LIBBY — Officials in northwestern Montana say a shot fired at a grizzly bear as it attacked a Nevada hunter passed through the bear before striking and killing the hunter. Tests requested by the Department of the Interior found grizzly bear DNA on the .30.06 bullet that killed 39-year-old Steve Stevenson, of Winnemucca, Nev., on […]

COLUMBIA FALLS – Cary Finberg has taken five Columbia Falls High School boys basketball teams to the Class A state championship game since 2003 and has won four titles in that span. His record speaks for itself. He doesn’t have to prove himself as a head coach. Yet, here in mid-December, Finberg finds himself in […]

Sunday 12/18 2:40 p.m. An unwanted man showed up with a case of beer at a Ranch Lane resident’s house. 2:45 p.m. There are dog problems on Swan Ridge Court. 3:00 p.m. Someone had questions about evicting a family with children in the middle of winter. 3:48 p.m. Threats were made on Facebook. 3:59 p.m. […]

It is that time of year again, when millions of Americans are on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Some trek into the woods seeking the tree and outdoor experience. Others make their selection from a local Christmas tree farmer and some simply unpack the Christmas tree storage box from the attic or garage. […]

HELENA — Year-end congressional votes and wrangling over payroll taxes and an oil pipeline project through eastern Montana are stoking the heated Senate race between incumbent Jon Tester and U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg as it heads into 2012. Rehberg, a Republican, pressed Tester last week to vote for legislation passed by the House to extend […]

East coast artist Nina Winters dreams in bronze, and at Kalispell Art Casting, one of these dreams is taking shape in a 6-foot-by-8-foot samurai sculpture. The statue – called “Galactic Samurai – Confrontation of Evil” – is Winters’ “good message” to a world that she believes is a little shaky these days. “My interpretation of […]

WASHINGTON – In an abrupt about-face, House Republican leaders Thursday agreed to a two-month extension of a Social Security payroll tax cut and federal unemployment benefits, GOP aides said. The move reflects a bowing to demands by the Senate and President Barack Obama and appears to all but assure 160 million workers aren’t hit by […]

At lunch last winter in the Timberline Café, I was joined by a friend and his son who graduated from college the previous spring. He earned a degree in business management and talked about how hard it had been to find a job and how worried he was about his massive student loans. It was […]

Authorities have identified the elderly Kalispell woman who died in a collision with a Suburban on Thursday afternoon at the intersection of West Center Street and Second Avenue West. Luella Scott, 94, was attempting to cross West Center Street when she was struck by the vehicle, according to Sheriff Chuck Curry. She died of traumatic […]

Authorities in northwestern Montana are investigating reports that a man who identifies himself as a pastor or a retired police officer is bailing women out of jail and trying to coerce sexual favors from them by threatening to revoke their bail. “The most disturbing aspect of this is the vulnerability of these young women that […]

Click the image or use the arrows to see more photos. MARION – Terry L. Zink has been a houndsman for over 30 years and an avid outdoorsman his entire life. With the help of his well-trained dogs, Zink has caught more mountain lions than he can remember – over 150 with just one favorite […]

MISSOULA – A 34-year-old Whitefish man who helped run a medical marijuana business that was raided by federal agents earlier this year has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy sentenced Ryan Gifford Blindheim on Tuesday and ordered him to forfeit $86,850. Blindheim previously pleaded guilty to […]

Thursday 12/15 7:35 a.m. A report was made that the poodle parlor on Fifth Avenue West was burglarized. 8:51 a.m. Apparently, there was a “crushed” street sign laying in the middle of Meridian Road. 9:33 a.m. A Columbia Falls woman reported that items were charged to her credit card and shipped to her house without […]

Duke and Dutch, a pair of Percheron draft horses weighing nearly a ton each, are perplexed. A stubborn goat named Carlos has crossed in front of them and refuses to move off the road. The massive horses, described as “gentle giants,” don’t quite know what to do. “Get out of the way, Carlos!” yells Andrew […]

Am I the only one who gets just a bit humbugged when I hear someone chirp “Season’s Greetings” or see “Happy Holidays” banners strung across Main Street or Central? Or feels like a dinosaur on learning that “Merry Christmas” generates 110 million Google hits, while “Happy Holidays” scores 296 million? How come people who have […]