The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Monday included the following: 9:49 a.m. A young smoker at a Kalispell elementary school was caught with a stolen pack of cigarettes. 1:13 p.m. Two animal wardens were setting up devices to trap dogs on Kiwannis Lane. 4:13 p.m. A youngster stole three packs of cigarettes […]

WHITEFISH – Construction on a parking garage in downtown Whitefish should begin next year, while a street improvement project along Central Avenue and intersecting side streets is poised to follow in upcoming years, according to an engineering team that presented its conceptual design plans last week at the Roy Duff Memorial Armory. John Wilson, public […]

It’s easy to play the blame game after a fire season like the one many Montanans have experienced this year. Anger is understandable when some of our favorite places have burned, when livelihoods have been affected and thousands of acres of private property have been threatened or damaged, including my own place near Dog Gun […]

Good morning and happy Saturnalia. On the Beacon this morning, Becky Lomax writes about a Whitefish spa that relieves stress through massages with very, very hot rocks. In Columbia Falls, a Cub Scout troop has graduated to the Boy Scouts. A Kalispell man died over the weekend in an ATV crash. And a concerned citizen […]

Kalispell City Council will take up the proposal tonight by Wolford Development Montana to develop a 485-acre commercial and residential development, the Glacier Town Center. The council meets tonight at 7 p.m. at City Hall for its regular meeting, and will hear the developer’s presentation afterward in a work session at which no votes are […]

My birthday is Dec. 24. And, if you just sighed, groaned or thought, “Poor girl,” you’re definitely not in the minority. When I tell people what day I was born the reaction is nearly universal. “Oh, that sucks.” “I’m sorry, that must be really awful.” “Bummer. You must get really crummy presents.” Perhaps I’m just […]

Nearly a century ago last week, Roald Amundsen, his four men, and his 17 dogs reached the South Pole. Today, in four vehicles named for famous Antarctic sled dogs, the Norwegian-U.S. Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica plods toward the same pole. En route, one Whitefish woman drives Chinook across the barren white ice cap. No […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Sunday included the following: 1:21 a.m. Someone called in about a suspicious vehicle driving up and down Creston Road in Kalispell. When it parked in front of the neighbor’s house they called the Sheriff’s Department. Deputies talked to the driver who informed them they were only […]

In a ceremony at Grizzly Base Camp this past weekend, 5 new Boy Scouts “graduated” from Evergreen Cub Scout pack 48 to Boy Scout troops in Evergreen and Columbia Falls. Jacob K gets a new neckerchief from Troop 48 Eagle candidate Chris G. Cub Scouts move into Boy Scouts between the ages of 10 and […]

It’s Christmas concert time again in School District Six. This past Tuesday night, the freshman and sophomore bands showed us a taste of what’s to come over the next 2-3 years… Photos below. Two more opportunities to hear Columbia Falls bands before Christmas: This coming Tuesday (December 18) and this coming Friday (Jazz Cafe). Niccola […]

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – Divaldo Mbunga scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Montana State survived a late Wyoming rally for a 79-72 win at the Wyoming Shootout on Saturday. Mbunga helped put the game away with six free throws in the final 3 minutes after Brandon Ewing scored six straight Wyoming points to […]

MISSOULA (AP) – Sonya Rogers scored 16 points, including three 3-pointers, to help lead Montana to a 77-52 victory against Idaho on Saturday night. Laura Cote and Sarah Ena each added 10 points for Montana (6-3). The Lady Griz led 29-25 at the break — shooting only 39 percent from the field. But they hit […]

For the last month or so, I’ve had a feeling that Santa was lurking around in the old Toggery store where the Beacon staff works (except for those wayward contributor types like myself). But…I just didn’t have any evidence. It turns out that I was right. I’ve been speaking with editor Kellyn and he tells […]

MARION (AP) – A Kalispell man has been killed in an all-terrain vehicle crash in Marion. Flathead County officials say 28-year-old Troy Henry was riding an ATV early Saturday near Bitterroot Lake when he lost control of the vehicle and slid off the road. He was thrown from the ATV and was not wearing a […]

SAVANNAH, Tenn. (AP) – Gabe Le ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns to help Carroll College beat defending champion Sioux Falls 17-9 on Saturday for the Montana school’s fifth NAIA title in the past six years. After Sioux Falls (13-1) took a 6-3 lead on Ryan Lowmiller’s 1-yard run early in the second half […]