The Obama Campaign secured an office in Bigfork, and opens its doors to the public on Wednesday September 3rd. “We encourage everybody from all political backgrounds to come and learn more about Senator Obama and Senator Biden,” says state Communications Director Caleb Weaver. Weaver says Bigfork will be the 17th Obama office in Montana. A […]

As a wildlife biologist, Doug Chadwick spies into the lives of grizzly bears, wolverines, and whales. In one of his forays to Australia, the Whitefish author explored the other end of the animal world—creatures less than a half-inch big. “Weaver ants have ten thousand times more impact on forests than tigers or lions,” laughs Chadwick. […]

As community theaters go, Whitefish Theatre Company has been around a while. In fact, they are celebrating three decades of live stage productions this season. “Not that many performing arts groups in Montana have been around that long,” says Carolyn Pitman, Executive Director of Whitefish Theatre Company. “We’re pretty proud that we’re here.” The theater […]

The man overseeing the search for a Kentucky hiker missing in Glacier National Park says searchers haven’t found anything they believe belongs to Yi-Jien Hwa. Pat Suddath says searchers have found an old sandal, a baseball hat and a safety clip from a can of bear spray, but no sign of the 27-year-old Hwa. Hwa […]

RENO, Nev. – Gov. Jim Gibbons has criticized U.S. Forest Service officials’ decision to let a wildfire in northeast Nevada burn unchecked for two weeks, saying it allowed the blaze to “get out of control” and substantially spread. Federal officials initiated efforts to combat the lightning-caused fire Aug. 21, when it began spreading outside the […]

12:23 p.m. Someone called a campsite attendant and told them they had put sand in the gas tanks of some motorcycles that were parked at the campground. The motorcycles were examined and it was determined that gas, not sand, was in the tanks. 1:42 p.m. Authorities are looking for the owner of a vehicle that […]

COLUMBIA FALLS – Tom Krustangel delivered plenty of sweetness to last week’s Democratic National Convention – 250 pounds, to be exact. Krustangel, who owns Montana Tom’s Chocolate Factory and Cannery with his wife near Columbia Falls, sent 2,400 chocolate animals and 1,000 other cocoa delights to Denver for Montana’s delegates to nibble on during their […]

I’m not sure exactly what motivated me to choose taking German over Spanish in high school. It’s a complex language with extremely complex grammar (although nowhere near as burdensome as French). And I didn’t know it then, but at the same time a few high school kids who would become very brilliant marketers in the […]

NEW YORK – This fall, as customers shop for imported olive oil and pungent French cheeses at Fairway Market’s stores in Manhattan, they will be in for a pleasant surprise: Their prices are coming down. Lower food prices? Yes, thanks to a somewhat more muscular dollar, the greenback is up 10 percent compared with other […]

With summer winding down and fall approaching, city parks are a magnificent places for a quick getaway. Take a leisurely stroll around the pond or a vigorous jog along the well-maintained paved pathways in Woodland Park. Small bridges over the water are reminiscent of European-style parks. Stop and smell the flowers in the large circular […]

BILLINGS – Retired paratrooper Vernon Kinn liked what he heard when Sen. Barack Obama came to Montana recently with a promise to build more health centers for veterans. That could end the 500-mile, roundtrip drive Kinn faces each time he needs a new hearing aid from Montana’s only VA hospital. But Kinn, who served two […]

BILLINGS – Crews fighting the Dunn Mountain fire north of Billings have been successful in protecting houses on the active northwestern corner of the fire. Fire information officer Betsy Ballard says the fire has burned just over 85,000 acres and was 55 percent contained early Sunday. She says 40 residences and five outbuildings are considered […]

Four road trips, in fact. Four big away games like those on the Wildcat football schedule are a big hill to climb…and I can’t wait to see how they respond. The first part of the climb happens on Sept 13 in Butte, where the Cats face Butte Central. After a few weeks at home, the […]

HELENA – Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Republican challenger Roy Brown have set five debates over the next two months. The first debate will be Sept. 15 in Missoula and is sponsored by the Missoulian newspaper and the University of Montana. The Helena Independent Record hosts a debate Sept. 25 in Helena. Debates follow Sept. 29 […]

DENVER – Republican John McCain shook up the presidential race with his surprise choice of little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate on Friday. Democrat Barack Obama, entering a crucial stage of the campaign fresh off his historic nominating convention, began a tour of battleground states. Obama left the convention city of Denver […]