Ellington

Former Glacier Park ranger now flying rescue missions

By day, 66-year-old EMS Manager Dick Sine occupies an office at the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services, juggling papers and making calls to ensure each ambulance and paramedic in the county operates efficiently and legally.

Bison Range lawsuit settled

Planning for the National Bison Range’s future looks set to move forward, now that a two-year-old lawsuit has been settled.

The week in Glacier Park photos

Falls Creek Cabin more than just sewing supplies

Those looking for sewing supplies and vintage items have a new place to shop in Columbia Falls after the Falls Creek Cabin opened for business in November.

This definitely is a different kind of bean

“Yuck, these Jelly Bellys taste like rotten fish!”

In cyberterrorism case, school offers identity protection service

In the wake of a “cyberterrorism” attack last fall, School District 6 recently offered a free year of a service that helps people keep track of and stop possible identity theft on the Internet.

Wildcats win in overtime at Ronan, fall against Corvallis

It was an up and down road trip for the Wildcats last week as they fell at Corvallis Thursday but defeated the Chiefs in Ronan in overtime Saturday.

Kats use D to down Ronan, blow out Corvallis

The Wildkats improved their season record to 13-1 with a pair of lopsided home wins last week as they defeated Corvallis 64-45 Thursday and downed Ronan Saturday, 68-41.

MatCats go 2-2 in final week before hosting Divisionals

The MatCats got in their final matches of the regular season last week as the team competed in duals against Polson, Libby-Troy, Eureka and Whitefish.

CFAC site will see another round of tests

More wells. More tests. The Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Superfund site will see both in 2018. Environmental Protection Agency project manager Mike Cirian said last week that crews will drill about eight more wells and existing wells that are in the southeast end of the site will also be tested this year.

Lucky 13: Cats win state speech, debate championship

As senior Jordyn King entered the final rounds of the state A speech and debate tournament, she was feeling the nerves.

Wilkie Hastings

Whenever we have a lot of snow, like now, I always think of Wilkie Hastings. He was an older gentleman (at least to a teenager) who lived in a small cabin, about 8-by-14 feet, on Trail Creek. I snowshoed in to see him one winter when we had a lot of snow. He put the kettle on to brew tea, then looked out the window on one side of the cabin and uttered a single swear word. He then crossed the room and looked out the opposite window, same swear word. The next summer, he traded his 160 acres for a used Buick. As he was leaving the country, the car’s engine blew up at the Trail Creek bridge. Wilke hitchhiked out of the country and I never heard of him again. His disabled car was towed back to his former property, where it sat for more than 50 years.

A surprise meeting

It was an accidental get together… certainly not planned, but it turned out all right. Regular readers will recall my column for Jan. 10, just a few weeks back, was a serious criticism of Montana’s newest Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, Greg Gianforte.

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Kenneth J. Knapp

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Audrey D. Richards

Critical of Daines

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Yet apparently Steve Daines thinks that a responsible strategy to fund our government is to incessantly vote for short-term, paycheck-to-paycheck, Band-Aid solutions and refuse to deal with one simple reality: Our country needs a long-term budget, and it is Congress’s job to pass one.

The healing touch

Getting sick and going to the hospital is no fun. But with her disarming smile and sense of humor, Joan Werner has been making it all the more bearable for patients at North Valley Hospital for generations now.

Montana Hope Project helps child, family beat the winter blues

Ruder Elementary fourth-grader Merrick Fairchild and her family were basking in the sun in Florida last week thanks to the Montana Hope Project.

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Metals class

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70 years ago

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Jan. 16

Ex-student faces charges after creating fake Instagram account of teacher

A former student from Columbia Falls is facing criminal charges after allegedly creating a fake Instagram account of a junior high teacher and the sending out what police termed as “inappropriate” posts.

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Sometimes it takes a miracle to make your dreams come true. For Jack Stephens, it took a series of them.

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70 years ago

At 13 and 15, these sisters are kings of the kitchen

A pair of Columbia Falls sisters are proving to be top chefs.

Students recovering after cornice breaks off snow drift

Wildcats drop close game to Hamilton, fall in Browning

The Wildcats put up a good fight against a pair of tough teams last week, but came up short as they fell to conference-leading Browning on the road Thursday and Class A top-ranked Hamilton at home Saturday.

Columbia Falls bike path plans progressing

The Gateway to Glacier Trail group hopes to have another chunk of local bike trail under construction later this year. The group is working on a final design for a single track bike path on Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. land on the south side of the river.

Metals class on tap

Rod Cogliati will teach a fun introductory class to metals at the Columbia Falls High School for 10 weeks. The Wednesday night classes run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Columbia Falls metal shop, starting Feb. 7. Cost is $100. Participants will learn basic oxyacetylene brazing, welding and cutting; electric arc welding — both stick and gas. Other metal working procedures will be done based on student interest. Cost is $100. Call 892-6500 to sign up.

MatCats go 3-1 at Lewistown Duals

The MatCats were in action in Lewistown over the weekend where they went 3-1 against Class A opponents. Several MatCats went undefeated during the competition, including Colton McPhee, Brandon Thomas, Jakob Freeman and Taylor Gladeau.

Girl power looks to lead speech team to state title

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team will use a little girl power as it looks to win its 13th straight state A title this week in Corvallis.

Speech team cruises to win at divisional tourney

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team dominated the Western A divisional tournament Saturday in Ronan, racking up 206 points for the championship. Whitefish took second with 122.

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Orlin H Skare

Martin City man pleads not guilty to attempted homicide charge

A Martin City man who allegedly fired 28 shots from a rifle into a Hungry Horse home recently pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted deliberate homicide in Flathead County District Court.

Class A ranks looking better

After several years of contraction, things could be looking up in the ranks of Class A schools in Montana. Columbia Falls High School activities director Troy Bowman told the school board Monday night that several districts could be joining the class A ranks in the next few years.

Glacier CIS

I smelled it before I saw it. It wasn’t exactly rotten. Sorta like a steak left out on a counter for awhile.

No wild pets

A rather touching story came out of Seattle last week when a family spent lots of money suing the state to get back their pet raccoon. A judge ruled they broke the law and could not recover their “wild animal.”

Sick of Washington

This column is titled “North Fork Views” because that is where my focus it – on the North Fork of the Flathead. I admit, I am biased and there is no guarantee that I am always right. Right or wrong, my intentions are always to promote the welfare of the North Fork as a special place that needs to be protected for our descendants.

Wildkats secure conference lead, down undefeated Hamilton

The Wildkats secured their hold on the Northwest Conference and all of Class A last week as they took down Browning and Hamilton.

Latest government shutdown didn't last long

The federal government shutdown at midnight on Friday, but was back in business by late Monday after the Senate reached a compromise bill that funds the government until Feb. 8. The bill also includes a six-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, of which 24,000 Montana children are enrolled in.

Snowy sidewalks still reason for concern in Columbia Falls

Snowy sidewalks continue to be a hot topic of conversation among city leaders. At last week’s Columbia Falls city council meeting, Mayor Don Barnhart noted that there’s a wide inconsistency in the clearing of sidewalks along Nucleus Avenue. Under city law, business and adjacent landowners are required to clear the sidewalks in front of their properties.

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Free meal

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Hungry Horse News introduces new digital access model

As the publisher of your community newspaper, I am partly in the business of reporting on change, and nothing has changed more than the news business in the past two decades.

Glacier will remain open if federal government shuts down

Glacier National Park will remain open even if the government shuts down later tonight.

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70 years ago

Curry will not seek a third term

By PATRICK REILLY

MatCats win in Polson, 15th in Missoula

The MatCats picked up a win in Polson Thursday as they outdueled the Pirates in a dual, 42-30.

The lynx paradox

This week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Canada lynx was a candidate for delisting from the Endangered Species Act.

Commissioners give green light to RV Park.

Flathead County Commissioners last week approved the preliminary plat for a new RV Park west of Columbia Falls.

Kats overcome rough first half to down Whitefish

The Wildkats led by just four at the half against rival Whitefish Thursday but found their groove in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 57-35 victory.

Record homes sales come with record high prices

Flathead County had record home sales in 2017, according to a report by Jim Kelley of Kelley Appraisals in Kalispell, and the price of homes continues to go up and up.

Debaters take first at Garden City Invitational

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team split last week. The debaters went to the Garden City Invitational Tournament in Missoula and speech to the Piratepalooza Tournament in Polson. In Missoula, Delaney Conger and Maggie McKeon placed sixth in Public Forum Debate. With two policy teams in the top 16, Columbia Falls took first in the Class ABC sweeps. In Polson, the team was led by Jacob Hohman with a first place finish in Informative Speaking, Madeline Jarvis first place in Impromptu, and Jordyn King placing first in Memorized Public Address. Eleven out of the 14 team members competing in speech placed in the top eight at the tournament. Columbia Falls took second in Class A with 93 behind Whitefish, who placed first with 139 points.

Wildcats down rival Whitefish, 57-37

Columbia Falls used a strong second-half performance to cruise past rival Whitefish at home Thursday as the Wildcats picked up a 57-37 victory.

Girls take third, boys fifth at home swim meet

The Columbia Falls swim team was in action in their only home meet of the season Saturday as they, along with Whitefish, hosted the Cat/Dog Invitational at The Wave in Whitefish. Both the boys and girls finished in the top five as the girls team finished third overall while the boys were fifth.

This 'Gimmic' is the real deal

When Columbia Falls drummer Willie Baltz was at the Kiwanis Jazz Festival last year, he heard Port Nugent of Whitefish play guitar.

Zinke looks to shake up DOI organization

Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke announced last week he’d like to see a major reorganization of the Department of Interior offices that aligns watersheds and ecosystems instead of states and bureaus.

No deal: Wright building comes down

After standing for nearly 60 years on Central Avenue in Whitefish, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building came down last week.

Old 'clip stuff'

For my first 50 years in the column business, I saved weird items in a “clip pile” which could get to a troublesome size of “stuff” on my desks. I don’t do that anymore, so when desperate for material, like this week, I dig up old columns like this one from 1993:

Feds look to remove Canada lynx from ESA

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week announced the Canada lynx should be considered for delisting from the Endangered Species Act, even though it admits there’s a high likelihood the snow-loving cat could be extirpated from much of its range in the Lower 48 by the end of the century.

Road to nowhere

I almost forgot how quickly the Winter Interlocal follows the holidays. This year, the meeting will take place February 21 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Currently, the meeting is scheduled to be at the Glacier View/Hungry Horse Ranger Station in Hungry Horse. That room is a bit small, but we have met there before. I will let you know of any change.

FWP wants to ramp up mussel effort

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is looking to increase its effort to keep invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels out of the Flathead River Basin.

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Judy Ann Mathews

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Jan. 9

Planning board OK's additional gaming machines for Bandit

The Columbia Falls city-county planning board Tuesday approved a conditional use permit that would allow the former Bandit Bar to add eight more gaming machines to its casino.

Veteran ranger says there's no better job out there

Steve Dodd has been a ranger for the better part of his life. Dodd, 67, recently retired as a ranger and law enforcement specialist at Glacier National Park. He’s been a ranger at either the state or federal level for 50 years.

Glacier visitation tops 3.3 million for 2017, the most ever

Glacier National Park’s final visitation for 2017 capped out at 3.305 million for the year, as final visitation numbers were released recently.

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70 years ago

Death of a classmate likely hurt test scores, school says

Columbia Falls juniors were below other Flathead County schools in state performance standards last year, but school superintendent Steve Bradshaw notes that the death of a student just before the test probably played a role in the low scores.

The end of the road for Frank Lloyd Wright building

Demolition is expected to proceed on the Frank Lloyd Wright Building downtown after efforts to preserve the building failed.

City planning board OK's small apartments for homes, garages

The Columbia Falls city-county planning board Tuesday night approved a text amendment to city zoning regulations that would allow existing homeowners to add small apartments to their properties, such as an apartment above a garage.

Powder hounds rejoice, another storm on the way

A winter storm watch has been issued for Thursday into Friday, with as much as 14 inches of snow expected in places like West Glacier and upwards of two feet of fresh powder in the higher terrain, the National Weather Service is saying.

Wildcat swimmers take 7th in Missoula

Columbia Falls swimmers finished in the top-10 in 13 events over the weekend as the Wildcats finished seventh at the Missoula Invitational.

MatCats take third at Western Montana Duals

Nathan Hader went undefeated for the MatCats in Ronan over the weekend as Columbia Falls finished third at the Western Montana Duals.

Hader returns to open Glacier Nutrition and Tanning

Michael Hader is bringing his love of nutrition and fitness back to his hometown.

Capitol Christmas tree headed back to C-Falls for Sperry Chalet rebuild

Back in November, a 79-foot Engelmann Spruce from the Kootenai National Forest was cut down and hauled to Washington, D.C. to be the Capitol Christmas tree.

Kats get by Libby, crush Lady Pirates

The Wildkats picked up a pair of home conference wins last week as they defeated Libby by 11 Friday before crushing Polson by 28 Saturday evening.

Wildcats come up short against Polson, Libby

A rough shooting stretch led to a pair of losses for the Wildcats last week as they fell 49-42 in Libby Friday before losing to Polson at home Saturday, 56-48.

Bad ice out there

The major story of ice fishing this year has been the “ice,” not the “fishing.”

Skier rescued from Apgar Mountain

A 25-year-old skier from Great Falls was rescued on New Year’s Day after he got stuck in deep snow on Apgar Mountain in Glacier National Park.

Gianforte peddling wrong thing

Worrisome news recently broke with the new U.S. House Rep. Greg Gianforte, from Montana, suggesting the Wilderness Bill be amended to allow bicycles and other questionable uses. He implied the original bill allowed such things. As this paper’s editor, Chris Peterson, pointed out in his fine column last week, Gianforte has a very bad idea and, from this columnist’s point of view, Gianforte is inaccurate in his statement, not to mention the very real dangers bike riders would create for themselves and other legitimate users.

Another great holiday season

As usual, we had another terrific holiday season on the North Fork. In my mind, the holiday season begins with the Caldwell’s Halloween party and concludes with the beach party on New Year’s Day. All of this sprinkled, heavily this year, with the joys of winter weather. In fact, this year we were not sprinkled with winter weather, we were buried with it – with -20 degree temperatures and feet of snow instead of inches. Our great grader man, Randy Houck, was kept plenty busy trying to keep the road open.

Plenty of winter walks on tap this month

If you’re interested in a winter woods excursion but don’t want to go alone, this month is featuring a host of free snowshoe and ski tours in the region.

Speech team hammers competition at home meet

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team dominated its home meet last week, racking up 247 points for the win in the Friday-Saturday tournament. Whitefish was a distant second with 128 points.

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Galen Ray Carlson

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Anita Caudill

Landowners still need to clear sidewalks

Businesses and landowners whose property abut U.S. Highway 2 still are responsible for cleaning sidewalks of snow this winter, even though the state Department of Transportation and the city collectively helped clear them after the Dec. 27-30 storm.

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JimmeSue Role

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Jan. 2

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School makeup

Rabbits raise concern

I just turned 80 and I didn’t think I would be chasing tame rabbits around the neighborhood. Someone didn’t take their rabbits when they moved away. I try to keep them off the road and away from the dogs.

New FWP region 1 spokesperson a seasoned journalist

A longtime Flathead Valley journalist is the new face of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1.

Columbia Falls developer looks $1.7 million for Wright building by Jan. 10

A reprieve still may be possible for the Frank Lloyd Wright Building in downtown Whitefish after the historic building recently came under threat of demolition.

Tester, Twitter and the 'stable genius'

Montana Sen. Jon Tester said last week that President Trump would be better off staying away from Twitter.

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70 years ago

East Glacier Park saw 49.5 inches of snow in last storm

East Glacier Park was slammed during the Dec. 27-30 snowstorm. The small village just outside of Glacier National Park saw a whopping 49.5 inches of snow.

More gambling machines at Bandit Bar, garage apartments are some of topics at next planning board meeting

The owners of the former Bandit Bar are looking to add eight more gaming machines. CFalls LLC and Yikes, Inc. are seeking a conditional use permit to go from 12 gaming machines to 20, as the bar, restaurant and lounge undergo a renovation this year.

Deputies nab man who shot up Martin City home

Law enforcement officers last week arrested a man wanted for attempted murder in Coram.

Two snowboarders die in separate incidents

Two snowboarders died in separate incidents in Flathead County on Saturday, one near Blacktail Mountain and the other at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Tax reform does not help debt

As a young high school American government teacher, I compared our system to an automobile that was useful if it could start, speed up, slow down and stop. When the people thought government needed to be more active, they elected liberal Democrats to press down on the accelerator. When people thought government’s role was getting too large and expensive, they elected Republicans to apply the brakes and slow things down.

Skijoring: 'It gives us an excuse to get out in the winter'

When Jackson gets going, full bore, in the snow, all of his feet come off the ground at once. His nostrils flare, his neck stretches out long and he seems to smile, if a horse can do such a thing.

Wilderness Act is clear on bikes

On Tuesday, Aug. 28, 1928, Bob Marshall, a Forest Service employee and wilderness champion, started a walk at Echo Lake near Bigfork. By the end of the day, he arrived at the Elk Park Ranger Station up the South Fork of the Flathead. It was a 30 mile hike. He hiked 40 miles the next day to the Black Bear Ranger Station. The day after that, he did another hike, up and over Pagoda Pass, then off-trail through the woods to the top of the Chinese Wall and then back to Black Bear Ranger Station. That hike was 42 miles.

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Dec. 28

FWP holds off on gill netting in Swan Lake to see what happens if it stops program

For the first time in eight years, invasive lake trout were not gill-netted in Swan Lake in 2017.

Roberts continues winning ways at collegiate level

Former Wildcat wrestler Shonn Roberts continues to make his mark at the collegiate level as the 2017 NAIA All-American was recently named the Cascade Conference Wrestler of the Week.

Love thy neighbor

Maybe I should have been a preacher. I feel a sermon coming on. Actually, my role in life may be what one of my loving fans called me. She jokingly said, “George! You often serve mankind as an unelected trouble maker.”

Whole Living Community Center offering healthy cooking classes

Residents of Columbia Falls have a new place to learn about healthy living and vegetarian cooking techniques.

Merry Christmas on the North Fork

Boy! It has a terrific Merry Christmas and, as I wrote this the day after Christmas, I am looking forward to an equally terrific New Years. I hope you have all had the same with an equally bright outlook for the new year.

2017: Top Ten Stories

Here’s a look at the top 10 stories of 2017:

Glacier Park boats placed on historic registry

Two Glacier National Park tour boats have been put on the National Historic registry. The DeSmet, which runs on Lake McDonald and the Little Chief (now known as the Sinopah) were both recently included in the registry. Both boats are owned and were nominated for inclusion by the Glacier Park Boat company.

New Reporter's favorite Glacier National Park photos

New Hungry Horse News reporter Jeremy Weber only made it up to Glacier National Park from Polson a few times in 2017 (he moved to Columbia Falls in November). Here are his top-10 favorite photos he was able to grab in the park.