The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) wants our Jesus gone from Big Mountain? Um, I beg to differ. Founded in 1978, FFRF enjoys IRS 501(c)3 tax-exemption, under Category x20 as a “Religion, Spiritual Development (Christian)” organization. FFRF headquarters, a former rectory, is located in a city famous for its progressive civility: Madison, Wis. According to […]

A nearly decade-long battle over the use of fire retardant now centers on the effectiveness of the wildfire suppressant. The group responsible for initially suing the U.S. Forest Service over the chemical’s environmental impact believes the agency’s latest assessment raises doubts about whether retardant is even proven useful, an opinion local fire officials and the […]

WASHINGTON – The State Department is considering a plan that would reroute the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada away from environmentally sensitive areas of Nebraska, an action that could delay a final decision on the project until after the 2012 election. A U.S. official said told The Associated Press on Wednesday that rerouting […]

WASHINGTON – The State Department’s inspector general will review the Obama administration’s handling of a Canadian company’s request to pipe oil from western Canada to Texas, following complaints from Democratic lawmakers about possible conflicts of interest in the review process. Deputy Inspector General Harold W. Geisel said the special review will center on whether the […]

Winter weather poses myriad challenges for road crews in Northwest Montana, but next year crews will have a new weapon to battle the snow and ice. On Nov. 1, the Flathead County Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with the state Department of Transportation to facilitate the purchase of brine anti-icing solution. This means trucks […]

The wealth gap between older and younger Americans has widened sharply in recent years – because of both the deep recession and longer-term trends. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis released by the Pew Research Center, which looked at an array of government numbers to reach its conclusions. In all, the typical household headed by […]

Sandy Welch, a former teacher and school administrator from Martin City, announced her Republican candidacy for state superintendent of public instruction at a series of press conferences across the state last week. Welch will challenge incumbent Democrat Superintendent Denise Juneau in the 2012 election. According to a press release, Welch has more than 20 years […]

WASHINGTON – A sputtering Congress enveloped in an atmosphere poisoned with politics and distrust enters its final weeks of the year struggling to complete a lengthy to-do list on the budget. The so-called deficit supercommittee is hung up over taxes, raising real doubts it will succeed in its assignment of cutting deficits by at least […]

The ever-popular Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is headed back to Kalispell on Nov. 14 and 16, bringing with it new perspectives and a gorgeous film collection you won’t find anywhere else. The Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol hosts the festival every year, and money from the admission tickets go toward the patrol’s costs. They’ve […]

Bigfork finally lost in the state football playoffs and Glacier finally won. The Wolfpack won the first playoff game in school history on Nov. 4, defeating Billings Senior 24-10 at home in the first round of the Class AA playoffs. The following day, defending Class B champion Bigfork fell to Malta 42-0, ending the Vikings’ […]

Thursday 11/06 8:59 a.m. Llamas were harassed by two dogs with supposed attention deficit disorders. 11:44 a.m. A Lakeside woman reported that her boyfriend stole her car and wrecked it. She also said she kicked him out of her house but he’s been moping around in the woods all morning. 2:01 p.m. A Pheasant Drive […]

Thursday 11/03 8:00 a.m. Reportedly, a wild woman with no pants on ransacked a Lower Valley Road man’s home and gave him a bloody nose. 8:14 a.m. A cat has been stuck on a telephone pole in Somers for two days. 9:10 a.m. A woman reported that someone has called her numerous times asking for […]

Ron Paul won another Republican straw poll this weekend, in Illinois this time. It’s starting to become routine for Mr. Paul, points out The State Column, an online source of state political news: “Paul has consistently demonstrated his ability to rally his supporters to straw polls throughout the nation. Paul took second place in the […]

Internet search engines can aggregate information at the touch of a button, but there’s nothing quite like learning about new options and ideas in real life and interacting with knowledgeable sources face to face. That’s the idea behind the first annual Flathead Disability Health and Wellness Fair, scheduled on Nov. 12 from noon to 5 […]

Five years to the day after she fought Laila Ali in Madison Square Garden in New York City, Shelley Burton is back in the boxing ring in Kalispell. The famous former professional boxer has started a new gym in her hometown and will step into the ring for the first time since she took on […]