The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the D.C. gun ban Thursday morning, a decision that quickly sent the U.S. capital into a tizzy. Conservatives lauded the decision as a victory for individual rights. The Republican Study Committee quickly issued a statement that declared: “D.C. residents will finally have the same rights as their countrymen to […]

The crossroads of Highway 83 with Swan and Echo Lake Roads forms a small, fairly transient, Echo-Swan community. During the winter, the corner bustles at 8 Am and 3 PM when parents and kids converge on and depart from the Swan River School. Summertime sees cars scrambling for parking at the Echo Lake Café, and […]

Al Gore narrated a movie, and for doing so got an Academy Award and a Nobel Peace Prize. From his global warming platform an entire worldwide industry has sprung up. Tens of thousands of jobs have been created to paint the world green. What about painting the ocean blue? Since the oceans cover more than […]

For the two Glacier National Park wildlife biologists who monitor over 70 mammal and 260 bird species, research needs have heaped into a mountain. Scant dollars permit the pair to share only four seasonal science technicians who are funded mostly to monitor wildlife along major park roadways. “There is little opportunity for wildlife technicians to […]

While few leads have surfaced since May in the case of a rash of vandalism against developments by a self-proclaimed anti-sprawl group, the crimes have brought together three groups that don’t always see eye to eye. Conservation group Citizens for a Better Flathead, the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors and the Flathead Business and Industry […]

3:24 a.m. Law enforcement suggested that an early morning dialogue between tenter’s come to a dull roar. The two parties relented and a quieter debate took place. 6:01 Smoking brush was reported near Columbia Mountain. 8:09 There was a black cow in the road. 8:48 a.m. Fishy goings was the report in Lakeside. When authorities […]

“I am fascinated by antiques because they are like a history lesson,” says Karen Monaghan of Whitefish. “They can tell us how people lived in the past.” This weekend, Monaghan parlays her love of antiques into producing the eighth Big Sky Antique Fair at the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center. Starting Friday evening, 19 dealers from […]

Despite a shaky economy and sagging vacation spending nationally, the Flathead’s tourism industry should see a strong summer as international travelers take advantage of the weak dollar, compensating for any penny-pinching by Americans. With the prevalence of vehicles sporting Canadian license plates, crowded sidewalks and boats being towed to and from lakes all over the […]

Disclaimer – A couple of friends and a few of my Scout troop’s parents work at KRMC. Finally, Northwest Healthcare Foundation (whose primary purpose is to keep the ALERT helicopter in the air, financially speaking) is a client to the tune of $100 a month. $100 is not likely a big enough amount of cash […]

Good morning; on this day in 1876 the Battle of Little Bighorn began. In the Beacon this morning, we look at the sunny forecast for this summer’s tourist season in the Flathead. Vintage WWII bombers are coming to the Flathead, and one local vet will reunite with the same kind of plane he was shot […]

HELENA – Republican gubernatorial candidate Roy Brown has challenged Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer to debate him 18 times across Montana this fall. Schweitzer’s campaign said the governor would agree to five televised debates. In a letter to Schweitzer on Tuesday, Brown suggested two debates in Billings along with debates in Missoula, Butte and Hamilton. Brown […]

GREAT FALLS – Longtime Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Earl Old Person was ousted in tribal elections Tuesday. Unofficial election results show Henry Butterfly received 1,860 votes to Old Person’s 999 in the Browning District to win a spot on the Tribal Business Council. Butterfly said he won because voters wanted change. Old Person is also the […]

Welcome back, class. Let’s dig out that copy of the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 (MUSYA) you saved in your computer from last time, specifically MUSYA Section 4(b): “‘Sustained yield of the several products and services’ means the achievement and maintenance in perpetuity of a high level annual or regular periodic output of […]

Big changes might be in store for downtown Kalispell. After being tied up in litigation for nearly three years, the Kalispell Business Improvement District (BID) is back on its feet, freeing up more than $100,000 to be spent on revitalizing downtown and opening up the possibility for hundreds of thousands of more dollars in the […]

12:34 a.m. A stolen silver Subaru Outback with Idaho plates was found wrecked west of Kalispell. It’s not clear where the vehicle was stolen from. 5:30 a.m. Just before sunrise a suspicious woman was spotted looking for something on the west side of Kalispell. It turned out that she was trying to find a ride. […]