SOMERS (AP) _ A 14-year-old boy died here Tuesday after he was hit by a vehicle driven by an off-duty Montana Highway Patrol trooper. Dane Shattuck, of Somers, was attempting to ride his bicycle across U.S. 93 at the intersection with Montana 82. He was struck by a vehicle that was southbound on U.S. 93 […]

My experience with questions in blogs, columns and other publishing is that if one person asks a question, there are 100 more with similar questions. I’ve written columns for trade magazines such as Cast Polymer Connection (CPC) and it has borne true over time. Speaking of CPC, if you are in the polymer business (boats, […]

HELENA (AP) – A Republican state senator from Polson says he will vote for Democratic Sen. Max Baucus next year if Republicans nominate state Rep. Michael Lange, R-Billings, to oppose Baucus in the U.S. Senate race. GOP state Sen. John Brueggeman said that some other Republican legislators share his view, and he felt it was […]

Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester are on the brink of securing $6 million in federal funds they requested to complete the long-awaited U.S. Highway 93 bypass. The Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development set aside the money for the project in a fiscal year 2008 spending bill, the lawmakers announced in […]

Don Scharfe remembers the “Crazy Day” sidewalk sales in the 1970s: hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people strolling through downtown Kalispell, merchants hawking their goods on the sidewalk and Flathead’s sprawling community coming together in the heart of its biggest town. It wasn’t just about finding cheap deals – it was about downtown. “Everything was here […]

On the social networking Web site, facebook.com, the reaction to the newly named Whitefish Mountain Resort – formerly Big Mountain – is anything but friendly. A group named “Save Big Mountain” has 225 members, and it’s the most politely titled discussion thread out of the three on the site regarding the name change. Another 104-member […]

Buildings in Bigfork are getting higher, and Bigfork Fire is trying to catch up. “If we had to rescue someone from a third story, we couldn’t reach them,” says Chief Chuck Harris. “Rather than waiting ‘till we have an incident, we want to prepare.” Currently, Bigfork Fire has a 35-foot ladder they fold off the […]

Broadway is back in Whitefish with the Alpine Theatre Project’s production of Godspell. Montana’s only professional equity summer theater kicks off its summer series with this rock musical based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew. “It’s our goal is to expose Whitefish to excellent talent,” said Whitefish native Betsi Morrison, director of Godspell and […]

I have had this problem all my life. When it comes time to sleep, I have a difficult time shutting off my brain. I started combating this with a simple distraction – audiotapes of old radio shows. I plug my headphones in, pick out one cassette tape from my collection of old time goodies, and […]

Kelsea Kimmerly finishes up her 100m backstroke, placing 3rd. Lexie Bartkoski butterflies her way to a 3rd place finish in the 200 individual medley. Boys 8 & Under 100 SC Meter Freestyle Relay 1, Conrad Swim Team ‘A’ (Cassidy, Jerry 7, Dugan, Nolan 8, Vanderbush, Brad 8, Cassidy, Shawn 8), 1:41.85. 2, Bitterroot Swim Team […]

The idea of a huge moose with metal-plated armor is disturbing, but thankfully the one outside of the new Sportsman Ski Haus isn’t alive. The foundry where it was created, however, is full of life. Welders, screeching grinders, clinking metal and ovens burning at 2,500 degrees make for a lively atmosphere at Kalispell Art Casting, […]

There are several guarantees in journalism, one of which is if the temperature breaks a heat record the dailies will lead with a photo of children running through a sprinkler. People love reading about weather, love talking about it while waiting in line for a coffee. “It’s hot outside,” is a perfect conversation-starter. Newspapers must […]

On Saturday, 800 hikers will find an easier trail for their annual trek. Instead of a grunt nearly 2,400 feet up to the summit of Big Mountain, the annual fundraiser for Flathead Industries swaps to a different route this year with a lot less uphill tromping. “We’ll start at the village and end at the […]

Things are getting a little hot over on the Thompson River. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has established a fishing closure on the entire Thompson River between 2 p.m. and midnight. The closure takes effect at 12:01 a.m. July 10. The closure is necessary to protect trout in the river from the stress of being […]

If you’re exploring Glacier National Park, continue your education at the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell. The museum’s “Crown of the Continent: Glacier National Park Permanent Exhibit” focuses on the history art inspired by the park and the Great Northern Railway through the brushes, lenses and words of artists. At the turn of the […]