Good morning and happy national Bike to Work Day. I biked to work today, so I’m feeling nicely morally superior. With high temperatures predicted for the next several days, the Weather Service predicts flooding in the Flathead, possibly beginning as early as Sunday. A federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling against W.R. Grace […]

I am aware that others have written eloquently on this subject, most particularly, Richard Atkinson. However, I feel compelled to add my own voice to what has become an unfortunately divisive issue. I am one of those terrible “doughnut” people described by Jan Metzmaker. Seven years ago, after spending a week skiing on the mountain […]

COLUMBIA FALLS – As community groups in Columbia Falls work to revitalize the uptown district and draw new businesses, it appears the town is becoming an antique hub in the Flathead, with several existing stores and another opening soon on U.S. Highway 2. “It’s easy to say let’s do something with Columbia Falls, or let’s […]

Glacier High School tracksters know the road to state is difficult and unforgiving. It’s definitely not soft – after all, there isn’t a track at the school. The Wolfpack runs on the street. “There have been some bumps and bruises along the way,” Glacier High School girls head coach Jerry Boschee said of taking to […]

Here’s a clue that you’re reading, watching or listening to a political pundit or reporter utterly bereft of story ideas: They are discussing the prospect of a Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton “Dream Ticket.” Type those words into Google and enjoy a torrent of speculative, pointless copy serving no purpose other than to take up sufficient space […]

HELENA – Montana’s unemployment rate crept to 3.8 percent last month, compared to 3.6 percent in March. The national rate fell to 5 percent, down from 5.1 percent in March. The Montana Department of Labor and Industry released the state figures. Montana Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly says the state added more than 4,500 jobs last […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Thursday included the following: 9:28 a.m. An angry Lakeside resident called in because a husky killed two of his little ducks. 9:59 a.m. An irritated woman reported that her neighbor was standing in her driveway with a transient. 11:54 p.m. There was something burning on top […]

Live Music: Friday: Can’t Hardly Playboys at Red’s; Silver’s Platter at The Cottage; Good Wood Trio at Raleigh’s; Rudy and Gena Mendez at Las Caporales; Big Daddy and the Blue Notes at Ricciardi’s (also Saturday); Badwater Bill at Scotty’s; Déjà Vu at Great Northern (also Saturday); DJ Q at Finish Line; Sonny King at Blue […]

Early in April, I attended the 70th Intermountain Logging Conference in Spokane. This year, we heard the gospel from such public-sector big shots as Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, Idaho director of state lands George Bacon and Washington lands commissioner Doug Sutherland. But a panel featuring three big private-sector wheels – Mike Covey, CEO of Potlatch; […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Tuesday included the following: 11:44 a.m. A Burlington Northern Santa Fe employee called from a Texas office to report that a reckless blue and yellow helicopter dropped down right in front of a train near Whitefish. 12:02 p.m. A gun was stolen out of an unlocked […]

An unusually cool spring and ensuing stubborn snowpack have local officials preparing for the worst. Comparisons have been drawn between the current conditions and those leading up to the catastrophic 1964 flood – an event that, if it were to occur today, would decimate areas where development has boomed in past decades. At last Friday’s […]

WASHINGTON – Farm bills attract many critics. When it comes time to vote, however, it’s hard to say no. So it was on Wednesday when 100 Republicans abandoned President Bush as the House overwhelmingly passed the latest five-year farm bill, a $290 billion measure sent to the Senate with more than enough supporters to override […]

Good morning and happy Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week. On the Beacon this morning, Myers Reece writes about Darlene Wilcock, a 26-year-old Kalispell woman who was murdered here five years ago. Her family and local police are still searching for her killer, but the case has gone cold. An unusually cool spring and […]

Kalispell Mayor Pam Kennedy announced Thursday her endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Kennedy, who introduced former Pres. Bill Clinton at a rally for his wife Tuesday, said in a prepared statement, “Hillary Clinton has been standing up for women and families throughout her long career in public service. She is the candidate who […]

Within three minutes of the finish of the 2008 Kentucky Derby the second place finisher Eight Belles was dead. She fractured both front legs on a very expensive and perfectly prepared dirt track. Why? Here’s my answer in the form of a question. How can a cowpony run down a rock strewn hillside, across a […]