HELENA (AP) – Just two days after Montana Republicans cast their delegates for Mitt Romney, the presidential candidate has suspended his campaign. Romney’s decision Thursday to suspend, and not withdraw, means he still maintains control of Montana’s 25 delegates to the national convention, along with those in some other states, said Erik Iverson, chair of […]

The attorney for Martin McGrew filed a complaint in Flathead County District Court Thursday against the city of Whitefish three days after the city council voted to remove him from his councilor position because of residency concerns. The complaint, McGrew said in an interview, was filed to clarify his residency status and to “prevent (the […]

HELENA (AP) – Mitt Romney captured Montana’s first-ever Super Tuesday caucus, earning all 25 of the state’s delegates to the Republican National Convention. Romney — the only candidate to visit the state during the campaign — won 38 percent of the vote with all 56 counties reporting. Ron Paul beat John McCain for second, earning […]

WEST GLACIER (AP) – Restoration of the historic Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is expected to cost an extra $100 million because of inflation in the construction sector, the National Park Service said Tuesday. The project originally was estimated to cost between $140 million to $170 million and take seven to eight years to […]

Good morning and happy birthday to President Ronald Reagan. And on the morning of Ronald Reagan’s birthday, Montana wakes up to the results of the first ever GOP caucus – from which Mitt Romney emerged the winner. It was an exciting night at the Flathead County caucus, and Ron Paul supporters dominated the crowd, but […]

While supporters of Ron Paul dominated the Flathead County Republican caucus with signs, cheering and supporters, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ultimately emerged the winner, taking 36 of the 75 votes cast. Paul won 25 of the votes. While Sen. John McCain may be a frontrunner elsewhere in the U.S., in the Flathead he came […]

HELENA (AP) – The Montana Quality Education Coalition filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking additional state funding for the 2008-09 school year, saying schools face budget cuts and potential layoffs. In the lawsuit, the coalition claims the state has not determined the costs of providing a “quality” public education nor established a funding formula based on […]

It may be wintry outside, but this week downtown Whitefish blooms into a colorful art hotspot. The works of renowned Flathead Valley artists grace Central Avenue windows and one gallery—both as fundraisers for two local organizations. The annual Winter Classic Art Show and Whitefish ArtWalk pull together nearly 50 works of art–sculpture, pottery, paintings, drawings, […]

Unless a federal program is reauthorized, Montana counties just received their last paychecks from a program that provides millions of dollars in funding for the state’s schools and roads, and the northwest part of the state will be hit the hardest. Flathead County could lose $1.3 million; Sanders County about $1 million; and Lincoln County […]

This seven part series is about making real, substantive steps to improving your business in seven weeks. Really. It doesn’t matter whether you are a butcher, baker or candlestick maker (or perhaps an attorney, insurance salesperson, or Realtor), these things will get you going in the right direction but they will not do a darned […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently deemed cloned meat to be as safe to eat as meat from traditionally bred livestock, but it still looks to be a tough sell in Montana, with a state representative already planning legislation opposing it, insiders in the meat industry expressing skepticism and a public that remains wary. […]

Flamboyant sportscaster Dick Vitale returns to television this week to call the Duke-North Carolina basketball game. And, to my surprise, I’m actually looking forward to it. There is plenty to criticize, as a person who loathes clichés, listening to Vitale’s often-inane commentary. But watching the college season progress, I have somehow missed his irrational catchphrases, […]

For Emily Wilson the similarity between a blank canvas and the empty ice is a possibility. “It has the potential to be anything you want it to be,” said the 17-year-old Whitefish High School student and member of the Whitefish Figure Skating Club. “As far back as I can remember (skating) has been a part […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Tuesday and Wednesday included the following: 11:33 a.m. Parents called in for backup because they couldn’t get their insubordinate 12-year-old to do their homework. 11:53 a.m. There was another out-of-control adolescent in Columbia Falls. 2:26 p.m. A female bar patron called in because her satchel was […]

If you feel like the past month has been colder and snowier than usual, you’re not imaging things. In a month marked with a school closure, icy roads and powder skiing, Kalispell recorded the lowest average temperature and the most snowfall of any January in the past decade. “Generally you see a decrease (of snow) […]