Next Up for Revitalization Efforts: Downtown Kalispell
City planners are gathering input on how to energize the historic center
Kalispell Man Faces Sexual Abuse Charge
Michael Selders made an initial appearance in District Court in Great Falls
Campaign Watch: This Week in the Race to November
Candidates to debate Saturday in Butte
Body Pulled From Clark Fork River Identified
Body was found in a submirged car near downtown Missoula
Reservation Hopes For Results From Obama’s Visit
Fourth trip to Indian Country by a sitting president in 80 years
Montana to Open Voting Offices on Reservations
New offices part of a settlement in voting-rights lawsuit
Employees Return to Work as Investigation Into Plum Creek Explosion Begins
Employees at Plum Creek Timber Co.’s fiberboard plant are back at work today picking up the pieces of this week’s explosion and fire in Columbia Falls. Company spokesperson Kate Tate says all 183 medium density fiberboard plant employees are assisting in the cleanup as the investigation into the cause of Tuesday’s explosion begins.
Tate said an initial inspection of the facility showed that much of the equipment inside the fiberboard plant escaped the blast unscathed, but there was extensive water damage to the facility’s computer systems. Tate estimates that the plant could be reopened in a month.
BNSF, Whitefish Hold Town Hall Meeting on Oil Train Safety
Railroad outlines its preparedness as more Bakken crude rolls through the Flathead Valley
Missoula Police Improve Sex Assault Response
Department demonstrating better communication with victims
Obama Makes First Visit to Indian Country as President
President to speak on gamut of issues facing Native Americans
Bomb Scare at Kalispell UPS Facility Forces Evacuations
Traffic on Meridian Road diverted while authorities investigate report of a bomb at UPS shipping facility
Plum Creek: Mechanical Failure Caused Fiberboard Plant Explosion
A preliminary investigation by the Plum Creek Timber Co. has found that a “catastrophic bearing failure” on a raw material belt line caused Tuesday’s explosion at the company’s Columbia Falls’ medium density fiberboard plant, company officials tell the Beacon.
According to spokesperson Kate Tate, the bearing failure on the belt line ignited raw wood fibers and the belt itself. The fire then spread to insulation on a duct pipe above the line, which ignited wood fibers inside the pipe and caused a series of explosions. Tate said company officials would continue their investigation next week.
Voters to Choose New Commissioner in General Election
GOP contender Phil Mitchell beats current Commissioner Cal Scott in primary race
Montana is Only Remaining State without Driver Texting Ban
Driver cellphone usage contributed to 1,614 crashes from 2004 to 2013
Study: Teens are Drinking Less, Texting More
The results come from a study of 13,000 U.S. high school students last spring
