Like most 5-year-olds, Ian tests his boundaries, waiting for his teacher to be distracted to coyly make a move for the door. He’s bright, observant and expressive. But Ian, who is diagnosed with a form of autism, is hyper and doesn’t yet communicate with words. Prone to outbursts and sometimes biting his hands or other […]

While the media is full of discussion, arguments and political posturing about the gazillion dollar bailout of the financial industry, no one is talking about the 27 million+ Main Street businesses that must survive on their own. Here are three strategies to help weather the storm swirling in Washington and New York, without spending a […]

Federal agents have killed four wolves, and efforts are under way to kill a fifth after two livestock attacks in the Kalispell area. The first two wolves from the Hog Heaven Pack were killed last week after a rancher reported that two of his heifers were found dead on a ranch southwest of Kila. Two […]

Good morning; on this date in 1890 Yosemite National Park was established. It’s a beautiful autumn day and the new Beacons are on the stands. Our top story this week looks at how cash-strapped local schools are adapting to the rise in autism facing special education programs. Flathead County Commissioners approves a $69 million budget […]

Here in Montana, we directly elect our Supreme Court justices, in a “non-partisan” race. Once we do, we’re stuck with them for eight years. Do you know for whom you’ll vote? Justice Pat Cotter is running unopposed for re-election, while Mike McGrath and Ron Waterman are vying for Chief Justice. Who the heck are these […]

In a story posted at Slate.com, Bill Bishop gets to the bottom of why Congress has “imploded” over the last 30 years and, in effect, why its approval ratings hover around 10 percent. It’s a must read in the aftermath of the U.S. House’s bailout bill that wasn’t. The thesis: moderates no longer exist in […]

2:58 a.m. Someone ducked inside an apartment after they saw a deputy roll by. 11:37 a.m. Someone stole a $3,700 saw from a home on Walking Coyote Lane. 2:36 p.m. Someone, who was drinking near the Huckleberry Patch, threw a full beer can out of their car window. 4:30 p.m. A bible was stolen from […]

MISSOULA – Three University of Montana redshirt freshman football players have been charged with felonies in connection with an assault on campus in which another student suffered a broken jaw. Police say the Sept. 19 assault was captured on a dormitory surveillance camera. Andrew Douglass, 18, of San Clemente, Calif., was charged Tuesday with felony […]

Organizers of the Glacier Jazz Stampede are quick to challenge the stereotype that Montana is all cowboys and country music. And, they add, southern cities like New Orleans and St. Louis aren’t the only towns with rockin’ jazz. “Montana is not just horses, hicks and cold,” said festival co-chair John Van, a member of the […]

The crisis roiling the U.S. financial sector has riveted the nation’s nervous attention for nearly two weeks as Congress scrambled to negotiate a bailout plan and the stock market took more ups and downs than the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The implosion late last week of Washington Mutual Inc., the largest bank failure in U.S. history, only […]

WASHINGTON – Montana Sen. Jon Tester says he is opposing a $700 billion financial industry bailout bill because it doesn’t do enough to protect taxpayers and small businesses. Tester is splitting with fellow Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, one of the lead negotiators on the bill. Baucus is supporting the bill, arguing the plan is not […]

Flyers hanging up in windows and on walls of Bigfork businesses have a picture of Jeffrey Bowman under the title “A.E.D. Fundraiser”. It’s an independent effort spearheaded by one mom to raise enough money to purchase 3 portable Automatic External Defibrillators. The effort is in response to the death of high school student Jeffrey Bowman […]

COLUMBIA FALLS – Timber framers Jeremiah Anderson and Jebb Lackey got tired of the building culture created during the Flathead Valley’s recent construction boom, where the emphasis was on haste and profit over quality and slapdash jobs by a few hurt everyone’s reputation. They wanted to take part in projects where they had ownership from […]

BUTTE – Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Republican opponent Roy Brown used a third debate Monday night to polish familiar campaign messages. Schweitzer said things in Montana have improved during his first term, pointing to increases in energy production, an economy he says is doing better than other parts of the country, and improved spending in […]

Good morning and happy birthday to Elie Wiesel. On the Beacon this morning, U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., explains why he voted against the $700 billion bailout legislation of the nation’s financial industry. A growing guild of green builders has formed in Columbia Falls and begun an office complex there. Another major cleanup effort is […]