Well, it seems like the fat lady has sung and 2011 won’t be the year that Montana finally breaks through the old timber war political log jams. Regrettably, we will have to wait until at least next year to see Sen. Jon Tester’s forest bill become law. Unfortunately, we have our lone congressman to thank […]

Just because the hordes of summer visitors are gone doesn’t mean that Glacier National Park closes for the year. In fact it’s quite the opposite. While many of the shops have shuttered and the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed, there are still plenty of things to see and do for the adventurous visitor, many just […]

No matter how busy I get when Christmas comes around, the lights, the music and the tree always seem to rekindle that special feeling we had when we were children, as do those holiday culinary delights that excite our senses and fill our bellies. One of my favorites is good old-fashioned eggnog. And, as always, […]

WHITEFISH – Authorities say the body of a resident has been found in an apartment at a Whitefish nursing home after a fire on Christmas Eve. Whitefish Fire Captain Justin Woods says that firefighters responded to an automatic fire alarm at Mountain View Manor about 7:30 p.m. and found smoke coming out from under the […]

Tuesday 12/20 9:18 a.m. A Polebridge man reported that a contractor he had hired thumped a tool in his hand then got this look in his eye, like he’d seen “on television dramas before someone is about to hurt the other person.” The man suggested that deputies run a “mental packet” on the contractor, “rattle […]

This Jesus statue business is such a shame. An outside group from Wisconsin is creating hoopla over a memorial to our Montana WWII veterans? What business do they have coming to Montana and telling us what to do? Thank God we have a congressman with a backbone who will stand up and fight for our […]

The 108-year-old Flathead County courthouse was flooded on Dec. 20, after a sprinkler head went off in response to a heating system malfunction. Trapped heat caused a sprinkler head on the third floor to go off, according to CTA Architect Engineers project manager Corey Johnson. The building’s heat comes from steam, Johnson said, and somehow […]

It’s that time for caroling, eggnog, holiday cheer — and for some, a frantic dash to the mall. Last-minute shoppers hit stores on Christmas Eve in a surge that is expected to top off an unexpectedly strong holiday shopping season. Among them was Len Boswell. He started his shopping at 6 a.m. at Starbucks. Later […]

An inmate of the Flathead County Detention Center attempted to escape from a Dec. 22 hearing at Flathead County Justice Court. According to Sheriff Chuck Curry, Jonathan George Graves, 23, of Missoula, assaulted an officer during his initial appearance at and ran from the courtroom. Another court security officer deployed a Taser to stop Graves […]

With Congress in a stalemate over lowering payroll taxes, at least some states will be helping low-income wage earners: On Jan. 1, eight states will raise the minimum wage. According to the National Employment Law Project (NELP), as a result of state laws that require the minimum wage to keep up with inflation, some 1 […]

BILLINGS – Montana officials are holding up shipments of tens of thousands of trout eggs from a federal fish hatchery to other states as Gov. Brian Schweitzer seeks to pressure the Interior Department into changing the way it manages other wildlife — particularly bison. The clash between the governor and Interior comes as the Ennis […]

Monday 12/19 9:59 a.m. A pit bull was spotted in someone’s yard on Lion Mountain Road. 11:53 a.m. A Kalispell man complained that a horse was standing in his front yard. 1:13 p.m. A Hungry Horse inhabitant reported a stolen lighter. 1:26 p.m. Someone in Columbia Falls successfully broke up a dog fight with a […]

The House and Senate convened today in a short session with a big purpose – to extend a payroll tax cut, extend unemployment insurance, and avoid a pay cut for doctors treating Medicare patients. With members back at home or on the road, Congress passed a compromise plan by unanimous consent – that is, without […]

What happened on the basketball floor recently in Cincinnati was one of the ugliest scenes I have ever seen in sports. But while the melee at the end of the cross-town rivalry game between Cincinnati and unbeaten Xavier was in itself troublesome, the press conference that followed and ensuing punishment border on the absurd. This […]

HELENA – U.S. Sen. Max Baucus is again getting into the center of the hottest debate in Washington D.C. with an appointment to the congressional conference committee charged with sorting out partisan differences over the payroll tax deal. Congress wrapped up a proposal Thursday to extend a payroll tax cut for workers for another 60 […]