A new year, a fresh start? I hope so. The last one turned sour about midway through and ended on an especially bitter note when the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. announced just a few days before Christmas that it was shutting its doors. When, exactly, did 2008’s optimism fade? The year began with presidential primaries […]

Sen. Jon Tester voted against the $700 billion bailout for the nation’s financial industry because he couldn’t find anyone who could tell him “it would do any good.” He then opposed a bailout for Detroit’s automakers because the “big three’s” business plan “wasn’t really a business plan.” It put him in a unique position, as […]

Myrt Webb has quickly become rather unpopular. The man who stepped in as Kalispell’s interim city manager – since the previous one, Jim Patrick, also rather unpopular, was fired – has told the council his blunt view of its finances. In short, he said if the city doesn’t begin making more staff cuts it will […]

NEWSFLASH: Flathead County has been sued. Actually, that’s not really news. This county gets sued all the time. So often, in fact, it’s hard to keep track of all its alleged illegal activity. It’s most often sued in response to rules and regulations involving property. Gravel pits, road requirements, you name it. The Montana Building […]

When the books are in the black and coffers are overflowing with tax revenue, cities hold sway over developers. In boom times, a steep upfront fee is a small price for potential commercial tenants to pay to do business within a thriving city. Well, times have changed. At a Kalispell City Council meeting last week […]

As a recession takes root, it’s an ominous time to break bread and reflect on that for which we are most thankful. From plummeting 401(k)s to skyrocketing jobless claims, a litany of concerns squeezes a general public already feeling pinched. Add to that the stress of the holidays – mall crowds, picky spouses and plump […]

As Semitool, Columbia Falls Aluminum Company and Plum Creek Timber scale back their respective operations, many of our Flathead Valley neighbors are carrying pink slips in their pockets. It has been a brutal couple months. The stock market has fallen off, banks have failed and mortgages have gone unpaid. Yet the vast majority of locals […]

As prominent Republicans began gathering in Washington, D.C. last week to brainstorm the best way to revitalize their party’s brand – after losing the presidency, at least 19 House seats and six Senate seats – a similar, albeit less high-profile, group gathered at the Red Lion Inn on Kalispell’s Main Street. For Republicans in the […]

As I write to meet the Beacon’s deadline, this year’s ballots have yet to be counted. As you read it, chances are, the results are in. Half of you are feeling much better about the direction of your city, county and country – the other half, not so much. And a few of you are […]

Jim Patrick’s tenure as Kalispell city manager came to an abrupt end earlier this month. The circumstances surrounding his firing remain murky, as Kalispell city councilors have instead chosen to explain his dismissal in the broadest terms possible, taking the high road, I suppose, in what was a likely bitter divorce. “We just determined it […]

At the beginning of October, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced California may need an emergency $7 billion-loan from the Federal Treasury because his state is running out of cash to pay for basic services. A week later, Montana’s Legislative Fiscal Division projected a budget surplus of nearly $1 billion through the middle of 2011 for our […]

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama is a big hunter. Despite Halloween’s rapid approach, it appears the blaze orange vests will remain closeted. There are no plans by candidates to slog through the woods, rifles in hands, with photographers creeping a few dozen yards behind. And that’s a relief. In 2004, when Democratic presidential candidate […]

The accusations are damning, yet the accused aren’t likely to be held accountable for anything. As the lungs of Libby residents choked on asbestos, as 200 of them died, as 2,000 more fell ill, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sat on its bureaucratic hands. Documents and e-mails obtained from the EPA last week by U.S. […]

As the city of Kalispell has stared down unhappy unions, frustrated developers and a budget shortfall, its staff and council have appeared severely out of sync. There’s either a communication gap among these decision-makers, or they have opted to ignore each other. In late July, when city officials announced that Kalispell Fire Chief Randy Brodehl […]

When Beacon writer Dan Testa and I sat down last week to start prepping for the peak election season, we began by making a list of every local race in our coverage area. It was daunting, more than three-dozen candidates deep, filled with men and women who sell shoes, manage restaurants and ranch as their […]