HELENA (AP) – Several Democratic legislators joined union representatives Tuesday in pushing to improve pay and other compensation for workers at Safeway and Albertsons supermarkets in Montana. The lawmakers and union staffers told reporters in the Safeway parking lot here that pay and insurance offers at the bargaining table are inadequate. Pressure to improve them […]

BILLINGS (AP) – Former state Senator Sharon Estrada is accused in federal court here of stealing the $19,081 life savings of her ailing, elderly stepfather. Estrada was indicted on two counts of a wire fraud scheme and two counts of mail fraud alleged to have occurred from February to May. Estrada did not appear for […]

BIGFORK (AP) – A Bigfork High School student who collapsed on the first day of football practice and died a week later was remembered Tuesday as an avid reader who enjoyed fly fishing and other outdoor activities. Jeffrey Bowman moved to Bigfork from Denver just a few months ago, and had only spent one semester […]

Crews have the Black Cat fire burning near Evaro northwest of Missoula pretty well snuffed out. Wednesday morning the 11,754-acre blaze was 90 percent contained with full containment expected Thursday. Today crews will continue putting out smoldering logs, stumps and debris in the Frog Creek area and upper Mill Creek, the fire camp reports. Northeast […]

It’s something every Kalispell resident uses every day, yet rarely thinks about. It’s a part of the city arguably more important than roads, trash collection and elected officials. And it’s kind of stinky. It’s the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and it’s undergoing a massive expansion over the next year. Kalispell City Council approved an operating […]

Andre Floyd doesn’t carry a typical business card. Floyd, a linebacker-sized local musician wearing a straw hat slides his card across the table at a Kalispell coffee shop. A picture of a rainbow iguana sits at the top corner. The vivid color scheme more closely resembles a program for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Below […]

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester praised the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday, saying it was the right decision for the country. “Under Mr. Gonzales’ watch the Department of Justice was politicized to a level that we haven’t seen since Watergate,” Tester said. “I encourage the President to […]

It’s been a productive few days on the Black Cat fire burning near Evaro northwest of Missoula. Sunday, crews has the fire 60 percent contained, up from the 35 percent the day before. By Monday night, the fire had solid containment line around 70 percent of it — including on the northeast side, where homes […]

When political scandals break, like the latest involving U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, they are sure to consume the media cycle for at least 48 hours – examined from every angle and, in this case, reenacted by television newscasters. What’s unique about this latest breaking news is that it’s not breaking at all. Craig was arrested […]

Old time fly casters like me have sort of an attitude about whitefish. They compete with trout, right? And we only want trout, of course. When you catch one, it’s almost embarrassing. In fact, one of my fishing buddies makes me count every whitefish as a minus. So, if I accidentally catch two whitefish before […]

Montana fires had an active weekend, but for the most part, containment lines held through — in some places — red-flag winds. Most of the weekend action came in Western Montana, namely on the fires south of Missoula. On the Sawmill Complex south of I-90 and the Rock Creek area, the Fisher Point fire flared […]

Montana Republicans decided last weekend to move their presidential caucus up to February, with new party chairman Erik Iverson saying it will encourage presidential candidates to visit the state and enhance the relevance of our state’s delegates’ votes. Whether you agree with this move, and predictably the Democrats do not, there’s still this funny part […]

Bus drivers are dusting off the Whitefish school buses. While many Flathead kids continue summer vacation through Labor Day Weekend, Whitefish and Olney-Bissell students corral their pencils to go back to school Wednesday, August 29. For Central Middle School kids, it’s a chance to get into their new $10.2 million building. While some classes met […]

HELENA, Mont. (AP) _ Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Monday called a special legislative session for Sept. 5 so lawmakers can allocate more money to pay for fighting wildfires this summer. At a Capitol news conference, Schweitzer said he will request an additional $55 million that could be put toward this year’s firefighting efforts and next […]

Keep a close ear tuned for the UM Grizzly Marching Band this year, and you might notice a distinctly Columbian sound. The Columbians Jazz Band sound, that is. Five former members of the Columbia Falls High School Columbians Jazz Band are playing for the Montana Grizzly Marching Band this year: Brian Merseal, Jake Lutz, Nellie […]