HELENA – The Montana Shooting Sports Association says principled voters should vote for Ron Paul over John McCain or Barack Obama. But the gun group recognizes such votes for Paul could help Barack Obama as the Democrat seeks to challenge in Republican strongholds like Montana. The group gave Republican John McCain a D in its […]

Live Music: Friday: Can’t Hardly Playboys at Red’s; Dan Dubuque at The Cottage; Badwater Bill at Scotty’s; Smart Alex at Great Northern; Christian Johnson Project at Garden Bar; Sonny King at Blue Moon; Mobile Beat DJ at Red’s Saturday: Brad Lee at The Lodge; Betty and the Boy at The Cottage; Smart Alex at Great […]

Downtown Kalispell has a lot of things Polebridge doesn’t. If you’re the type of person who goes for such amenities, Kalispell offers paved roads, shopping, restaurants, schools and other trappings of modern life. But for a long time, Polebridge had one big advantage: the legendary baked goods at the Polebridge Mercantile. Now, with Ben Kaufman, […]

8:03 a.m. A jet that was attempting to land at Glacier International Airport was having gear problems. The plane landed safely. 10:19 a.m. Allegedly, a 14-year-old who does not have a license was driving around with two kids in the car. 10:08 a.m. A man and woman who were fighting were separated and told to […]

A man charged with fatally shooting his father will be prosecuted in Flathead County, officials said Wednesday, after using GPS mapping to determine the exact location of the incident. Ross Johnson, 20, was arrested Sept. 1 after a two-day standoff with authorities at his home near Polson. Investigators say he fled to the residence after […]

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said in a July fundraising speech that he tampered with the 2006 election, in which fellow Democrat Jon Tester narrowly beat Conrad Burns for the U.S. Senate. Specifically, Schweitzer jokingly described how he rigged the release of one county’s election results with the goal of avoiding a recount and how he […]

Plum Creek Timber Company, citing a flat housing market and declining demand for wood products, announced Thursday that it was eliminating 35 jobs at its Medium Density Fiberboard plant in Columbia Falls. The company will reduce the number of rotating shifts at the plant from four to three, which will cut its current staff of […]

Good morning; today is the 7th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. On the Beacon this morning, firefighters in Evergreen say their station is so dilapidated and they have become so busy a new fire station is a necessity. A new coffeehouse and cafe opening this month plans to bring a taste of Polebridge to […]

Twice a year, Whitefish Lake churns up its waters. As the lake loses its summer heat and autumn winds whip across the surface, warm waters from the top of the lake chill down toward equalizing with bottom temperatures. Whitefish Lake Institute monitors this change as it occurs in both fall and spring. But Whitefish Lake […]

It is the last week of August, a good morning for a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal. The rain is pouring down at a 45-degree angle, driven by 30-mile-an-hour winds. It is out of the east and the waves crashing against our boat at the dock are getting bigger with each passing hour. This is […]

It’s hard not to like Gov. Brian Schweitzer as a person. He’s a chronic back-slapper who makes humorous analogies intertwined with wild stories. Whatever you think about his policies, the governor comes across as the gregarious uncle you can always count on to keep the conversation lively. But joking about tampering with a close U.S. […]

A piece of Kalispell history, remarkable both for its original owners and most recent resident, is up for sale. In the early 1890s, a wealthy pioneer family, Charles and Alicia Conrad and their children, moved to the Flathead Valley, built an elaborate and massive home and helped found the town of Kalispell. Today, the Conrad […]

Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath declined to investigate comments made by Gov. Brian Schweitzer at a fundraising event in Philadelphia on July 14, describing the speech as “admittedly intemperate” and saying “the accusations contain no allegation supported by fact.” Yesterday, NewWest.Net broke the news about Schweitzer’s speech before the Trial Lawyers Association, in which he […]

HELENA – Republican Ron Paul does not want to be on the Montana ballot as the Constitution Party presidential candidate, but state election officials said Thursday it may be too late to remove his name. Paul, in a letter to the secretary of state, said his name was nominated by the Constitution Party of Montana […]

As the state’s Department of Environmental Quality ramps up its efforts to determine the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for pollutants in the Flathead watershed, it has changed its approach and increased the size of its project team in order to deal with the area’s complex and large water system. According to the Montana Water […]