Recently, we made a trip to Shelby, MT for a swim meet – a trip chock full of lessons. My mentor often talks about people’s actions not being congruent with their stated desires. I like that word – congruent. Behavior that isn’t congruent exactly describes a convenience store we stopped into on the way. The […]

COLUMBIA FALLS – When the storm died down on the night of July 18, the Libby Drive-In Theatre lay in shambles. A hundred miles east in Columbia Falls, the Midway Drive-In started its feature presentation, right on time. Kiersten Hoerner knows what she would have done if Midway fell. “I would have cried,” said the […]

MISSOULA (AP) – Montana’s economy continues to be highlighted by steady growth and low unemployment. For the sixth straight month, the statewide jobless rate has come in under 3 percent. This, along with 4.9 percent growth in nonfarm labor income in 2006, shows that Montana’s economy continues to grow steadily, said University of Montana economist […]

HELENA (AP) – The top four fires in the West burned in Montana on Wednesday as hot, dry weather continued to fuel blazes that threatened hundreds of homes on a day that would normally mark the beginning of the summer wildfire season. Drought has put most of the state two to three weeks ahead of […]

HELENA (AP) – Firefighting crews in Montana battled the four top priority wildfires in the West on Wednesday, blazes that have led to the evacuation of hundreds of people. In a normal year, Wednesday would have been the beginning of the summer fire season in Montana, but drought has put most of the state two […]

Representatives of several northwestern states including Montana, Canadian provinces, and large corporations converged on Anchorage, Alaska last week to attend the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region’s annual summit. But the event’s corporate sponsors, some of which seek to develop mining projects in the Canadian Flathead, have spurned protests by a state elected official and public advocacy […]

After stints on the Nigerian Olympic soccer team and the Los Angeles Galaxy – the new home of superstar David Beckham – Michael Nsien is coaching kids in a hayfield outside of Kalispell. It’s a nice place to find himself, he said. “It’s great here,” Nsien said. “Everyone’s friendly. Everyone says hello.” Nsien is in […]

I can’t fathom how many times I have used the sentence, “Man, I’ve got to get in shape.” Usually it’s delivered between heaves of sucking oxygen into my lungs at the top of an embarrassingly easy trail or bike ride. Sometimes I’m so winded I can only think the seven words and my shame grows. […]

In my role as the current President of the Rotary Club of Columbia Falls, lots of Rotary stuff slides across my desk (or email). Rarely is any of it of interest to everyone outside of the Rotary Club. Once in a while, a huge opportunity pops up that someone from Columbia Falls can take advantage […]

WASHINGTON (AP) – The head of the Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting in Libby, Mont., next week to discuss the agency’s asbestos cleanup efforts there. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Tuesday that EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson will take an Aug. 6 tour of cleanup sites in the area. That will be Johnson’s […]

Bigfork Volunteer Ambulance has the plans, the land, now they need the money. They’re building new facilities near the intersection of Highway 82 and Highway 35. “You want to be careful about residential areas,” says Tracy Norred, president of Bigfork Volunteer Ambulance, “you don’t want sirens blaring in the middle of the night.” Norred says […]

WOLF CREEK (AP) – Campers and residents of another 60 homes southeast of here were evacuated Tuesday after a wildfire in the nearby Gates of the Mountains Wilderness grew to at least 15,000 acres, or about 23 square miles, and continued to spread. Residents of about 20 homes in the area were asked to leave […]

Highway 2 was a revolving door Sunday due to the 5000 acre Skyland fire. When the road was open, pilot cars led bumper to bumper traffic at 35 mph from just outside of East Glacier to the flats near Zip’s Cabin – where it was released to travel normally. More info on the Skyland fire […]

HELENA (AP) – A highway south of Glacier National Park was reopened Sunday, just a half-mile from a wind-whipped wildfire that more than quadrupled in size, but a nearby lodge threatened by the flames remained evacuated. Near-record heat and low humidity levels also fueled blazes to the south and west in Montana, with similar conditions […]

Last Sunday night, a family of four from Darren, Ill., got a wallop of an unpleasant welcome to Whitefish. After landing late night at Glacier Park International Airport, they picked up their rental car and headed for their reservations at the Hibernation House at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Looking for the sign to point them up […]