Ellington

Glacier National Park's Sperry Chalet burns down

The historic Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park burned to the ground about 6 p.m. Thursday night after the Sprague Fire went on a run.

Glacier looks to hike annual pass to $60

Glacier National Park is soliciting public comment for a proposal to change the price of the Glacier National Park Annual Pass from $50 to $60. No other entrance fees are proposed for change.

County buying Cedar Palace as possible site for new jail

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

West Glacier cell phone tower seeks variance; public hearing Sept. 5

The Flathead County Board of Adjustment will consider a variance for a new cell phone tower off Belton Stage Road. Clearview Tower of Edison, New Jersey is proposing building a 150-foot tower in an old gravel pit on property off Belton Stage Road owned by Don and Paul Herbert. According to maps provided with the application, the tower is northwest of Great Northern Raft Company

Golf season underway, boys have been playing well

The Columbia Falls golf season is well underway and doing well.

New coach, new team for spikers this season

New coach. New team.

Cross country team looks to youth and experienced runners

The Columbia Falls cross-country teams will look to make their mark this season behind several quality runners from last year.

Boys soccer team looks strong again this year

The boys soccer team should be right in the postseason hunt again this year.

Girls soccer team has sights set on postseason

With a host of returning talent and a great mix of young players, the Columbia Falls girls soccer team should be in the thick of the Class A postseason this year.

Football team stacked with talent again this year

The Columbia Falls football team should be right in the mix again as one of the top football teams in Class A. While the Wildcats lost 19 seniors to graduation, they still have a solid core of players with varsity experience from last year’s team, which fell just short in the state championship to Dillon.

No headline

Brian Scott Loucks, 37, passed away on Aug. 27, 2017.

Spikers compete at Northwest-Southwest tip-off tourney

The Columbia Falls volleyball squad competed hard at the Northwest-Southwest A tip-off tournament last weekend.

What money can't buy

Had a bad week in my basement den for writing columns. After only 45 years of service, the big fluorescent lights on the ceiling gave out completely. Had to get a handyman to replace them.

Knudsen, DeLorme lead harriers in x-country opener

The Columbia Falls cross-country squad opened its season at the Libby Invitational last week. The boys were led by Gabe Knudsen, who took seventh with a time of 17:39.61. Joe Lamb was 14th with a 17:57 to make the top 20.

The future of the GOP

My dad’s grandmother lived more than 80 years, and never voted for a Democrat. On the porch of her farmhouse near Independence, Iowa, in election year 1928 she told him why: “The Democrats killed two of my brothers.”

Peace and tranquility

Just returned from attending the last North Fork Church Service of the year. I am not a regular member of the 20-plus congregation, but I support their dedication to each other and the community.

Smalley hits great American traffic jam

Didn’t I see you stuck in traffic on I-15 south of Dillon right after the solar eclipse?

Golfers win Columbia Falls invite at West Glacier

Tyler Langton shot a 78 and the Columbia Falls boys golf team won its own invitational at the Glacier View Golf Course in West Glacier Aug. 22.

C-Falls woman allegedly bilked Safeway

A 47-year-old Columbia Falls woman who allegedly stole thousands of dollars from the Whitefish Safeway has been charged with felony theft and recently plead not guilty in Flathead County District Court.

Liverpool veterinarian recreates Forrest Gump's run

It’s safe to say that English veterinarian Rob Pope just felt like running.

Columbia Falls bike shop is now open, fixing bikes

Columbia Falls now has its own bike shop.

For Girl Scout, a clean river brings a smile

For most kids, saying they kayaked miles of the Whitefish River would be a great way to spend a summer vacation. Sarah Downs did the kayaking all right, but she also picked up trash along the way — tons of it. “Kayak Klean” she calls it.

Montana's raptors counted yearly for population data

If you can hike two miles and count birds, you could be a volunteer for a cooperative migration survey effort in the Jewel Basin.

Grizzly bear family tree research continues in Glacier

When it comes to population trends, one male grizzly can have a big impact.

New research suggests hybridization of pine martens

The elusive American pine marten, a little-studied member of the weasel family, might be more diverse than originally thought, according to new research published by a University of Montana professor.

Smoke from Sprague Fire closes Lake McDonald Lodge

Dennis Rich of Illinois got a note slipped under his door at the Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park Tuesday night.

No headline

70 years ago

Rain gives a reprieve to smoke, but fires far from out

Hurricane Harvey will bring heavy rain to Texas, but as it moves across the U.S. in the coming days it won’t do much to break up a persistent high pressure ridge over Montana. If anything, it will make the ridge stronger, said National Weather Service meteorologist David Noble of Missoula.

Former employee writes tell-all book on CFAC's history

A former Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. electrical planner has published a comprehensive online history of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant. From the geology, chemistry, and history of Earth’s aluminum, to the aluminum boom from the 1960s to the 1990s, Richard Hanners’ history tells the whole story, including the rise and fall of Anaconda Aluminum Co. and the Atlantic Richfield Co. ownership of the facility.

Outdoors Fest celebrates state's wealth of public land

Montana’s public lands and outdoor recreation provide 71,000 jobs in the state and $7.1 billion in consumer spending, Montana Sen. Jon Tester told a capacity crowd at the Last Best Outdoor Fest Tuesday night in Columbia Falls.

Fun at the Fair

North Fork society news

The smoke continues from areas south of us, but so far the North Fork has escaped any major fire. We do continue to carefully watch the fire to our west near Eureka; and the lower Grave’s Creek Trail Creek Road to Eureka remains closed at the Whitefish Divide. Thanks to Lynn Ogle we receive a daily report on that fire and it poses no threat to the North Fork at this time. Nevertheless, fire conditions remain extreme and it is very, very dry. We are all dreading the possibility of lightning storms or worse, some stupid, careless human starting a wildfire.

Pollard, Connor celebrate first wedding anniversary

A year ago on Aug. 21, 2016, Ruby Jane Pollard and Cody John Edward Connor were united in marriage under a floral arbor in a beautiful outdoor afternoon ceremony on family property in Columbia Falls, Montana. Johnny F. Turner of West Glacier, a friend of family, officiated.

Sprague Fire spreads closer to Sperry

The Sprague Fire grew to more than 1,300 acres in Glacier National Park over the past week, growling on the flanks of Lincoln Peak as it continues to spread. Lincoln Peak is just to the south of Sperry Chalet, but the fire wasn’t to the chalet by Tuesday.

Snelson tapped for Spotted Bear District Ranger post

Scott Snelson has been selected as the new Spotted Bear District Ranger and will start his tenure on Dec. 10. He replaces Deb Starling Mucklow, who retired earlier this year after a long career with the Forest Service.

Smalley catches up on outdoor news

On again. Off again. On again. This describes the proposed buyout of Cabela’s by Bass Pro Shops.

School board debates Sunday use of school gyms

At last week’s School District 6 board meeting, the board discussed Superintendent Steve Bradshaw’s proposed policy for allowing extracurricular groups to use school facilities. The topic was introduced earlier this summer when several church groups made requests to use the high school and junior high as Sunday meeting places.

Coram teen wins multiple awards at Northwest Montana Fair

Coram homeschool student Sarah Johnson did well at the Northwest Montana Fair. Johnson, 16, was grand champion and judge’s choice in the fair’s photography contest for her photo of a yellowjacket insect. She also received reserve champion in the 4-H market goat category, reserve grand for her ceramics, and grand champion in 4-H photography. Johnson also crochets and embroiders.

No headline

Allen Ray Ream Allen Ray Ream went to be with his Lord and Savior on Aug. 19, 2017 after losing his 45 year battle with Huntington’s disease. Allen was born to Marlin and Alice (Evenson) Ream of Bigfork on July 22, 1938. He attended Swan River Elementary School when it was a two-room schoolhouse. After graduating from Bigfork High School, Allen joined the Navy. It was during this time that he met and married Catherine Potteiger, his wife of 55 years.

Politics

In spite of a democracy being known and proven as the most inefficient kind of government ever devised by humans, it is also fairest and longest-lasting. Why? Because everybody gets to put in their two bits worth.

Golfers do well at the Northwest A kickoff tournament

The Columbia Falls golf season got underway last week, with sophomore Tyler Langton leading the Wildcats with a 10th place finish 85 at the Northwest A kickoff tournament at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club.

No headline

What was history...

No headline

Roger H. Elliott

Deer Park School will hold $3 million mail-in bond vote

Deer Park School will hold a special $3 million mail-in bond election to expand school facilities next month. The small school in rural Columbia Falls on Middle Road has seen a surge in enrollment in recent years and it has aging facilities, including a 30-year-old quonset that used to be a gym and now houses classrooms, but has an ailing roof.

No headline

Community market

No headline

Pete G. Bergen

No headline

Carl Elias Goble

Topography, snowfall affect retreat of cirque glaciers

University of Montana doctoral candidate Caitlyn Florentine is taking a new look at Sperry Glacier’s retreat, and this particular glacier’s near future isn’t quite as bad as previously thought.

Legals August 23, 2017

No. 1618 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FLATHEAD COUNTY BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT The Flathead County Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing on the items listed below on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 beginning at 6:00 PM in the 2nd Floor Conference Room of the South Campus Building, 40 11th Street West, Suite 200, Kalispell, Montana A request from Sands Surveying on behalf of Don & Paul Herbert for a conditional use permit for the placement of a Cellular Communication Tower at a property located at 1291 Belton Stage Road in the Middle Canyon Zoning District. A Cellular Communication Tower is a Public Utility Structure and a Minor Land Use in the Middle Canyon. Section 5.13 of the Flathead County Zoning Regulations (FCZR) outlines requirements to all wireless telecommunications facilities regardless of the zoning district or overlay in which they are located. Section 5.13.115(C) requires a conditional use permit for towers exceeding sixty feet within 1/4 mile of a State or Federal Highway. Because a Minor Land Use Review is similar to a Conditional Use Permit which requires a public hearing, a Conditional use Permit will be required and will include elements of review for both a Minor Land Use Review and a Conditional Use Permit. The subject property can legally be described as Tract 7B in Section 3, Township 31 North, Range 19 West, P.M.M., Flathead County, Montana. 2. A request from Sands Surveying on behalf of Don & Paul Herbert for a zoning variance to property located at 1291 Belton Stage Road within the Middle Canyon Zoning District. The applicants are requesting a variance to Section 5.13.115 ( C) Performance Standards for Cellular Communication Towers which states: A wireless telecommunication tower located within one-quarter (1/4) mile from the Centerline of the right-of-way of all State and Federal highways shall: ( C) If a wireless telecommunications tower exceeds sixty (60) feet in height or is located more than sixty (60) feet from the edge of the right-of-way of a State or Federal highway, it may be permitted as a conditional use provided that the tower be set back twenty (20) feet from the edge of the right-of way for every one (1) foot in height in excess of sixty (60) feet. Based on the distance from U.S. Highway 2, the applicants would be permitted to have a 103 foot tower subject to the conditional use permit. The applicants have requested the variance to place a 150 foot tower on the site. The subject property can legally be described as Tract 7B in Section 3, Township 31 North, Range 19 West, P.M.M., Flathead County, Montana. All decisions made by the Board of Adjustment are considered final actions. Interested parties are encouraged to attend the meeting to make their views or concerns known to the Board. Written comments are strongly encouraged and should be received by the Flathead County Planning & Zoning Office, no later than 5:00 pm, September 5, 2017. Information and documents pertaining to the above requests are on file in the Flathead County Planning & Zoning Office, 40 11th Street West, Ste 220 Kalispell, MT 59901, and may be reviewed during regular office hours, or you may call (406) 751-8200 for more information. Please note agenda items are subject to change without notice. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting Elaine Nelson at the Flathead County Commissioner's Office at 758-5503 or TTY (800) 335-7592, or call Montana Relay at 711. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. /s/Mark Mussman Mark Mussman, CFM® Planning Director August 23, 2017 MNAXLP

No headline

70 years ago

Glacier National Park's Sprague Fire grows to 500 acres; red flag warning up today

The Sprague Fire in Glacier National Park has grown to more than 500 acres and is starting to drop down into both the Snyder and Sprague Creek drainages.

C-Falls firefighters put out another close call grass fire; remind folks no smoking, no campfires

Columbia Falls firefighters were able extinguish a grass fire Thursday night before it burned down a garage on U.S. Highway 2 about a half mile south of the Blue Moon.

Study: Montana college grads averaging nearly $31,000 in debt

LendEDU, an online marketplace for student loan refinancing, recently released data on student loan debt for over 1,000 institutions. According to its statistics, Montana graduates are carrying significant debt.

No headline

Run for Kimberly

Planning board OK's zone change for Weyerhaeuser, but snowmobile business sparks debate

The Columbia Falls City-County Zoning Board voted Tuesday to recommend that City Council approve a zone change to Weyerhauser land east of Cedar Palace.

Columbia Falls outdoor opportunities showcased at Fest next week

Columbia Falls will be in the outdoor industry limelight next week as it hosts the Last Best Outdoors Fest next week.

For packer Brash, the wilderness was home

Adding up the days, the way Gene Brash sees it, he’s spent a full two years of his life at Black Bear in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. About the same for Big Prairie.

Oh, those pesky birds

News broke last week that county commissioner Phil Mitchell saw fit to kill several cottonwood trees in a county park near his home. Not sure exactly what his motive was. Maybe all those pesky birds that live in cottonwood communities were irritating him.

Jimmerson work also showcased at Freedom Bank

Columbia Falls artist Allen Jimmerson has spent the past week working on a large painting for Freedom Bank. The bank is becoming an art gallery in its own right, with a large mural commissioned by Nick Oberling of Hungry Horse and an original by late artist Leonard Lopp set to go up this month as well.

C-Falls Postmaster warns about mail thefts

Columbia Falls Postmaster Shawna Crum said she’s received about 200 complaints about altered, opened, or missing mail over the course of the past eight months.

Thanks to WAEA sponsors and community

On behalf of the Wildc/kat Athletic Endowment Association, I would like to extend a big thank-you to the Columbia Falls Community for your attendance and support at the WAEA Auction, barbecue, and golf fundraisers. Once again the Wildc/kat supporters have made our event a huge success. The weekend added to the endowment fund an additional $29,000 that will benefit our CFHS athletes for many years to come. With this effort, our endowment principal total is well over $530,000.

Gustafson, Alexander wed

Ivy Grace Gustafson and Joseph James Alexander were married July 22, 2017 at the bride’s family’s lot on Echo Lake in Bigfork.

North Fork elects board reps

Fire danger remains extreme, but thanks to a strong initial attack on North Fork lightning strikes, the fires up the North Fork are small.

Columbia Falls swimmers do well at state tournament

The Columbia Falls summer swim team recently wrapped up a successful season, with several swimmers nabbing medals at the state meet Aug. 5-6.

Civic leader, former mayor, Elliott dies at 86

Roger Elliott, a former Columbia Falls mayor, civic leader and state senator, died Aug. 1. He was 86. Elliott was mayor from 1967 to 1971 and a Republican state senator from 1981-85, his son Roger F. Elliott said last week.

Fundraiser for a Glacier Children's Museum is coming up

What do you get when you combine three Montana moms who have backgrounds in business, education, and marketing?

Man shoots up Martin City house

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a 47-year-old Hungry Horse man who fired “a bunch of rounds” into a residence just outside Martin City Aug. 5, Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said last week.

No headline

Mildred Avis Smith

New high school swim coach knows how to endure

The Columbia Falls High School swim team will be in good hands for the upcoming season with new coach Emily von Jentzen.

One way to preserve bull trout in Glacier is to move them

Chris Downs, fisheries biologist and leader of native trout protection efforts, recently spoke at Science and History Day to update the public on the Park’s lake trout suppression and bull trout translocation projects.

Small fire causes big headache at Sperry Chalet in Glacier

A small fire is causing big problems for some backcountry travelers in Glacier Park. While the Park has reopened most of its backcountry campgrounds after fire danger prompted closure last week, the coveted Sperry Chalet and campground remains closed due to fire danger and could remain closed for the rest of the summer.

No headline

70 years ago

Fire burning above Cyclone Lake in the North Fork

At least three helicopters were dropping water on a fire above Cyclone Lake in the North Fork late Saturday afternoon. The fire was initially reported as 3 acres, but appeared much larger than that by 7 p.m. and was growing.

No headline

Gerald “Jerry” Eugene Ross

Violent thunderstorm wracks Glacier National Park with lightning fires; Park closes backcountry campgrounds including coveted Sperry Trail, chalet

A violent storm that moved through Glacier National Park Thursday evening triggered about 150 lightning strikes throughout the Park, sparking multiple fires.

No headline

What if you could reduce the cost of border security, improve the lives of low-income families, and send kids to school in developing countries - just by donating your old bicycle?

Flathead County Commissioner apologizes for intentionally killing trees in county park

By HILARY MATHESON

No headline

By HILARY MATHESON

Several small fires in Glacier controlled or out, Park says

Glacier National Park fire crews have squashed several small fires in the North Fork.

Highway 2 work starts Monday

Work on a project to rebuild the sidewalks and overhaul U.S. Highway 2 from Hilltop Road to the Flathead River Bridge is set to start Aug. 14.

City OK's downtown apartments; $3 million project

The Columbia Falls City Council Monday night approved an apartment complex on the former Davall Building site in downtown.

No headline

Roger Elliott

Summer smoke is in the air

It has become an almost annual event. View of the mountains is eliminated by smoke, air quality is poor, and tourists are diverted to alternate recreational areas.

Watch your speed, Smalley warns visitors

Observe speed limits while traveling or you might lose your driver’s license.

Column is 55 years old

Wrote the first weekly newspaper column for the Hungry Horse News on Feb. 2, 1962. It was actually a letter to the editor, Mel Ruder, from Washington, D.C., giving a mountain boy’s view of the Kennedy New Frontier. Mel called to say thanks and asked me to write a letter to him every week. Continued this assignment in D.C., and after returning to the Flathead kept doing “A Weekly Letter.”

If we give them space, future looks good for grizzlies

While tragic, Glacier Park’s Night of the Grizzlies did much to change grizzly bear and human backcountry use.

Rare grayling get a new home

About 400 arctic grayling and nearly 300 native cutthroat trout have a new home in Handkerchief Lake. The lake sits about four miles above the Hungry Horse Reservoir. In the fall of 2016 the lake was treated with the fish poison Rotenone to kill off the non-native rainbow-cutthroat trout hybrids in the lake, as part of a large project by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to preserve the genetic integrity of the South Fork of the Flathead’s native westslope cutthroat trout.

Local photographer Philip Granrud captures night sky

Philip Granrud isn’t just a talented night photographer. His photos helped scientists discover an atmospheric phenomenon.

Highway 40 project under comment

Montana Department of Transportation is taking comments on potential improvements for a section of Montana 40.

FWP recommends Whitefish land project

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is recommending one of the two conservation easements that make up the proposed Whitefish Lake Watershed Project.

No headline

In the early morning hours of Aug. 13, 1967, a tragedy struck Glacier National Park. A tragedy that would forever change the way the Park managed its backcountry and the bears that lived in it.

Canyon Church will celebrate centennial this month

The Canyon Community Church will recognize its 100th birthday this month. The church was first organized in 1917, and Rev. George McVay Fisher was the first pastor. The congregation didn’t have a church building of its own — they met at the Coram School about once a month, though records show that Sunday school was pretty regular at the time.

Hockaday opens annual women's art exhibition

In August and September, the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell will hold its third annual exhibition and sale: A Timeless Legacy – Women Artists of Glacier National Park. The event opens with a fundraising sale Aug. 12, and the show runs Tuesday through Saturday, Aug. 15 through Sept. 23. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for college students, and free for K-12 and members.

Fire brewing south of Eureka, evacuations ordered

Sparked by lightning Monday night, a 500-acre wildfire was brewing south of Eureka. The fire was burning in the northeast canyon above Hood Drive according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Glacier sees more than 1 million visitors in July

Glacier National Park saw a whopping 1 million visitors in July and has already topped 2 million for the year with two months of summer tourist season left to go.

No headline

70 years ago

No headline

Glacier National Park released the new regulations for launching private motorboats on Lake McDonald last week. Motorboaters who want to launch on Lake McDonald have to have their boat inspected, sealed to the trailer and then go through a 30-day quarantine before being allowed to launch on the lake.

Stoltze to implement restrictions on its lands due to fire danger

With the fire danger rated at extreme, F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. has implemented several restrictions on its lands, beginning Monday, Aug. 7. They include:

City leaning toward forming independent CFAC oversight group

City leaders met Monday night to review an Environmental Protection Agency Technical Assistance Grant program put forth by Robert Moler and Mike Cirian of the EPA. Each TAG provides up to $50,000 to community groups so they can pay for technical advisors to interpret and explain reports, site conditions, and the Superfund process.

4-H club plants berry bushes at Veterans Home garden

Girls from the Country Cousins 4-H club in Kalispell helped out the Farming for the Future Academy garden at the Montana Veterans Home Monday.

No headline

Triplett wins in Big Sky ride

Columbia Falls bull rider Matt Triplett made the most of his trip to his home state, winning Big Sky PBR, a Professional Bull Riders Velocity Tour event on July 29 at Sage Brush Field.

School district will dip into reserves to bridge budget cuts

State revenues have fallen far enough below projections that Gov. Steve Bullock’s budget office recently announced $97 million in spending cuts, of which schools and health programs will receive the brunt. The Office of Public Instruction, which oversees public schools, will lose at least $19 million over two years.

July one of hottest and driest on record

July was the hottest and driest the Flathead has seen in decades.

The 'Royal Coachman'

After recently returning from a fly-fishing float trip on the Flathead Middle Fork, a friend challenged me, “I’d bet you’d never guess what I caught my biggest cuttie on.”

Fraley toasts the field at Glacier Bank Boogie to the Bank

Troy Fraley of Kalispell smoked the field at the annual Glacier Bank Boogie to the Bank 5k run Saturday during Heritage Days.

Heritage Days three-on-three tourney results

There were more than 60 teams participating in the Heritage Days three-on-three basketball tournament over Heritage Days. The annual event is sponsored by the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce.

For Glacier hikers, a charging grizzly gives a lasting lesson

A Kalispell man and his two sons found out just how fast a grizzly bear can run during a recent trek in Glacier National Park.

Teen's birthday present was part of the parade

A Columbia Falls teen got a special gift for his 16th birthday during the Heritage Days Parade — a restored pickup truck. Keagan McCracken’s late grandfather, Monte Senner, promised the youth the 1978 Ford Ranger pickup when McCracken turned 16.

Inner city youths get up close and personal with a bear

When you’re an inner-city teenager from Houston, smelling a live black bear has to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

'Real people' solve local issues

Despite my feeling that the Interlocal Meetings are so filled with extraneous “bring and brag” conversation that discussion of concerns and problems has become limited, I remain a supporter of continuing the meetings.

Hem haw haws of yesterday

Ran some Olympic memories last week and found another old column mentioning the London Olympics of 2012. Just have to revisit that one.

Glacier's historic fire hose tower still in use

In the early years of Glacier National Park, the fire management strategy was to look at the sky and hope for rain.

Montana warming faster than other parts of the world

In Montana, average temperatures have risen 1.8 times faster than the global average, and Glacier National Park’s ice bodies are taking the heat.

Canadian scientist tracking sparrows, and their genes

When it’s mating season for white-crowned sparrows, even mountains aren’t in the melodious birds’ way.

No headline

School board OK’s calendar, other odds and ends

There was a light agenda at the July 24 School District 6 board meeting. Board members voted on final changes to the policy handbooks in preparation for the upcoming school year. Discussion was minimal, as the board has been working on hirings and policy updates all summer.

Kimberly Peacock, Columbia Falls standout athlete, diagnosed with leukemia

A standout athlete and honor student at Columbia Falls High School is battling leukemia. Kimberly Peacock was recently diagnosed with the disease, her mother, Heather Peacock said in a Facebook post on Saturday.