HELENA (AP) – The Montana High School Association has fined Bigfork High School $50 and reprimanded the school for allowing a football player to practice without turning in proof he’d undergone a physical exam required for participation. Executive Director Mark Beckman said the school reported the violation, and the $50 fine and reprimand are the […]

Two men who allegedly fired rounds at Flathead County deputies early Thursday morning were caught several hours later. No one was hurt, but the suspects, who initially alluded capture, prompted law enforcement to set up three roadblocks in the Creston area. Donald Joseph Schwindt, 40, and Brian Daniel Rendon, 36, are parole violators from Oregon. […]

It is a common sight to see Meghan O’Connell step on the basketball court, put her toes on the line, eye the rim and, raising her hand to her forehead, make the sign of the cross and blow a kiss to the basket. “Oh God, I hope I make this free throw,” she tells herself […]

WHITEFISH – Cue Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood.” It’s the 1940s, and a maid enters the vintage pink British upper-crust living room. Edith is a slight, skittery thing, who can’t decide if she should run, walk silly, or march to perform her duties. She rattles off “Yes, Ma’am” with so little sincerity that you know […]

HELENA (AP) – The Democratic presidential nominee could have a chance at winning Montana in 2008 if Republicans offer a candidate weak on guns, Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Thursday. Schweitzer, in a lengthy interview with The Associated Press, said some of the Republicans seeking the nomination, particularly former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, would not […]

WASHINGTON (AP) – Legislation that would continue billions of dollars in payments to farmers won approval Thursday by a Senate committee, with critics pledging to work to reduce the subsidies. The five-year farm bill, approved unanimously by the Senate Agriculture Committee, would provide more than $280 billion for agriculture and nutrition programs and leave in […]

All eyes are on Whitefish city government. Council meetings attract large crowds where people cry, shout and accuse the city of totalitarianism. Lawns around town are dotted with campaign signs. A spat between the councilors and a county commissioner has spilled over onto the editorial pages. An election is approaching and everyone knows it. We […]

You couldn’t resist, could you? You saw that squat, perfect orange jack-o-lantern, helplessly grinning at you as it sat – defenseless – on my front porch. And you had to destroy it, leaving its remains strewn along Fifth Avenue West, with tire tracks through its shattered shell. I picked up the pieces on a gray, […]

The state football tournament is coming to Columbia Falls for the first time in three decades and the Wildcats aren’t surprised. They knew how good they were long before the rest of the state did. Using a multi-faceted running attack based on timing and fakes that often confuses spectators, not to mention defenders, the Wildcats […]

After Christmas, Halloween and Valentine’s Days provoke the highest holiday spending from adults. Is your business ready for it? No matter what kind of business you own, you can take advantage of Halloween in some fashion, have a little fun and generate some PR. Oh yeah – and make some sales! The obvious thing is […]

The coffee’s gone. That’s enough to catapult the office into panic. Twenty Whitefish High School actors lament the woes of running out of coffee in their upcoming musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” “We wanted a big fun musical to showcase the new stage,” says Director and Drama Club Coach Leslie Thomas. […]

Good morning and happy United Nations Day. It’s a blue, brilliant fall day in the Flathead, the Beacons are on the stands, and there’s plenty of news. The Flathead’s top story follows the disagreement over the tragic death of Bigfork teen Jeffrey Bowman. Bowman’s parents strongly disagree with a report issued by Bigfork High school […]

While the Flathead has a growing population of active, new residents, it also has a lesser-known population of active, dead residents – in other words, ghosts. Few have witnessed the valley’s ghosts but many have heard about them or know someone who has. Sightings range from West Glacier down to Kalispell, from well-documented legends to […]

HELENA (AP) – Officials have identified the victims of two recent highway crashes in western Montana. Williard A. Stockwell, 84, of Kalispell, died early Monday of injuries he suffered in a crash on Sunday afternoon. The patrol said Stockwell was stopped at a stop sign, but pulled out into an intersection into the path of […]