Less than three years after Flathead County voters approved the biggest school bond project in Montana history, the bulldozers and hammers will be laid to rest this summer. Architects and builders have spent about $53.5 million on a massive makeover of area schools, adding more than 300,000 square feet and renovating thousands more. Those numbers […]

The corridor of the proposed Highway 93 bypass cuts an imaginary swath through Kalispell’s west side. It’s hard to head west out of town on Foys Lake Road or Sunnyside Drive and not think about the changes those areas will soon undergo, and the changes taking place already. Last week’s rejection of the proposed Ashley […]

Just another typical busy Saturday afternoon of “honey do’s.” Or so I thought. On this sunny Saturday afternoon before Memorial Day when I’d rather be watching kayaking in Bigfork, I had memorable retail experiences at both ends of the spectrum. I stopped by Cenex to grab some potassium softener salt (not the regular sodium-based stuff […]

Glacier Park International Airport is growing up fast. Sheets of plywood surround an expanded security checkpoint still under construction. Airline ticket counters have been moved and overhauled. In the area outside Airport Director Cindi Martin’s office, a copy of New York magazine sits on an end table. People are flying to the Flathead, from New […]

Legislation sometimes affects those who least expect it. This time – the Boys and Girls Club in Columbia Falls. When full-day kindergarten was passed by the Montana Legislature, School District 6 (SD6) suddenly found itself with a need for more classroom space. The obvious place is the old junior high school, which has been leasing […]

You may have already forgotten about them, or you may still be fuming about them. Either way, take a moment to delight in the fact that it will be another 10 or 11 months before you have to pay property taxes again. Flathead County sent out 59,091 tax bills for real estate, mobile homes and […]

She sleeps quietly. Laying in a mantel of white, Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road sleeps soundly until the day the cars arrive. Before this famous road over Logan Pass opens, however, it’s being widely enjoyed by cyclists and hikers every day. On Memorial Day weekend, the road was busy with a variety of park users. […]

Good start, but … Enjoyed the article on breweries in the Flathead Valley (page 15, vol. 1, issue 1). However, you failed to fully identify John Campbell, co-owner and founder of the Lang Creek Brewery near Marion. He was quoted in the middle of the article and subsequently, but only as “Campbell.” I’m sure some […]

SEATTLE (AP) – Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group Inc., has cut fares by as much as 76 percent on several short flights in Washington state, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Northern California. With a 14-day advance purchase, one-way flights between Kalispell and Missoula will cost $29, tickets bought a week in advance will […]

They’re sifting through legalese, pouring over maps, and asking questions about resort taxes. “We’re just going to lay it out so the community can make a decision,” says Bruce Solberg. Solberg is part of the eight-person subcommittee put together at a Bigfork Steering Committee meeting. Their mission: gather as much information about a resort tax, […]

After a several year hiatus during village construction, Big Mountain Resort is bringing back their summer outdoor evening concerts in a new location. In the new venue on the slope above the Day Lodge, favorites such as Elvin Bishop, Lou Gramm, and The Marshall Tucker Band will rock the slopes during July and August. Tickets […]

HELENA (AP) – Montana never has been significant come presidential primary season, but next year the state’s three electoral votes promise to be even less significant. The state’s June presidential primary will be a lonely affair. Only South Dakota will be left making party nominations for president by then _ at a time when the […]

The parking man is too strong. I feel powerless. This isn’t just about the $20 in parking tickets I immediately racked up after moving here. It also has something to do with my deep envy of his deceptively swift parking cart – I want one so bad. Recently I went to the Parking Commission to […]

For some, it’s a day to head out on the boat, to the cabin, or up the trail. For others, it’s a day off work to catch up on the yard, house or just relax. To race fans, it’s all about race day at the Indy 500. Memorial Day. A day to remember the men […]

The Montana Highway Patrol reported that in 2006, Flathead County led Montana in the number of fatal accidents, a shame. The official spin is we have too many people driving on substandard roads. But is the cause our rotten roads? Only part – a darn small part. The last week of April I did a […]