Sometimes the best quotes never make it into a story. They either don’t fit into a narrative, or they detour the train of thought. Or, as is often the case with me, the story’s already three pages too long. For this week’s Beacon, I profiled Kalispell’s Brock Osweiler on the eve of the NFL Draft. […]

Kalispell’s Kyle Schmauch, a broadcast journalism student at the University of Montana, tackled the contentious topic of wolves with a fellow classmate for a national television news contest. The result, a three-minute segment presenting opposing sides of the debate, has landed the university students in New York City this week, winners of the Fox News […]

Click the image or use the arrows to see photographs of “33 Variations” cast members as they prepare to take the stage before an evening performance. WHITEFISH — For over 30 years, the Whitefish Theatre Company has brought performing arts to life: community and children’s theater productions, a concert music series featuring talent from as […]

WICHITA, Kan. – The grandmother of a 4-year-old girl who became hysterical during a security screening at a Kansas airport said Wednesday that the child was forced to undergo a pat-down after hugging her, with security agents yelling and calling the crying girl an uncooperative suspect. The incident has been garnering increasing media and online […]

The hysteria that surrounds wolf management in the Rockies has clouded rational discussion. Wolves are hardly a threat to either hunting opportunity or the livestock industry. Total number of elk in Montana has increased substantially since wolves were reintroduced. Populations have grown from an estimated 89,000 animals in 1992 prior to wolf recovery to 140,000-150,000 […]

Sunday 4/22 10:05 a.m. A woman on Parliament Drive reported that someone egged her vehicle. Additionally, she stated that her friend called her a mean name and is most likely the perpetrator. 11:46 a.m. A resident on Fourth Avenue West reported that the screen has been removed from their basement window twice in the past […]

When Kalispell resident Jan Ruff-Strait was diagnosed with Stage IIIA invasive breast cancer in late 2010, she and her husband feared they would have to leave home and travel for treatment. But that wasn’t necessary. “Although our world had just been turned upside down, there were people right here at home who were up to […]

HELENA – Montana’s budget picture continues to improve beyond the original expectations of the state Legislature, as lawmakers were told Thursday there could be close to $500 million in surplus when they convene in 2013. Budget staffers now predict there will be an extra $168 million in state coffers compared to what was first estimated […]

I went on a carnivore’s rampage toward the end of winter. I found myself with a glut of locally harvested protein. Well, some was local. The birds came primarily from the Sweet Grass Hills, which is local only by Montana standards. Montanans have a different perception of distance compared to folks who live in more […]

HELENA — The chief investigator of a state-run hospital in Montana encouraged a mentally disabled woman to recant her accusation that a staffer sexually assaulted her, officials have found. The investigator, Keith Reeder, also discouraged another Montana Developmental Center employee from taking the woman to a hospital or taking any action that would bring the […]

Wildlife officials are investigating the death of a male grizzly bear reported near Rhodes Draw northwest of Kalispell. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks received a call Tuesday morning from an individual who reported the dead grizzly. FWP wardens and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service enforcement are investigating. No further information has been released at this […]

This June 5, casting an informed vote (the only vote you should make, dang it) will be hard work. Here in the Flathead, 14 Republicans are vying for two open Commissioner seats. Statewide are numerous contested GOP legislative primaries, and piled on top are seven Republican governor candidates to pick through. Democrats will be not-so-busy […]

National Park Week is underway and there is still time to take advantage of the free access to nearly 400 national park sites across the country, including Glacier National Park. Entrance fees are waived for visitors through April 29, making this an ideal time for everyone, specifically families, to get outside, explore and take in […]

When Stan Stephens was elected as Montana’s 20th governor in 1988, replacing Democrat Ted Schwinden, it started a run of 16 straight years of Republican control in the governor’s office. That streak was broken when political newcomer Brian Schweitzer claimed a victory for the Democrats in 2004 and was then reelected in 2008. With Schweitzer […]

HELENA – Religious colonies of Hutterites in rural Montana are fighting the state’s attempts to impose a labor law backed by businesses that complain they can’t outbid the low cost of the communal workers. The Hutterites are Protestants similar to the Amish and Mennonites who live a life centered on their religion in German-speaking communes […]