BIGFORK – Schools here are catching the remodeling wave that has swept across the Flathead Valley. A ballot will start showing up in mailboxes after Sept. 19, due back by Oct. 9. The question before voters: whether to fund an $11.1 million high school bond and $5.5 million elementary school bond for renovation and expansion. […]

At 19, Miles Passmore aims to reinvigorate an aging industry

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Tuesday and Wednesday morning included the following: 9:43 a.m. Garbage was being dumped into Flathead Lake at the marina in Lakeside. 10:36 a.m. An angry driver threatened a flagger working road construction in Lakeside. The man, after being held up in traffic, said he would be […]

To anyone outside of Montana reading the news, you’d think the entire state was one big forest fire. While there are lots of fires, there are also lots of places that aren’t on fire, at least not yet. Interestingly enough, visitation at Glacier Park is up 11% this year, despite a very late opening of […]

Good morning and happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day. No, I’m not making this up. The sun is emerging after a much-needed rainy night in the Flathead, and the new Beacons are on the stands. Topping our site this morning is a profile of Miles Passmore, at 19, the youngest full-time farmer in the […]

HELENA (AP) – Oil and gas taxes and income taxes helped propel Montana’s fiscal year 2007 budget surplus to $544 million, about $85 million more than the Legislature expected when it set the state budget for the next two years, according to a new report. The Legislature has budgeted much of the surplus over the […]

HELENA (AP) – More than half of those eligible for the $400 Montana property tax rebate have received it. The director of the Montana Department of Revenue says that 133,000 households have received the rebate. A total of $100 million has been earmarked to pay for the rebate checks. Dan Bucks says 75 percent of […]

The preliminary map of the proposed Glacier Town Center looks like the framework for a new town. In the end, if approved as proposed, that’s basically what it will be. Tennessee developer James “Bucky” Wolford filed his development application with the Kalispell City Planning Department on Sept. 10 as the first step toward developing his […]

When Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality sent Larry Alheim to investigate citizen complaints of excessive dust in Flathead County, there wasn’t much to see. That’s because of the three roads he drove, Trumble Creek, Conn and Jellison roads, all were at a 100 percent opacity rate – meaning there was zero visibility through the dust […]

Monday night football. Try getting that song out of your head. But tonight was different. The “bah-bah-bah-bah, ba-dum,bum, bum BUMP” was only in your head. You’re at a JV football game at Columbia Falls High School. No radio. No tv coverage. No blimp. Still plenty of fun and excitement, as long as you’re from Columbia […]

The Kalispell Police and Flathead County Sheriff’s reports for Monday and Tuesday morning included the following: 10:26 a.m. A concerned neighbor reported a small beagle being neglected. The dog has no doghouse and sits outside on a chain day and night. 12:29 p.m. A cat was abandoned in Martin City. 2:04 p.m. There was a […]

Good morning and happy Independence Day to our Chilean readers. Today is booming with news at the local, state and national level. The back-and-forth between Montana’s senators, governor, and Canadian officials over proposed mining and drilling projects in the Canadian Flathead heats up. It’s a story likely to be ongoing for years, but Montana’s leaders […]

“I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.” –John Steinbeck, “Travels with Charley” I, too, am in love with Montana. In some degree or fashion, that love has played an important […]

KALISPELL (AP) – A Kalispell attorney apparently fell asleep while boating on Flathead Lake and ran the boat aground, causing extensive damage to his kidneys, which had to be removed. Stephen J. Nardi, 56, had been diagnosed with kidney disease nine years ago and Friday’s crash caused internal bleeding. Doctors had to remove his kidneys […]

I fly to Buffalo, N.Y., this week. Another old friend has opted to marry. As a groomsman, I have little responsibility: smile, usher and stay spry. At previous weddings, as a best man, the pressure of the speech always wore on me. Save for a few embarrassing tears, however, I stammered through the toasts better […]