Not long ago, the Flathead basin had the largest and healthiest population of native bull trout in the country with possibly 20,000 or more adult fish. Angler harvest of bull trout in the Flathead River system was 6,000 to 8,000 bull trout each year. Some of those fish reached more than 20 pounds. Today, because […]

When Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced his resignation from the Obama Administration, attention turned instantly to a successor. But President Barack Obama shattered the mold when he nominated Seattleite Sally Jewell, CEO of Recreational Equipment, Inc., known as REI. Born in England, Jewell came to America at age four when her anesthesiologist dad […]

Are experts cheap or expensive? You may not be old enough to remember the Fram guy, but he’s the perfect example of the expert who can be cheap or expensive. The cheap expert is the one who gets paid to take care of routine maintenance that prolongs the life of your asset – in this […]

The “Red Barn” on Kelly Road is no longer adequate for Flathead County Area Agency on Aging. This building has housed offices, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels and volunteers on a temporary basis for over 10 years. The facts are before us. The multi-purpose of the AOA has grown. The population of seniors has grown. […]

The commission established to investigate the 9/11 attack determined the terrorist organization, Al Qaeda, was responsible. This commission also determined the annual budget for Al Qaeda to be $30 million. The American people were told that in order to keep them safe from threats like this in the future it was necessary to establish the […]

It’s true. We have been down this road before. A developer or organization proposes a performing arts, convention or town center in the Flathead Valley. And those plans either stall or are scrapped entirely. In 2008, the Kalispell City Council approved the largest development in the history of Flathead County. Glacier Town Center would have […]

By John Fuller The Montana State Legislature seems to be bipartisan in its consensus that Montanans need property tax relief. The Republicans want to reduce property tax mill levies, exempt the first $250,000 worth of business equipment from property taxation or both. Democrats are united under Gov. Steve Bullock’s plan to give a one-time $400 […]

In response to Kellyn Brown’s column in the Feb. 13 Beacon, “Unfair Playing Field” – interesting, but you’re missing a few important points: When the all-beverage and beer/wine license “with gaming“ were developed, it was done so with a few caveats. The original intention was to allow only one license per family. This was to […]

Rep. Pat Noonan, D-Ramsay, is one of the handfuls of moderates serving in the 2013 Montana Legislature. Noonan serves with other moderates like Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad. Jones carries the new natural resources component for public school financing. Notably Noonan sponsored this Legislature’s most critical task, to implement Montana’s Medicaid expansion. Over the next four […]

A state association of businesses has pushed legislation into the Montana House that would limit the on-premise retail sales volume of a related group of businesses. For an established business with good wholesale distribution in place, this wouldn’t be a big deal – except that those same businesses already have legislated production and sales volumes […]

The recent news about cuts to federal agencies under sequestration (Feb. 27 Beacon: “Glacier Park’s Great Uncertainty”) has me worried. If these arbitrary cuts go through, there will be numerous impacts here in Montana, including Glacier National Park. If there’s a fall off in tourism due to delays in opening Going-to-the-Sun Road or reduced flights […]

By John Fuller Rep. Scott Reichner, R-Bigfork, has introduced a bill (HB436) that would establish a version of Louisiana’s “top-two” primary election system. This “top-two” structure would allow voters to choose any candidate, irrespective of political party, in primary elections. If adopted, this would be the most dramatic change in Montana election laws since the […]

The story on Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s ten-year study of declining moose populations (Feb. 20 Beacon: “What’s Happening to the Moose?”) seems to be a case of “ignoring the elephant in the living room.” Barely mentioned is the wolf factor. If FWP collared 12 cows, how will they record the killing of the calves? […]

One of the most important issues facing the 2013 Montana Legislature is whether to take advantage of the opportunity to expand health insurance coverage to low-income Montanans who fall in the gap between those eligible for Medicaid and those who typically can afford private insurance. The Administration and Board of Directors of North Valley Hospital […]

Last week the Democratic-leaning firm, Public Policy Polling, released a survey of potential matchups in Montana’s 2014 U.S. Senate race. Right now, one Republican has declared he is running and another has said he is considering running for the seat currently held by Sen. Max Baucus. But PPP also polled hypothetical matchups, which were far […]