From starting the year with a transportation roadblock to ending it with the departure of three teachers, the small, tight-knit district has spent much of the year building a plan to guide it into a changing future

Ahead of the June 2 primary, incumbent Flathead Republicans who voted for property tax reform are facing down their own party, fending off challengers from the right in campaigns to retain their seats as attack ads, mailers and endorsements inundate their districts. Can they stay above the noise?

The move rankled some local Republicans, who defended incumbent Sheriff Brian Heino at the Flathead County Republican Central Committee's Thursday night meeting and on social media, saying the local party’s endorsements in primary races have widened divides

Christy Bortz, who has worked for the past nine years as an instructional coach in Kalispell’s Hedges Elementary School, hopes to spend her first year at the rural east-side district "listening well in order to lead well"

Leaders of local groups that support the aging population in the Flathead say volunteering even as one gets older comes with several benefits for those who choose to partake

MATHCOUNTS, a national program, serves to motivate sixth through eighth graders in their math endeavors through competitions. With a top four finish in the state contest, Schneider qualified to compete in the national competition, held in Orlando, Florida, in May.

The board chair attributed failed negotiations to the candidate’s “failure to disclose salary and benefit expectations, despite clear communication from the district.” The board plans to consider appointing an interim superintendent for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The group, which includes the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, argues the potential ballot initiative is unconstitutional, while those who are working to pass it say the lawsuit is an attempt to quiet Montanans’ voices

The court sided with the state and local group Shelter WF, among other defendant-intervenors, in the legal dispute over four 2023 bills aimed at helping to address Montana’s affordable housing crisis.

The governor’s ask, if accepted by the state Supreme Court, would bypass a potentially lengthy legal process to rule on the constitutionality of a bill that provided Montanans with property tax rebates.

Should Christy Bortz accept the role, she’ll replace longtime superintendent Amy Piazzola, who is retiring at the school year’s end. The board hopes to have her final answer next week.

The county Republican central committee plans to endorse candidates in local legislative races again as campaigning ramps up. Democrats have also fielded candidates in each of the area’s legislative races, a feat the local chair called “a sign of growing energy.”

All four candidates running in the primary on the left side of the aisle participated in a roundtable hosted by the Beers, Buds and the Big Sky Podcast, discussing a number of high-profile issues that could be at-play in the looming midterm elections

ACCT Searches, a group affiliated with the Association of Community College Trustees, will head the nationwide search for Jane Karas’ replacement. The board has yet to finalize a timeline.

Jennifer Fee’s selection is not yet finalized as the district waits for final background checks and goes through contract negotiations. She was offered the role from a bench of three finalists, the other two of which had Flathead roots.