Right now in a seemingly endless election year we have lots of candidates vying for the chance to represent us in various government positions that require them to uphold and respect our laws and regulations. It appears that most of them think the sign ordinances don’t apply to them. Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Flathead County […]

Like some of the best things in Montana, the Flathead Valley’s distilleries started with humble roots and grew through hard work. Now, after several recent competitions, it looks like the rest of the country is starting to catch on to what the locals have to offer. Ridge Distillery, Glacier Distilling Company and Whistling Andy have […]

Flathead County’s unemployment rate held steady in March at 10.7 percent, the same as February. The county’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hovered above 10 percent for the sixth straight month but has been consistently lower than during the same stretch of 2011. Montana’s statewide seasonally adjusted rate also remained unchanged in March at 6.2 percent, […]

HELENA— Republican candidates for governor said Thursday at a forum that they would back key insurance industry legislation if elected, and largely held similar positions with each other on a variety of issues. Most of the GOP candidates attended the event hosted by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. The candidates were largely […]

Two local conservation groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service objecting to a logging project proposed in the South Fork Flathead River corridor, the second time in two months the groups have filed litigation against a South Fork logging proposal. Friends of the Wild Swan and Swan View Coalition, represented by Helena’s […]

I had used my surfboard, skis, sailboats and now windsurfing to lead me through life up until this time. I had a very deluxe camera boat that I had earned working for Dave Slickers on a sailing film and had never used it very much in the past because my knowledge of a gasoline engine […]

BILLINGS — Former President George W. Bush is scheduled to be the keynote speaker next month at a Billings fundraiser. The Billings Gazette reports that Bush will speak May 11 at the Montana Missions Banquet at the MetraPark Expo Center. The banquet raises money for Provision International, a nonprofit Christian ministry that aids people around […]

BILLINGS — Grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park will keep their threatened status for at least the next two to three years, as wildlife officials said Friday they plan to bolster their case that the species has recovered. Federal and state officials insist there are enough bears in the three-state Yellowstone region to […]

Flathead Fat Tires, a local nonprofit that helps build and maintain local bike trails, will be hitting the path this weekend in Whitefish. On Saturday, members will be working on a section of the Whitefish Trail, packing the corners and sides to make a smoother ride (that will also benefit runners and hikers) and they’re […]

Our ever-chatty, never-boring governor is making national headlines for some comments he made about Mitt Romney and Mormonism in an interview with The Daily Beast yesterday. Gov. Brian Schweitzer told The Daily Beast that Romney could have some issues in this election because his father was “born on a polygamy commune in Mexico.” Ben Jacobs […]

The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a brown-bag lecture on Wednesday, May 2, from 12– 1 p.m. at the Community Building in West Glacier. The public is invited to join Dr. Cristina Eisenberg as she presents her recently completed doctoral dissertation, The Complex Food Web of Fire, […]

Monday 4/16 7:41 a.m. Two horses busted through a Caroline Road resident’s fence and stood on their property. They were rounded up and taken home. 7:52 a.m. Someone reported an intoxicated man, who at the time of the call was rummaging through a tackle box, might want to get in his vehicle and drive. He […]

This spring native westslope cutthroat and bull trout will stage for their epic journeys from Flathead Lake to spawning streams in the Middle and North Forks of the Flathead River. Once quite common, their numbers are significantly diminished from the recent past because many cannot navigate the gauntlet of predacious non-native lake trout (and illegally […]

Their battle joined, challenger Mitt Romney savaged President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy on Wednesday while the commander in chief commiserated up close with victims of the recession and warned that Republicans would only make matters worse. “Obama is over his head and swimming in the wrong direction” when it comes to the economy, […]

LINCOLN — Officials unveiled a new preferred route Thursday for the Nebraska portion of the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline that avoids the state’s groundwater-rich Sandhills region. The proposed route would veer east around the the Sandhills before looping back to the original route. Developer TransCanada has said the reroute adds about 100 miles to […]