When it comes to energy issues and natural resource development, Gov. Brian Schweitzer and his main Republican opponent, Roy Brown, can agree on one thing: Montana produces roughly 40 million tons of coal per year. But that’s about it, with Schweitzer crediting Democrats for bringing Montana’s coal production to that level in the 1970s and […]

The skis are put away for the summer and the rust will be rubbed off of my golf clubs next weekend, but in the meantime I had to get our small boat into the water so I could make sure it would still float for yet another summer. I backed the trailer down to the […]

When the movie “Teen Wolf” was released in 1985, I was obsessed with it. The film, about a nerdy high school student who becomes a werewolf, starring Michael J. Fox, was a hit, spurring not only a sequel (starring Jason Bateman) but a cartoon series, of which I was also a fan. It was always […]

Seven-year-old Elizabeth Overcash may be a little too young to appreciate it right now, but her parents are building one of the coolest backyards any kid could hope for: a 4.5-acre laser tag park. “I figure around third or fourth grade she’ll start asking for a lot of sleepovers with say, oh, 25 kids,” Charles […]

It seems like an awfully long time since his backpack tipped him over during his first Boy Scout summer camp at Idaho’s Camp Cowles on Diamond Lake. Now Weston Bartkoski, an Eagle Scout from Columbia Falls Boy Scout Troop 41, is just weeks away from heading to a bigger “camp”: The U.S. Naval Academy at […]

In theory, farmers should be sitting pretty with record crop prices. In reality, they’re still pinching pennies, with the price of diesel and fertilizer also soaring. This year many farmers are putting a lot more pennies into their operations hoping to take advantage of market conditions, Mother Nature permitting. With more money out there for […]

This is the first in a series of articles about the use of technology for marketing purposes – by businesses in the Flathead. The easy one to select first is the real estate business. Why? Because the market is supposedly down and just about every real estate firm has a site. However, I’m troubled by […]

This year’s 2nd Annual Columbia Falls Arbor Day Festival on May 3rd brings a Native American spirit to the celebration of the tree-planting holiday. The event will feature Native American artists and singers, as well as arts and crafts vendors, food, and fun. A highlight of the day will be traditional music and singing performances […]

BISMARCK, N.D. – Leaders in the dry pea and lentil industry are wondering about an Agriculture Department prediction that the size of the crops will drop this year. With the cost of fertilizer soaring, plants like peas that put nitrogen back into the soil rather than take it out might be even more attractive to […]

Good morning and happy birthday William Shakespeare! Sorry for the late buffet today, folks, I was at a school board meeting until the wee hours last night. The snow is, sigh, once again covering the ground and the new Beacons are on the stands. Our top story looks at whether area farmers are really benefiting […]

BIGFORK – The proposed sale of a parcel of school trust land near Woods Bay drew heated opposition from neighboring landowners and local residents at a public meeting here last week. The Montana Department of Natural Resources is considering selling the 440 acres as part of the state’s Land Banking program – legislation which is […]

Before I’m ordered to the leave the state due to my lack of Montana brawn, let me explain: I like cold weather, snow, Christmas and Norman Rockwell paintings that include frozen ponds. I tell stories, often with a hint of bravado, about the treacherous winter mornings I endured in Bismarck, N.D. I’m cold-blooded, but I’m […]

The Bigfork community has a chance to hear and comment on the stormwater drainage system tonight. At 7 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Church on upper Electric Avenue an engineering firm will present its report. Morrison-Maierle Inc. will point out the problems it identified in the system, issue recommendations for upgrades, and outline the […]

Before all the non-flycasters get excited about the headline, I should say that I like all kinds of fishing, not just fly-fishing, a problem that has made my life a constant struggle against poverty. In fact, I have more spinning and baitcasting rods than fly rods, and probably use them more, too. Nonetheless, today, I’m […]

BONNER – Ninety-two workers at Stimson Lumber Co. that face an indefinite layoff from the Bonner plant in mid-May are being urged to start considering their future plans. Stimson workers were briefed Tuesday on their options for retraining, education and other prospects by a variety of government agencies. “There are some of us who are […]