America’s honeybees are dying in droves, and while scientists have figured out the reasons behind some of the deaths, a comprehensive explanation for the phenomena still eludes the research community. You may have read about the bee die-off, known as Colony Collapse Disorder or C.C.D., in a national newspaper. You may have clicked on one […]

Montana has good beer, but maybe even better beer names. Moose Drool. Cold Smoke. And that aptly Montanan name, Trout Slayer. Trout Slayer Ale has long been one of Bayern Brewery’s most popular beers, though Bayern recently discontinued it. While Bayern is in Missoula, the “Trout Slayer” name comes from Kalispell. It is one of […]

KALISPELL (AP) – A woman who said she accidentally shot her husband during a domestic altercation in 2005 was sentenced Thursday to probation. Rebecca Braunig-Haag, 52, originally was charged with murder in the death of Von S. Haag, 60, but she later pleaded no contest to negligent homicide. Following the terms of the plea agreement, […]

DEER LODGE, Mont. (AP) – Two inmates who fled the Montana State Prison ranch last week were in the institution’s maximum-security unit on Thursday, a day after authorities apprehended them in the Flathead Lake area. Kelly A. Frank, once accused of plotting to kidnap David Letterman’s son, and William J. Willcutt were transported to the […]

KALISPELL (AP) – A man accused of molesting children at the Whitefish preschool he supervised has been acquitted on one count of sexual assault, but jurors were unable to reach verdicts on four other counts. Jurors deliberated for more than six hours Thursday in the case of David Farr, who supervised Children’s House Montessori. Farr, […]

Upstairs, in a loft overlooking Whitefish’s Main Street, a customer accidentally spills red wine on Greg Burger’s gray T-shirt. He laughs and says, “Oh, looks like the ’04 Zindfandel.” While wine bars conjure up visions of the hoity-toity, The Loft does not. With its recently acquired wine and beer license, the shop is now open […]

At 18 years old you were graduating high school or moving away to college. Twenty-five years old, thinking about that first professional job, getting married, maybe at 35 you’ve bought a house with a back yard for your kids. At 39, you’re probably still paying off your student loans. Imagine factoring cancer into the equation. […]

Nineteen state championships in 23 years. Two straight National Coach of the Year Awards. An induction into both the Montana Coaches Association and Montana State Golf Association hall of fame. Tack on a prestigious Golf Digest award. And Terry Nelson, 64, is not even thinking about retirement yet. The Whitefish golf coach has attained a […]

The numbers are telling, but they don’t tell the whole story. Twenty-six thousand lots are approved for homes in Flathead County. It’s a massive amount – enough new elbow room for roughly 65,000 additional residents. At face value it conjures up metropolitan images: smog, traffic and other urban delights. Of the public officials and real […]

Big Mountain Resort announced Wednesday its new name will be Whitefish Mountain Resort. “On the eve of our 60th anniversary, we have looked back to understand what has made us special and unique to our guests,” said Winter Sports Inc. CEO Fred Jones in a press release. “We have looked at where we are today […]

POLSON (AP) – Two Montana State Prison escapees, one once accused of plotting to kidnap David Letterman’s son, appeared in court Thursday on escape warrants and then were put in vehicles for a 150-mile road trip to the prison. Kelly A. Frank and William J. Willcutt were taken into custody Wednesday, in apprehensions several hours […]

Editor’s note: The Beacon published Democratic leader Art Noonan’s take on the session in last week’s print edition. In last week’s issue of the Beacon, Rep. Art Noonan, D-Butte, lamented how the “spin doctors” would relate how the “right-wing rigidity” brought down the 2007 Legislature. The question I have for the “orchestra leader” of the […]

Looking at a map, Kalispell doesn’t make sense as a business hub. It’s Montana’s only commercial center not on an interstate, which is problematic. It can be expensive and inefficient to get goods here. Semi-trucks hauling freight have to veer off their main truck route along U.S. Interstate 90, drive 120 miles north on U.S. […]

KALISPELL (AP) – Flathead County officials have released the name of a Kalispell man whose body was found in a fishing pond. Coroner Jim Browder said Claude Hedges, 61, drowned. A toxicology report is pending, Browder said Thursday. Fishermen spotted the body in the pond on Kalispell’s southeast side at about 5 p.m. Tuesday. Police […]

While the 2007 Montana Legislature is long over, last week the deadline ran out on lawmakers’ chances to override any of Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s vetoes – marking the true end of any legislative politicking for this year. The deadline came and went with little fanfare, but many in Flathead Valley’s tourism industry were closely following […]