight years ago, it’s been the dog who has largely determined the life of his owner. “I never could have imagined this,” Schieber said. “It was […]

BIG ARM – The Obama campaign and a Democratic U.S. senator from Montana say they are giving to charity money they received from a Big Arm man who pleaded guilty to felony charges following a federal corruption probe in Alaska. Federal prosecutors say William C. Weimar funneled money to a consultant for an unnamed state […]

PIERRE, S.D. – Have gun, will travel — even if the economy’s shot. In the heart of South Dakota’s pheasant-hunting country, license sales have been strong this fall despite gasoline prices near $3 a gallon and a looming recession. Ditto for hunting license sales in New York, Utah and Colorado. The leading retailers of outdoor […]

HELENA – The Montana Democratic Party decided Thursday to modify a political ad attacking Republican attorney general candidate Tim Fox after TV stations refused to air it over concerns the ad may have been inaccurate. The advertisement, scheduled to air Thursday morning, claimed “Fox was let go from three jobs for poor performance.” The Republicans […]

With only a couple days before Halloween, visit the Sweet Pickin’s Pumpkin Patch for those last minute pumpkin purchases. “Sometimes we have the only pumpkins left in the valley,” said Deborah Devries, owner and operator of the patch. For the past seven years, the Devries have maintained a field where families can gather to pick […]

“We’re Headin’ for Armageddon,” said one press release headline earlier this month as the United States stock market plunged to depths not seen since 2002. With the credit freeze in the US, similar financial turmoil around much of the world, and the coordinated bank rescue action, talk of a “new economic era” has won some […]

Good morning and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! On the Beacon this morning, Myers Reece profiles the dedicated Glacier Avalanche hockey team beginning practice. The body found in Glacier Park near Kintla Lake has been identified as a Pennsylvania executive who authorities believe killed himself with a gunshot to the chest. Two wolves in the Hog Heaven pack […]

WASHINGTON – “No Checks. No Balances. No Stopping Them.” That’s the new Action Alert from the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee – and a sign that some Republicans are now openly conceding the White House, but scrambling to keep a firewall on Capitol Hill. That Democrats will roar into the 111th Congress with a majority is […]

Reporters with ABC’s World News Now made a stop in Kalispell earlier this month as part of its coverage of “50 states in 50 days.” While here, the crew talked to voters in the area, flew over Glacier National Park and stopped by the Flathead Beacon headquarters on Main Street. Our own senior writer Dan […]

BIG SKY – A Florida real-estate investment trust, CNL Lifestyle Properties, has agreed to buy the Big Sky Resort for $74 million within the next two years. As part of the purchase agreement, CNL has agreed to advance $68 million toward the purchase price as a loan to Boyne Resorts, owner of the Montana property. […]

HELENA – The state wildlife agency says a hunter was defending himself when he shot a grizzly bear in the Marias Pass area of western Montana. The federal government classifies the bear as a threatened species. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says an adult female grizzly charged Shawn Damschen of Coram on […]

8:03 a.m. A creepy looking man has been seen near a school zone for the past several days. 9:30 a.m. A man returned to the same Evergreen business six or seven times. 9:31 a.m. Someone thought a dog had been locked in a van for weeks. The dog, though, was healthy and had been let […]

Crews hustled in October taking advantage of a bout of good weather to complete projects around town. Projects included new stop light installations, bike trails, and sewer lines. Drivers roaring north on Highway 93 toward Whitefish will find a new stop light after passing the Highway 40 junction. Wednesday, traffic slowed at the south end […]

I’ve been a resident of Montana for more than 30 years, and I believe that Montanans who face imminent death from terminal illnesses deserve the right to make their own end-of-life choices. Those choices should include Death with Dignity. I hope the Montana courts will soon rule that our state Constitution protects the dignity and […]