Friday, March 31
C-Falls mom making her mark on pro mountain bike circuit
Last fall, Rose Grant was quickly becoming one of the best professional mountain bike racers in the country. But she suffered a crash at the World Cup in Mont Sainte-Anne in Quebec, Canada.
Thursday, March 30
FVCC hosts logger sports April 8
The Flathead Valley Community College logger sports team will host the 2017 Stumpjumper Days competition April 8. The event is free and open to the public. It will run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the FVCC Logger Sports Arena, accessible via the first exit off the Hutton Ranch Road roundabout.
Get out the bear spray, put away the bird feeders, bears are awake
Grizzly and black bears are leaving their dens according to radio collar locations, track reports and observations from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. FWP asks residents to remove bear attractants by Saturday.
Bond saying Good-bye
After more than 43 years with the Columbia Falls Community Choir, director Ron Bond will conduct his last concert this year.
Megafires presentation at FVCC
The community is invited to a presentation on the “Era of Megafires” April 25, at the Flathead Valley Community College, Arts and Technology Building Room 139 at 6 p.m.
USFS needs help with identifying trails in need
The Northern Region of the U.S. Forest Service invites the public to help identify trails that need maintenance.
Wednesday, March 29
A trophy hunt to remember
During and since the last hunting season I have had a number of hunters complain to me that there are no longer any big bucks on the North Fork. It is not something I ever thought about since I am more of a meat hunter, not a horn hunter. In my experience horn and track soup are not very tasty. The comments about no big trophies did remind me of an old story.
Columbia Falls History
Exactly twenty-one hours ago this column reported on a new little book by Ivan O’Neil’s cousin and my good friend, the late Carle O’Neil. The name of the book is, “Muscle, Grit, & Big Dreams.” Following are things locals should know from that book:
CFAC report reveals hot spots of cyanide at the old landfills, dumps
Flouride, cyanide and arsenic are the main pollutants at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant, a report of environmental consulting firm Roux Associates has found.
This 'fly' fishing is close to jigging
In the last couple of years there’s been considerable buzz in the freshwater fly fishing world concerning, so-called, “balanced flies.”
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Robert Elliott Emerson
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Betty D. Johnson Norem
She lives in a tiny house in the woods
They say home is where your heart is. For Anna Byrd, home is a 7-½-by-23-foot rectangular house atop a trailer overlooking the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. It’s tiny, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
A TRUE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
In the spring of 1967 when Flathead Valley Community College was first created, Bill McClaren, the newly-anointed dean of students, was expecting about 200 people to enroll in the fledgling school.
Tuesday, March 28
FWP embarking on extensive mule deer study
Folks traveling up the North Fork may see a mule deer with a radio collar on. Two deer were collared about a month ago by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as part of a larger study that’s looking at mule deer populations in Montana both west and east of the Divide, said biologist Tim Thier.
Monday, March 27
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70 years ago
Saturday, March 25
Berube Physical Therapy opens in downtown C-Falls
A woman with Wildkat roots recently opened a physical therapy clinic in Columbia Dalls.
Friday, March 24
Fabulous Fungi
Mushrooms, they’re not just for pizza, soup and casseroles anymore.
Thursday, March 23
Park plows clearing east side roads; west side starts April 1
Glacier National Park plows have begun spring plowing on the east side of the Park and will start on the west side the first week in April.
Cathy A. Finberg sentenced in Ponzi scheme case
Flathead County District Judge Amy Eddy Thursday sentenced Catherine Ann Finberg of Columbia Falls to 40 years in prison with all but 10 years suspended for running a Ponzi scheme that ultimately bilked local investors of more than $1 million.
Google alerts
Let’s face it, almost everyone who is on the Internet uses Google. Yes, they track your searches and yes that leads to targeted advertising, but the bottomline is most people don’t seem to care, because Google works so well.
Norick named a Coca-Cola Scholar
A Columbia Falls High School senior was recently accepted as a national Coca-Cola Scholar. Colin Norick was recognized as one of the country’s most outstanding high school leaders and awarded with a $20,000 college scholarship.
Wednesday, March 22
Support a fair special election process, vote yes on SB 305
I urge you to call the House Judiciary Committee before their hearing on Thursday, March 23 at 8 a.m. Ask them to support a fair special election process for Montana by voting yes for SB 305, a bill by Republican Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick of Great Falls. This bill will save Flathead County about $100,000; statewide estimates are up to $1 million in savings.
The best fish dinners ever
Have you ever eaten a fish dinner so good you’ve remembered it the rest of your life?
Spring brings hospital visits
Officially, winter is over and it is now spring. As usual, it is more spring-like in Columbia Falls than it is on Trail Creek. For sure it was a real winter. Although there is a lot of bare ground in Columbia Falls. There are also a lot of snow piles and some snow-lined streets are pretty narrow.
What Does Innocent Mean?
On any given day lately there are state and national news stories about courts being tied up by what appear to be non-valid arguments over the actual or imagined guilt of accused criminals in and out of prison. Such lawsuits have become a whole field for legal eagles. I covered that subject in an interesting column on April 4th of 1996, twenty one years ago. This is it:
Goalie Karberg signs with Northwest University in Washington state
Senior Brandon Karberg signed last week to play soccer at Northwest University, a Christian college in Kirkland, Washington.
Softball team has a host of returning talent, will practice over break
With a host of returning players and a pitcher whose been working on her stuff all winter, the Columbia Falls softball team should be right in the mix again this year.
Track teams look solid again this year
Both the Columbia Falls boys and girls track teams should be solid again this year, coach Jamie Heinz said.
Trump's budget met with quick criticism from Park group
President Donald Trump’s blueprint budget, released last week, slashes the Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency spending, which has raised concerns among national parks advocates.
City council tweaks letter supporting North Fork paving
The Columbia Falls City Council Monday night tweaked the language of a letter it plans on sending out to local, state, and federal lawmakers urging the paving of the North Fork Road to Camas Creek.
Anonymous donor gives county $1 million toward new jail
An anonymous donor has given $1 million to Flathead County to help pay for a new county jail.
EPA releases draft community involvement plan for CFAC site; latest test results due out soon
The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft community involvement plan last week that looks to keep the public in the loop as testing and other work continues at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant Superfund site.
GPI plans to build RV Park, rental cabins in West Glacier
Glacier Park Inc. is proposing to build a large campground with 25 rental cabins in West Glacier off River Bend Drive. The plan is for 102 recreational vehicle spaces in addition to the cabins on a 178-acre forested tract of land just west of the main village site.
Fromm's latest book is more than a wilderness adventure
Sometimes a great story takes years to write. That could be said for Pete Fromm’s latest book “The Names of the Stars.” The book is a memoir about Fromm’s time in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, tending to grayling fry for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in the North Fork of the Sun River at Gates Park.
Legals March 22, 2017
No. 1610 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FLATHEAD COUNTY PLANNING BOARD REGULAR MEETING The Flathead County Planning Board will hold their regular meeting on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, beginning at 6:00 PM in the 2nd Floor Conference Room, South Campus Building, 40 11th Street West, Suite 200, Kalispell, Montana. During this meeting, the Board will hold a public hearing to consider the agenda item described below and make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners who will take final action. 1. A request from Glacier Park Inc. with technical assistance from Sands Surveying, Inc. for a Major Land Use Review for a 'Planned Community' that will include 25 rental cabins within the Middle Canyon Region of the C.A.L.U.R.S (Canyon Area) Zoning District on approximately 178 acres. The proposal includes a request for Preliminary Plat approval of 'West Glacier R.V. and Cabin Village', a two phase 102-space RV park 'Subdivision for Lease or Rent' on approximately 24 acres. The applicant is proposing to establish public water and sewer systems to serve the Planned Community and R.V. Park. Access would be from River Bend Drive via Going to the Sun Road in West Glacier, immediately north of U.S. Highway 2. The properties can legally be described as Lots 1 and 3 and Assessors Tracts 4G and 5D all in Section 35, Township 32 North, Range 19 West, P.M.M., Flathead County, Montana. Documents and maps pertaining to these agenda items are on file for public inspection in the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office, South Campus Building, 40 11th Street West, Ste. 220 in Kalispell. All decisions made by the Planning Board are considered recommendations and will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action. Please check the County Commissioners page of the County website, http://flathead.mt.gov/commissioner, or contact the Commissioners' office for the scheduled date and time of a particular item. Interested persons are encouraged to attend the hearing and make their views and concerns known to the Board. For additional information contact the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office at (406) 751-8200. Written comments are strongly encouraged to be submitted and should be received by the Flathead County Planning & Zoning Office no later than April 12, 2017 @ 5:00 p.m. Please note agenda items are subject to change without notice. Any modifications to agenda items will be posted on the county website, http://flathead.mt.gov/planning_zoning/events.php 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 March 22, 2017 MNAXLP
Monday, March 20
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70 years ago
Friday, March 17
Glacier Park eases boat ban; will allow non-trailered, hand-propelled watercraft this summer
Glacier National Park is easing its boat ban as spring approaches, but no private motorized boats will be allowed on Park waters this year.
Laid-off Cedar Palace employees also eligible for benefits
Montana Sen. Jon Tester announced last week that laid-off workers from Weyerhaeuser Columbia Falls Cedar Palace would also be eligible for extended benefits under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act.
Tester announces new wilderness bill; would add to Bob, Missions
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., announced recently that he is introducing the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act, a proposal that includes expanding the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex by 79,000 acres while opening up timber harvest and recreational use elsewhere in the region.
Baseball at Snowslip
Editor’s note: George is out this week, here’s a column from a few years ago...
Thursday, March 16
City could push for N. Fork paving
Now that the region has a Secretary of Interior in Ryan Zinke with Montana roots, it’s a good time to ask to have the North Fork Road paved to the Camas Road, a Columbia Falls city councilman suggested last week.
Waterton Park announces ban on motorized, trailered boats
Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada has announced it too will institute a boat ban after aquatic invasive mussels were found in the Tiber Reservoir in Montana last year.
Columbia Falls native gets folks on their feet again
Tyler Ladenburg was born and raised in Columbia Falls. The 2000 graduate played football and basketball for the Wildcats, went on to study exercise science at Montana State University on Bozeman and then received his master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Montana. His parents, Tom and Carol, grew up here as well.
Wednesday, March 15
Little yellow mustards
The bird flitted from branch to branch in the darkest part of the tree. I tried in vain, to get a good look at it, lock on the focus, get a shot, but to no avail.
NFIA celebrates 70 years
It is hard for me to imagine that this year is the 70th birthday of The North Fork Landowners Association, formally known as The North Fork Improvement Association. What makes it hard to imagine that it is that old, is the fact that I have been involved for that entire time.
Smalley urges us to watch the Moron Brothers, and more
For several years, I’ve subscribed to a free outdoor information site called the Outdoor Hub.
Sneak attack on Wilderness Study areas?
When I was a kid and was learning to hunt, stealth and surprise often resulted in hunting success. But I also played team sports that taught me sportsmanship, and the importance of rules in competition.
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Clarence Anderson Watts
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Thomas Joseph Ulrich
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Patricia “Trisha” Anne Toftum
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Katherine Rose Ross
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Wallace Ray Downing
MDT: U.S. Highway 2 paving won't be until after Labor Day
Bob Vosen of the Montana Department of Transportation official told city leaders Monday that paving U.S. Highway 2 through the Columbia Falls won’t happen until after Labor Day.
Quist stumps in Whitefish as he kicks off congressional race
By CHRIS PETERSON
Suicide prevention classes offered
Flathead County’s suicide rate almost doubled in 2016, according to Joan Schmidt, program director for the Nate Chute Foundation, a nonprofit that’s working to prevent suicides in the region.
A Gold Star teacher saying good-bye
Longtime Ruder Elementary fifth-grade teacher Cathy Spencer was recently honored with the Gold Star Award, a KCFW-TV award that honors local teachers.
Zinke gets prayers from Blackfeet; promises changes at NPS
A backlog of infrastructure projects. A promise to reorganize the Park Service. No tolerance for sexual harassment and prayers from the Blackfeet.
Fitness businesses open in old Park Merc building
The former Park Mercantile building opened for business last week after about two decades of being nothing more than storage for an antique dealer.
Monday, March 13
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70 years ago
Friday, March 10
Perry optimistic on tax bill vote
House District 3 Rep. Zac Perry is optimistic that a bill he’s sponsoring that could lower taxes for new or expanding businesses will make it out of the Senate Finance Committee in the second half of the session.
GOP grizzly resolution light on science in asking for delisting
The Montana House last week passed a joint resolution urging Congress to delist grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act and return management of the bruins back to the state.
Thursday, March 9
Of moose and men
For a few glorious days last week it got cold enough to set the snowpack into a rock, which meant that we could hike on top it, without snowshoes or skis.
Wednesday, March 8
Grizzly death inquiry suggests new safety measures to protect bears, mountain bikers
For the Hungry Horse News
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Brewery anniversary
About Novio seven years ago
Could do nothing except stare dumbfounded, not believing what I saw. After all, great-grandson Novio is only a year old. Though he talks a blue streak, not many words are real clear. The charming little guy came to visit from California last week and his mother, granddaughter Tana, granted me the emotional honor of giving Novio his very first taste of ice cream. It happened as our four-generation group finished a celebratory dinner prepared by my First Wife Iris, and topped off with a family favorite, root beer floats.
Keep public lands public
The legislative session brings one of Montana’s most powerful and widely held values into question, our public lands. Some aim to transfer management and ownership of our public lands heritage, and this is unacceptable.
Sand roads, please
I have requested for change in maintenance to Montana roads. Since winter has started our local roads around town have gone down hill. Not only have our roads gone down hill but our roads are not being plowed when it snows causing them to get snowpack and become very icy for local commuters.
Another winter storm expected tomorrow, Friday
A potent winter storm is expected to barrel into the valley Thursday into Friday, dumping an additional eight to 12 inches of snow in the valley and upwards of two feet across Marias Pass.
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Janet Young
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Wallace Ray Downing
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Virginia Mohr
Local schools receive grant for art museum membership
Columbia Falls schools now have a membership to the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell, because of a recent grant from the Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund and continued support from Glacier Bank. Nearly every school in the Flathead Valley has a museum membership now.
Mundel garners All-American honors at Carroll
Columbia Falls runner Samantha Mundel is now an All-American in the college ranks. Mundel was sixth in the 3,000 meters (9:57.62) to be an All-American at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday in Johnson City, Tenn.
MDT says U.S. Highway 2 work will be mostly in late August, into fall
A local woman has started a petition asking the state to consider delaying reconstruction of U.S. Highway 2 through the city, but it may be a moot point.
'We were gym rats' - a look back at the championship team of '83
In dark basement a group of girls gathered holding hands.
A host of Wildkats make all-tourney, all-state
Five members of the Class A state championship Columbia Falls girls basketball team have received all-tournament honors in voting by the media and tournament officials.
The drought is over; Kats win first championship in 34 years
In the first minutes of the Columbia Falls girls basketball championship game against Hardin coach Cary Finberg called a timeout. He looked around and only four girls were in the huddle.
Monday, March 6
Art for the People
Columbia Falls may soon have its own art center. Box Elder art teacher Jemina Watstein plans to have the Columbia Falls Community Arts Center open by summer, she said last week. Watstein used to work in the Kalispell School District and in Germany for a while, before moving to Box Elder.
Saturday, March 4
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70 years ago
Friday, March 3
In Many Glacier, a spiral staircase returns
The Many Glacier Hotel will be close to its old glory this summer and one of the centerpieces of the effort was built right here in the Flathead Valley.
Thursday, March 2
As Forest plan unfolds, a mountain bike-wilderness debate emerges
As the Flathead National Forest puts the finishing touches on a final Forest plan, one issue is rising to the forefront: Should bicycle use be allowed in areas that are recommended wilderness?
Traffic could get ugly this summer
Columbia Falls could be a tough place to drive through this summer. The Montana Department of Transportation plans to mill and resurface U.S. Highway 2 through the city limits from North Hilltop to the Flathead River Bridge.
Wednesday, March 1
Lutheran home urges Medicaid funding
In 1957, a group of concerned citizens in the Flathead Valley founded “The Lutheran Home” to provide a comfortable place for local seniors to live during their golden years. Sixty years later, The Lutheran Home has evolved and expanded to become Immanuel Lutheran Communities, but our mission is the same: to provide a safe, comfortable place for seniors to live—especially those seniors who have outlived their financial resources and cannot afford care for themselves.
Tell Congress to fund SNAP
We’d like to believe otherwise, but child poverty in America rates high among what UNICEF calls “advanced economies.” According to latest U.S. Census reports, our child poverty rate is at 19.7 percent. A study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows Montana child poverty at 19 percent in 2015. Poverty is overwhelming. It affects how children learn, grow, behave, develop, and how hungry they are.
Bleed Blue week a success
Bleed Blue week at Columbia Falls High School concluded Friday, Feb. 17 with a community assembly featuring Comatose Posse.
Wes weighs in on Smalley's antics
Over the years there have been a number of stories published in this column written solely from the perspective of one individual. We shall call him Fishful
Sevesind to attend medical conference in Mass.
Columbia Falls freshman Graceanne Sevesind has been selected to be a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Lowell, Massachusetts this June.
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Food drive
Conservation film on tap March 11
The Flathead Land Trust, Montana Land Reliance, and the Vital Ground Foundation will host the northwest Montana film premiere of “On the Shoulders of Giants: The Story of Montana Private Land Conservation” on Saturday, March 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.
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Feb. 20
FWP looks to clamp down on mussel spread, offers rule changes
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wants comments on proposed rule changes needed in the battle to prevent the risk of spreading invasive mussels and other aquatic invasive species to other state waters.
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Opal Theresia Lynch
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Ronald Eugene Zabel
City says water is safe and it has no additives
The City of Columbia Falls water is safe and has posted the results of the most recent round of testing on its web site.
Ramsey hits the magic mark at Glacier Lanes
Glacier Lanes bowler David Ramsey recently bowled a perfect 300 game. Ramsey’s average is about 197, but he hit the magic score on Jan. 21 during the Men’s City Tournament.
The way we were
My high school class recently had a dinner to commemorate our 70th reunion. Out of a group of slightly more than 200, we found that at least 95 of us are still alive, all in our late 80s.
Judging North Dakota
A few weeks ago I was asked if I would help judge the North Dakota Press Association’s annual newspaper contest. Last year I helped judge West Virginia’s, which was not a whole lot of fun, to be honest.
Boys season ends at divisional tourney
The Columbia Falls boys basketball team came within one point of extending their season at the Western A divisional tournament in Hamilton last week. On Friday, the Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking loss to Frenchtown, 45-44 to end their season.
Kats win Western A Divisional crown
The Columbia Falls girls basketball team punched their ticket to the state A basketball tourney in convincing fashion Saturday, downing Corvallis 71-40 for the Western A Divisional title.
After a long wait, Zinke confirmed as Secretary of the Interior
Montana Republican Congressman and Whitefish native Ryan Zinke was confirmed as the next Secretary of the Interior Wednesday morning by a 63-31 vote in the U.S. Senate.
