HELENA – U.S. Sen. Max Baucus predicted Wednesday that the bipartisan congressional supercommittee will reach a deficit-reduction deal before Thanksgiving, but the Montana Democrat offered no details of what an agreement would look like. The congressional panel is charged with finding $1.2 trillion in savings over 10 years, or automatic cuts will go into place. […]

Grady Bennett has hopes of his hometown one day being dominant in football like Helena. His dream came a little closer to reality this season. For the first time ever, Kalispell has two high school teams in the Class AA playoffs, and the field at Legends Stadium has not seen its final game of 2011. […]

Earlier this month Karlene Kohr asked the Kalispell City Council a simple question. “Who wants to take business downtown when there’s no parking?” she said at the Oct. 17 meeting inside City Hall. Kohr, who manages the La Lark building on Kalispell’s Main Street, believes the lack of adequate parking is driving customers away from […]

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska officials would have the power to divert major oil pipelines, ban developers from laying them in ecologically sensitive areas and require a $500 million bond for spill cleanup under measures slated for hearings next week. Lawmakers introduced the last of five pipeline bills Thursday during their special session aimed at the […]

GREAT FALLS – A National Geographic crew is filming a documentary about a Hutterite colony in central Montana, hoping to give viewers an inside look at one of the country’s most misunderstood people. Several weeks ago, the National Geographic Channel began following a Dariusleut colony outside of Lewistown. The network is planning to use the […]

COLUMBIA FALLS – With his arm hanging off his neck in a sling, Beau Bronson looked like any other 12-year-old recovering from an injury: stretched across the couch, planted in front of the television and appearing generally relaxed. But the looks Beau’s parents Jon and Rose kept giving their son, the long stares and slight […]

Recently I was writing a story about surfing alone in Malibu the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. I rode small waves all day by myself and did not hear about the bombing until I was driving home along the coast highway, with no other cars in sight. As I wrote about the very important […]

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Scientists who monitor the effects of global warming are watching glaciers shrink all over the world, but this year could be an exception in parts of the Rocky Mountains. Snow is already piling up in the high country, but not all of the unusually deep snow from last winter has melted. As […]

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says what’s best for the American people and the economy will guide his administration’s decision on whether a Canadian company can go ahead with a transnational oil pipeline to Texas. The proposed pipeline has prompted protests across the country. Demonstrators have also been arrested in front of the White House. […]

COLUMBIA FALLS – Al Paine smiles so much it’s hard to tell he’s in pain. But old World War II injuries in his feet are haunting him. These days he walks with a cane or cruises around on his Golden Companion scooter. The grocery store seems a lot farther from home than it used to. […]

Sunday 10/30 10:51 a.m. A woman on Harmony Road reported that her roommate pushed both her and her husband after a heated argument over a dog. 11:14 a.m. A jeep was on fire in Marion. 11:25 a.m. A Coram man was hit in the head with a baseball bat at a local bar. 1:11 p.m. […]

DENVER – An environmental group has petitioned the federal government to reduce air pollutants in eight western states. WildEarth Guardians says that by law, the Environmental Protection Agency has to designate areas as “nonattainment” areas if they violate certain air-quality standards and put them on the path to cleaning up. The group’s petition contends 15 […]

Monday 10/31 9:41 a.m. Stray dogs were seen traveling down Lake Blaine Road. 10:10 a.m. Bathroom stalls on Shady Lane were vandalized. 10:46 a.m. Reportedly, a dog was rescued from a trailer that smelled like feces. 10:51 a.m. A woman on Shady Lane called 911 to report that her neighbor’s cat tore up her flower […]

Local Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials are investigating two recent poaching incidents involving a black bear and a bull elk. Officials found a black bear that had been shot and dumped off the Belton Stage Road near Coram between Oct. 12-13. Just over a week later, on Oct. 22, officials found a bull elk that […]

HELENA — A new poll released Wednesday found strong support for the state’s stricter medical marijuana law, and showed that potential voters are nearly equally split in the U.S. Senate election. The Montana State University-Billings poll said 62 percent of respondents favored the overhaul of the pot law adopted by the Legislature earlier this year. […]