9:10 a.m. Unruly juveniles stole removable letters from a sign at Stillwater Estates. They then posed for pictures holding the letters that were later posted on MySpace. 9:56 a.m. A mailbox was stolen on Hidden Valley Drive. 10:09 a.m. Human waste was reportedly spewing from a trailer behind a house on Swan Highway. 1:49 p.m. […]

In an effort to increase the transparency of Montana’s elections, the state office of the commissioner of political practices recently began posting on its Web site the campaign finance reports of both candidates and political action committees, or PACs. Now widely available, these reports shed light on some of the interests that shape Montana’s elections […]

Kalispell city officials announced Wednesday afternoon that, after seven years running Kalispell’s fire department, Chief Randy Brodehl has retired. Brodehl reached his decision to retire Monday, according to City Manager Jim Patrick, and his retirement took effect July 1. The city now begins the initial stages of its national search for a new Kalispell fire […]

MISSOULA – Authorities are investigating after a 31-year-old Ronan man crashed his boat into a Flathead Lake dock. Polson police responded to the crash shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday. Witnesses reported hearing a loud crash and finding the 18- or 19-foot motorboat upside-down on the Polson city dock on the lake’s southern shore. The man, […]

RED LODGE – Airplanes and helicopters dumped fire retardant and water on a fast-growing canyon fire outside this ski town Monday, trying to corral a blaze that was eating through blown-down timber and heavy lodgepole stands. Gov. Brian Schweitzer took a small group of reporters aboard his airplane to get a closer look at the […]

Good morning and happy birthday Alexis de Tocqueville. On the Beacon this morning, A Ronan man is under investigation after crashing his boat into a Flathead Lake dock. The Columbia Falls swim team qualified 38 out of 42 swimmers at a meet in Conrad over the weekend. And on the Police Blotter, a bearded man […]

The pairing of professional David Owens and amateur Brad Solander leads the inaugural Flathead Beacon Pro-Scratch, finishing the first of the two-day tournament with a 65 at Eagle Bend. Just one stroke back is Connor Sproull and Bob Gray, Jr. Two pairings shot a 67 on the first day. The tournament concludes today at the […]

A survey by an independent Oregon pollster shows that the majority of Flathead County residents support a bond of at least $10 million to go toward conservation efforts. On July 31, Flathead County commissioners will examine the survey’s results and decide whether to put a proposal on the ballot to purchase conservation easements and fund […]

Last week’s rain was just the latest event in a growing season that Flathead Lake cherry growers predict will yield only half the harvest of last year’s bumper crop of 4 million pounds. First, there was the April freeze that sterilized a portion of the buds. Then there was a late bloom, sometime around May […]

LOS ANGELES – A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. No immediate damage was reported. The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas. Preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8, centered 29 […]

12:12 a.m. Some time in between the end of a wedding, a trip to the Old Steel Bridge and the emergency room, a woman got a black eye. 1:40 a.m. A female was heard screaming curse words in the 100 block of Zimmerman Road. 2:08 a.m. A Columbia Falls 18-year-old was counseled after his mother […]

Sasquatch is back in the news. The big fellow’s been avoiding the spotlight for a while, but this week I’ve seen a few stories suggesting he is once again leaving the mountains in search of sunny roadside destinations. One story about possible yeti hair is in the Beacon’s News Buffet today and a couple of […]

Peter Lesica squatted on the shore of Wild Horse Island sinking two-gallon plastic jugs into Flathead Lake to fill with water. For the day, the botanist played “pack mule” – trudging five times from the lake up a ridge while lugging a pack loaded with 30 pounds of water. “It’s not terribly romantic,” he quipped. […]

5:01 a.m. A Flathead County sheriff’s cruiser was damaged when the driver struck a tire on U.S. Highway 93 while responding to a call. No one was injured and the damage was minimal. 8:25 a.m. A young girl, who appeared to be about 10 years old, ran away from home. She was found walking with […]

Following a six-hole playoff, the pairing of Kyle Cianflone and Jason Vedadi tied Tyler Erickson and Rick Reimers as co-champions Tuesday in the inaugural Flathead Beacon Pro-Scratch tournament held at Eagle Bend and Big Mountain golf courses. Both pairings followed scores of 67 at Eagle Bend Monday with 64s at Big Mountain on Tuesday. In […]