The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Thursday included the following: 9:46 a.m. A gang of marksmen who shoot pink paintballs shot up a garage on Ranch Road. 10:46 a.m. A Kalispell man called in about some medication of his that was stolen three or four months ago. 11:58 a.m. Albert was arrested […]

Live Music: Friday: Can’t Hardly Playboys at Red’s; Silver’s Platter at The Cottage; Badwater Bill at Scotty’s; Smart Alex at Great Northern Bar; Mobile Beat DJ at Red’s Saturday: Fundraiser Concert for Student Ambassador at McGregor Lake Resort; Wayne Murphy & Matt Ford at Belton Chalet; Bluestone Trio at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake; Smart […]

WASHINGTON (AP) – Former Sen. Conrad Burns is no longer part of a federal investigation of jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Burns, R-Mont., narrowly lost re-election to a fourth term in 2006 after Democrats made his relationship with Abramoff a central issue. Abramoff is the key figure in a corruption investigation […]

KALISPELL (AP) – The Flathead County sheriff’s office is investigating a suspicious death. Authorities say a woman was walking outside the McGregor Lake resort in Marion Monday afternoon when she spotted a man face down in the snow. The man, who is in his late 50s, had been living at the resort. His name has […]

Thirty years ago I was producing a 20-minute film for The Fritzmeir Ski Company and The White Stage Ski clothing company in Park City, Utah. The working title was, “Stein Stork and the Chick” and featured Stein Eriksson, my daughter Chris and a leading professional ski racer whose name has slipped both from my memory […]

Whitefish has plans to build a parking garage and Bozeman recently broke ground on one. Other Montana cities like Missoula have had multi-level parking facilities for years. Kalispell doesn’t want to feel left out. After two years of negotiations between the city and Valley Bank, Ron Rosenberg, the bank’s president, said by early 2008 the […]

On the morning of New Year’s Day after a 36-hour drive, 12 down-clad people walked toward a statue of Lenin marking Antarctica’s Pole of Inaccessibility—the point farthest from every ocean. As the bust facing Moscow glinted under cobalt blue skies, they mused about the statue—was made of marble or ivory? Even by Antarctic standards, touching […]

Good morning and happy national Chocolate Covered Cherry Day. The news cycle appears to be picking up speed after the holiday break. On the Beacon this morning, Myers Reece writes about Kalispell’s consideration of a parking garage downtown. Warren Miller writes about being a ski bum in the 1940s, and the opportunity he missed to […]

What better way to ring in the New Year than by gliding across ice on steel blades with family and friends? The Flathead Valley contains numerous places to ice skate, from the Stumptown Ice Den in Whitefish to the new Woodland Park Ice Rink in Kalispell. But for those looking for something a bit more […]

KALISPELL (AP) – The Flathead County Sheriff’s Department says the death of a Columbia Falls man was an accident. Sheriff Mike Meehan says 57-year-old Stuart Nuss apparently slipped and fell, suffering a skull fracture. Nuss was found at his home on Dec. 27, after his wife in Oregon called police because she had not heard […]

The debate over how the U.S. should grapple with the possible nuclear aspirations of Iran is complicated and, unless you’re a diplomat or foreign policy expert, nearly opaque – at least from my vantage point here in northwest Montana. But it’s an issue significantly illuminated by the recent release of Persepolis, an animated film based […]

KALISPELL (AP) – A man who spent hours outside in a trench with his foot caught in an abandoned septic tank was hospitalized in serious condition and may lose an arm to frostbite. Flathead County officials say a 23-year-old man was found, unresponsive, at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators don’t know how long he had […]

Throughout my zoo career, I’ve been really lucky to have traveled the world and seen wildlife “up close and personal.” In fact, I’ve visited every continent – twice. However, there are some places that I haven’t explored with my TV crew as of yet, places that I hope to visit. That said, I’d re-visit many […]

BIGFORK – Outside you can see your breath. It’s among the coldest, shortest, days of the year. But inside is the sun. “I used to think metal working was hot,” says artist Lee Proctor, “until I started blowing glass.” “Where the Sun Lives” is written above the door in Proctor’s Bigfork shop. The door opens […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Wednesday included the following: 11:01 a.m. An employee at a golf club unintentionally set off a burglary alarm. 11:50 a.m. Deputies needed to track down a 14-year-old girl who didn’t turn up at school. She was hauled back to her parent’s house when she was caught […]