GREAT FALLS – A woman accused of killing her 2-year-old son and hiding his body in the trunk of her car told detectives that the toddler died after falling from a high chair, according to an affidavit that includes transcripts of police interviews. Summer ManyWhiteHorses, 31, was charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence […]

MISSOULA – The U.S. Forest Service says it has provided a “second partial response” to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Missoula County, but is withholding information exempt from disclosure. County officials concerned about road-easement discussions that occurred privately between Plum Creek Timber Co. and the Forest Service filed an FOIA request during […]

Downtown Kalispell’s newest bar caters to a different crowd. Patrons can order up a skinny leg, stonewash or a high-waisted, deep indigo boot-cut. Joe’s and James hang at the bar, along with Free People and Citizens of Humanity. And while there’s no alcohol, Fawn Boutique and its denim bar aim to serve another thirst – […]

Good morning, on this date in 1806 Lewis and Clark returned to St. Louis. On the Beacon this morning, the new Fawn Boutique is open for business in downtown Kalispell, with a full-service denim bar available to meet all of your jean needs. Bigfork residents are mounting opposition to a state plan to use a […]

12:03 a.m. Three or four men were fighting. A car was damaged. 12:56 a.m. A 20-year-old man and his significant other were drinking at a man’s house in Creston. The man had an AK-47 rifle hanging on his wall. The 20-year-old said he wanted to shoot it, so they went for a drive. He got […]

MISSOULA – The Tricon Timber mill in St. Regis has laid off 40 full- and part-time workers, citing a soft lumber market. Tricon manager Angelo Ververis says the mill is cutting a shift. The move leaves 60 workers at the stud mill in St. Regis and Tricon’s post and pole plant in Superior — less […]

Perhaps no issue so roils the American public – deeply divided over proposed rescue plans for US financial markets – than the prospect of high-flying CEOs walking off with seven-figure severance packages while US taxpayers take on the burden of their failed decisions. The Bush administration, led by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, urgently calls for […]

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Barrasso says the federal government double-crossed the state of Wyoming in deciding to reverse its decision to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list. Lawyers representing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday told a federal judge in Montana that the agency intends to withdraw a decision it […]

Times are tight, and the Flathead’s city and county governments recently voted on their respective budgets for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, which began July 1. Here are summaries of what Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Flathead County have to work with for the coming year. KALISPELL After months of deliberation and three proposals, Kalispell City […]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Darryl Wallace fondly reminisces about his crews from Zuni Pueblo — shoulders bent to the ground, cutting brush and scraping the soil to clear lines around forest fires. Sooty, dirty, hot work. Morale high. A reputation to uphold. “You tell them to build a scratch line. They wouldn’t. They’d build a highway,” […]

BILLINGS – The new regional director of the Small Business Administration says small-business owners report banks are reining in credit in the wake of turmoil in the nation’s financial markets. Russell Smith took over last week as director of the SBA’s Region 8. He says small businesses are getting squeezed, finding that lenders are retrenching […]

Good morning; on this date in 1964 “Fiddler On The Roof” premiered on Broadway, and happy birthday to the Big Perm. On the Beacon this morning, fall feels like it has arrived in Montana. Misti Vogt, a Flathead Valley Community College student from Vaughn, will represent her state as Miss Montana at the Miss U.S.A. […]

It’s hard enough trying to find just the right Christmas tree for your home. Choosing just one from all the trees in the Bitterroot National Forest and having that tree be just the perfect one to display on the Capitol Mall in Washington is quite a job. And it’s exactly the job that the folks […]

Kalispell City Council meets tonight for a special meeting to vote on the budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Facing a revenue shortfall, city staff has crafted a general fund budget that minimizes job cuts and does not eat into the city’s cash reserves, but does reduce services. For more on the budget up for […]

8:34 a.m. A man was arrested without incident. He had warrants, including one for assault with a weapon and aggravated assault. 8:56 a.m. Someone was hitchhiking to Spokane. 11:11 a.m. There was sleeping hitchhiker on Gopher Lane. 12:01 p.m. Someone thought an ice cream salesman was suspicious. 2:50 p.m. Squirrels that were chewing through electrical […]