MISSOULA – Authorities have released the names of a man and woman who were found dead in an Arlee home after a standoff over the weekend. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department says Dusty Reed, 36, and Janeal Morris, 48, were found dead Sunday morning. The cause of their deaths has not been released. The standoff […]

HELENA – A new analysis shows Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer has collected more out-of-state campaign donations than Republican challenger Roy Brown has collected from both in-state and out-of-state contributors combined. The National Institute on Money in State Politics reports that Schweitzer has raised almost $779,000 from out-of-state donors, while Brown has taken in $722,000 from […]

HELENA – The Montana Democratic Party has four times the funds of its Republican opposition for the final run to Nov 4. And according to reports filed in the past several days, the state Democratic Party has enjoyed a $4 million edge over the state Republican Party so far this year in total campaign funds. […]

12:31 a.m. A man shining a spotlight through the window of a Jellison Road home was not deliberately trying to annoy his neighbor. Actually, he was working on his truck. 2:36 a.m. A motorcycle that caused a disturbance between Columbia Falls and Whitefish could not be found. 8:20 a.m. A woman’s trash was rifled through. […]

Good morning; on this date in 1886 the Statue of Liberty was dedicated. On the Beacon this morning, Myrt Webb has his first day on the job as Kalispell’s interim city manager, after the city council voted unanimously to hire him. The man and woman found dead after this weekend’s Arlee standoff have been identified […]

With gravel roads at the center of a decade-long controversy in Flathead County, it stands to reason officials would welcome the winter snows that quell dust troubles. But this winter could pose its own set of problems for the roads department and, for a change, Public Works Director Dave Prunty is looking forward to summer. […]

HELENA – Secretary of State Brad Johnson says voting by absentee ballot in Montana has set a record. Johnson says just over 121,000 absentee ballots have already been voted, surpassing the previous record of of almost 120,000 in 2006. County election offices have been providing absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 election since Oct. 6. […]

With the national economic downturn and strapped local budgets, bond advocates understand that this is a less than auspicious time to ask taxpayers for money to fund special projects. “Going to the public right now for money is like going to an ex-wife and asking for a date – it’s not a good circumstance,” Mark […]

Jim Dupont-R Flathead County commissioners wield exceptional power. From which roads are paved to how neighborhoods are zoned, the contest between Jim Dupont and Steve Qunell is arguably the most important on the ballot. On Nov. 4, county residents will choose between Dupont, a Republican and former Flathead County sheriff, and Qunell, a Democratic stay-at-home […]

For those of you wondering what’s up with the Class A high school football playoffs, Columbia Falls will be hosting Corvallis (6-3) this Saturday at 1pm and Whitefish will visit Dillon (6-2), also at 1pm. Good luck Cats and Dogs.

CAMARILLO, Calif. – A national survey shows gas prices continue to decline, tumbling nearly 53 cents a gallon in the last two weeks. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline at self-serve stations was $2.78 Friday. Mid-grade was at $2.93 and premium was at $3.05. That’s according to the Lundberg Survey of 5,000 […]

POLSON – Lake County officials found a man and a woman dead in an Arlee residence after a weekend standoff. Their names and cause of death haven’t been released. Sheriff Lucky Larson says law enforcement officers were called to a house north of Arlee around 6:15 p.m. Saturday after callers reported a man was going […]

Whitefish may soon be joining Missoula in changing its chicken rules. Missoula, after months of heated chicken wars, approved an ordinance last December to allow up to six hens in residential zones. Now, Whitefish is clucking, too, over poultry. “The keeping of chickens is a common inquiry,” Nikki Bond, a city planner, reported at the […]

Good morning and happy birthday John Cleese. On the Beacon this morning, the top story in the area chronicles a standoff in Arlee that ended with a man and woman found dead in the house. Investigations into what happened are ongoing. In Whitefish, people who want to keep chickens are clucking over the hefty fee […]

8:21 a.m. Two adult women engaged in a little road rage near an elementary school in Evergreen. 9:36 a.m. Someone on Fourth Avenue West in Columbia Falls had a problem with a cat. 9:49 a.m. The Bigfork Quick Response Unit was called out to Coyote Meadow Lane. It isn’t certain as to what happened. The […]