Ellington

Crews hard at work at new resort lift

Flower Point chairlift will serve 200 acres

Donna Mae Larson

Donna Mae Larson, 74, died Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, at the Immanuel Skilled Care Center in Kalispell. She began to experience the ill effects of Alzheimer’s disease in 2003, and had been receiving loving and compassionate care from Home Options Private Care, the Immanuel Skilled Care Center — Bratsberg Wing, and Home Options Hospice.

Stoltze announces cutback at lumber mill

Blaming a recent court case that closed some state forest lands to logging, F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. announced Aug. 27 that it plans to partially curtail production at its lumber mill in Columbia Falls.

'Waters of the United States rule' is about control, not conservation

It’s safe to say all Montanans enjoy our lakes, rivers and streams and wish to ensure that they remain healthy for years to come. No group values our water more than Montana’s agriculture producers. They’re the primary stewards of our water and their conservation efforts benefit all Montanans.

Wildcat soccer squad is young, inexperienced

Wildkat harriers looking solid

Wildkat volleyball team is tall and athletic

Kats soccer squad returns 11 juniors

Football squad reloads for another season

Event celebrates 50 years of wilderness

There is good reason to celebrate in the Flathead Valley. Millions of acres of wilderness became permanently preserved for the use and enjoyment of all Americans 50 years ago when the Wilderness Act was signed. Flathead Valley residents are especially lucky to live next to the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Mission Mountain Wilderness, and the Cabinet Wilderness areas. Now is the time to celebrate these great treasures.

Comments sought on local ice-fishing derbies

Historic Marias Pass lodge and restaurant reopens

Wandering sow griz astonishes biologists

City council adopts 2015 fiscal year budget

Approved school budgets see long awaited increases

Area businesses see a robust summer season

Booming Flathead tourist economy trickles down

Columbia Falls river land to be conserved

A history of life on the lake

Historic Wheeler property goes to the Park

Junia Nelson

Junia Nelson, 99, passed away Aug. 15, 2014.

Guitarist ventures from Harlem's Cotton Club to Bigfork as part of Festival

Solomon Hicks may have missed out on some aspects of being a teenager, but he’s been given the education of a lifetime.

New water line installed under highway

Larry Stevens knows how to go under, over and around things.

Open debate on trash site shows support

A new Bigfork green-box site and improved recycling options attracted broad support at a community meeting last week.

How smalltown talk killed a young girl's friendship

Ministry for grieving mothers comes to Flathead

A ministry that offers comfort, hope and encouragement to mothers who have suffered the loss of a child is coming to the Flathead Valley in September for a “Journey of the Heart” conference.

Sixmile lookout trail near Swan Lake offer spectacular vistas

Huckleberries and 360 degree views — Sixmile Lookout Trail has everything a Montana summer should.

Hal Curtiss says goodbye to a town he loves

The Bigfork Chamber of Commerce honored me as Grand Marshal of the Bigfork 4

Glacier Park is an example of federal land kept safe

Grateful Praises!

Chesnos golf scramble benefits wounded veterans

With an afternoon of golf Frank Chesnos raised over $50,000 to benefit wounded veterans.

Workshop provides ways to protect lake

The Flathead Lakers offer a “Landscaping for Clean Water” workshop on Aug. 26.

Local grief support groups provide community for people suffering loss

Within three months of a brain cancer diagnosis, Esther Bjorklund lost her husband, Hal.

Swan Eiver 4-h club fair awards 2014

Grace Stewart — market lamb – 2 red,  breeding ewe – blue and grand champion;  quilting 3 blue; arts/crafts – 2 blue and 2 red.

Gym floor ads stopped - for now

Fall softball program starting up next week

Sports news

Willows in Texas

Outdoor news

Photo show

Community news

Grandparents Day

Working together for the common good

Recently we attended a two-day meeting of the Montana Board of Education in Helena. In the audience on the first day, we were the only two people who were not government employees. It was a startling reality.

Mission creep in Iraq

There are several reasons not to intervene militarily in another country’s conflict, even modestly. One is the potential for mission creep.

Candidate explains her mission for the county

I have no use for party politics. For me, local politics is about the people — not parties. At the end of the day, Flathead County citizens have more things in common than they have differences. And one thing we all have in common is a daily disconnect from each other and from our local government.

Media filth

Media has been used throughout the decades to manipulate. If you watch TV or movies, you should be incredibly concerned and disturbed.

Multiple use and federal land transfer

Montana’s political environment appears to be developing a new litmus test and dividing line between those of us who are “damned” or “saved” based on what we think. The test: Do you support public ownership of our public lands, or do you support “transfer”?

Questions teacher tenure system

Recently, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that California’s tough teacher-tenure laws are unconstitutional.

Water is the lifeblood of Montana

When viewed from high above, Montana’s streams, rivers and lakes resembles a huge network of veins and arteries pumping life through the state. So how would you feel if your doctor told you 40 percent of your circulatory system was in danger of being damaged or clogged? That is the peril facing our waterways.

Glacier Park not studying North Fork pollution

In March of this year, this paper printed a guest column by me that was titled “Park visitors aren’t welcome.”

Chalk artist to give festival preview Tuesday

Organizers of the upcoming Bigfork Chalk ’n Rock festival have arranged a sample of things to come next Tuesday in Bigfork Village.  

Glacier struggles at World Series

The Glacier Babe Ruth team is 0-3 at the Babe Ruth World Series in Glen Allen, Va.

Landowners offered new wolf management tools

The Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission recently adopted rules and an annual wolf quota completing the process necessary to allow private landowners to take a limited number of wolves per year that potentially threaten livestock, domestic dogs or human safety.

Hunting season gears up for antelope, deer and elk

Surplus licenses are those still remaining after Montana's recent special hunting license drawings and Hunt Roster sign-ups. The unsold licenses are made available on a first-come first-served basis. "B" licenses are for hunting antlerless deer or elk.

Grief group starts in Bigfork

Frontier Hospice will begin a new grief support group Aug. 21 at Rising Mountains assisted living center in Bigfork.

Ulrich to put on photo show

Acclaimed nature photographer Tom Ulrich will draw on 40 years of photographic experience in presenting “Anomalies and Curiosities of the Animal World” at Flathead Audubon’s Monday, Sept. 8, meeting in the United Way Conference Center at Gateway West Mall in Kalispell starting at 7 p.m.

Writer warns about Internet 'interruptions'

There’s a dark side to the Internet, and civilization is at a crucial point in its history, a prolific technology writer told listeners at the Northwest Montana Reading Council’s Back to School Literacy Conference recently held at Flathead High School.

Real freedom at work comes from forming a union

Today, all workers have the right to choose to stick together and collectively bargain with their employer for a better life. Even employees who have never exercised that right still have it. The key element to true rights is that those rights are there when you need them.

On the proliferation of Ten Commandments signs

When I was a newspaper editor in Texas, we had a policy of not reporting phony bomb threats because it would bring more public nuisances and other nutcases out of the woodwork. I am hoping that was the thinking behind local newspapers’ not covering the Aug. 16 dedication of Philip Klevmoen’s God’s Ten Commandments Park in Columbia Heights.

Ten Commandments Park must go

If the reader hasn’t noticed the splendor of the new religious park just a bit east of Columbia Heights, along U.S. 2 en route to Glacier National Park, perhaps you should take a look. This grand spectacle, a blatant example of normal religion gone mad, might be a preview of coming attractions. At least these huge billboards say so. Not to mention history.

Supports Curtis

Before being selected Aug. 16 by the Montana Democratic Party to be the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, State Rep. Amanda Curtis said in her nominating speech, “This election could decide who controls the U.S. Senate. I don’t mean the Republicans versus the Democrats. I mean the millionaires versus the middle class. This is the fundamental difference between Steve Daines and me. He seems like a nice guy with a wonderful family, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t understand what life is like for the rest of us.”

Supports Schnebel

Stacey Schnebel will make an outstanding Flathead County Commissioner. In discussions with groups around the county, she has demonstrated her desire to listen to all points of view and represent the interests of county residents, not special interests.

All-Stars fall in last World Series game

The Glacier All-Stars were unable to come back from a late deficit and lost their final game of the Babe Ruth U13 World Series on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Million-pound, 400-foot load in the Flathead

A megaload of refinery equipment headed for Great Falls arrived in the Smith Valley area on Thursday morning, Aug. 21. It parked at the weigh station west of Kalispell.

Kalispell man pleads guilty to Bigfork burglary

An 18-year-old Kalispell man has changed his plea after being charged with six counts of felony burglary and one count of felony deceptive practices in February.

Parole denied in texting driver homicide case

The Evergreen woman who was texting while driving and killed two people in a vehicle crash in 2009 was denied parole Monday, Aug. 18.

Woman injured on Wild Horse Island

Montana State Parks (stateparks.mt.gov) announced today that a young female visitor sustained minor injuries while hand feeding fruit to a wild horse at Wild Horse Island State Park on Sunday, August 17.  

Wildcat golf season starts Monday

Booster Club looking for support, barbecue is Thursday

Tough run for All-Stars at World Series

Wilderness quilt now on display

Fourth C-Falls whitetail poacher sentenced

Wolf stamp proposal draws a spirited debate

They met in Many Glacier 60 years ago

Park visitation sets July record, best since 1983

Park's Inside Road won't fully open this year

C-Falls clinic plan moving forward

Group effort saves Canyon man's life

Tippet heading home to London

Local results from the Northwest Montana Fair

O'Neil explains his legislative agenda

I would like to thank John and Theresa Conner for their column posted on the Hungry Horse News Web site lauding my Democratic opponent in this fall’s election, Zac Perry. Seeing as this is Zac’s third campaign against me, I am pleased to finally learn what his philosophy and ideas are.

Commissioners stymie water quality project

After seven years, it looks as if the Bigfork stormwater project is likely to stay half-finished.

Great music combines with education at guitar fest

Sixteen scholarships have been awarded by the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation.

ACES summer programs growing in success

It was a successful summer for the ACES after school program in Bigfork.

Even with larger building the Bigfork Food Pantry faces increasing need

Ann Tucker carried a case of peanut butter through the door of the Bigfork Food Pantry, set it down and went back outside for more.

Scuba diving for crayfish is a hilarious underwater adventure

A stream of bubbles hissed from my face mask and gurgled to the surface of the lake 30 feet above me.

Tribal management of bison range considered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week announced it is assessing the feasibility of tribal management of the National Bison Range and other government refuges in the Mission Valley.

Bigfork artist returns to his craft after 40 years

Bigfork Bay forms an imposing view outside of Tom Lewis’ living room.

Remembering her first horse ride

Preface: This is a chapter from Al’s Bar: A Memoir, that spans the period from 1950 to 1964 when my parents, Bill and Anne Haug, owned a bar on Bigfork’s Electric Avenue. While some may remember these characters and events differently than I, this is my perception of the people and events that shaped my small life, not about facts that have no real meaning out of context.

Dedication of historic north shore land Aug. 21

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Flathead Land Trust and the Flathead Lakers will celebrate the conservation of an historic property Aug. 21 from 5-7 p.m.

Youth home begins building

A Montana agency that provides services to children and families in the Flathead Valley started construction last week on a $1.64 million group home in Somers.

Community theatre a wonderful way to explore

It’s only a few feet from the front row seats to the stage.

Remembering Montana's last World Series team

Bruce McEvoy would have been happy if any Montana team had made the Babe Ruth World Series. As the commissioner for Babe Ruth baseball in Montana, McEvoy, a Kalispell attorney, doesn’t have a rooting interest as long as the Treasure State succeeds.

Community news

Grandparents Day

Libby judge warns attorney general about DUI program

The need for comprehensive federal forest reforms

There has been quite a bit of opinion writing lately about whether members of congress should focus on place-based federal forestland pilots, or whether they should work to pass comprehensive federal forest reforms.

Local winners at the fair

Fine Arts – Open Class

World Series

The Dull family, Lonne, Debbie, Dallas and Austin, would like to say congratulations to the Glacier Babe Ruth All Stars for making it to the World Series.

Supports Daines

I, Jayne Tienken, am supporting the candidacy of Steve Daines because he is commited to upholding the basic tenets of the Republican Party: Accountability, responsibility, separation of the branches of our government — legislative, judicial and presidential and their operation as defined by our constitution, the right to bear arms, religious freedom, proper immigration, not amnesty, a balanced budget and protecting Medicare.

Stanley Buck

Stanley G. Buck, 78, passed away July 23, 2014, at his home in Columbia Falls.

State panel looks at veterans needs

Last week, the Montana Administration and Veterans Affairs Interim Committee (SAVA) held a panel discussion about veteran needs across the state.

Democrats choose Curtis for senate race

Montana Democrats selected a 34-year-old Butte high school math teacher as their candidate for the U.S. Senate in this fall’s general election.

Pot caregiver's 2012 sentence revoked

A 54-year-old Kalispell man arrested in 2011 while hauling marijuana to Great Falls had his deferred sentence revoked after his petition for early termination went seriously awry.

Senators support CSKT water compact

As members of the Montana Senate who come from opposing parties, we have often found ourselves disagreeing about political values, legislative proposals and our constituents’ interests.

On the Ten Commandments Park

My husband and I moved here about five years ago. He is retired, and while I am still working, I look forward to when we can spend most of our time together, outdoors, enjoying this beautiful valley.

Out of Iraq, etc.

Nearly a century ago, after four bloody years of World War I, British colonialists created the state of Iraq, complete with their hand-picked monarch.

Nonresident Travel Contributes to Montana economy

Outdoor news

Fly fishing class

Feds withdraw proposed wolverine listing

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Aug. 12 that it is withdrawing a proposal to list wolverines in the Lower 48 as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, a decision that does not sit well with environmental groups who have threatened to sue the federal government.

C-Falls sports practices starting

Swimmers third at state meet

Swim coach a veteran of local pools

Twins have great run in regional tourney

Trail bill encourages more volunteer efforts

Middle Fork a world-class fossil bug collection

Glacier Park records: The missing and the dead

Belton Chalets Inc. wins Park concession

Burglar found to be incompetent

Woman charged in connection with husband's meth lab

City taxpayers to see small increase

Tower up, but zipline likely won't open this summer

Religious park is OK, state, county say

Officials meet with town to gauge opinions

Flathead County officials will meet in Bigfork Aug. 12 to gauge public opinion on a proposed new trash site to be built near Montana Highway 83 and 35.

Bigfork guide builds a career on professional fishing

For Jason Lanier fishing isn’t just a hobby, it’s his career.

For this girl it's a long way from the Bronx to Bigfork

It most certainly was “a dark and stormy night” in 19-hundred-a-long-time-ago when a baby girl was born into the concrete caverns of The Bronx.  That would be me.  

Woods Bay project aims to maintain pristine water

Flathead Lake has long been known for its pristine clear water and over 186 miles of shoreline.

Bridge permit extended to March 2015 but bridge length will come up short of island

The Flathead County Planning Office has extended the construction permit for a bridge being built on the north shore of Flathead Lake in Bigfork.

Spike and his dog Mikki were a colorful Bigfork pair

Preface: This collection of vignettes is a chapter from my childhood memoir that spans the period from 1950 to 1964 when my parents, Bill and Anne Haug, owned a bar on Bigfork’s Electric Avenue.

Bigfork grad studies in Oxford

The fact that’s she’s going to spend a semester at Oxford hasn’t quite set in yet.

Bannack forms the foundation of modern Montana

The town site of Bannack is a dot on the map, a mere speck in a vast sea of rugged mountains and broad valleys carpeted in sagebrush and bunchgrass.

Public advised about logging projects

Flathead National Forest officials advise the public to be aware of active logging projects on Forest land. Drivers are asked to slow down and use caution near these areas.

Gun fired to get help in Park climbing accident

A father seeking help after a rock struck his 21-year-old son in the head while climbing Glacier National Park’s Mount Siyeh fired a handgun to attract help.

Glacier artist gives audience a hands-on experience

Flathead real estate smoothing out

Troubled C-Falls woman sentenced again for meth

School news

Teaching corps

Megaload to pass through Columbia Falls

The Montana Department of Transportation announced Monday that a huge truckload of petroleum refining equipment headed for the Calumet Refinery in Great Falls will pass through Northwest Montana as early as Aug. 18.

Patricia Badger

Patricia Irene Badger, 79, died Aug. 7, 2014, at Kalispell Regional Medical Center after a car accident.

Mitchell speaks out on the doughnut decision

First, I applaud our three Flathead County Commissioners for their support in this six-year legal battle for doughnut representation and property rights. They did the right thing, and it’s paid off for thousands of doughnut residents.

Party lines

“Cal Scott crosses party lines to endorse Democrat as successor.” And are we surprised? Some of us who did our research knew all along Cal Scott was not a Republican.

Referendum would restrict voting rights

Women across the state are preparing to vote in the general election on Nov. 4. Current law secures their right — and the right for every voter — to register and cast a ballot through the close of polls on Election Day.

Community news

Park alumni

Charlie Russell and the price of art

The symbol that means Montana is the buffalo bull’s head, crafted by cowboy artist Charlie Russell. This year marks the sesquicentennial of Russell’s birth. He would have been 150 on March 19.

Ernest Drake

Ernest Vernon Drake, 87, passed away on August 8, 2014.

James Swope

James Swope, 55, passed away Aug. 7, 2014 at his residence in Coram.

Outdoor news

Firewood cutting

Federal lands

Earlier in July, my husband and I had the opportunity, along with many others, to enjoy the beauty of Glacier National Park once again. Every summer, we venture up to Glacier to spend a few days to enjoy this blessing that has been given to us.

Walsh withdraws from Senate campaign

John Walsh withdraws from senate campaign

Montanans,

Proposed fed rules would limit education opportunities

America’s higher education system truly is the envy of the world, but it isn’t without its challenges. We’ve seen accelerating costs to attend college leading to increasing student debt loads. And even with more Americans attending college than ever before, our country is still experiencing a “skills gap,” whereby firms are finding it harder to fill skill positions with qualified workers.

Donald Friske

Donald G. “Don” Friske passed away on Aug. 5, 2014 in Kalispell. His home in Rollins, Montana, is the place he loved more than any other.

Climate change

Thank you for publishing an op-ed on evidence of climate change in Glacier National Park, melting glaciers and a carbon tax solution by Alexandra Amonette and Kristen Walser.

EPA grabs for dry land

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to expand the scope of “navigable waters” subject to Clean Water Act jurisdiction was drafted, according to the agency, to reduce uncertainty.

Howard Sell

Howard Sell, 82, of Columbia Falls, died at his farm on Aug. 2, 2014.

Acting from our 'better selves'

The craziness that is going on, not only in America, but all over the world seems way beyond reason.  The list is long and well known.  What is important, in my opinion, is some recognition of what it is going to take to change the human condition.

Community garden thrives in Ferndale

On a warm summer Saturday, swing by the Bigfork/Ferndale community garden, and you’ll probably find a group of people happily working away among 72 gardens.

Native American flute lessons at Museum of Art and History

Troy Good Medicine De Roche will conduct a two hour workshop on Native American flutes on Wednesday,  Aug. 13, from 5-7 p.m. at the Bigfork Museum of Art and History.

Library plan outlined

Next comes the hard part.

Boat owners reminded of fish transportation laws

Several trailered boats checked recently at Montana's roadside watercraft inspection stations have been found to be transporting live fish, which is illegal in Montana's Western and Central Fishing Districts.

Bigfork native recalls growing up downtown

The July 16 issue of the Bigfork Eagle featured a “Looking Back” photo of my Mom, Anne Haug, sitting on a stump in front of the Koffee Kup cafe, a dilapidated building in Bigfork.

Taking the partisan out of local elections

On this 22nd day of July, I have some wonderments about the upcoming elections.  In the recent primary election, there were a number of cases where all of the candidates were from the same political party.  This presented a dilemma for a voter who had a favorite candidate for a county office, but who also wished to vote for state or federal office candidates who didn’t appear on the same ballot.

River access open only on weekends

Lake County commissioners last week considered several alternatives for the Rainbow Drive access to the Swan River, but the public access remains open only two days a week.

Let's help Lighthouse home

Hi there,

Bigfork equestrian Kelli Blair has a passion for horses

Keli Blair’s new horse, “Pink” did quite well last week.

Lake trips offered for vets

In honor of Montana’s combat veterans, the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo is working with the Soldiers Memorial Fund to offer veterans and their family members a free tour of Flathead Lake aboard the Far West on Aug. 5.

Greenpeace flies blimp near Glacier Park

Greenpeace flew a blimp near the east side of Glacier National Park twice on Aug. 4, warning the publc about the impacts of climate change and coal exports.

We need new representation for House District 3

On Nov. 4 this year, voters in Montana will have an important decision to make. We have the opportunity to change from legislating by the tired partisan politics of division and ideology to a reasoned, deliberative and respectful approach.  

Will fight to stop federal land giveaway

What if I told you there was a plan to take away your freedom to access Montana’s most cherished outdoor spaces and give you a big tax hike on top of it. Sounds like a pretty bad deal. Yet, that’s exactly what Congress and others are up to. Think I’m kidding?

Preserve Glacier, its water, and the economy

We read with sadness and grave concern the article about the melting glaciers in Glacier National Park (Hungry Horse News, July 16). It is one of our most treasured places.

U.S. government still trying to subvert Cuba

When I saw the headline about the U.S. government and Cuba in my newspaper the other day, I thought I’d awoken in 1961. It was a Twilight Zone moment for sure: “U.S. program aimed to stir dissent in Cuba.” I expected Rod Serling to welcome me to “another dimension.”

Columbia Falls swimmers do well in divisional meet

Second at state for 15U team

The Glacier All-Stars 15U baseball team finished up its 2014 season with a second-place finish at the state tournament in Helena. 

No whipping boys: Glacier U14s take third at regionals

Glacier U13s heading to World Series

Twins win state American Legion title

State report looks at federal lands transfer

Forest officials say road did not cause slump

Glacier Park fundraising week wraps up

Chinn eyeing Glacier Park butterflies for 25 years

Columbia Falls man arrested after standoff

Residents bring noise, light complaints to city

Engineering report spurs hope for bridge

Glencore facing state order for further CFAC investigation

The simple life at Sperry Chalet

Plum Creek customer enjoys fast boats

Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo schedule

Tickets for the 2014 Northwest Montana Fair’s RAM PRCA Rodeo on Aug. 14-16 can be purchased at the fairgrounds office or online at www.nwmtfair.com.

North Fork firefighters mopping up, demobilizing

Despite multiple lightning strikes up the North Fork on Sunday, Aug. 3, no new fires were reported, according to Forest Service fire officials.

School news

Teacher awarded

Jack Ryan

Jack Ryan, 83, died July 27, 2014.

Sports news

Cross country practice

Outdoor news

Trail opening

Community news

Community garden

Fossil insects in Glacier Park

The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park will host a free brown-bag luncheon presentation on fossil insects in the Kishenehn Formation at the Community Building at Park Headquarters on Tuesday, Aug. 5, from noon to 1 p.m.

Thinning project on reservoir gets the OK

Robert Stansbery

Robert “Bob” Stansbery passed away on July 31, 2014 surrounded by his loving family and friends.

Missing Flathead terrorist to be featured on TV

A fugitive who led a terrorist group in Flathead County a dozen years ago will be a featured criminal in CNN’s new show “The Hunt With John Walsh” on Sunday, Aug. 3, at 7 and 10 p.m.

Montana wood products industry sees gains

An economist at the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research reports that Montana’s wood products industry experienced the strongest two quarters since 2009.

North Fork fires 10 percent contained

Several wildfires up the North Fork grouped together as the Hay Creek Complex have grown to 15 total acres and were 10 percent contained as of Aug. 1.

Marvin Torgerson

Patricia Petero

Patricia “Trish” Petero, 65, of Columbia Falls, died July 28, 2014.