LIBBY – A Libby man has died following a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 2, west of Libby. Police say James Willman was eastbound on Saturday afternoon, pulling a load of hay, when the left front tire of his pickup truck blew out. He lost control of his pickup, which crossed into the opposite lane […]

Lincoln County authorities say a 67-year-old man was apparently shot to death at a campground near Libby over the weekend, and two suspects were being questioned. Heather Henson, 19, of Kalispell, and an unidentified juvenile remain jailed in Flathead County. The victim’s body was found around 5 a.m. Sunday, at the Sylvan Lake Campground in […]

BILLINGS – Organizers of a Montana bicycle trip from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park say they expect upward of 40 participants. Registration for the event billed as the Park-2-Park ride remains open. Cyclists will travel 400 miles. Each participant is expected to obtain pledges of money for the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, […]

A reader wants to know if marinating chicken breasts before baking them in the oven would keep them from drying out. The answer is that while marinating can enhance flavor, it can actually promote drying. The best way to ensure a juicy result is by brining the meat. That may seem counterintuitive, given that the […]

HELENA – With its latest rate increase confirmed last month by Montana regulators, NorthWestern Energy has electric rates 20 percent higher than any other major utility in the region. NorthWestern residential customers are now paying 10.2 cents per kilowatt hour. An analysis by Lee Newspapers shows that is 20 percent higher than the region’s second-highest […]

For any outdoor enthusiast, the vistas from the summit at Whitefish Mountain Resort are world class. Load your mountain bike on the Big Mountain Express/Chair 1 and enjoy the ride up, or lace up your hiking boots and explore the Danny On Trail, a 3.8-mile hike from base to summit. Any age or ability is […]

A Whitefish teenager convicted of negligent homicide for a 2007 traffic death has been placed on probation until he is 25. A judge Friday sentenced 16-year-old Phillip J. Wisnewski as a juvenile, but imposed a parallel sentence applicable if he violates terms of his probation when he’s an adult. Wisnewski was sentenced to 10 years […]

If you’re a skateboarder, you’re going to fall. At Kalispell’s Spirit Skate Camp, kids learn that falling isn’t failure. In fact, it’s what makes a skater strong. This summer marks the fourth year the city of Kalispell and Spirit Skate Shop have teamed together to teach kids about city skating ordinances, safety, etiquette and self-maintenance. […]

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress are used to working in an institution that gets no respect, but a recent plunge to the bottom of confidence ratings – and a week back home with constituents riled over gas prices – is raising alarms even on thick-skinned Capitol Hill. Some Democrats blame the Republicans, especially GOP senators […]

Controversy has exploded in Greenwich, Conn., where a group of teenagers built a Wiffle ball field in a vacant lot and are now at the center of a massive feud concerning liability issues on the property, drainage problems, and the value of the land where the diamond now sits. The story clearly touches a chord […]

GREAT FALLS – A Browning man has admitted he was drunk when he crashed his vehicle into an East Glacier couple’s car, causing the couple to suffer 30 broken bones between them. Robert Lee Welch pleaded guilty this week in federal court in Great Falls to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The 26-year-old is […]

HELENA – New census statistics show that Whitefish is the fastest growing Montana city since the start of the decade, while Billings remains the largest. The population of Whitefish increased by 60.6 percent from the 2000 census to 8,083 residents by the summer of 2007. But it is still only the 11th largest city in […]

Good morning; today is the birthday of Robert the Bruce, one of Scotland’s greatest kings. On the Beacon this morning, new census figures show that Whitefish is the fastest growing city in Montana, with a 60 percent population increase from 2000 to 2007. Kalispell comes in second, with 43 percent growth in that same period. […]

Sen. Barack Obama’s Fourth of July visit to Butte, already his fourth to our state is proof, if anybody needed any, that Montana in 2008 is indeed a “battleground” state. Democrats see an opportunity to change the electoral map in Montana where Obama ran well in the June Democratic primary. His message of change seems […]

Karina Ek, 20, was nervous the day she arrived at a Turkish bank to begin teaching English classes to the bank’s employees. Nerves turned to fear, though, when her first question received only passive stares. “I asked, ‘How are you today?’ and everyone just looked at me with blank faces; they had no idea what […]