The nonprofit industry, one of the biggest employers in Montana, is watching major funding sources dry up, partly due to the nation’s economic slowdown, and is preparing for an even larger fallout in the upcoming months and year. In the Flathead, Susan Christofferson, director of the Nurturing Center, said she has rarely seen such dire […]

During an election year, certain things become a dependable part of the political and news cycles. There are vows to run a “different” campaign, one that’s cleaner and focused on the issues. But then, as November draws closer, there are the dirty jabs. There are annoying commercials, pundits who parrot the party line and disingenuous […]

Identifying what they wanted was pretty easy; land managed to deal with weeds and wildfire, keeping the acreage open to public use, and no development. Getting to those solutions is another matter. “This group has the opportunity to do whatever they want to with this piece of property,” Greg Poncin told the 440-Committee at a […]

I’m second to no one when it comes to finding the most convenient way to do things. In fact, I’ve made a fairly decent living showing people how to make complex restaurant style food in an easier and more convenient way. I use shortcuts, but I never skimp on ingredients. The fact is, real food […]

GREAT FALLS – A spokesman says the Montana State Fund lost $26 million in late September when the stock market tanked. At about the same time, Montana voters received a pamphlet describing Constitutional Amendment 44. Approved by the 2007 Legislature, it would allow up to 25 percent of all state trust fund assets to be […]

While other high school seniors are spending their last year reflecting on the past three years, for Flathead High School’s Tyler Thomas, it’s all about the future. “I do like to think forward a little bit so I’m that much more ready when that time comes,” said Thomas. Last month Thomas, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman, […]

What’s Important, Anyway? By Ryan Zinke, Republican As I read the editorials and ads written by incumbents that take credit for something they did not do, or by their opponents who assail them for something that they did do, I wonder if we have lost sight of what’s really important? What is important to me […]

John Fraley looked out from the bank of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River where Charles Black allegedly washed blood from his hands, wondering how the violent murder happened, and where the body of the dead mother of three lay. It was 100 years ago to the day of Lena Cunningham’s murder in 1894, […]

HELENA – Democratic U.S. House candidate John Driscoll said Saturday he plans to keep his word and vote for his Republican opponent, Rep. Denny Rehberg, in the upcoming election. “I promised yesterday that if Congressman Rehberg voted against the bailout package that he had my vote, and this morning the first thing I said to […]

ST. LOUIS – Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin accused Barack Obama of voting against funding for U.S. troops in combat Thursday night in her much-anticipated debate with Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, whom she chastised for defending the move, “especially with your son in the National Guard” and headed for Iraq. “John McCain voted […]

Blackfoot Lake sits at the bottom of a Jewel Basin mountainside, surrounded on one side by the limbless, charred tree spikes left over from a 2003 wildfire, and on the other by thick, green evergreens. Today, the fish are jumping. “There’s a rise, and another one, oh yeah John, they’re here,” Montana Fish Wildlife and […]

UPDATE: Taking issue with my blog, GOP Executive Director Jake Eaton called this morning to make the case that his party’s move to verify voter registration across the state is anything but “disingenuous.” While many Democrats regard Schweitzer’s remarks about tampering with 2006 U.S. Senate election results as jokes, Eaton said he has heard many […]

NEW YORK – If you were thinking of getting a mortgage before the current blizzard of bad financial events struck, the good news is: You can still get a home loan, and, at least for now, rates have been falling. But the caveat is: You’d better be creditworthy. The US Treasury’s takeover of mortgage finance […]

HELENA – A Missoula woman who lost a court battle with her former same-sex partner over parental rights filed an appeal Thursday with the Montana Supreme Court. District Judge Ed McLean of Missoula on Monday ruled in favor of Michelle Kulstad of Turah, following what attorneys for both sides called Montana’s first same-sex parental rights […]

Good morning and happy German Unity Day. On the Beacon this morning, biologists study how life is returning to trout in a lake in Jewel Basin. Early and absentee voting, set to begin Monday, could make for an unpredictable Election Day, and Flathead County election administrators are preparing for every contingency. On the Police Blotter, […]