Ellington

Speech and debate takes second at state meet

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team wrapped up a great season with a second place finish at the state A tournament in Corvallis over the weekend. Griffin Conger was a champion in dramatic interpretation and the debate team of Aiden Rohn and Brayden Crawford took first in public forum debate.

FWP commission will close wolf hunting outside Yellowstone, once a few more wolves are taken

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park commissioners voted Friday to close wolf hunting and trapping in Region 3 once the wolf take reaches 82 wolves.

Suspect still sought after Friday morning manhunt

A suspect wanted on a felony probation violation resulted a manhunt in Columbia Falls early Friday morning.

As Omicron surge continues, county will offer free tests

The Flathead City-County Health Department will hand out free Covid-19 tests to community members free of charge on Feb. 1 at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Expo Building.

Rotary grant helps Guatemala water projects

A consortium of Montana Rotary Clubs has joined forces to win a $39,000 grant from Rotary International to fund ongoing clean water initiatives in Guatemala.

Swimmers do well at Butte meet

Columbia Falls swimmers had a great results at the Butte Invitational over the weekend. Connor Cheff won the 100 yard breaststroke and the Wildcats took third in the 400 freestyle relay to lead the squad. Cheff also won the 200 free.

Grapplers take fifth at Montana Duals

The Columbia Falls wrestling team had a solid outing at the Montana Class A duals in Lewistown over the weekend, taking fifth.

Boys lose to Indians, but bounce back against Loyola, Bigfork

The boys rocked Bigfork on Tuesday, 49-28.

Forest Service could open more snowmobile terrain close to town. But more than 90 miles of trails open to mountain biking could close, because they're now in recommended wilderness

The Flathead National Forest has released a two-pronged proposed action that looks to update where snowmobiles and other over the snow motorized vehicles can run in the future, as well as mechanized uses like bicycles and game carts.

Death notices, January 26, 2022

James Beaty James Beaty 81, passed away at Logan Health Whitefish on January 23, 2022. He is survived by his children. No services are planned at this time. Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls is caring for the family.

Warning: Marijuana and gun ownership could land you in prison

While marijuana became legal for adults to purchase in Montana on New Year’s Day, a key federal agency has confirmed a fact underreported in coverage of the state’s new marijuana program: It remains illegal under federal law for individuals to simultaneously possess marijuana or marijuana products and firearms, and penalties for violating that law are severe.

The Blotter: Lots of rigs without license plates, one was in the ditch

Jan. 19 A driver was upset with parking lot conditions from snow plow drivers. A Hungry Horse resident claimed a female was trespassing on their property and staying in a trailer without their permission.

Yesterdays: ACM would build aluminum plant here

The Anaconda Copper Mining Company formally announced its plans to build a $46 million, four potline aluminum plant in the Flathead Valley. It was expected to start construction in the spring and be in production by 1953, the story at the time said.

Writing coaches of Montana could use some help

Writing Coaches of Montana seeks community members in Flathead County to participate in its coaching program with the mission of helping local students improve their writing skills.

FWP: Wolf take on par with last year; first North Fork wolves killed

But it’s where the wolves are being killed that’s raised concerns.

Grant will help nonprofit move building to junior high garden

The Whitefish Community Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to Land to Hand to support the relocation of the organization’s building next to the Wildcat Garden at Columbia Falls Junior High School, the organization announced last week.

Defense paints a different picture in Moskaloff meth case

A Hungry Horse woman was sentenced in federal court last week to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine in the Flathead Valley. But her defense paints a different picture of 25-year-old Kalynn Marie Moskaloff in court documents. Moskaloff pleaded guilty to the charges.

Glacier speaker series on YouTube

Glacier Park Volunteer Associates 2022 Speakers Series YouTube event began Jan. 24. Presentations will also be available Feb. 28 and March 28. The YouTube viewing link for each presentation will be posted on the website gnpva.org.

Homebase: Junior High class challenges youths to think about their future; a few don’t like that

But longtime teacher Paula Koch noted teachers largely have master’s degrees already and some have doctorates. Most also have years of experience working with kids. “It breaks my heart (that some think) we might not be considered experts,” she said at the board meeting.

Resort tax paying dividends; city looks to boost fire department

Perhaps most interesting is how marijuana businesses in town pay the tax. Because marijuana is still considered illegal by the federal government, it’s a cash business. Marijuana sales, however, are subject to the 3% resort tax, so in order to pay, they pay their taxes in cash, Nicosia noted.

Choirs will present “A Night at the Movies”

On Tuesday, Feb. 1, the Columbia Falls High School Choirs will present “A Night at the Movies” featuring talented solos, small groups, and performances from the choirs, all with the common theme of songs from the stage and screen.

Loving the place to death

All North Fork issues and concerns have a common cause. Whether it is the road, grizzly bears, wolves, zoning or the Inside Road the problem is the same and we cannot get a handle on it. It is simple — too many people.

Loving the place to death

All North Fork issues and concerns have a common cause. Whether it is the road, grizzly bears, wolves, zoning or the Inside Road the problem is the same and we cannot get a handle on it. It is simple — too many people.

Kats snare key conference win against Browning

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team got a key conference win last week, thumping rival Browning 59-36 at home Thursday, but losing to Loyola Sacred Heart on the road Saturday, 67-60. The Wildkats were led by Grace Gedlaman, who had her best game of the season, with 21 points against Browning.

Columbia Falls speech and debate takes second at the Western A divisional tourney

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team had five champions at the Western A divisional tournament Saturday as they took second overall.

As demand for snowmobiling grows, Swan Mountain purchases J&L Rentals

Swan Mountain Snowmobiling, a sister company of Swan Mountain Outfitters, announced last week it had purchased J&L Snowmobile Rentals, a long-time operator of snowmobile tours and rentals in the Columbia Falls and Whitefish area.

Grapplers do well at Classic

The Columbia Falls wrestling team did well at the Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula over the weekend, taking 10th as a team in one of the most competitive meets in the state.

Death notices for Jan. 19, 2022

Darlene Elsmore Darlene Elsmore, 65, passed away on Jan. 14, 2022 at Logan Health Kalispell.  She is survived by her children, Kelli Goff, William Elsmore, Matthew Elsmore, and Wendell Elsmore. No services are planned at this time.  Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls is caring for the family.

Girls team starting to gel, drop Bulldogs, Ronan

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team took care of business last week, dropping Ronan on the road Thursday 62-45 and then dumping Whitefish at home Saturday, 62-28.

Shot clock, baseball, OK'd by MHSA

Changes are coming to the high school sports landscape. Two big ones were finalized on Monday during the Montana High School Association’s annual meeting in Butte — a shot clock for high school basketball and the addition of high school baseball as an MHSA sanctioned sport.

Nancy Lee Danton-Case

Nancy Lee Danton-Case passed away on Nov. 12, 2021 in Oregon City, Oregon. She was 78. She was born on March 10, 1943 to Robert Francis Case and Ella Violet Danton-Case. She was a longtime resident of Martin City, and went to school in Columbia Falls.

Robert (Bob) Martin Loveall

Robert (Bob) Martin Loveall passed away peacefully on Dec. 30. Bob was born in Kalispell to Fay and Beulah Loveall and spent his childhood in Columbia Falls. Bob and his brothers enjoyed Montana to the fullest and they spent many days fly fishing on the Flathead River. His favorite times were spent at the Swan Valley where they hiked, fished and hunted.

Swimmers compete in Kalispell

The Columbia Falls swim team competed in a meet in Kalispell on Saturday. The boys took sixth and the girls took eighth in the meet, which featured both A and AA schools from across the region.

Speech team looking forward to the postseason

The Columbia Falls speech team is hoping to regain its class A state title as the postseason approaches.

Free meals

Columbia Falls Community Kitchen will be serving free, delicious meals in the basement of St. Richard’s Catholic Church from 5-6 p.m. on Jan. 30-31 only.  Everyone is welcome.  We are nondenominational and a volunteer-based group who is always looking for more committee members and volunteers.  If interested, call Marian Ficek at 406-253-9034.

City OK’s agreement for new bike/pedestrian path

The Columbia Falls City Council recently approved an agreement with the Montana Department of Transportation that OK’s a new shared path and sidewalk from Third Street West up Railroad Street to Eighth Avenue East North.

Opposes repeater on Elk

I am writing today to strongly protest the installation of a radio repeater and other equipment on Elk Mountain in Glacier National Park.

Yesterdays: County eyes removing red bridge

Glacier National Park was starting to do its trail planning for the summer months. Back then, the Park had 1,064 miles of trails.

‘Red’ bus sells for $1.3 million at Florida auction

A red bus sold at auction Jan. 15 for $1.3 million in Kissimmee, Florida.

Columbia Falls High School principal will retire at end of school year

Columbia Falls High School principal Scott Gaiser announced his retirement. He will continue to lead the school through the end of the school year.

Boys edge Bulldogs, Ronan postponed due to Covid

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team got a key conference win Saturday night, edging Whitefish 50-49.

Road leads to adventures in the ditch

We may have had a slow start to winter, but December recreated a real North Fork winter. We now have an above normal amount of snow – almost four feet at Trail Creek before it started to settle with a little warmer weather. We have also had enough below zero weather to encourage reducing the wood in the wood shed.

Legals for January, 19 2022

Covid-19 cases surge yet again

The disease is being felt in local schools. The Ronan-Columbia Falls home basketball game was canceled Thursday, as Ronan reportedly had most of its team out due to infection or quarantine.

Home in Coram damaged by fire on Sunday

A Coram house sustained considerable damage, but is not a total loss, after a fire broke out Sunday night, according to Coram-West Glacier Fire Department Fire Chief Walter Tabb.

Karen Fae Martin

Karen Fae Martin was born in Butte on Oct. 30, 1943 to Harold and Christina (Klundt) Davidson. She passed away on Jan. 2, 2022 following a brief battle with cancer.

FEC elections coming up

Three seats on Flathead Electric Co-op’s Board of Trustees are up for election this year. Potential candidates must be members of the Co-op and live in the district they seek election to represent.

Columbia Falls still losing millions of gallons of water each month

But the leaks only amounted to an estimated 2.2 million gallons of water lost per month. That might seem like a lot, but the city estimates it lost 18.7 million gallons of water in December alone — a month when there’s no irrigation.

Yesterdays: 1972, When Columbia Falls was worth more than Whitefish

Columbia Falls added 24 homes over the past year, making it the second highest valued city in the county at the time, with a valuation of just under $8 million. Kalispell was highest with $36 million and Whitefish was third at $7.8 million.

Opinion: Wow, electric snowblower actually works

So before the snow flew in earnest, I decided to buy a snowblower. Being a cheapskate when it comes to power products, I set my budget at $700.

Speech and debate does well at Glacier

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team took second among class A Schools to Frenchtown at the Glacier Yeti Class AA tournament in Kalispell.

The Blotter: Woman runs driver off the road, then ends up in ditch herself

Slide off in Martin City. Party reported that a woman almost ran her off into the ditch in Coram. When she came back, the woman who almost ran her off was now in the ditch herself, and a man was trying to help pull her out.

Hoops: Girls drop Loggers, but boys struggle on the road

The Columbia Falls basketball teams split last week against Libby and the weather postponed a doubleheader against Class B Shelby.

MatCats take second at Ronan duals

The Columbia Falls wrestling team took second at the Ronan duals over the weekend, with 186.5 team points.

Robert “Bob” M. Loveall

Robert “Bob” M. Loveall, 84, of Stevensville passed away Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021 at his home.

Burgess, Biel, top jazz musicians

Two Columbia Falls High School musicians have been named to the All-State Jazz Band and will play this Saturday at a big show with professional jazz musicians at Hellgate High School in Missoula.

Thoughts on griz delisting

Flannery Coats and her Vice President Debo Powers did an excellent job last week in outlining why grizzly bears should not be delisted. I agree with almost all of what Flannery said and some of what Debo said. In order to decide we need to look at both the don’t delist and those who want to delist arguments.

Whitefish woman pleads guilty in teen's death

A Whitefish woman pleaded guilty last week in Flathead County District Court to felony vehicular homicide while under the influence after she struck and killed a Columbia Falls girl with her vehicle in May 2021.

Don Dorlarque, noted community volunteer, dies

A longtime Columbia Falls volunteer and school supporter, Don Dorlarque died Jan. 7 after a battle with leukemia.

Tweeting from tents? Glacier OK’s communication plan

Glacier National Park last week issued a finding of no significant impact for its new telecommunications plan, which looks to provide limited cell phone and internet service in developed areas, but could also bring towers and repeaters in portions of the Park’s wilderness.

Legals for January, 12 2022

Pedestrian killed on Highway 2 in Martin City

A Butte man was killed on U.S. Highway 2 near Martin City after he was struck by a car from Coram about 9:12 p.m. Sunday.

Donald Allen Dorlarque

Donald Allen Dorlarque, 69 of Columbia Falls, Montana, passed away Friday, Jan. 7, 2022.

Blizzard warning issued for Marias Pass

Folks heading over Marias Pass might want to wait 24 hours or so.

Columbia Falls woman dies in one vehicle rollover

Officials have identified the Columbia Falls resident who died Tuesday in a single vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 2 near the intersection of Conn Road.

Columbia Falls enrollment rolls with the pandemic

Columbia Falls elementary and high school enrollment are up this year. The elementary enrollment is up 8% and the high school is up 4 %.

Geraldine Briggs

Geraldine Briggs (Geri), 79, of Missoula, Montana, entered eternal rest on Dec. 25, 2021 with her loved ones surrounding her.

Hoops teams back on the hardwood this week

After a week off for Christmas break, the Columbia Falls basketball teams will hit the hardwood this week.

Gerald Bell

Gerald Bell, 95, passed away at The Springs in Whitefish on January 3, 2022.  Gerald is survived by his children.

Joseph Voermans Jr.

Joseph Voermans Jr. died Jan. 1, 2022, of natural causes. He was 94 years old. He is the son of Doris (Sindt) Voermans and Joseph Voermans.

John Joseph Dalimata

John Joseph Dalimata, 93, went to be with the Lord peacefully on the morning of Dec. 31st, 2021. His life was bountiful and productive and he passed away at home in his sleep from natural causes.

Legal wrangling continues over Badger-Two Med lease

A Louisiana-based oil and gas company in late December claims the Secretary of the Interior went beyond her authority when she canceled its oil and gas lease in the Bader-Two Medicine region in Glacier National Park.

Rural Columbia Falls farm placed under easement

A small farm south of Columbia Falls was preserved from development through a conservation easement with the Flathead Land Trust last week.

Veteran celebrates her 100th birthday

Agnes “Butchy” Ryan celebrated her 100th birthday at the Montana Veterans’ Home Monday. She got her nickname from her maiden name, which is Butchkosky.

GOP opposes deficits

In August of 2020, we wrote an opinion opposing Modern Monetary Theory (or MMT, the “too good to be true” idea that the federal government can spend unlimited amounts of money, regardless of revenue, in order to benefit the country and the economy).

Bear thoughts

Most people who live up the North Fork call themselves “North Forkers.” You’ll know a North Forker when you meet one. At meetings outside of the North Fork, introductions usually go “my name is so and so and I’m a North Forker.” This is meant to imply a few things

Powers on grizzlies

I love living on the edge of Glacier National Park. Every time that I see a grizzly bear or a lynx and every time that I hear wolves howling or elk bugling, I feel like I am the luckiest person in the world to be able to live here.

A myriad of reasons for labor shortage, report notes

The state has seen a worker shortage since 2018, Bradley noted.

Despite best efforts, swan dies from lead poisoning

Last week, an adult trumpeter swan was found lethargic on the ice of Somers Bay of Flathead Lake, something was obviously wrong with the majestic bird.

Otter songs

It was New Year’s Eve and there was no around. The first night of clear skies since I don’t know when. Clear means cold in Glacier on the last day of December and it was that, about 4 below, but no wind.

Yesterdays: Con steals the Sheriff's coat in jail escape

Adding insult to injury, Kenneth R. Butler stole the Sheriff’s coat and hat as he left the jail — it was 27 below out and he needed a warm coat as he hitched a ride out of town on a freight train.