Ellington

James E. McCreedy, 87

Jim passed away peacefully with his family near his side on Dec. 15, 2023.

Linda Franchini, 78

Linda Joyce Franchini passed away Dec. 11, 2023, at St. Petersburg General Hospital in Florida.

Holiday Songs

Photos from Columbia Falls Christmas Concerts

Seniors sign to play ball at the college level

Three Columbia Falls seniors signed with colleges to play ball next year.

Residents look to work with city on CFAC cleanup

The Columbia Falls City Council wrapped up its business for 2023 last week.

Grapplers did well in home duals last week

The Columbia Falls MatCats hosted duals with Corvallis, Hamilton, Bigfork and Libby on Thursday, Dec. 21. The boys team won 48-24 against Corvallis and 48-18 over Hamilton, the girls 42-6 over Corvallis and 36-12 against Bigfork.

Girls continue to have a rough go on the road

The road trip woes continued for the Columbia Falls girls basketball team last week, as they lost to Frenchtown 51-30, Dec. 19.

Boys get back on track with win over Broncs

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team went into the holiday break on a high note, dropping Frenchtown at home last Tuesday 54-36.

Yesterdays: Last Chance Theater fire

Firemen were able to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings and also attended to three other fires — a vehicle, a wall and a chimney fire — within 20 hours, leaving some Columbia Falls firefighters with over 30 hours without sleep.

New easements protect lands across the Flathead Valley

Just east of Kalispell sits a 731-acre farm property owned by Myron and Vicky Mast. With hay bales stacked to the sky, a litter of red heeler puppies running around and a farmhouse built in 1978, the Masts call the farm home.

Grant will help boost river access

Flathead Rivers Alliance has received a $30,411 grant to help fund its effort to improve American Disability Act (ADA) accessibility on the Flathead River.

Inholders file federal lawsuit against Conservation District, too

A California couple is now using a two-pronged legal approach to fight the ordered removal of their house along the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park.

Plenty of concerns about CFAC cleanup plan, from public, ARCO

The Environmental Protection Agency has released a slew of comments to the Proposed Action for cleanup of the Columbia Falls Superfund site that totals 715 pages.

Where have the snowbirds gone?

No, this isn’t about those folks who spend their winters in Arizona or Florida. The snowbird behind this warning is an actual bird, the dark-eyed junco, a small creature you probably know if you have a bird feeder and maybe even if you don’t.

City will examine short-term rentals laws in January

The Columbia Falls City Council will hold a meeting on short term rentals during a workshop at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22.

Opinion: Green gate forever changed

During the pandemic I would hike the Half Moon “green gate” trail on occasion, as Glacier National Park was closed to entry for a few weeks at the height of the mess.

Inholders file suit against Conservation District

The owners of a house along the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park have filed an amended complaint in Flathead County District Court challenging the Flathead Conservation District’s recent ruling that the house be removed by April 1.

New art gallery opens in downtown Columbia Falls

The Lucia de Brito Franco Art Gallery is a brand new Columbia Falls feature, located at 638 Nucleus Avenue, Suite 103. It contains not only de Brito Franco’s work — reminiscent of looking up through blue waters or thick canopies — but that of other local artists also inspired by the energy and beauty of nature.

Holiday Jazz

Photos from the Jazz Cafe performance Friday, Dec. 15 at Cedar Creek Lodge.

Wreaths Across America

Thanks to community donations, Wreaths Across America was able to provide a wreath for every headstone at Montana Veterans Home Cemetery, with volunteers, veterans and community members gathering to celebrate the season and those who have served on Saturday, Dec. 16.

Yesterdays: Seven boys steal 96 hood ornaments

Seven Columbia Falls boys, ages 13 and 14, were arrested for stealing hood ornaments from cars. All told, they stole about 96 hood ornaments.

Soroptimist grants applicants sought

Nonprofit organizations that provide programs for women and girls are encouraged to apply for a grant from Soroptimist International of Whitefish (SIW).

The Blotter: Man shot in stomach by girlfriend

A man was allegedly shot in the lower stomach on Dawn Drive by his girlfriend, who was reportedly acting in self-defense following threats and a physical attack from the man.

Miles long diesel fuel spill being investigated near Glacier

State officials are investigating a fuel leak on a BNSF Railway train that occurred while it was running between Havre and West Glacier, taking it through Glacier National Park.

Board OK’s zone change for Boys and Girls Club

The Columbia Falls City-County Planning Board last week approved a zone change request for the Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country.

Columbia Falls teen a bareback World Champion

They say nice guys finish last but the opposite was the case in the Junior World Finals in Las Vegas last week. Azreal Lara, an easygoing, low-key teenager out of Columbia Falls, competed in the senior bareback division and came home a World Champion.

Happy Holidays from Hungry Horse News

Happy Holidays from Hungry Horse News! Not much snow in Glacier for our 2023 holiday postcard this year, Lake McDonald on Monday. (Avery Howe photo)

City takes first steps to implement SB382

Bill comes with hefty estimated price tag of about $400,000, most of which will come from city coffers

A new state law that changes the way Columbia Falls will do land use planning in the future got a first close look last week.

Speech team wins Whitefish tourney; 7th in a row

The Columbia Falls Speech and Debate team stayed in the valley this weekend to compete in Whitefish at the Stumptown Classic.

Men indicted for illegally killing eagles on Flathead Reservation

Two men were indicted by a federal grand jury in Montana on Friday on allegations they illegally killed 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation, then illegally sold the eagles on the black market.

Free meal in Hungry Horse

We are looking forward to our “After Christmas and celebrate the New Year Party” on Thursday Dec. 28th at the Hungry Horse School at 5:30 p.m.

Free meals in Columbia Falls

Columbia Falls Community Kitchen will be serving free meals on Dec. 30 and 31 in the basement of St. Richard’s Catholic Church at 6 p.m.

Michael “Mike” Hascall, 74

A quiet unassuming man, Michael Hascall, 74, of Columbia Falls, quietly slipped into eternity with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in Kalispell at the end of August.

Dottie Berger, 86

Dorothy “Dottie” Hader Berger died Dec. 7, 2023 in Kalispell.

Cats split in Lewistown as Hill scores 1,000th point

Senior Jace Hill hit a milestone in his high school career over the weekend, scoring his 1,000th point at the East-West tournament in Lewistown.

Swimmers compete at Great Falls

The Columbia Falls High School boys swim team placed fourth at the PreRelay Meet in Great Falls this weekend, the girls team placed eighth.

Girls struggles continue on the road

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team had a tough time on the road at the East-West tip-off tournament last week as they lost to Glendive 48-47 Friday and Lewistown, 58-54 Saturday.

Grapplers do well at CMR Holiday Classic

Columbia Falls High School wrestling took seventh overall with eight individual placers in the Great Falls CMR Holiday Classic this weekend.

Feds don’t fund North Fork Road paving study

Flathead County did not receive federal funding for an environmental analysis to look at paving a portion of the North Fork Road, county public works director Dave Prunty confirmed Monday.

City considering converting baseball field to housing

The City of Columbia Falls will look at possibly partnering with Habitat for Humanity and the Northwest Montana Community Land Trust on converting a parcel of city-owned land off Railroad Street into affordable housing.

Singers eye a Big Apple trip; a host of holiday concerts are on tap this week, next

The Columbia Falls High School Sonifers set out caroling on Wednesday, Dec. 6 in a longstanding choir tradition. However, the choir program is also seeking new adventures in the coming year -— namely, a trip to New York City this March.

City awards contract to improve downtown parking

Columbia Falls streets in the downtown area should see improvements sometime next year.

Shooter in jail

A Hungry Horse man is in custody after he allegedly was firing a gun in Hungry Horse Nov. 29.

Opinion: Bowled over

So I was eating some ice cream out of a cat dish the other night.

Objects to short-term rental

I bought property in Columbia Falls in 2000 for four reasons: Glacier National Park, Whitefish Mountain Resort, the Flathead’s natural beauty, and the friendly spirit of the people.

Boys suffer two close losses as they start 0-3

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team had a rough opening week, going 0-3, but two of the losses were by a single point.

Girls go 1-2 to start the season as defense falters

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team went 1-2 on the week.

Grapplers compete in Butte, Kalispell

Columbia Falls High School boys wrestling took second in pool six at the Jim Street Mining City Duals in Butte.

Swimmers head to Great Falls

“We had a great start to the season,” Columbia Falls High School swim coach Amy Caudill reported following the team’s first meet in Kalispell on Saturday.

Speech team does well in Kalispell against AA teams

The Columbia Falls Speech and Debate team competed in a Class AA two-day tournament at Flathead and Glacier High Schools over the weekend.

Dennis Fisher, 72

Dennis Reed Fisher was born in Spokane, Washington on October 25, 1951.

Employee housing in Hungry Horse goes green

The Glacier National Park Conservancy’s employee housing in Hungry Horse is going green.

Dead wolverine draws questions

With the listing of the wolverine under the Endangered Species Act and reports of one of the rare creatures being killed and skinned in the Beaverhead Deer Lodge Forest earlier this month, Keith Hammer noted he, too, found a dead wolverine on a road that’s supposed to be closed to motor vehicles on the Flathead National Forest.

Toys for Tots serving more kids than ever

The Flathead Valley Marine Corps Toys for Tots program had another successful campaign this year and will serve more families than ever.

Floyd released on own recognizance pending trial

Judge Dan Wilson released on his own recognizance Thursday the man accused of running over his ex-wife in Martin City in June.

Sun Road closes down to Lake McDonald Lodge

Glacier National Park will close to the Going-to-the-Sun Road down to Lake McDonald Lodge for the winter season by Dec. 15.

Get educated on planning

The Columbia Falls City Council will hold its first workshop on The Montana Land Use Planning Act (Senate Bill 382) Monday evening, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Planning board to take up zone change for Club

The Columbia Falls City-County planning board will take up a zone change request at its Dec. 12 meeting.

Hunting success down a bit over last season

Montana’s general deer and elk hunting season wrapped up last weekend and the harvest results at check stations in northwest Montana showed similar results to a year ago.

Parade royalty longtime business and community leaders

Two longtime Columbia Falls residents were the king and queen of the Night of Lights Parade this year.

Glacier will use lottery for wilderness camp resos

Beginning in the spring of 2024, Glacier National Park will offer early access lotteries for wilderness camping advance reservations in collaboration with Recreation.gov.

Mary Baker, 84

Mary Ella Baker, died Dec. 3, 2023 in Kalispell surrounded by her loving family.

Kathleen Bowers, 76

Kathleen Dorothy Herman-Bowers died Nov. 27, 2023 in Kalispell with her family at her side.

Douglas “Doug” Alan Woodworth, 61

Douglas “Doug” Alan Woodworth died Nov. 25, 2023 in Whitefish.

Mike Wayne Cotton, 74

Mike Wayne Cotton, age 74, passed away on Nov. 19, 2023 at Logan Health Medical Center.

Ousted Spotted Bear District Ranger speaks out

The former Spotted Bear district ranger claims he was removed from his post last spring, in part for trying to protect the Bob Marshall Wilderness’ natural values.

Yesterdays: Aluminum worker asbestos lawsuit

The Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. was facing several lawsuits from workers who alleged they were exposed to asbestos when working at the plant.

Swimmers compete in Kalispell this weekend

The Columbia Falls swim team will dive into competition this Saturday, Dec. 9, at The Summit in Kalispell.

Grapplers take fourth at Polson Invitational

Columbia Falls boys wrestling took fourth place at their first tournament of the season in Polson on Saturday with a team score of 156.

Girls basketball team a blend of veterans and youth

With almost all of the team returning and a host of young talent, Columbia Falls girls basketball should be right in the mix come tournament time this season.

Boys look sharp as hoops season kicks off

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team has something it hasn’t had in years — depth.

Night of Lights 2023 photos

Photos from Columbia Falls's Night of Lights parade on Nucleus Avenue Friday, Dec. 1.

The Blotter: White supremacist trespassed

A man was fired from Super 1 for distributing white supremacist propaganda and advised of a lifetime tresspass order for all Montana Super 1 stores, additionally flagged for carrying a firearm and handcuffs.

Couple resurrects old Peace on Earth sign

Scotty and Jacque Demongin have resurrected one of the old “Peace on Earth” signs that used to go over Highway 2 during the Christmas season.

Christmas tea coming up

Columbia Falls Women’s Connection will host their annual Christmas Tea on Wednesday, December 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Columbia Falls.