HELENA – Gov. Brian Schweitzer says he has no interest in a cabinet position should Democrat Barack Obama win this year’s presidential election. Schweitzer, whose national profile has risen following his widely praised speech at the Democratic National Convention, said cabinet secretaries have little autonomy and haven’t for several decades. Schweitzer said he isn’t interested […]

When Erik Iverson took over as chairman of the Montana Republican Party last year, the GOP had not updated its Web site since 1999. Believing a state party’s Web site conveys a “first impression” about the organization, he was dismayed by the portrait of Montana Republicans painted by the GOP’s site. “It was a turnoff,” […]

Yesterday I received a phone call from a vendor whose service involves sending personalized postcards and greeting cards – with pictures if you like – simply by pounding on their website for a moment. I really like the service – they even let me create a font of individual letters using my handwriting, so that […]

8:39 a.m. A computer and bowling monitors were stolen from a construction site in Bigfork. 12:42 p.m. Seen: a man in a red jacket walking with a cane down U.S. Highway 93. 1:33 p.m. A roll of electrical wire was stolen from a construction site. 2:23 p.m. A woman, who was walking to Libby on […]

Good morning and happy birthday William Carlos Williams. On the Beacon this morning, we look at how Montana’s candidates are taking advantage of the Web to level the political playing field. To jump-start a sluggish real estate market, some developers in Whitefish are holding online auctions to sell condos to the highest bidder. Kalispell city […]

There’s been much talk about Sarah Palin, Alaska’s new governor and an even newer candidate for vice president. Here’s some more: Almost 30 years ago, I had the good fortune to score work as a summer employee for the Alaska Railroad. As was usual in the railroad industry back then, I landed the job through […]

As Whitefish Mountain Resort enters the final weeks of its annual discounted season pass sale, resort personnel gear up for winter. Earlier in the year, the resort announced that the Superpipe would no longer be built. Now, the groomed Nordic trails also meet the ax. Resort officials cite two reasons for ceasing maintenance of the […]

If one harrowing week can take the nation’s largest insurance company from blue-chip stock to bailout recipient, how many other titans might fall? When do the financial implosions end? After a Federal Reserve rescue of AIG Tuesday night, one big crisis was averted. But it’s also clear that other companies may follow the insurance giant […]

Until city officials actually vote on a Kalispell’s budget, it’s hard to say with any certainty how lean staffing may get in some departments, and how big the cutbacks in city services might be. That is, unless you’re Mike Baker, director of Kalispell’s Parks and Recreation Department. Baker’s not complaining. He knows the city council […]

My friend is getting married here in Kalispell this weekend. It will be the second time I’ve ever attended a friend’s wedding and the first for a buddy with whom I still have regular contact. Meanwhile, fellow reporter Dan Testa has been invited to 13 weddings in the past year, most of them either for […]

HELENA – The Montana Land Board has given final approval to the sale of energy leases on almost 122,000 acres of state-owned land, despite complaints from some locals. Some residents say the state failed to provide adequate notice the sale was taking place. Last week’s sale totaled $10.9 million. Other residents, joined by the oil […]

There was an atmosphere of relief at the Kalispell City Council Monday night as city staff presented a balanced budget that minimizes job cuts, does not deplete Kalispell’s cash reserves, but does reduce service to the public in several ways. The council will vote on the budget at its next meeting, Sept. 22. The city […]

MISSOULA – Gov. Brian Schweitzer promised at a debate Monday night to lower taxes, while Republican challenger Roy Brown vowed even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, Libertarian Stan Jones said he wants to get rid of basically all taxes. Democrats believe Schweitzer is a popular incumbent who should easily win the election, but Republicans say recent […]

11:32 a.m. A fire on Lore Lake Road was actually a “non-working fire.” 12:18 p.m. A mailbox on 15th Street East in Columbia Falls was blown up. 2:47 p.m. Someone called in about a flatbed trailer with a backhoe on it. Apparently, it’s been parked in the same place for weeks. 4:25 p.m. A 26-year-old […]

Good morning; on this date in 1983 Arnold Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen. On the Beacon this morning, Kalispell City Council is finally poised to vote on a balanced city budget. Keriann Lynch spends time at a conference promoting business partnerships and opportunities for Native Americans. The Rocky Mountain Bee plant is sprouting and flowering […]