Good morning and happy birthday to Michael Phelps, the U.S. swimmer who just broke another world record and is aiming for a record seven gold medals – or more – at the 2008 Summer Olympics. On the Beacon this morning, wildfires are raging in California. Lido Vizzutti gives a suggestion of how to spend a […]

Bigfork’s 4th annual Relay for Life fundraiser needs a boost. “It’s just been kind of slow,” says Jolene Bradstreet, Chair of Team Development for the Relay. Bradstreet says they have 21 teams currently, down from 29 last year. But there’s still time to get involved, and Bradstreet is hopeful. “Last year I had 4 or […]

Kalispell City Council meets tonight at 7 p.m. to tackle three issues: –The council will vote to allow city employees to pay bills as the 2008-2009 fiscal year begins July 1. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for July 21. –Council must decide whether it will provide matching funds for a federal grant […]

LANDER, Wyo. – Wyoming’s chief wildlife manager said he believes it’s currently impossible to purge brucellosis from bison and elk in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Brucellosis is endemic to the elk and bison populations in the Yellowstone region, said Terry Cleveland, director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the tools don’t yet exist to […]

Standing just below the summit of Kalispell’s Lone Pine State Park, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., Monday announced the purchase of 320,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber Company-owned land by two conservation groups, calling the deal, “the largest land purchase, for conservation purposes, in American history.” Dubbed, “The Montana Legacy Project,” The Nature Conservancy and The […]

HELENA – Barack Obama is planning a stop in Montana as part of a swing through battleground states this week. The campaign also unveiled another TV ad in Montana, its second since carrying the state in the June 3 Democratic primary. Obama plans to spend all week in the run-up to the Fourth of July […]

When I learned to cook, the first meat I tackled – even before ground beef – was lamb. In fact, the first full “gourmet” meal I cooked was for my then future wife and to this day we call it, “The Seduction Dinner.” Treat your lamb right and you will be rewarded with outstanding taste, […]

The Columbia Falls Swim Team traveled to Plains over the June 22-23 weekend to open their season, hoping to put on a good performance in head coach Mike Nelson’s debut meet. Nelson wasn’t disappointed, despite rival Bitterroot having a 5 to 1 advantage in swimmers entered. Columbia Falls finished second, behind Hamilton’s powerhouse team. Lexie […]

Just minutes from downtown Kalispell, the public beach at Foys Lake is the perfect spot for a quick getaway and quick swim. A large dock horseshoes from the bank allowing ample space for sunbathers and swimmers to enjoy the summer heat before cooling down. The lake is shallow enough to keep the temperatures much warmer, […]

WEST GLACIER, Mont. (AP) _ Glacier National Park officials celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Going-to-the-Sun Road on Friday and said they expect the scenic route will be open to Big Bend by noon Saturday. More than 500 people gathered at Lake McDonald Lodge for the ceremony, which was moved from its traditional location at […]

For a group of kids bonded by their love of swimming, there aren’t many lazy summer days. Practice begins at 6:30 a.m. at the Woodland Park lap pool, Monday through Friday, which is actually a late start compared to the school year’s training schedule: 5:30 a.m. practice, five days a week. With the Kalispell Aquatic […]

WASHINGTON – Montana’s congressional delegation is praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affirming an individual’s right to own handguns. Montana Sen. Jon Tester said the decision was “one heckuva victory” for gun rights. Tester, a Democrat, filed a brief in February along with Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas that urged the justices to […]

HELENA – Attorney General Mike McGrath says a Supreme Court decision declaring the death penalty too harsh for child rapists means Montana will have to address its law on the issue. McGrath, however, says there are no immediate effects because neither of the state’s two death row inmates was sentenced under the law. The U.S. […]

When Whitefish resident Ron Scharfe first had the idea for a specialty wine, cheese and meat shop 10 years ago, he tabled the business venture because he didn’t feel the valley was ready for it. “With any specialty shop, whether it’s outdoor gear or wines and cheeses, it’s especially important that you have a solid […]

HELENA – John Driscoll was not surprised, like most everyone else was, that his anti-campaign prevailed in this month’s Democratic primary — and gives himself a “50-50” chance in November against Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. But Driscoll, 61, is adamant his congressional bid will not involve any money or fundraising. The retired National Guard […]