After a long delay, Flathead Electric Cooperative is preparing to begin drilling in the Hot Springs area to explore the possibilities of geothermal energy. In 2009, Rep. Denny Rehberg secured $491,000 for Flathead Electric Cooperative to use in pursuing geothermal exploration. At the time, the cooperative hoped to start drilling on a piece of land […]

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A world record-holding professional skier who once famously jumped off a 255-foot cliff jump died in a weekend avalanche in Utah while on a steep slope at a closed resort. Jamie Pierre, 38, was swept over a cliff Sunday at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in the Wasatch mountains about […]

HELENA — Montana lawmakers said Monday they are uncertain whether they should come up with a backup plan should their crackdown on medical marijuana be struck down in the courts or rejected next year at the ballot box. The state’s tough new medical marijuana law is under attack by the industry both in the courts […]

Biologists have completed counts of bull trout redds (nests) in the eight standard stream index sections for the Flathead Lake population. Bull trout spawn in the fall, building nests in tributaries during September and October. These counts serve as an index of how many migratory adult bull trout successfully spawn. Crews also conducted surveys for […]

Montana State goes into the annual Cat-Griz football rivalry as the top-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Bobcats are ranked first in both The Sports Network and the FCS coaches polls released Monday after previous No. 1 North Dakota State lost over the weekend. Montana is ranked seventh in both polls. The Cat-Griz […]

Glacier and Helena both made valiant runs at the Class AA state football playoffs, but ultimately a very familiar storyline played out and, once again, the championship game will feature Billings West and Helena Capital. A week after winning the first playoff game in school history, Glacier traveled to Billings and fell to West 45-16 […]

LINCOLN, Neb. — Canadian pipeline developer TransCanada will shift the route of its planned oil pipeline out of the environmentally sensitive Sandhills area of Nebraska, two company officials announced Monday night. Speaking at a news conference at the Nebraska Capitol, the officials said TransCanada would agree to the new route, a move the company previously […]

President Barack Obama punted on a decision on whether to approve the massive Keystone XL pipeline, which would run from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast and cut through eastern Montana, until after next year’s election. The 1,700-mile pipeline came under criticism from environmentalists and Nebraska’s Republican governor and the State Department agreed to look […]

Individual honors are being handed out now that the volleyball season has wrapped up, and a few standout local players are receiving their due recognition. Flathead senior Hannah Sackett and junior Kwyn Johnson earned first team all-conference honors in Class AA. Playing at the state tourney for the sixth straight season, the Bravettes won their […]

Following a tight election that saw a fairly even dispersal of votes between five candidates, the Columbia Falls City Council is welcoming two incumbents back while also greeting a fresh face. Incumbents Don Karper, 59, and Julie Plevel, 57, garnered the most votes in the Nov. 8 city council election with 270 and 250, respectively, […]

With the seasons changing here in Northwest Montana, fall is bringing colder weather and shorter days. This makes me hunger for comfort food more than any other time of the year. And when it comes to designing menus to satisfy this hunger, hearty soups and stews are some of my favorites. The recipe possibilities are […]

It has been many years since trains have made the trip to Somers or Kila, but people can follow that path now thanks to the Great Northern Historical Trail. The effort to turn the old railroad right-of-way into a pedestrian trail has been in the works for more than two decades and in the last […]

WHITEFISH – Standing in solidarity with the Jesus statue on Big Mountain, a capacity crowd filled the Whitefish VFW hall last week as Montana lawmakers rallied around the memorial. The statue, situated on a 25-by-25-foot patch of leased Flathead National Forest land, was issued a U.S. Forest Service permit in 1953 and built by the […]

HELENA – No one can recall the last time an illegal immigrant hiked into the rugged and remote wilderness of Glacier National Park in an attempt to slip into the U.S. But that isn’t stopping some in Congress from proposing to give border agents control over environmental laws in protected areas such as the popular […]

A few years ago, Phil Guiffrida III worked for a technology company that wanted to transfer him out of Kalispell. As a way to stay in his hometown, he quit the job. “I love this place that much,” he said. The 1997 Flathead High School graduate has kept his roots intact and hopes to help […]