Ellington

Park pushes back Sun Road opener even further; now it won't open before July 13

Park officials Wednesday announced that the alpine highway will open through Logan Pass "no earlier than" July 13. That would match the latest openings ever for the scenic road, in 2011 and again during the pandemic in 2020.

The Blotter: Neighbors throwing dog poop at each other?

Ongoing feud between neighbors over dog excrement escalated to throwing feces with a shovel and brandishing a firearm.

As gas hits $5 a gallon, locals making budget cuts

As gas prices hit $5 a gallon and higher in the Flathead Valley and across the U.S., President Joe Biden said he’s considering a “gas tax holiday,” which could save consumers, at least temporarily, 18.4 cents a gallon.

Swim team takes second at Cut Bank

The Columbia Falls swim team took second at the Chester meet over the weekend.

Columbia Falls grad now heads up Whitefish affordable housing planning

Marissa Getts believes that land use planning is a deeply human endeavor.

A champion of clean water recognized for his work with students both at home and thousands of miles away

Columbia Falls resident Dave Renfrow recently received a School Administrators of Montana “Friends of Education Award” for his work both with Columbia Falls students and students in Guatemala.

Parts of West Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road are closed due to water damage, slumping

Approximately 10 miles of road is closed along the west shore of Hungry Horse Reservoir due to unstable terrain causing rockslides and a slump.

Gateway School sees homegrown roof panels

While most of the building is steel, the new Glacier Gateway Elementary School saw locally made wood going up on its showcase roof last week.

Coram Post Office has new contract

The U.S. Postal Service said it has reached a contract to keep the Coram Post Office open. Postal Service spokesman David Rupert said a new contract with Coram businessman Gary Paduana was reached late last week to run the post office.

Subdivision plan not sensible

The recent passing of Bill Shaw brings to mind Bill being the last farmer to put up the hay from the 49 acres along River Road east of Columbia Falls. Now, that field is destined to become high density three-story apartment buildings and row houses for 1,200 residents within the cty limits.

Opinion: Mud and Moths

So I did a hike last weekend with the boy deep into Glacier’s backcountry. Just getting a permit is a bit of a workout if you don’t have a Sun Road reso.

Concerned about subdivision

As former Mayor of Columbia Falls and Flathead County Commissioner, I was shocked to become aware of a proposed high density subdivision to be located on the corner of River Road and Highway 2, (Just east of the bridge).

Concerned about subdivision

As former Mayor of Columbia Falls and Flathead County Commissioner, I was shocked to become aware of a proposed high density subdivision to be located on the corner of River Road and Highway 2, (Just east of the bridge).

Twins go .500 at Ed Gallo tourney

The Glacier Twins went 2-2 in the Ed Gallo Wood Bat Tournament last Thursday through Sunday at Memorial Field.

Columbia Falls climate talk coming up

Local experts and advocates will speak and lead a discussion on climate change at 6 p.m. June 30, at Glacier Lanes on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls.

Yesterdays: 20 years ago, one of the snowiest springs on record

A series of storms brought down trees and caused street flooding in Columbia Falls and surrounding area. One storm brought 2.52 inches of rain in an hour at the airport.

Legals for June, 29 2022

Sun Road won't be open over Logan Pass by July 4 weekend. Meanwhile tickets are selling out in a couple of minutes

Reservations are going fast — the Hungry Horse News tried to purchase a ticket at 8:01 a.m. Monday and received an error saying too many people were requesting tickets.

Community events: Toastmasters open house

Toastmasters Columbia Falls Speaks invites everyone to its open house to meet members and help us celebrate our outgoing and incoming officers on June 30 at 6:45 p.m. in the basement of Freedom Bank.

Twins drop Mission Valley Mariners at Memorial Field

The Glacier Twins took down a conference foe twice on Sunday at Memorial Field.

Swim team seeing early season success; welcomes new coach

The Columbia Falls summer swim team is seeing early season success under new head coach Kyle Babcock.

EPA meetings on CFAC cleanup are next week

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to be in Columbia Falls next week for a series of community meetings on a proposed action for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. cleanup plan.

A look back at the Flood of '64. The water just rose and rose

Fifty-eight years ago the waters rose and rose until they became the largest flood in Flathead County’s recorded history.

Dietz also ordered to pay attorney fees in Whistlestop case

Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy on June 15 ordered Dr. Susan Dietz/GM Trust, the owners of the Whistlestop Retreat, to pay just over $14,000 in attorney fees and an additional $1,878 in court costs to Friends of Lake Five.

Glacier’s backcountry camp, trail status pages lack the usual information

Park working on fix, but no timeline set

Mitchell says flood resources available

While recent flooding across Montana has been national news, we are the ones who are living through the real devastation in those communities outsiders only see on TV.

The Blotter: Bikers told they can't camp under bridge, rain or not

Several bikers were seen trying to escape the rain under an overpass on 3rd Avenue; police informed them they could not camp there overnight.

Appreciated Bill Shaw

The death of former city manager Bill Shaw evokes sadness and invites some reflection. Decades before Bill came here, the city had rid itself of its 90-year reliance on mossy-tasting Cedar Creek for its municipal water supply.

Man dies in rafting accident on Middle Fork of Flathead

A 43-year-old man was killed Tuesday after his raft capsized on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in rapids below Moccasin Creek, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

Joseph Edward Smith

Joseph Edward Smith, 72, died from complications related to ALS at Logan Health Kalispell on June 6, 2022. Joe was born to Richard Louis Smith and Marjorie Louise Smith (Cajune) on January 17, 1950 in Mission, Montana.

Yellowstone begins to reopen with infusion of emergency cash

Yellowstone National Park will partially reopen at 8 a.m. Wednesday after catastrophic flooding destroyed bridges and roads and drove out thousands of tourists.

Flood threat eases

It looks like we may have escaped the main danger of a spring flood. While Red Lodge and Yellowstone Park had major damage from flooding we only had minor flooding and no real damage that I know of.

Big subdivision proposed east of Flathead River

James Barnett, on behalf of River Highlands LLC is requesting a Planned Unit Development on the Loffler subdivision, the open farm fields that are just east of the river long River Road.

Postal Service claims it never wanted to shut down Coram Post Office

A U.S. Postal Service spokesman last week said they agency never intended to close the Post Office in Coram, but it couldn’t find anyone interested in taking over the contract.

Resort tax raising more money than expected in only 8 months

Through May 30, the tax has grossed $515,000, city manager Susan Nicosia told city council recently.

Legals for June, 22 2022

More rain expected in coming days; but Weather Service cautiously optimistic that we won't see major flooding

More rain is expected in the coming days, but the National Weather Service is cautiously optimistic it won’t cause any significant flooding in the Flathead Valley.

Rotary cancels kids fishing day due to high water; will reschedule later this summer

The Columbia Falls Rotary Kids Fishing Day scheduled for this Saturday has been canceled due to high water and uncertain weather. River’s Edge Park has seen flooding in the past few days due to heavy rains and runoff. The Rotary hopes to reschedule later in the summer.

PHOTOS: Rodeo at the Blue Moon

The Blue Moon Rodeo is back on this year with the same excitement as ever.

Part of West Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road closes

The Flathead Forest on Wednesday closed the West-Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road between Mazie Creek Road and Graves Creek Road due to a rockslide and an unstable slump area.

Yesterdays: About 1,000 yards of rock broke off the mountainside about four miles east of West Glacier, blocking Highway 2.

Gertie, a blonde black bear that frequented the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park for several years hadn’t been seen this spring and park rangers wondered if she died.

Cyclist rescued in Glacier Park's North Fork

Glacier National Park rangers rescued a bicyclist Wednesday who was competing in a multinational race, but ended up in the Kishenehn drainage of the park and wrecked his bicycle.

Community Events: car show on tap; concert series starts Friday

The Knights of Columbus will hold a car show and swap meet at St. Richard’s Catholic Church in Columbia Falls June 25. The car show starts at 11 a.m. with the swap going from 8 to 6.

FWP seeks comment on Bad Rock hunting alternatives

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking input on the scope of hunting opportunities allowed at the new Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area near Columbia Falls.

The Blotter: Woman skips out on bar tab

Report of a loud explosion early in the morning on 9th Street, reporting party believed it was a transformer and that the power was out, including nearby traffic lights.

Camarillo new Columbia Falls Library director

The Columbia Falls Imagine If Library has a new director. Liz Camarillo recently took over the position from director Tony Edmundson, who will be transitioning to a new role as Adult Services Librarian, based in Kalispell.

Things looking up for Coram Post Office's future

After a petition drive by hundreds of residents and a letter by Montana Sen. Jon Tester last week, it appears the post office will not close at the end of the month.

Trumble Creek floods more than a dozen homes, structures; Garnier Creek damages North Hilltop Road

More than a dozen homes and structures were flooded this morning along Highway 2 as Trumble Creek spilled over its banks overnight.

Opinion: Take me to the otter side

So the other day I went for a walk in Glacier and it was raining pretty steadily. The short trail we hit on the days when we don’t have enough time to hit the longer trails was flooded, which didn’t surprise me. One day it had a few inches of water over it, then a few more and then after the heavy rains we had, a few feet.

Community mourns loss of Joe Smith, a remarkable firefighter

“He outperformed the younger guys constantly,” Barnhart said. “He was methodical and safe.”

Columbia Falls Museum grand opening coming up

The Columbia Falls History Museum will have a grand opening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 18 in the Gateway Building at the corner of Highway 2 and Nucleus Avenue.

Bill Shaw

Bill Shaw, 72, passed away June 6, 2022 at home. He was born Feb. 3, 1950 in Whitefish.

Legals for June, 15 2022

Bad Rock Canyon partially flooded

Locals roads are seeing flooding, though rivers have not risen above minor flood stage so far as rains continue in the Flathead Valley.

Yellowstone National Park closes due to floods; Glacier Park doing OK so far

Yellowstone National Park temporarily closed all of its entrances Monday due to flooding and mudslides in the park.

Winslow Curt Nichols

The Columbia Falls community has lost a bright star. Winslow Curt Nichols, 19, died on June 7, living the life he loved while climbing Mount Brown in Glacier National Park.

Glacier National Park opens Going-to-the-Sun Road to Jackson Glacier Overlook on east side to vehicles

High avalanche danger has caused delays and continues to be a concern for road crews clearing both sides of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

Former Columbia Falls City Manager Bill Shaw dies

Bill Shaw, a longtime Columbia Falls city manager, died June 6 at his rural Columbia Falls home.

Glacier's Park's High Country could see another foot of snow by early next week; but plenty of rain before that

Northwest Montana and Glacier National Park will see a double-whammy of precipitation into Monday and by the time it’s all said and done, the high country of the park could see another foot of snow.

Columbia Falls teen dies in apparent fall from Glacier Park's Mount Brown

A Columbia Falls teen died on Mount Brown in an apparent climbing accident Tuesday in Glacier National Park.

Senior credits weightlifting discipline for success

When Ben Khodyrev was a sophomore in high school, he was considering calling school quits.

Court battle over Forest roads continues

The Swan View Coalition and Friends of the Wild Swan recently filed suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming a recent revised biological opinion doesn’t do enough to protect threatened bull trout and grizzly bears on the Flathead National Forest.

Council OK’s new city noise ordinance

The Columbia Falls City Council Monday night unanimously approved the first reading of a new noise ordinance.

Fallon ahead by four votes in county commissioner race

Jack Fallon holds a razor-thin lead over incumbent Pam Holmquist in the GOP nomination for the sole Flathead County Commission seat up for grabs this year.

Community Events: Garage sale helps senior center

First Baptist Church of Columbia Falls will be holding their annual Vacation Bible School June 13-17 from 9 a.m. until noon.

The Blotter: Car nearly hits motorcyclist

A business on Nucleus Avenue was playing music too loud — an ongoing issue.

Rotary hosting fishing day

The Columbia Falls Rotary Club will host a Family Fishing Day at River’s Edge Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with poles and bait provided by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for kids who don’t have their own.

Trendy or trashy?

This is to address the rampant weeds in my neighborhood. I called the police department and was rather snottily told that they are “incredibly” short staffed and since public safety comes first, weeds are a very low priority.

Glencore reaches $1.1 billion settlement in bribery, price fixing cases

Glencore International and Glencore Ltd. recently agreed to pay over $1.1 billion to settle a case involving the U.S., the United Kingdom and Brazil in a worldwide corruption case and a separate fuel pricing fixing case.

Seventh grader pens book on Montana

Did you know that Montana has 522 different species of moss, or that Montana has 442 species of birds and the most common is the American robin?

Mansfield, guns and statesmanship

I think the difference between a politician and a statesman is that the people believe a statesman will do what he or she believes is the right thing regardless of the political consequences. When it gets down to it, a statesman would rather be right than reelected.

We have a fire engine

The weather remains unsettled and the river has gone from green to muddy and back to green, but folks are still pushing for summer to really arrive.

Geologic disappointments

If you look at the rocks just about any day of the week, they look, like, well, um, rocks.

North Fork looks to become ‘Bear Smart’

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks said it killed an old grizzly bear up the North Fork late last month that was getting too close to people and homes looking for food.

Delores Ann Sanders

Delores Ann Sanders, 87, of Columbia Falls, passed away May 21, 2022 at home with her family at her side.

Eighth graders recognized at ceremony last week

The Columbia Falls Junior High had its eighth award ceremony last week.

In Jewel Basin, snow as far as the eye can see

The mountains look relatively snow-free from the valleys, but up high there’s plenty of snow left to melt.

New Farmers’ Market showcases eclectic vendors

There’s a new Farmers’ Market in town.

Sun Road plows at Triple Arches

Hikers and bikers this weekend can go as far as the Loop on the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road and Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side.

Sempf takes second in pole vault

The Columbia Falls track squads competed in the state A track meet in Butte over the weekend. The boys took ninth and the girls took sixth.

Firefighters train at new Columbia Falls facility

Folks driving past the Columbia Falls Rural Fire Hall on Highway 2 may have seen smoke pouring from a building last week or a car on fire with a slew of firefighters attacking the blaze.

Teen arrested after alleged threats to junior high

A 14-year-old Columbia Falls male was arrested Monday on intimidation charges based on alleged threats he made towards the Columbia Falls Junior High and the student body, the School District announced in a release Tuesday morning.

Bison, back where they belong

Early in the Covid-19 epidemic, I visited the Bison Range on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. But the bison didn’t get the memo about social distancing.

Impressed by track performances

This past Friday and Saturday our family found ourselves cheering local Flathead athletes at the State A Track and Field Championships in Butte.

After flubs, he supports Fallon

Pam Holmquist and the other County Commissioners have done it again.  Without doing their homework (which we pay them to do) they rubber stamped another ill-conceived project, the Whistlestop Retreat, and have cost us money that is NOT covered by insurance.

Audubon bird outings on tap

Flathead Audubon is offering a field trip with refuge wildlife biologist Beverly Skinner on June 10 or Saturday, June 11 from 7:45 a.m. until noon at the Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge.

Thoughts on community

Slowly we are moving closer to summer. On Saturday I enjoyed an outdoor barbecue with friends and neighbors at Trail Creek. It was a great time because the neighbors have a covey of youngsters from eight years of age to early teens and some of us have kids from seventeen to thirty.

Reminder: Sun Road work starts this week

This summer promises to have plenty of road construction in and around Glacier National Park.

Griz grabs moose in front of Many Glacier Hotel

A calf moose was on the menu for a hungry grizzly bear In Many Glacier right in front of people at the Many Glacier Hotel, but the mamma moose chased the bear away from a second calf.

Doris Ann Becker

It is with so much sadness we lost our Beloved Mom.  Doris Ann Becker, 78, passed away May 16, 2022.   Doris was born July 27, 1943 in Havre, MT to Raymond Wesley and Eva Elizabeth Ellis.  It was there that she met the Love of her Life, Ronald Arthur Becker during his time in the Air Force.

Tennis players compete at state

Cloey Ramage went 1-2 at the state A tennis tourney in Bozeman last week.

Twins beat Lakers A and AA

The Glacier Twins went 4-0 on in a sweep of the Kalispell Lakers A and AA squads last week.

Kats go .500 at state tourney

The Columbia Falls softball team went 2-2 at the state A tournament in Hamilton last week, good enough for fourth place.

Can you say road trip? Book showcases historic places

Michael Ober’s new book, “Montana Historic Places” is the kind of book that once you start leafing through the pages, you start thinking, “Oh, that would be an interesting road trip.”

Martin City man charged in strangulation case

Prosecutors have brought a Martin City man up on multiple felony charges for allegedly lifting a child by his neck and later strangling his girlfriend earlier this month.

Community events

Columbia Falls School District 6 is in the process of adopting new Spanish instructional materials for the 2022-2023 school year.

The Blotter: Neighbors fighting all the time prompted a call to police.

Lots of swearing heard on Seventh Street.