Ellington

Glacier Park weekend road update: Chief Mountain Road is open to vehicles

Like last weekend, Glacier National Park will allow hikers and bikers to go as far as the Loop on the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

For Rocker, Emerson, a full circle back to home

Nick Emerson and Devyn Rocker won a state A basketball championship as teammates 11 years ago for Columbia Falls.

Glacier Park Volunteer Associates pitch in to help spruce up park housing

Buckets of brown paint, rollers, blankets and tape waited inside the 1960s era employee house on a suburban street, ready for the eager volunteers to get started on a chilly spring morning, not a mile from Glacier National Park Headquarters.

School District 6 ballots delayed in some areas

Ballots in the School District 6 board election were delayed to some residents.

City finds, fixes multi-million gallon water leak

City crews recently found a major leak in the city water system, one they estimate amounted to a loss of about 6 million gallons of water a month.

Co-op added more than 2,000 meters in 2021 alone

If one is looking for hard numbers behind the latest boom in the Flathead, one has to look no further than Flathead Electric Co-op. At Saturday’s annual meeting, Co-op manager Mark Johnson noted the Co-op installed 2,061 new meters in 2021 alone.

Judge doesn't reduce bail in alleged murder case

Zackary Matthew Maas pleaded not guilty to felony deliberate homicide Tuesday in his first court appearance since the man he allegedly shot in the back succumbed to his injuries.

The long way to Avalanche Lake

Glacier is getting warm like the rest of the valley, and the ambitious and bold have already begun making attempts at their own adventures.

Federal charges filed in robbery

A Columbia Falls man suspected of allegedly robbing a Columbia Falls pharmacy of drugs at gunpoint has been charged in federal court.

Community events: Arbor Day coming up

Columbia Falls will celebrate Arbor Day at noon on May 6 in River’s Edge Park. The event will feature local arboreal experts and a group of fifth graders who will learn from those experts and then take home a sapling at the end to plant themselves. We will also be trimming some existing trees in the park then planting a few new ones that patrons can enjoy for years to come.

Girls take second at Iceberg Invite at home

The Columbia Falls girls track team took second at the Iceberg Invitational at home Saturday. The boys were fifth.

Rain cuts tennis team's first home dual

Columbia Falls tennis competed in three duals last week, squaring off against AA Glacier and Flathead and then playing for the first time ever on their new courts at Hoerner Park against Polson.

Kats thump Pirates 14-4

Call them road warriors - The Columbia Falls softball team had a stellar week, including walloping state A defending champion Polson on the road, 14-4.

New Ruder school should fill quickly

Ruder Elementary School was designed to hold about 640 students after its remodel. It’s expected it will fill all but two classrooms when school starts next fall.

Victim identified in Snowlip shooting

A man who was allegedly shot to death near Essex has been identified as Jeremy McKenzie, 36, according to a report by KRTV.

Legals for April, 27 2022

State asks folks to stop feeding wild birds to prevent spread of bird flu

Montana officials are warning poultry owners and the general public to take precautions against the avian flu including keeping poultry inside and taking down bird feeders.

In Glacier Park, hikers and bikers can get to the Loop this weekend

Glacier National Park says hikers and bikers can go as far as the Loop this weekend on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Planning board OK’s revisions to Ruis project; hotel scrapped for apartments

The Columbia Falls City-County planning board last week approved an amended planned unit development for Ruis Construction on Nucleus Avenue.

School District 6 candidate: Alice Biel

I’ve been a writer-editor with the National Park Service for 22 years. I don’t work for Glacier Park but I do help put kibble in the bowl of the park’s “bark ranger,” Gracie.

School District 6 candidate: Corydon Albrecht

I grew up along the east coast from Florida to Maine in multiple states and until attending college.

Glacier Park shuttle starts next month

Glacier National Park will start its free hiker/biker shuttle service from the Apgar Visitor Center from May 7 until June 26— 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. — to Lake McDonald Lodge and Avalanche Creek.

Joan (Jo) Lucille Soller Beck

On Thursday afternoon, April 14, 2022, Joan (Jo) Lucille Soller Beck, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother passed away in the presence of her loving family at the age of 91.

The Blotter: Paper lanterns prompt call to police

A person called police to report a group of people lighting paper lanterns and releasing them into the air.

First 16 days of April were coldest, on average, ever

The first half of April was the coldest ever, on average, the National Weather Service in Missoula reported.

Supports Biel, Cheff and Mumby

Our public schools represent the collective values in our special town. We bleed blue; we are character, focus, honor, and strength.

City council OK’s unique RV Park off Highway 2

The Columbia Falls city council earlier this month approved a unique RV park off U.S. Highway 2.

Likes Bostock, Albrecht

By now all Columbia Falls residents should have received their election ballots for the School District 6 Trustee election. Two candidates stand out for their conservative values. Those two have been endorsed by Columbia Falls House Representative, Braxton Mitchell.

Yesterdays: Trail crew working on cable over river to Nyack Ranger Station

Glacier Park trail crews were starting their season and one of the first jobs was to repair the cable car that went over the Middle Fork of the Flathead to the Nyack Ranger Station. High water was expected to damage the footings. The ranger station today is abandoned, but some of the old buildings still remain.

Likes Mumby and Cheff

One of the greatest assets the community of Columbia Falls has to offer is its public schools. We are community members who support our public schools because we are ensured that generations of educated citizens will be next in line to care for our town and its people.

Weighs in on school election

s a community member and someone who cares deeply about the quality of the public institutions that we all share, I am increasingly concerned about what I see as an unwarranted attack by some members of our community on the public school system.

School approves baseball for 2023; Swimming will see school funding

The Columbia Falls School Board last week voted unanimously to support a new high school baseball team.

Weather put a serious crimp in sports last week

Bad weather and frigid temperatures wreaked havoc with last week’s sports schedules. Tennis and softball didn’t play at all, but Columbia Falls track squeaked in a dual with Whitefish in frigid conditions Thursday after the Kalispell Time Trials were canceled Tuesday.

Big bear tracks

Spring continues! Winter one day cold and windy the next. At least the snow is mostly wet and melts quickly. Additionally, it helps melt underlying snow in a proper manner which reduces the threat of flooding later in June.

School District 6 candidate: David Shaffer

When teaching in Columbia Falls Junior High, I was called the banana man. One of the things that I did in the classroom was to give students the opportunity to teach math and physics to the other students in the classroom by way of board presentations.

School District 6 candidate: Justin Cheff

This is my first time running for the school board. I am a 1994 graduate of Columbia Falls High School.

Businesses ask for time limits on Nucleus Avenue parking

Several business owners on Nucleus Avenue support a timed parking limit on the street to keep people from parking in front of their shops all day long.

Corvallis superintendent named new Columbia Falls High School principal

The Columbia Falls High School has a new principal in Jon Konen.

School District 6 candidate: Heather Mumby

After graduating from Flathead High School, I attended Seattle University where I received my bachelor’s of arts in Political Science.

Planning board turns down vacation rental request

The Columbia Falls City-County planning board last week voted 6-2 against allowing a developer to turn half of a proposed apartment complex into short-term rentals.

School District 6 candidate: Jessica Bostock

I grew up in Texas but got to Montana as soon as I could.

Likes Cheff and Mumby

My name is Sherri Nissen and I currently teach 4th grade at Ruder Elementary. I have been teaching in Columbia Falls for over half of my life. I have witnessed firsthand the dedication of many, many educators over the years.

Man dies in shooting at Snowslip

A man is dead after a shooting at the Snowslip Inn near Essex, the Flathead County Sheriff’s office reported Monday afternoon.

Victim dies, now Columbia Falls man faces murder charge

Prosecutors filed a deliberate homicide charge against Zackary Matthew Maas on Friday after the man he allegedly shot in March succumbed to his injuries in King County, Washington.

Park plows to West Side Tunnel, but expect plenty of ice on Going-to-the-Sun Road

Glacier National Park plow crews have made it to the west side tunnel, the Park Service reports.

Life on the Island: Bighorn sheep a cool sight on Wild Horse Island

Among all of the places to visit on Flathead Lake, Wild Horse Island State Park offers some of the most diverse wildlife of any part of the lake and remains mostly untrammeled, despite a few well kept vacation homes.

New bear manager ready to hit the woods, neighborhoods

Justine Vallieres was recently named the new Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife conflict management specialist to fill the role of longtime grizzly bear manager Tim Manley.

Kats go 4-0 in Lewistown

The Columbia Falls softball team went 4-1 on the week. Their only loss was to AA Glacier at home, 6-1.

In tennis, Ramage starts season undefeated

While the team scores in the duals didn’t always go their way, the Columbia Falls tennis team had some fine performances in the past week.

After June 1, Glacier’s west entrance won’t open before 6 a.m.

Glacier National Park spokeswoman Gina Kerzman clarified Monday that the west entrance to the park will be closed to motor vehicles before 6 a.m. when construction starts on the Going-to-the-Sun Road June 1.

The Blotter: Dog bites person on Nucleus

Report of a patient admitted to medical facilities after a dog bite with unknown owner on Nucleus Avenue. A party complained about a loose sign that was blowing in the wind on Talbot.

Two face charges in Martha Road assault

A pair of Columbia Falls residents face felony assault with a weapon charges after allegedly beating a man and then threatening him with a gun on April 5.

Daines talks wolves

Idaho and Montana’s successful recovery of the gray wolf was a significant achievement in species conservation. In less than 10 years, not only were biological recovery targets for gray wolves met, they were exceeded.

The early years

Spring is pretty much the same every year on the North Fork. Runoff from the winter snow, weather that ranges from warm to cold, precipitation from rain to sleet to snow. Water and mud everywhere and no telling what the weather will be in two hours – let alone tomorrow.

Raises Blankenship concerns

Last year, residents of the Blankenship Bridge/ Teakettle Mountain area petitioned the Forest Service to change the Blankenship Bridge gravel bar from unrestricted camping to day use only. The only response was two porta-potties and Flathead National Forest Supervisor Kurt Steele’s statements that his mission is to provide unrestricted public access.

Locals dealing with high gas prices in a variety of ways

The average gas price in Flathead County is now about $4.04 per gallon, according to AAA Montana.

Ralph Matthew Gibbons III

Ralph Gibbons, 84, of Fremont, Nebraska passed away on April 1, 2022 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon on Christmas Day 1937, to Ralph Matthew and Kathleen Connolly Gibbons.

Legals for April, 13 2022

Columbia Falls will host meet-and-greet with high school principal candidate

The Columbia Falls High School will host a meet-and-greet with Jon Konen, who is the lone finalist for the principal post.

For the love of Rivers: Stoneman reflects on adventurous career

Darwon Stoneman figures Glacier Raft Co. has guided more than 500,000 people on the Middle and North Forks of the Flathead over the course of his career. He’s also guided thousands of others on the slopes during heli-skiing trips. All told, more than 50 million vertical feet.

Garage, camper damaged in fire

The Columbia Falls Fire Department responded to a garage fire late Thursday morning at a home on Third Avenue East North.

Johnston-Heinz will play soccer in Oregon

Columbia Falls soccer standout Cheyanne Johnston-Heinz will attend Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon in the fall.

Flathead County leading the state in growth

Bozeman may be Montana’s most expensive major city, with the median single-family home price in Gallatin County approaching $900,000 as of February, but population data released March 24 by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates it has forfeited another title: fastest-growing urban area.

The CCC in Glacier Park: New book looks at impact of Depression program on Glacier

You can’t drive into the west entrance of Glacier National Park without seeing the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Tennis kicks off this week, coaches build makeshift poles for nets

The Columbia Falls tennis team has some strong numbers this year, with 21 girls and 23 boys trying out. The team has had to make do with its new courts across from the high school.

Some Columbia Falls numbers from the census

Here’s a few interesting facts and figures on Columbia Falls based on the 2020 census from the U.S. Census Bureau:

Mann plans to play Division 1 softball at Nicholls State

Columbia Falls junior Sydney Mann has verbally committed to play Division I softball for Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Flathead Electric Co-op meeting is coming up later this month

Like most everything else in March 2020, Flathead Electric Co-op’s Annual Meeting was cancelled. The following March, the Co-op held a socially distanced drive-in meeting in Glacier High School’s parking lot. This year, for the first time since 2019, the Cooperative’s members will again meet in person. Members number over

Family says thanks after fire

My husband and I lost our home to a fire that started in the early morning hours on Tuesday, March 8.

Rotary helps make sure kids have meals during break

Eight Rotary volunteers helped load the bags into vans and trucks for delivery to four Columbia Falls Schools: Glacier Gateway and Ruder Elementary Schools, and Columbia Falls Junior and senior High Schools. The bags, packed by Land to Hand staff and volunteers, provided food to children served by the schools’ free lunch programs and are an extension of Land to Hand’s Weekend Backpack Program, which supplements children’s food requirements on weekends.

Opinion: ‘Lostish’

We wandered around in the woods the other day, not exactly by design. I needed a photo to go with a story so we ran up to Cedar Flats, which is snow-free, unlike Glacier National Park.

Construction promises to curtail early morning access to Logan Pass; Sun Road plowing starts

Folks looking to get to Logan Pass from the west side of the park before 6 a.m. without a reservation are out of luck this year.

The Blotter: Dog attack on Dorothy Street

Report of a dog attack on Dorothy Street, victim was transported to medical facilities.

Wit and Wisdom: At 100 Dorothy Fisher is still quick with a joke and a smile

Fisher also helped the government out during the Cold War as a ground observer. If she saw an airplane fly overhead, she would rush inside and call in the make and model to the Air Force in Great Falls.

Legals for April, 6 2022