Good morning; on this date in 1934 an appeals court affirmed that James Joyce’s Ulysses was not, in fact, obscene. On the Beacon this morning, county commissioners have decided to put on the ballot in November and let voters decide on a $10 million conservation bond. Myers Reece and Lido Vizzutti spent a day with […]

HELENA – Four Democratic candidates in House districts in Missoula, Great Falls, Helena and Billings have withdrawn from their races. Local Democratic committees will choose, or have chosen, replacement candidates. In Missoula, Democratic nominee Gary Brown on Wednesday withdrew his candidacy in House District 100, which includes suburban and rural areas in western Missoula County. […]

The other evening my wife and I were at a dinner party where someone asked the lady next to me,“How’d you do with that black Labrador’s root canal?” In any other place in the world this would have been good for a CNN camera crew to record the root canal event while it was happening. […]

Two years ago, Grant Holle didn’t know anything about radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. But then again, not a lot of people did. And they still don’t. Today, as one of two certified radon mitigation experts in Northwest Montana, Holle is acutely aware of the fact that many people […]

BOZEMAN – Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend a fundraiser for the Montana GOP later this month in Bozeman. Cheney’s office says details of the Aug. 27 event are still being worked out. Press secretary Megan Mitchell says the event may be open only to donors, or could possibly be open to the […]

8:58 p.m. A man climbed a telephone pole on West Meridian. It didn’t appear as though he worked for any agency equipped to deal with electrical problems. 9:01 a.m. A homeowner near an RV park gave some troublesome tenants the boot. 9:53 a.m. Three parched boys between 10 and 12 years old reportedly asked for […]

A proposed change to the rules governing microbrewery taprooms has upset local and state brewers who say it’s the latest attempt to further regulate an industry already handcuffed by state law. State law allows breweries to sell or give away 48 ounces of beer per person, per day, between the hours of 10 a.m. and […]

Several of my clients use direct mail for the obvious reasons – it works. Like a chainsaw in the hands of the skilled artisan, the results can be amazing. Or they can be downright awful. Common mistakes people make when using direct mail: Talking about the wrong thing Not knowing your numbers Making assumptions Not […]

Area residents and business owners have the opportunity to explore international trade opportunities when a national trade education program hosts a seminar in Kalispell next week. On Wednesday, Aug. 13, TradeRoots, a branch organization of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will present “Business Opportunities for Montana: Expansion through Trade to New Markets” in conjunction with […]

HELENA – The Bush administration’s top official overseeing the U.S. Forest Service says he expects Missoula County officials to find no surprises in documents they obtained from the agency after requesting them under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents provided late last week reflect “pretty much what we’ve been saying” about agreements between the […]

7:56 a.m. A camera and a purse were reportedly stolen from a vehicle parked on Martin Camp Road. 9:02 a.m. A woman who was on a backpacking trip made it safely home. 9:12 a.m. A bike was stolen from a porch on Park Street in Evergreen. 1:27 p.m. Tricksters in Columbia Falls rearranged the letters […]

MISSOULA – It’s a dog’s life in Missoula — even if your owner is the governor. Jag, Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s border collie that got busted for strolling off-leash in Missoula two years ago, was kicked out of the Western Montana Fair on Tuesday. “But he’s on a leash,” Schweitzer protested. Assistant Police Chief Mike Brady […]

Good morning and happy birthday Andy Warhol. It’s Wednesday and fresh Beacons are hitting newsstands around the valley. Our top story this morning looks at a new proposed law that has the Flathead’s breweries hopping mad. Whitefish Resort’s Mountain Bike Academy has kids spending the summer navigating trails on two wheels. The new musical by […]

As a little girl growing up in the Swan Valley Signe Ensign’s mother would make her crowns and broaches out of real flowers. “I would always get so sad and cry when they would die,” recalls Ensign, so at 9-years-old, she made herself a promise that one day she would find a way to make […]

Here comes fire season, along with plenty of toxic political smoke. In the last couple of weeks, the Idaho Statesman and Los Angeles Times have produced serial articles about the “wildfire problem,” and of course “solutions,” plus various advocates have started churning out their “fire is good and natural” press releases and op-eds. Overall, the […]