Whether you’re looking for the valley’s best party spot or family-friendly activities for your Fourth of July celebrations, this guide aims to point you in the right direction from sunrise to sundown. Many of the holiday’s more traditional events like parades and local fairs are already featured on our events page, so we’ve used this […]

POLSON – Inside the Miracle of America Museum, you are invited to observe the splendor of human curiosity. What was once someone’s old toolkit is now part of an era’s story. What used to be a defunct John Deere tractor rotting in a field is now a tribute to early agriculturalists. For Gil Mangels, nothing […]

BIGFORK – Kim Jones can tell you exactly what time it is in Kalsu, Iraq. It’s easy, she says. Subtract three hours from whatever time it is here in Montana, then flip it from a.m. to p.m. or vice versa. So on a recent day around noon, she knew it was 9 p.m. in Kalsu, […]

8:10 a.m. Hand tools and cash came up missing from several cars at the Flathead Yacht Club. 9:54 a.m. A woman suspected her home had been broken into, but when deputies investigated they didn’t find any evidence. 11:27 a.m. Someone in California called in to report that his pistol was stolen. The man said he […]

Every Fourth of July, Americans celebrate the day we claimed independence from Great Britain. We fly flags outside our homes and wear the red, white and blue on our shirts. We make speeches praising our nation’s heritage, laws, history and people. But, for many of us, I think the holiday conjures up images of more […]

On Thursday July 3 at 10 am on the Columbia Falls Junior High football field, a celebration of the life of Columbia Falls Junior High School teacher and coach Joe Greene will be held. The family asks that casual summer clothes be worn to the celebration.

7:07 a.m. Vandals broke the windows out of several vehicles near Arbour Drive. 7:49 a.m. Someone on Granite View Drive in Kalispell reported the theft of a wakeboard and $150. 8:37 a.m. Binoculars and a spare key were stolen from a vehicle in Kalispell. 11:38 a.m. Someone called in to report that a car keeps […]

HELENA – Barack Obama’s campaign says the presidential candidate will be in Butte with his family for the Fourth of July, and it also announced plans to expand its Montana operation. Obama is making the Friday stop as part of a swing through battleground states this week. His campaign confirmed Tuesday that the Democrat will […]

Hikes in the costs of oil-based products like asphalt and fuel are stretching Flathead County’s budget thin, forcing county officials to consider funding cuts or decreased services while preparing next year’s budget. The hardest hit departments are the county’s largest and most fuel-dependent: Flathead County Road and Bridge and the Sheriff’s Department. The combined fuel […]

With the recent same-sex marriage ruling in California, more and more businesses are going to be faced with making serious, perhaps business/life-altering decisions about their operations. One excellent example is the case of New Mexico wedding photographers who refused to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony in 2006. Earlier this year, the state of New Mexico’s […]

Good morning; on this date in 1962 the first Wal-Mart opened in Rogers, Arkansas. On the Beacon this morning, increased oil prices have effectively forced the county to curtail any road improvements for the coming year. A retired major general in Bigfork met to discuss national security strategy with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Two […]

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the dilemma facing the Montana Land Board – what to do with extremely valuable state land near rapidly growing municipalities. A small section of the Stillwater State Forest on the outskirts of Whitefish is an excellent choice for establishing a new policy where managing for outdoor recreation, watershed, wildlife […]

POLSON – Polson will soon be advertising for a new city manager. City Manager Jay Henry submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday and will become city manager in Talent, Ore. Henry has served in Polson since July 2007. He was Polson’s first city manager after voters in 2006 elected to change from a mayoral form […]

Flathead County commissioners sent a letter to the Whitefish City Council Wednesday, notifying the city of its intent to move forward with plans to take over jurisdiction of the “planning doughnut.” The letter said the county would be willing to consider a settlement, but put the onus on the city for any proposals. “There’s nothing […]

A public hearing attended by hundreds at Flathead Valley Community College on open-cut gravel mining served as a preview for how the controversial issue will play out in the 2009 Legislature. Predictably, views between gravel pit operators diverged wildly from those of most homeowners who live near gravel pits, but everyone agreed state lawmakers must […]