KALISPELL – A 23-year-old man was charged with negligent homicide Friday in the shooting death of a 19-month-old girl. Dwayne Smail appeared in Flathead County Justice Court, where his bail was set at $200,000. His arraignment was scheduled for March 27. Smail, who was taking care of Korbyn Eva May Williams, called 911 Wednesday night […]

Sen. Max Baucus on Friday called on federal environmental protection officials to declare a “public health emergency” in Libby after insulation that likely contained asbestos was found leaking from a small hole in an outside wall at an elementary school. Baucus, D-Mont., called for the declaration in a letter to Stephen Johnson, chief of the […]

More than 100 people expressed nearly unanimous opposition to a proposed boat storage and dock facility on Flathead River at a Flathead Conservation District public meeting Thursday night. Only one person spoke in favor of the proposed project which would create a commercial marina to launch and store private boats on 25 acres of unzoned, […]

DILLON – Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s budget director warned the Montana Board of Regents on Thursday that the next legislative meeting would be a “belt-tightening” session and urged campuses to curb energy consumption and better monitor student loan programs. David Ewer said that if the state’s university system intends to take its proposed $80 million in […]

Growing up within a bike ride of the Flathead River, I had no idea that my favorite river originated in British Columbia. I just knew that the Flathead River is special and its clean, cold waters were undeniable. As I grew older, I learned that the three forks of the Flathead come together in Bad […]

Good morning; today is the anniversary of the Monopoly game. Although, I must admit, I’m not exactly sure what aspect of the game’s creation is being celebrated: the patent or the invention? In our top story on the Beacon, a proposed marina on the Flathead River south of Creston drew heated opposition at a public […]

I’ve begun to approach my mailbox with a feeling of dread, but not of bills. I’m terrified there will be another pastel, hand-lettered envelope on thick, decorative paper from an address I can’t quite place at first. “Madison, Wisconsin? Do I know someone in Madison?” I think, and then, gradually, it dawns on me. For […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Thursday included the following: 8:03 a.m. A woman called in from Kila School after a man assaulted her. She denied medical assistance. 8:49 a.m. A Whitefish caller reported that someone was sleeping on the picnic tables in the state park. The person was done napping and […]

Longtime Flathead Valley broadcaster George Ostrom has left KOFI-AM after he says he was told not to air a story about a former station employee who has been indicted for mail fraud. Ostrom, 79, said this week that station manager and part-owner Dave Rae ordered him not to read a story on air Monday about […]

BIGFORK – Even as he proudly shows off the sustainable features of the Saddlehorn development, Doug Averill shies away from the terms “developer” and “green.” He didn’t intend to be either, he insists. What he and his partners planned just happened to fit the bill. Averill argues that Montanans have always been great environmentalists, acting […]

Authorities have arrested Dwayne Smail, 23, in relation to the Wednesday shooting death of an 18-month-old girl in Evergreen. Smail was caring for the child when she was shot in the head, Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said in a press release . The cause and manner of death is still under investigation, but authorities […]

Good morning; today is the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo. In our top local story, a toddler was shot in the head and killed in Evergreen Wednesday night. Authorities are currently investigating the girl’s death. Popular Flathead broadcaster George Ostrom has left KOFI after a dispute with the station’s manager over reporting on […]

Since my 83rd birthday is now four months behind me, I’ve become very comfortable with my age and it’s sure a lot better than the alternative. As a friend of mine who died at the age of 103 said, “The more birthdays you have, the longer you live.” My body still moves, but at a […]

Kathy Garber, the president of Mountain Meadow Herbs, Inc., runs a business borne out of one of the toughest times in her life. At 2 years old, Garber’s first child was diagnosed with severe kidney damage from a rare birth defect in 1995. Two years of medical treatment did little to help, and by the […]

What started out as way to overcome her shyness, Katie Hoag has turned into a valuable tool she will carry through life. “It’s a lot of work but you learn so much,” said Hoag, a 17-year-old junior on Flathead High School’s speech and debate team. “It’s not something you do in high school and then […]