HELENA – The state Department of Labor says Montana’s unemployment rate dropped a little after a spike in December. The January unemployment rate was 3.2 percent. That compares to 3.6 percent in December — which was the highest level since 2005. The national unemployment rate for January 2008 was 4.9 percent. Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly […]

HELENA – W.R. Grace & Co. has agreed to reimburse the federal government $250 million for investigation and cleanup of asbestos contamination blamed for sickening hundreds of people, some fatally, in the northwestern Montana town of Libby. Approval of a federal bankruptcy judge is necessary to cement the agreement announced Tuesday by the U.S. Justice […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Monday included the following: 8:09 a.m. Windows were broken out of the Evergreen School. 8:37 a.m. Someone ran over a dog and killed it. 8:53 a.m. Tires were stolen from a carport in Columbia Falls. 9:58 a.m. Someone on Liahona Court called in because their car […]

HELENA – Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer and his Republican challenger, Sen. Roy Brown, each will have to forfeit thousands of dollars in campaign money if they have no primary opponents by the March 20 filing deadline. Under state law, the maximum donation an individual can make to a candidate for governor is $500 for the […]

Along with monthly bills, postal mailboxes recently held something else for northwest valley residents. Ballots for the $21.5 million Whitefish High School Bond were mailed late last week to registered voters throughout Whitefish School District. The ballot arrived with several pieces, including directions, the ballot itself, and two return envelopes. Voters still have several weeks […]

Good morning and happy National Napping Day. It’s a brilliant, sunny morning in the Flathead. In Whitefish, ballots were mailed out last week for the $21.5 million high school bond. It remains to be seen if Whitefish will fare better than Bigfork on bonds. Libby’s drive-in theater will not be rebuilt. Since blowing down in […]

I’m only good at one type of food preparation – the kind that will make your sides soft and give your tummy rolls. For someone my age, I can hold my own when baking. My monster cookies, complete with peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips, pecans, and M&Ms, have earned me more than a few friends […]

MISSOULA – The University of Montana agreed to raise $75,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation as an inducement for the entertainer to perform a sold-out show on April 11 at the Adams Center. John’s AIDS Foundation has raised $125 million for AIDS-related work in 55 countries since 1992. The required donation is spelled out […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Sunday included the following: 12:58 a.m. Someone reported several men fighting on Main Street in Kalispell. 1:24 a.m. Someone called in to report a man and a woman fighting on First Avenue West in Kalispell. No medical assistance was needed. 1:45 a.m. A man in his […]

AUGUSTA, Maine – A legislative committee is embracing a 30-day residency requirement for driver’s license applicants, but exactly how residence would be proven remained elusive as lawmakers complained Monday that the federal government has been silent on the issue. The full Legislature is taking up the residency rule, a hot election-year topic, after an 11-2 […]

GREAT FALLS – A woman accused of punching a police officer as he escorted her from a chaotic Great Falls City Commission meeting has been convicted of misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct. Susan Overfield, of the Vaughn area, punched detective Art Schalin below the belt during the commission meeting June 19. A Municipal Court jury […]

HELENA – Commercials in the re-election campaign of Sen. Max Baucus are set to begin Monday, launching an advertising package with a tab exceeding the campaign funds raised by the Democrat’s Republican challengers. Baucus spokesman Barrett Kaiser said “substantial” advertising — enough that “you’d have to be living under a rock the size of Canada” […]

MISSOULA – A new study suggests that mechanically thinning old forests and clearing away deadfall creates poor habitat for the Canada lynx and its primary prey, snowshoe hares. “There are huge gaps in our knowledge about this species, so our research is seeking solutions on how to manage them,” said John Squires, the study’s lead […]

LIBBY – A drive-in theater where high wind last summer toppled the movie screen will not be rebuilt, the owner says. The reconstruction necessary for the Libby Drive In to meet building codes would cost too much, Bert Wilson said. The National Weather Service said the storm July 19 blew into the Polson area as […]

HELENA – The federal government is disbursing some $4 million in grants to encourage innovative uses of low-value trees and woody debris removed from national forests. Nearly one-fourth of the money is going to Montana recipients. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer on Friday announced the grants would go to 17 small businesses and community groups. Montana […]