The family of Jeffrey Bowman, a Bigfork teenager who collapsed on the first day of high school football practice and died a week later, says an investigative report contracted by the school “is an insult to our late son, his family and the community.” The 24-page report detailed the conclusions of Elizabeth Kaleva, a Missoula […]

HELENA (AP) – The University of Montana women’s basketball team, which returns the top seven scorers from last year’s 27-4 squad, is favored by league coaches and media to repeat as league champion. The defending regular-season champions received seven first-place votes and a total of 63 points in the coaches poll, followed by last year’s […]

MILWAUKEE (AP) – A study by an insurance company says Montana is seventh in the nation when it comes to the likelihood of a motor vehicle hitting a deer. State Farm Insurance based its rankings on claims data from the last half of last year and first half of this year along with motor vehicle […]

Montana makes plenty of lists. Its cities are often ranked in glossy magazines and touted as “most desirable places.” And for those of us who have lived here for any stretch of time, the response to the accolades is a collective shrug. But a recent list caught my eye, and not because we were on […]

SEATTLE (AP) – Plum Creek Timber reports third-quarter profits declined 36 percent to $59 million. Revenue declined 10 percent compared with the same period a year ago. The Seattle timber company says much of the shortfall is the result of moving land sales from the third to the fourth quarter. The company also says the […]

The Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Monday included the following: 9:32 a.m. Someone deliberately broke the main control screen for a red ditch witch plow on Twin Lakes Road in Whitefish. The damage is estimated to be over $1,000. 9:40 a.m. A woman called in worried because she hadn’t heard from her ex-husband in 10 […]

Good morning, and a happy, healthy TV Talk Show Host Day. It’s a sunny, relatively warm morning in the Flathead and looks to be a beautiful day. Check out Mark Riffey’s mind-blowing photo of Bowman Lake, taken last weekend on a Boy Scout camping trip. Plum Creek Timber Company’s earnings dropped drastically in the third […]

I try to keep up with as many national and international headlines as I can, partly because I’m curious and partly because I think it behooves me in my profession to stay up to date. The Internet makes it simple to look at dozens of headlines, from different sources, in a few minutes. News is […]

NEW YORK (AP) – Railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. said Tuesday its third-quarter earnings rose 8 percent, beating Wall Street expectations, as cost controls and agricultural growth offset high fuel costs and overall market softness. Shares rose more than 4.5 percent, or $3.77, to $86.77. The company, which is a major shipper of […]

The Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Tuesday included the following: 7:01 a.m. The three boys that escaped from the Wilderness Treatment Center Monday were caught after robbing a mercantile in Marion. Two were sent back to the treatment center and one was taken to Juvenile Detention Center. 10:51 a.m. A worried Slough Road resident called […]

The Kalispell City Council candidates were asked the following three questions: 1. What separates you from other candidates? 2. What are specific things Kalispell should do to create affordable housing? 3. What is another key issue facing Kalispell and why is it important? Name: Richard “Rick” Hull, Candidate for Ward 3 Age: 58 Occupation: Appraiser […]

HELENA (AP) – A Billings Republican says he is getting closer to announcing plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus. Kirk Bushman, who works at an engineering firm and has not previously run for office, set up a campaign committee earlier this month and filed an initial fundraising […]

Monday evening, we attended the Special Board Meeting at Bigfork High School where we finally received the report from the school’s lawyer regarding the circumstances surrounding our son’s death. Although we were hopeful it would be truly independent and without bias, we were sadly disappointed. The report from the school’s hand-picked attorney is an insult […]

26 – Touchdowns thrown by Brock Osweiler, a school record, with one regular season game left 5 – Touchdowns thrown by Osweiler last game in 47-20 win over Missoula Hellgate 64 – Receptions this year by Michael Gallagher, tops in the state and second most in school history 987 – Receiving yards for Gallagher this […]

29 – Consecutive victories for boys soccer team going into state championship game against Libby 8 – Goals scored by boys soccer team in state semifinal, an 8-0 win over Livingston 236 – Combined kills by volleyball standouts Ashley Ferda and Brielle Menegazzi, top tandem in conference 5 – Categories volleyball team ranks No. 1 […]