Ellington

Injured trooper says there's a long and difficult road ahead

When Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Kate Johnson wheeled her husband and fellow Trooper Lewis Johnson into a conference room Sunday afternoon at Logan Health it was a welcome sight.

County attorney will not pursue charges in Snowslip Motel shooting

The Flathead County Attorney’s office will not pursue charges in an April 2022 fatal shooting outside the Snowslip Motel near Essex.

Yesterdays: 1953 Hollywood visits Glacier

Hollywood was coming to Glacier as RKP Pictures had plans to shoot “The Glacier Park Story” in the park, chronicling the life of a ranger.

Community will get representative for CFAC cleanup

The community will get a third set of eyes and ears on the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Superfund cleanup.

District to investigate home in Glacier Park for possible stream law violations

The Flathead County Conservation District will investigate a private home in Glacier National Park after more than 14 people filed complaints against the owners.

Museum preserving old Hileman photos

In the basement of the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell host of volunteers and history aficionados can be found busily scanning, documenting and cataloguing historic collections for the museum.

North Fork Views: Groups doing good work

I guess that it is only natural that the Interlocal is dominated by the Forest Service, Glacier Park and Flathead County.

Appreciates board decision

Thank you to the Columbia Falls City-County Planning Board for their thoughtful, knowledgeable and probing questions Tuesday evening, Feb. 14th, that led to their unanimous decision against the proposed 7030 Highway 2 Residences rezone and PUD (planned unit development) on the east edge of the Flathead River and Columbia Falls.

Support music school

There is an anonymous saying, “Music is what emotions sound like.”

No singular cause for housing issue

There is no singular cause for Montana’s housing crisis.

Primetime Glacier resos available next week

The next round of Glacier National Park vehicle registrations begins next week on Wednesday, March 1 at Recreation.gov.

The Blotter: Grand theft refrigerator

Police responded to a suicide threat, officers found narcotics at the location on 12th Avenue.

Fishing derby

The annual Lion Lake fishing derby is this week in Hungry Horse.

Free dinner

Everyone is welcome to the free Canyon Community breakfast for supper served Thursday February 23 between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the Canyon Elementary School in Hungry Horse.

New life for Ol’ River Bridge Inn

The Ol’ River Bridge Inn located on Highway 2 heading into Bad Rock Canyon has been long forgotten.

Columbia Falls man held on rape charge in Silver Bow County

The founder of a Flathead Valley youth hockey academy is behind bars and awaiting transport to Silver Bow County to face allegations he raped a child there in 2019.

Two nordic racers qualify for Junior Nationals

The Glacier Nordic Ski Team raced at the last Junior National Qualifier in Bozeman over the weekend.

C-Falls teams look to make their mark at divisionals

The Columbia Falls boys and girls basketball teams will be back on the hardwood this week at the Western A Divisional tourney in Ronan.

State Auditor will investigate Bitcoin company

State Auditor Troy Downing has demanded answers from a cryptocurrency company with a bitcoin mining center in Columbia Falls accused of operating a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

Lawmaker looks to expand e-bike use

A bill that would explicitly open much of Montana’s trail network to e-bikes is positioned to clear the House of Representatives following lawmakers’ 54-46 vote to advance the measure.

Raymond Arthur Pitsch, 74

Raymond Arthur Pitsch died Feb. 17, 2023 in Kalispell.

Micki Lehman, 91

Micki Lehman died Feb. 14, 2023 in Kalispell.

Kristine Robin Tomlinson, 66

Kristine Robin Tomlinson died Jan. 31, 2023, of Whitefish.

Ronald Clifford Levang, 82

Ronald Clifford Levang, 82, of Columbia Falls went home to be with his Lord and Savior surrounded by family on Feb. 11, 2023.

Legals for February, 22 2023

Man who allegedly ran over trooper makes court appearance; account set up to help family

A Lincoln County man accused of running over Montana Highway Patrol trooper Lewis Johnson during a law enforcement pursuit Thursday made his initial court appearance Friday.

Planning board votes down another high density housing project east of river, but approved a smaller one in city limits

The Columbia Falls City County Planning Board Tuesday voted against a proposed 180-unit subdivision east of the Flathead River, citing a host of concerns from traffic, wetlands, the high water table and impacts to the wildlife corridor.

River plan making progress, but very slowly

A draft of the Comprehensive River Management Plan for the three forks of the Flathead River won’t see public scrutiny any time soon.

How much growth can C-Falls handle? Here’s some numbers

The issue of capacity often comes up at public hearings when it comes to development in Columbia Falls.

The Blotter: Hit and Run flees to Whitefish

Report of a hit and run, a maroon Chevy Impala with a damaged front wheel and missing passenger mirror — was seen crashing into two parked cars and almost hit a reporting party.

City will hold workshop on growth, public invited

The Columbia Falls City Council will hold a workshop to have an open discussion with members of the public on growth and housing starting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27.

Yesterdays: BLM offers two new parks around Little Bitterroot Lake

They were using bulldozers —International TD-4 tractors — to mow down trees for the new Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant.

Girl dies in car crash on Highway 2

A 10-year-old girl from Columbia Falls and Libby died in a two-vehicle car accident Jan. 28 at mile marker 106.1 on Highway 2 between Kalispell and Libby.

John Carlton Caddell, 82

John Carlton Caddell died Feb. 10, 2023 in Columbia Falls.

Debra Asmus, 68

Debra Louise Asmus died Feb. 10, 2023 in Bigfork, surrounded by her family.

Kathleen Price, 88

Kathleen E Price, Feb. 6, 2023 in Kalispell surrounded by her family.

Jewell Van Allen, 103

Jewell Van Allen of Columbia Falls passed away on Feb. 6, 2023 at the age of 103.

Robert Higson, 95

Bob Higson, a life-long resident of Columbia Falls, passed away at 95 years on Feb. 4, 2023 at The Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell.

Columbia Falls does well in national qualifiers

The Wildcats competed last weekend in the 2023 Speech and Debate Montana West District National Qualifying tournament in Missoula with 20 schools from Class AA, A and B/C.

Boys have best season since 2015

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team ended the regular season with an exclamation point, walloping rival Whitefish 74-47.

Upper North Fork Road work will start this summer; access impacted

For folks living in the upper end of the North Fork, the wait is over.

Swimmers take third at state

The Columbia Falls girls and boys swim teams both took third at the state meet in Great Falls among class A and B schools over the weekend.

Girls get a split to end regular season

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team lost to Ronan 50-48 last week on the road, but bounced back at home Saturday to down Whitefish, 70-33 at home.

MatCats win first state A wrestling title in 33 years

The Columbia Falls boys wrestling squad won its first state A title in 33 years on Saturday with 201 points.

Study: Keystone Western bumblebee is in trouble

Heat, drought and pesticide use is contributing to a wide-spread decline in the Western bumblebee, a once common and key pollinator across Montana and the West.

County settles suit over West Glacier subdivision

In settlement, county will pay up to $10,000 in plaintiffs’ legal fees

Flathead County Commissioners agreed to pay Citizens for a Better Flathead and Sharon DeMeester up to $10,000 in attorney’s fees to settle a lawsuit over a subdivision in West Glacier.

Claims Helena undermining griz conservation

The grizzly bear is a unique and vital part of Montana’s wildlife heritage.

Thoughts on Interlocal

Another Winter Interlocal is in the books, two of my predictions were correct and one was entirely wrong.

Balloon Daze

Marion Foley was out cross country skiing in her Martin City pasture lot the other evening when she looked up in the sky and saw something glowing.

Legals for February, 15 2023

PHOTOS: Cabin Fever Days 2023

Scenes from the Bar Stool Ski Races down Sugar Hill in Martin City on Feb. 11 as a part of Cabin Fever Days.

County to pursue environmental review of the lower North Fork Road. That could lead to paving

Flathead County will apply for federal funding in the coming weeks to do an environmental analysis for improving the lower end of the North Fork Road — a process that could ultimately determine whether the road is paved.

Mitchell sponsors bill that ban drag shows in libraries, schools and some businesses

A bill that would ban drag shows in public schools, libraries and some businesses unleashed a wave of testimony Thursday, pitting LGBTQ people, public employees and local arts organizations against conservative parents’ groups who cast drag performance — and gender nonconformity more broadly — as inherently harmful to children.

Land Trust, others, cry foul over developer’s claims of ‘partnering’

FWP says development threatens elk migration corridor

A host of organizations say they are not working with a developer on a newly proposed subdivision east of the Flathead River, despite what developers claimed in their application to the city.

Lawsuits dog company with Bitcoin servers in Columbia Falls

A cryptocurrency company with a bitcoin mining center in Columbia Falls is facing multiple class-action lawsuits alleging that it defrauded millions of dollars from thousands of investors in a “massive Ponzi scheme.”

Paper Moon

So back when I was 12 or so my grandfather bought me a telescope and unleashed me into the backyard to look at the stars.

Rescue training

Big North Fork event this week was the annual North Valley Search and Rescue winter training.

An injustice

Letters Flathead County Attorney Travis Ahner just won a second term to lead the prosecutorial arm of our county justice system.

Objects to subdivision

Objections to the Locations Acquisitions’ proposed subdivision east of the Flathead River: All Apartments.

Developer speaks out

Housing and development are hot topics. A rising population without an adequate increase in housing to serve the existing community have brought significant challenges to the Flathead Valley.

Feds will examine grizzly delisting, again

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that it will consider removing the grizzly bear from the Endangered Species list both in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Boosted by grant, Society interviewing historic figures

The Columbia Falls Historical Society is beginning to film folks with knowledge of local history thanks to a grant from the Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund.

Scout and Gather adds restaurant on Highway 40

As Montana 40 seems to be transforming into an ocean of mini-storage facilities, the Archer family decided to create a family-friendly destination for mini-golf, dining and hanging out with friends.

MatCats take Western A divisional crown

The Columbia Falls boys wrestling team won the Western A Divisional title Saturday in Polson, edging Frenchtown by 15 points.

Boys steady in win over Loggers

The Columbia Falls boys used a balanced attack to dispatch Libby last Thursday at home, 71-46.

Girls drop Loggers

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team got a key conference win last week, downing Libby, 62-28 on the road.

Glacier looks to move wilderness camping reservations to Recreation.gov

Glacier National Park is looking at transitioning its advance wilderness (previously known as backcountry) camping permit system to the recreation.gov website — the same one used to get reservations to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

FWP seeks public input on plan to conserve cutthroats

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking public input on efforts to benefit native westslope cutthroat trout in tributaries in the Middle and North forks of the Flathead River near Coram in Flathead County.

Yesterdays: Columbia Falls High School moves to Class A

Eva Gates of Bigfork in 1952 reported she had put up 20,784 jars of jam and preserves that she sold to he public.

Resort sees another chairlift breakdown this winter

After evacuating about 150 skiers and snowboarders from the newly built Snow Ghost Express chairlift Wednesday, Whitefish Mountain Resort President Nick Polumbus sought to assuage concerned passholders this week.

Mitzy Pemberton, 84

Mitzy L. Pemberton joined her creator on Wednesday Jan. 25th, 2023.

Douglas Kickbusch

Great Falls - Douglas Roy Kickbusch, 69, of Great Falls passed away on Jan. 26th, 2023 after battling brain cancer.

Howard Wright, 91

Howard Leroy Wright passed away on 14 Jan.

Referee clinic for youth

On March 18 at Fairfield High School, the first ever Montana Junior Referee Clinic for basketball will be held. Boys and Girls in Grades 6-12 are encouraged to attend and learn to officiate.

You may be eligible for a tax break

The state of Montana reminds folks that deadlines are approaching for programs that could lower one’s property taxes.

Loophole allows inholder to build home along McDonald Creek

A private landowner has built a home along the shore of Lower McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park, but the county planning office said there’s nothing they can do about it.

Legals for February, 8 2023

Local industry leaders visit with state lawmakers, officials

Flathead Valley residents Shauna Dunn, Shelby George, Brian Hogue, and Cameron Wohlschlegel just returned from Helena as part of REAL Montana (Resource Education and Agriculture Leadership). For REAL Montana Class V, this was the third seminar in their two-year educational program.

Girl killed in car accident on Highway 2

A 10-year-old girl from Columbia Falls and Libby died in a two-vehicle car accident Saturday night at mile marker 106.1 on Highway 2 between Kalispell and Libby.

Developers withdraw River Highlands plan

The developers for a massive subdivision just east of the Flathead River have once again withdrawn their application.

Speech and debate team caps off perfect season with 23rd state title

The lighter side of executions. School shootings. War and peace in the Middle East. Those were just some of the topics that Columbia Falls speakers and debaters excelled in as the team won its 23rd state class A championship.

Fire departments busy with structure fires, wrecks

Firefighters in Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse have been busy the past few days.

A more perfect union

It is definitely winter. As I write this in Columbia Falls it is sunny but only 5º F at 2 p.m.

Budget thoughts

Government spending is increasing by $2.6 million a minute. The national debt now stands at over 31 trillion dollars.

Defend your water rights

Objections to the Preliminary Decree (CSKT Water Compact) must be received by the Montana Water Court in Bozeman by Feb. 9.

Cabin Fever days is Feb. 10-12

The annual Cabin Fever Days and world famous bar stool races are coming up Feb. 10-12 in the canyon communities of Martin City, Hungry Horse and Coram.

CFAC meetings on technical assistance coming up

The Environmental Protection Agency will hold two public meetings Feb. 16 on the technical needs assessment for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Superfund site.

School district plans on $5 million in HVAC upgrades to high school

The Columbia Falls High School should see upgrades to its heating and cooling systems this year.

After 40 years in education, Wick announces retirement

After a distinguished 40-year career in education, School District 6 superintendent Dave Wick will retire at the end of June.

The Blotter: A Subway sandwich gets violent

A man was charged with trespassing after repeatedly entering Columbia Falls City Hall and causing disturbances with his behavior, including yelling and being disrespectful towards city employees.

A ‘dash’ through the Bob, Part II

The trail through this stretch runs along the beautiful rocky banks and ledges of Big Salmon Creek, with several tricky creek crossings.

Boys best Polson twice for key conference wins

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team got two key conference wins as they beat Polson twice last week.

Grapplers ranked tops in the state heading into divisionals

The Columbia Falls wrestling team capped off an excellent regular season with three dual wins in Whitefish on Friday.

Girls playing hard, go 1-2 on the week as season winding down

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

Swimmers win dual over Whitefish

The Columbia Falls swim team got in a lot of swimming as they prepare for the state meet this weekend in Great Falls.

David Weber

David Weber, 60, died Jan. 24, 2023 in Kalispell.

Douglas Kickbusch

Douglas Kickbusch, 69, died Jan. 26, 2023 in Kalispell.

Catherine Haaven, 97

Catherine C. Haaven died Jan. 21, 2023 in Kalispell.

Lester Brininger, 82

Lester Earl Brininger died Jan. 29, 2023 in Kalispell.

Craig Skinner

Craig Edward Skinner, 77, of Hungry Horse passed away Jan. 8, 2023. He was born July 2, 1945 in Woodriver, Nebraska to the late Edward Skinner and Mary McGuire.

Artist Oberling gets suspended sentence, time served

Hungry Horse artist and convicted felon Nicholas H. Oberling painted himself as the victim at his Wednesday sentencing in Flathead County District Court, even as his former partner accused him of continuing to harass her from behind bars.

Another big subdivision proposed east of Flathead River

Developers are proposing another high density housing project just east of the Flathead River, this time on 22 acres north of Highway 2.

Glacier Park early reservations go quickly

Early reservations to the Going-to-the-Sun Road and the North Fork sold quickly on Wednesday morning. The reservations for the Sun Road, particularly later in June, were gone in about 12 minutes, as the Hungry Horse News monitored the recreation.gov site where they were on sale.