Wednesday, June 26
Smalley no fan of snakes
There’s a %&$#% snake in the boat!”
Glacier International Airport to host rare WWII aircraft
Glacier International Airport will play host to five rare aircraft July 3-5 as the Wings of Freedom Tour will display three World War II bombers and two fighters.
Gianforte recognizes Johnston
Kyla Johnston of Columbia Falls was recognized as one of two recipients of Congressman Greg Gianforte’s Spirit of Montana commendations this week.
Teen making a difference this summer feeding less fortunate
Mailee Windauer is helping battle hunger this summer.
A soggy journey to Gunsight Lake
There’s a reason why Gunsight Lake is consistently one of the top 10 backcountry destinations in Glacier — it’s gorgeous.
Gatorade names Street Montana Track Athlete of the Year
After dominating the Montana high school javelin scene for the past two seasons, Angellica Street picked up another honor last week when she was named the Gatorade Montana Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.
Woman who rammed into playground had a valid driver's license, despite a troubling history of DUIs
The alleged drunk driver who crashed through a fence and nearly hit three children at Horine Park on June 11 still had a valid license, despite a long history of drinking and driving, according to Flathead County Court documents.
4-H club looking to improve Coram crosswalk
The Glacier View 4-H Club is looking for a safer way to cross the highway.
County will see $2.84 million in PILT
Flathead County will see $2.844 million in payment-in-lieu of taxes for federal lands in the county that don’t pay property taxes.
Swim team takes second at Choteau meet
The Columbia Falls Swim Team was second in Choteau over the weekend on the strength of 33 top-3 finishes. Catherine Opalka accounted for all three of the individual first-place finishes for the Columbia Falls team, winning the girls 25 freestyle, 25 breaststroke and 50 freestyle in the 8 and under division.
Fire season a delayed one, but despite rain, precip still below normal for region
If we get a little rain every now and then, this year’s fire season will likely be a delayed one, area fire managers are saying, but as summer drags on, there’s an increasing chance for an above normal fire season again this year.
History: Columbia Falls arch went up in '63, came down in '75
The final piece of the arch puzzle has been solved. After a few hours of digging into the Hungry Horse News archives, we found the wooden arch over Nucleus Avenue went up on Aug. 25, 1963.
Interlocal is coming up
Usually, when I fail to write a column or even miss multiple weeks, it is in the winter when not much is happening on the North Fork. The last two weeks have been different. There is a lot happening on the North Fork. However, a serious health problem of a close friend made it necessary for me to be out of state dealing with that serious event. That is one, maybe the biggest, problem with being in the your eighties, it is beginning to feel like I know more people in the cemeteries than are above ground.
Wick will be traveling the country, but plans to return
After 23 years at the helm of Columbia Falls Junior High, Dave Wick is saying good-bye — but only for a year. He will be considered a principal on special assignment, as the takes the helm of as the president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, an advocacy group with about 16,000 members across the United States.
District to float $37 million school bond
The School District 6 Board Monday night approved a $37.072 million 20-year bond election to renovate Ruder Elementary School and build and entirely new school at Glacier Gateway.
City inks new deal with Teamsters Union
The City of Columbia Falls and the Teamsters Union have reached a deal on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. The union represents most of the city’s public works employees, including sewage treatment plant operators and the water department.
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June 18
Remembering Ralph Thayer
This week G. George Ostrom has selected a classic column from May, 1970.
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70 years ago
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Johnson talk
Monday, June 24
Columbia Falls appraisals up 20 to 30 percent in some cases
Property appraisals in Columbia Falls are up 20 to 30 percent from what the city has seen so far, city manager Susan Nicosia told the city council Monday night.
Sunday, June 23
Sun Road opens to rain, fog and traffic
Wind, rain, dense fog in spots, and bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Wednesday, June 19
Tied up in knots
Have you ever had your fishing line suddenly go slack (and limp!) when a big fish broke loose?
Kay Ann Bush
Kay Ann Bush
Census could result in second congressional seat
The entire state of Montana has only one member representing us in the United States House of Representatives. For most of our history we have had two. That changed in 1992 when the 1990 census resulted in Montana’s loss of a Congressional seat in the population-based House of Representatives.
Park moving forward with fish preservation project
A plan to expand the native fish population in the Camas Drainage of Glacier National Park is moving forward.
Ranger Doug: 70 years of making folks smile
Doug Follett says he couldn’t afford to see the world, so he got in a job in Glacier National Park nearly 60 years ago.
Heading home bittersweet for C-Falls exchange student
After months of snow and cold, it’s back to the tropical weather of the Amazon for Maria Vizcay. Leaving will be bittersweet for the 17-year-old foreign exchange student; she said she learned a lot about herself and the culture of America during her stay here.
Eagle Scout project salutes military branches
A Columbia Falls Boy Scout has created an attractive war memorial display at the Columbia Falls Welcome Park near Super 1 Foods.
Swimmers take third in Hamilton
The Columbia Falls Swim Team earned a third-place finish at the Bitterroot Meet in Hamilton last, despite only having a fraction on the team available to swim.
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School District 6 will pay its substitute teachers a little bit more than it did last year.
Alleged drunk driver crashes into playground, then keeps going
A woman who has a history of drunk driving convictions faces a host of charges after she allegedly rammed into a fence at Horine Park in Columbia Falls, backed up and then later crashed on South Hilltop Road on June 11 in Columbia Falls.
Columbia Falls places 45 on spring sports Academic All-State list
Columbia Falls High School recently had 45 athletes named Academic All-State for the fourth quarter of the 2018-19 school year, including 25 with perfect 4.0 grade point averages.
2019 Columbia Falls High School awards and scholarships
Columbia Falls
Kramer and Dutton top Father's Day Scramble
The duo of Jeremy Kramer and Clark Dutton were the big winners at this weekend’s Father’s Day Scramble Tournament at the Glacier View Golf Course in West Glacier. The pair shot a combined 10 under par to win the tournament while the Mark and Jody Arvidson had the lowest score among parent/child teams at nine under par.
New 'dashboard' provides visitors real-time Glacier Park info
Visitors to Glacier National Park now have a new way to keep up with the park’s ever-changing weather and traffic conditions.
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June 12
Glacier Park visitation down in May
Visitation to Glacier National Park in May was down 14 percent compared to May of last year and visitation to St. Mary was down 50 percent compared to last year. But the St. Mary numbers may be skewed, the park notes that a counter was down at least part of the month.
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Thomas Patrick Gibbons Sr. (Tommy)
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70 years ago
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‘Garage sale’
Fighting for the Jewel, in 1970
This week G. George Ostrom has selected a classic column from April, 1970.
Monday, June 17
Grizzly deaths in region continue an upward trend
Three grizzly bears — a sow and two cubs — were hit and killed by trains about two miles east of Marias Pass on June 6, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said.
Weather forecast doesn't bode well for Sun Road opening
The weather forecast doesn’t bode well for a Going-to-the-Sun Road opening Saturday. Glacier has cleared the road of winter snows, but the pass could see a wintry mix from Thursday into Saturday.
FWP not sure how wasting disease spread to Libby
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks plan to remove and collect samples of roughly 200 white-tailed deer to test for Chronic Wasting Disease in the Libby area.
Saturday, June 15
The margin of excellence: Glacier National Park Conservancy in its 20th year
Twenty years ago Glacier National Park brass were looking to start a non-profit fundraising arm of the park — a partner for the Park Service.
Wednesday, June 12
Passenger killed in Two Medicine rollover
A passenger in one one-vehicle rollover on Glacier National Park’s Two Medicine Road died Wednesday (June 12) about midnight.
Memorial restored
More than 35 years after their deaths, the victims of the 1984 school bus crash near Essex have a new memorial, thanks to the efforts of Mike Shepard, Acutech Metal Works and the American Legion posts of Whitefish and Columbia Falls.
Refurbished sign looks great
I would again like to personally thank all the businesses in Hungry Horse and all the individuals who helped financially and with their labor to make the refurbishing of the Hungry Horse town billboard signs possible. The second sign has been reinstalled with the help of Junior Nelson/Nelson Brothers Construction, his two young helpers, Midway Rental’s man lift, the crew from the construction company that installed the new posts and Canyon Foods, Mini Golden Inn, Canyon Community Group, Hungry Horse Liquor Store, Anne Wheeler (from Essex), Fort Hungry Horse, Montana Nature Company, Elk Horn Deli in memory of Hal Loff, Glacier Fine Art, Val and Melanie White, Crooked Tree Motel, Darlene Wagner, Swan Mountain Outfitters, Smoke Up Pipe Shop, Dam Town Tavern, Huckland, Bob’s General Store, Grandpa’s Attic, Just Cuttin Up Hair Salon, Baumbach Signs, Joe and Shauna Clevidence, Barbara Clevidence, Parker Burke and the Montana Department of Transportation.
Glacier Twins shut out Bandits at home
The Glacier Twins held Cranbrook scoreless on Sunday in a shutout home win, 9-0.
Softball teams earn third in Polson tourney
Several Columbia Falls youth softball teams were in action at the Polson Splash Classic over the weekend, where two squads came away with third-place finishes.
Swim team takes second in opening meet at Shelby
The Columbia Falls Swim Team earned third in its opening meet of the season in Shelby over the weekend on the strength of 24 top-3 finishes.
Hotter summers mean larger, more destructive fires
Several government agencies came together at the Montana House in Apgar Thursday to give residents a history of wildfire in the area and teach them how to better protect their homes against such fires.
Sutherland always brought a smile
It’s not very often that a person actually looks forward to checking out groceries at the store, but Sandy Sutherland always made it a little bit nicer.
Glacier Outfitters opens location in Kalispell airport
Glacier International Airport has a new resource for visitors eager to explore Glacier National Park and beyond with the opening of the newest Glacier Outfitters location there.
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Edna Ridenour
Thoughts on the Forest Service, from 1970
This week G. George Ostrom has selected a classic column from April 3, 1970.
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Community market
For Stahr, the Sun Road was home every spring
On June 21, after more than 20 years plowing the snow from the roads in Glacier National Park, Road Supervisor for the West Side, Stan Stahr, is walking away from most fun job he has ever had.
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Sandra ‘Sandy’ Anne (Hewitt) Sutherland
Hungry Horse News wins photo, writing awards
The Hungry Horse News won several 2018 Montana Newspaper Awards. Jeremy Weber won for best sports feature on a story about Mick Ruis’s horse qualifying for the Kentucky Derby. Chris Peterson won the Mark Henckel Outdoors Writing award for a piece on the 40th anniversary of the Great Bear Wilderness.
Twenty-five miles of new trails planned north of C-Falls
The Flathead National Forest last week released an environmental assessment of the Crystal-Cedar project last week, which, when fully implemented, would add about 25 miles of new non-motorized trails on Forest Service lands just north of Columbia Falls
Easment to help preserve North Fork Flathead River valley
A small, but important piece of property near Polebridge has been placed under a conservation easement, the Flathead land Trust announced last week.
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June 4
River's Edge Pond will have fish, soon
A ceremony to dedicate and celebrate the new fish pond at River’s Edge Park in Columbia Falls is from 4 to 7 p.m. June 18.
FVCC showcases new library
Flathead Valley Community College’s new library is now open to students and the public. While crews were still installing shelves and hauling in books, students were taking full advantage of the Broussard Center Library and Learning Commons, which features a host of amenities, including computer labs, a quiet writing room, a studio for podcasts and video production, two conference and classrooms and outlets and chargers in just about every nook and cranny one can think of.
Property appraisals in the mail
The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing notices to all owners of residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural properties, showing their market and taxable values for the 2019-2020 appraisal cycle.
'Mystery' solved: Nucleus arch came down in 1975
As the ribbon was cut on new monuments to Nucleus Avenue last week, many folks in town were wondering when the old arch that used to span Nucleus Avenue came down.
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Corliss Jean Carr
Legals June 12, 2019
No. 1660 NOTICE OF SALE FOR STATE SCHOOL TRUST LAND The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) will offer the following parcel of state land with a commercial townhouse located in Flathead County, for sale at public auction on July 17, 2019 at 1:00 pm, at the DNRC Northwest Land Office, 655 Timberwolf Parkway, Suite 1, Kalispell, Montana under terms and conditions provided herein. Sale No.1048: Commercial Townhouse with approximately 1315+ Square Feet Commercial Lot: .043 Acres+ Legal Description: Lot 1 of Lupfer Townhouses, T31N-R22W, Sec. 36 Minimum Bid: $290,000. Location: 140 Lupfer Avenue, Whitefish, MT BID PARTICIPATION A bid packet containing an Offer to Purchase and Bid Deposit Receipt Form and Invitation to Purchase State Land at Public Oral Auction General Terms & Conditions of Sale is available on the website: http://www.dnrc.mt.gov/trust/land_banking/ or from DNRC upon request. All persons wishing to participate in the auction of any state parcel indicated above must, on or before June 27, 2019, submit a bid deposit in the form of a certified or cashiers check made payable to DNRC equal to twenty percent (20%) of the minimum bid indicated for that parcel. In addition, an Offer to Purchase and Bid Deposit Receipt Form must be completed and submitted with each bid deposit. Failure to submit the Offer to Purchase and Bid Deposit Receipt Form as provided herein will prohibit participation in the auction. All Offer to Purchase and Bid Deposit Receipt Forms and Payments must be sent to the address shown below. TERMS OF SALE 1. The parcel and improvements are sold as-is by the DNRC. 2. The minimum acceptable bid for this parcel is the value indicated above. 3. The parcel will be sold to the high bidder of that parcel 4. In addition to the purchase price for each parcel, the purchaser shall also be responsible for the following costs (if applicable to that particular parcel) including, but not limited to: Advertising, Appraisal, Survey, Title Commitment and Insurance, Filing fees, Cultural Survey, Water Right Transfers, Cost of Closing. All inquiries, bid deposits, or requests for forms are to be sent to: DNRC, Real Estate Management Bureau, Attn: Mark Harvel, PO Box 201601, 1539 Eleventh Ave., Helena, MT 59620-1601, (406) 444- 1445 or mharvel@mt.gov. May 29, June 5, 12, 2019 MNAXLP __________________________
Thursday, June 6
Stoltze to curtail production as lumber market softens
F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. will cut back on its shifts at its mill in Columbia Falls, the company confirmed this week.
Wednesday, June 5
Glacier Park's Sun Road pretty much snow-free
Glacier National Park plow crews had Going-to-the-Sun Road nearly snow free as of Wednesday afternoon, but tourists will still have to wait a few more weeks before the road is open to motorists.
Plein air display at Hockaday
The Hockaday Museum of Art announces the Plein-Air Painters of America’s Going-to-the-Sun exhibition.
Worker shortage
This week G. George Ostrom has selected a classic column from March 13, 1970.
North Fork meetings, tour, on tap
From cold, nasty weather to more summer-like conditions. I love it! The weather has been great. The grass is green. Wildflowers are blooming. The threat of flooding seems insignificant.
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Paula Kay Miller (Schneider) 68
Parks deserve investment
Montana’s national parks have never been more popular. The surge in park visitation has added millions to our state economy and helped create new employment opportunities for Montanans. However, more tourists visiting our parks have increased the wear and tear on infrastructure, and federal funding for maintenance projects has not kept up with the need, leading to a serious backlog of repairs.
Welcome to Nucleus: Ribbon cutting marks new era for downtown Columbia Falls
For the first time in about 40 years, Columbia Falls’ Nucleus Avenue now greets visitors to downtown.
Bookmobile rolling again this summer
The Columbia Falls Bookmobile will once again be roaming the streets this summer, handing out books to boys and girls across the area. Many students have already signed up to receive books, but kids don’t have to signed up to get books, they just have to come visit the Bookmobile at any of its stops.
Twins come back from 3-1 deficit to defeat Lakers A in Whitefish Thursday
Despite falling behind 3-1 in the first three innings, the Twins rallied to defeat the Kalispell Lakers last week, 6-3.
Water leaks delay Two Medicine campground opening
Glacier National Park’s Two Medicine Campground will not be opening on schedule as crews are working to repair multiple water leaks there.
'It's what God wanted me to do,' grad gives car prize to classmate
When Maddy Stoddard won a car at the Columbia Falls High School graduation party early Sunday morning, she knew she wasn’t keeping it.
Homework assignment could net Columbia Falls woman a $30,000 college scholarship
What started out as an assignment in a high school art class could turn into a $30,000 scholarship for one Columbia Falls student.
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Free camps
The 'joys' of jigging for kokanee salmon
Last weekend’s beautiful weather provided me with a great opportunity to put the boat in the water and chase some kokanee salmon.
Two Kats softball players named All-State, five All-Conference
Five Wildkat softball players picked up post-season honors last week as the Northwest A All-Conference and All-State teams were named.
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May 28
Another mural graces Nucleus, summer ice cream stand could follow
Ice cream could soon be complementing the baked goods and coffee at Uptown Hearth on Nucleus Avenue.
Lions program helps folks see better
A good Samaritan recently gave the Columbia Falls Lions Club glasses program a big boost, giving away 48 brand new pairs of reading glasses to the program.
Charges in crow bar assault
A Columbia Falls woman faces multiple charges after she allegedly hit another woman with a crow bar and her fists during an altercation on May 23.
Man pleads out in date rape case
A 21-year-old Columbia Falls man awaits sentencing after entering an Alford plea to raping a 15-year-old girl in 2016.
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70 years ago
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Merton “Mert”
North Valley Hospital expects slow, steady growth
North Valley Hospital saw about 1,600 patient admitted to the hospital last year.
Legals June 5, 2019
No. 1661 LEGALS AD: West Fork Timber Sale The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Stillwater Unit is proposing the West Coal Timber Sale which would harvest timber approximately 22 miles north of Columbia Falls, in the western portion of the Coal Creek State Forest. The proposal would harvest 3 to 5 million board feet (MMbf) from approximately 640 acres within a 4,850-acre project area. Harvest prescriptions would vary by unit, and could include commercial thinning, group selection, old growth maintenance and regeneration harvest such as seed-tree, clear-cut with reserves, and shelterwood treatments. Any comments and suggestions concerning this proposal should be submitted to Aaron Shay at aaron.shay@mt.gov or 406-881-2668 no later than July 1, 2019. The full Initial Proposal is available at http://dnrc.mt.gov/public-interest/public-notices. June 5, 2019 MNAXLP ------------------------------------------
Tuesday, June 4
Glacier artist will have meet and greet on Friday
Glacier National Park welcomes artist Amory Abbott through June 28 as the park’s first Artist-in-Residence for 2019.
Fed bear, dead bear: Chicken-eating griz, horse feed-eating black bear have to be put down
Wildlife officials killed two male bears in recent days, including a grizzly north of Kalispell and a black bear in Glacier National Park, after concluding the bears had become conditioned to human food and posed a risk to human safety.
