HELENA – The Montana Republican Party says it is inviting Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger to the GOP summer convention and a public debate with the party’s endorsed candidate. A spokesman for Bohlinger’s re-election campaign with Gov. Brian Schweitzer says Bohlinger will not be going, and prefers a debate in a neutral setting. The Republican Party […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Sunday included the following: 2:12 a.m. A drunken woman called in complaining that her boyfriend had stolen her car. Later, though, she called back to say that she had found both her boyfriend and her car. 6:07 a.m. Four mailboxes were trashed on Lion Mountain Loop […]

PHOENIX – A voter-education group has kicked Republican John McCain off its board, saying he failed to fill out a political courage test on the issues. The test by Montana-based Project Vote Smart is a series of questions about candidates’ stances on abortion, defense, taxes and immigration, among others. The nonpartisan organization aims to provide […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Northwestern Energy says it wants to sell its unregulated stake in a Montana coal-fired electricity generating plant for $404 million. Bicent Power Co. LLC is an affiliate of Beowulf Energy and Natural Gas Partners. It has agreed to an all-cash for the purchase of NorthWestern’s approximately 30 percent interest in Colstrip […]

HELENA – Wildlife officials are scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss a proposal that would allow 75 wolves to be killed in Montana’s first ever state-sanctioned hunting season for the animal. The state’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission is set to meet in Helena to discuss the quota, which is consistent with a recommendation in […]

Good morning and happy birthday to Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are. It’s a gorgeous, tropical morning in the Flathead. Don’t get a sunburn! A public meeting is set for Thursday in Woods Bay to discuss the DNRC land swap. A 7-year-old Marion girl was flown to Seattle for treatment after being […]

Jim Dupont ensured Flathead County Commissioner Gary Hall will serve only one term, defeating the incumbent by a wide margin in the Republican primary. Early on election night, Dupont, a former Flathead County sheriff, jumped out to a big lead when the results of the absentee ballots were released; and he hung on to his […]

HELENA – A new Montana driver’s license is being rolled out this month. The makeover is aimed at making it one of the most secure driver’s licenses. State officials are touting the license’s multiple colors, duplicate photos, textured surface, hidden images and an easily noticed change to identify those too young to buy alcohol. The […]

Outside the window of our downtown Beacon office, it currently looks like the penguin scene from Planet Earth. I’m waiting for David Attenborough’s voice to come booming from the heavens: “They live like this nearly year round, these Montanans, physically ill-equipped for such conditions with their vulnerable human skin, yet logistically prepared for the worst […]

Managers of the Flathead National Forest are considering allowing lightning-caused fires to burn this summer if the conditions are right. While many wildfires will be fought, others can provide “a valuable tool for land managers,” said Steve Brady, Swan Lake district ranger for the Flathead National Forest. “Decisions to use naturally ignited fire as a […]

The U.S. House last week rejected a bill that would have continued a program for four years that provides millions of dollars in funding payments to rural counties hurt by federal cutbacks in logging. In Montana, counties rely on the program for funding for schools and roads, and the northwest part of the state will […]

HELENA – Two Republicans that lost to a former Green Party member in the U.S. Senate primary say they may seek the seat another way. Perennial candidate Bob Kelleher of Butte stunned Republicans and observers when he came out on top last week in a six-way Senate primary. Even though he has supported gun control […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Monday included the following: 1:18 p.m. A resident of Harbor Village called in to report that some people had defecated in the garden. 2:13 p.m. Someone from Lyon Mountain Drive called in to say that someone had just pulled into their driveway and turned around. 2:17 […]

Although rain kept crowds indoors, it didn’t dampen the spirits of bicycle racers. This weekend about 60 diehards showed up to race in Whitefish for the Fish Trails Omnium despite soggy conditions. Regardless of rain and slick roads, Saturday’s criterium still garnered fast sprinting, lead changes, and sharp cornering. “But you couldn’t lay into the […]

HELENA – Montana Democrats will send 17 delegates who support presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama and eight backers of Hillary Clinton to the Democratic National Convention in Denver in late August. Meeting in convention Sunday, Democrats elected eight delegates pledged to Obama and eight to Clinton. Those are in addition to the eight superdelegates — […]