Good morning. Happy birthday to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who turns 90 today. In local news, a third man was charged for his alleged role in a weekend attack on migrant workers. For five days, Whitefish will get a chance to be the fly fishing capital of the world, when the 43rd Annual International Fly Fishing […]

I believe in democracy, and I believe that every vote counts and every citizen matters. That’s why, in late June, I challenged Governor Schweitzer to 18 debates around Montana – to give the large majority of voters the chance to hear directly from myself and Governor Schweitzer about where each of us stands on the […]

8:50 a.m. A man who came back to retrieve his belongings from his car after a motor vehicle accident reported $4,000 missing. 11:04 a.m. A woman in Somers called authorities because she thinks she may have pawned stolen items for a now deceased man. 2:46 p.m. An employee at a box store in Evergreen reported […]

NEW YORK – This economic downturn is taking a particularly hard toll on women, according to some experts. The reasons: Much of the downturn is focused on the real estate market, where a disproportionately large number of women work, and substantially more women than men have subprime mortgages. But experts point to another cause: Women […]

HELENA – Montana’s unemployment dropped slightly in June, ending a streak of five consecutive months of increases. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in June from May’s 4.2 percent. Montana continued to have a higher unemployment rate than neighboring states: 2.8 percent in South Dakota, 3.2 percent in Wyoming, 3.3 percent in North Dakota […]

On July 19, Montana Raceway Park hosts the state’s largest motor-sport event, attracting 5,000 spectators and 24 drivers to its quarter-mile-high bank, oval racetrack. It’s the 18th running of the Montana 200 – the closest thing to NASCAR in the Flathead Valley. Last year, two-time Northwest Tour Champion Gary Lewis of Bothell, Wash., held off […]

HELENA – Starbucks Corp. says it will not be closing any stores in Montana. The Seattle-based coffee company identified 600 stores nationwide that it plans to close in a bid to boost its business and weed out unprofitable locations. But Montana is among a few states that are keeping all of their Starbucks coffee shops. […]

Live Music: Friday: Silver’s Platter at The Cottage; Rudy and Gena Mendez at Los Caporales; Brad Lee at Scotty’s; Good Wood at Blue Canyon; DJ Q at Finish Line; Smart Alex at Great Northern; Full Moon Prophets at Ricciardi’s; Sonny King at Blue Moon; DJ Mobile Beat at Red’s Saturday: Stephen & Andre at The […]

Kalispell manufacturing firm Sonju Industrial Inc. has signed onto a three-year deal with Raytheon Company, one of the top defense contractors and industrial corporations in the nation, to produce missile components for the U.S. Department of Defense. General Manager Jason Sonju and his brother, Jon, expect the partnership will allow Sonju Industrial, with 40 current […]

WASHINGTON – Montana Sen. Max Baucus has asked for a government investigation into the troubled Indian Health Service and how it allocates its resources around the country. In a letter to the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, Baucus did not detail what he wanted the department to probe but asked […]

Good morning and happy birthday David Hasselhoff. Here’s a priceless video of him eating a hamburger. In local news, employees recently laid off at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company will face a slowing job market. A bright spot in the local economy, however, is Sonju Industrial Inc., which recently signed a contract with the Department […]

6:12 a.m. A man on King Way suspects his ex-roommate stole his $400. 7:40 a.m. A naked man was spotted below the dam in Bigfork. There’s no report as to why he was naked and below the dam. 9:17 a.m. Someone called in to report that a cat was on the top of a power […]

BOZEMAN – The country’s top public health educator will visit three Montana cities in an effort to curb underage drinking across the nation. Acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven Galson will be in Helena on Aug. 18, Butte on Aug. 19 and Bozeman on Aug. 20. Dan Haffey of the Butte-Silver Bow Health Division says Galson […]

HELENA – Barack Obama’s campaign is holding events over the next week for the opening of six offices in Montana. The campaign is opening offices in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula. It has previously announced the hiring of full-time staff. The Obama campaign has been spending money and running television ads in […]

Years ago, when I was romancing my wife Laurie, I convinced her that “I was a 14-year-old kid trapped in a senior citizen’s body.” That was then and this is now. I have just completed writing a book that is full of advice about how to live the second half of your life. This, incidentally, […]