WASHINGTON – The White House told members of Congress on Tuesday that the cost of the five-year farm bill is still too high, saying negotiators are using budget gimmicks to hide the real expense. The cost of the almost $300 billion bill and the amount of subsidies directed toward wealthy farmers remain the major sticking […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Tuesday included the following: 4:09 a.m. While in Columbia Falls for an unrelated incident, a deputy saw a vehicle stopped in the middle of Half Moon Road. When the deputy asked the driver why he had stopped in the middle of the road, the youngster told […]

For city dwellers in need of a break from frenetic urban life, Montana seems like a grandiose getaway. Perhaps they’ve seen the movie “A River Runs Through It” or are familiar with John Steinbeck’s “Travels With Charley.” But the question is: How many of these people can actually point to Montana on a map? Jan […]

I understand that some of you might feel “overwolfed,” but I thought the views of the man who probably did more to return the Big Dog to the Rocky Mountain West than any other person on Earth could be interesting. And surprisingly, he thinks it all turned out about how he expected. Back in the […]

While opportunities for new libraries in Kalispell and Bigfork were recently rejected, a possible new uptown location in Columbia Falls is a bright spot in what has been an otherwise tumultuous few months for the county library system. Last December, the library board voted to deny a proposal to move the Kalispell library into the […]

Yesterday’s Columbia Falls School District Six levy election had its highs and lows for those who balance the books in our schools. The $69K elementary school levy passed by 51 votes, 679 to 628. The $142K CFHS levy failed by 40 votes, 737-697. I asked SD6 Superintendent Mike Nicosia for his thoughts on the election. […]

WHITEFISH – Officials have identified a 52-year-old Whitefish man who was killed in a motorcycle crash south of Whitefish. Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Glen Barcus says it happened about 9 p.m. Sunday on state Highway 40, 2½ miles east of U.S. Highway 93. The victim was identified as Douglas Knudsen. Barcus says Knudsen had just […]

MISSOULA – A 26-year-old Libby man died in a weekend apartment fire. The Libby Fire Department says Travis Anderson died in the fire, which was reported at about 2 a.m. Saturday. Officials say the blaze started in Anderson’s apartment and spread to another apartment above a laundromat. The cause is under investigation, but appears to […]

Kalispell City Council voted unanimously Monday night to set up Government Access Channel 9. This government access channel will provide enhanced coverage of locally elected boards, commissions and councils, including that of Flathead County and other area municipalities. The channel would also provide information in the event of an emergency. Copies of televised programming will […]

WHITEFISH – It appears the next stop for the doughnut rollercoaster is the Montana Supreme Court. At the end of a lengthy council meeting Monday night, the Whitefish City Council voted 4-1 to appeal a recent district court ruling that essentially handed jurisdictional authority of the “planning doughnut” to Flathead County, removing it from the […]

Good morning and happy National Teacher Day. On the Beacon this morning, our top story is once again about the never-ending saga of legal battles over the “planning doughnut,” with the Whitefish City Council last night voting to appeal a district judge ruling, taking the case to the state Supreme Court. In Kalispell, the city […]

HELENA – State agencies have submitted requests to hire 245 new employees and to raise their general fund spending by $413 million over the next two years. The wish-lists submitted to the governor’s budget office represent the first stage in a lengthy budget process that ends next spring, when the 2009 Legislature will pass a […]

BOZEMAN – The Montana State football team has lost 1.5 scholarships and two hours of practice time per week because the players did not meet NCAA academic requirements. The NCAA released its report Tuesday. The Montana State football team’s grades are improving, but the four-year average is still below NCAA requirements. The Bobcat football program […]

They’re often called recession-proof – steady investments that are inexpensive and easy to maintain with consistent profit margins. Not to mention, they’re one area of real estate that seems mostly unaffected, if not helped, by current rough market conditions. They’re storage units and people always need them. And in the Flathead Valley, with a growing […]

Dust is part of Mike Block’s life. In a shop below his home, the owner of Whitefish Woodworks sands one-of-a-kind hand-built pieces of furniture. Dust clouds his short dark hair and lingers on his jeans until he vacuums it off. You can’t buy Block’s work in a store, nor order it out of a catalog. […]