Live Music: Friday: Can’t Hardly Playboys at Red’s; Eddie Money at Raceway Park; Silver’s Platter at The Cottage; Karaoke at Grizzly Jacks; Badwater Bill at Scotty’s; Bluestone Trio at Blue Canyon; Rudy and Gena Mendez at Los Caporales; DJ Que; Kiniption Fit at Great Northern; Big Daddy at Ricciardi’s; Good Wood at Packer’s Roost; Eric […]

When summer comes, it’s not unusual for kids to get riled up. But RYLA’d up? Not long ago, a group of 10 about-to-be high school sophomores were awarded a week at Rotary Leadership Camp at Camp Child near Helena. The program is called RYLA – Rotary Youth Leadership Award, and is open to any student […]

Convective rains have flora on the valley floor flourishing, but recent dry weather could prove explosive as the Montana fire season is late, but imminent. “It’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security,” Department of Natural Resources and Conservation fire plan manager Dan Cassidy said. “These fine fuels – lush grass and […]

HELENA – Federal investigators have begun looking into closed-door negotiations between the Bush administration and Seattle-based Plum Creek Timber Co., the nation’s largest owner of private land. Disturbed that negotiations about U.S. Forest Service road easements near Plum Creek lands in Montana took place privately, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., last month asked the Government Accountability […]

BOZEMAN – Ralph Nader supporters canvassed in Bozeman this week, seeking signatures to get the consumer advocate back on the ballot for president. And they expressed confidence they’ll succeed. Kesa Bechard is Montana coordinator for Nader’s campaign. She says they’ve gathered nearly 10,000 signatures, twice the number needed for third-party presidential candidates to appear on […]

A Kalispell man has been accused of chartering a private jet to Mexico while impersonating the son of country music legend Merle Haggard and then charging the $61,000 bill to a companion’s credit card. Mark G. Sams, 49, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity […]

Good morning. On this day in 1911, American archeologist Hiram Bingham got his first look at Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca settlement in Peru. On the Beacon this morning, the biologists who laid the groundwork for wolf reintroduction weigh in on the current controversy over removing wolves from the endangered species list. Convective rains have […]

CONDON – Three days after a wildland fire broke out at Lindbergh Lake firefighters have got it 60-percent contained. The Lindbergh Lake Fire was reported at one in the afternoon on the 21st, the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Lindbergh Lake Campground and all trails to Crystal Lake remain closed as firefighters […]

Is it art, or is the ice cream cone painted on the side of Mrs. Spoonover’s building an advertisement to sell frozen desserts? The latest clash over the City of Whitefish’s sign ordinance has even kids leaping into the fray. After Mrs. Spoonover’s moved to its new location on the southwest corner of Second Street […]

Some people take summer vacations instead of ski vacations. My neighbor Elmo, his wife and four kids recently made all of the arrangements to go to Mount Wannabe. Here is his report: I checked out all of the highways, motels, fast-food stops and toll bridges to that campground. I had my computerized, printed reservation for […]

Last week I found myself panicked and confused, wondering where all of the computers and blinking lights had gone. Even more confounding, none of the people around me had cell phones glued to their ears. So I desperately searched for answers until it dawned on me: I was on vacation. I took a sigh of […]

A helicopter with a bucket used for fighting fires stocked about 4,000 westslope cutthroat trout in two lakes in northwestern Montana. Wednesday’s stocking is part of a long-term project aimed at eliminating the threat of rainbow and Yellowstone cutthroats interbreeding with native westslope cutthroats in the South Fork of the Flathead River drainage. A fish […]

NEW YORK – Railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe says its second-quarter earnings fell 19 percent, mostly due to one-time charges related to an environmental cleanup in Montana. Burlington Northern Santa Fe earned $350 million, or $1 per share, compared with $433 million, or $1.20 per share, in the same quarter of 2007. The 2008 […]

2:02 a.m. A girl was upset because her boyfriend was being argumentative and would not leave. The boyfriend had an outstanding warrant and was taken into custody. 3:01 a.m. Neighbors were arguing loud enough at a Highway 2 East apartment complex to warrant a call to authorities. 7:20 a.m. Someone kicked in a door at […]

The 80-acre Lindbergh Lake Fire burning near Condon was 20 percent contained Tuesday evening as cooler temperatures, higher humidity and a smattering of rain aided firefighters. “We’ve had several challenges but everything seems to be falling into place, so far,” Cindy Super, public information officer with Department of Natural Resources and Conservation public, said in […]