Ellington

Opinion: Presto, you’re a gorilla. But is that a good thing?

So the other day my daughter asked me for a reference picture of someone snowshoeing, so I hopped on Photoshop and starting browsing for photos through my hard drives.

Skiathon coming up

The Glacier Nordic Club will hold the Winslow Nichols Community Skiathon starting at 11 a.m. Feb. 4 at the nordic trails at the Meadow Lake Golf Course.

At Logan Pass, endangered insect presents a quandary for flush toilets

An endangered insect could impact future water use at Glacier National Park’s Logan Pass Visitor Center.

New daycare opens on Nucleus Avenue

“I took what we didn’t have in the valley, and I put that in here,” Rachel Rader said.

Coalition for a Clean CFAC plans petition drive, but will EPA respond?

A coalition of Flathead County groups is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to pause a Record of Decision on the cleanup plan for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant.

James Dean “Porky” Cox, 91

James Dean “Porky” Cox died Jan. 23, 2024 in Whitefish.

Ralph Sievers, 78

Ralph Sievers, 78, passed away peacefully on Thursday Jan. 11th at Abrazo Central Hospital in Scottsdale Arizona.

Grapplers tuned up for divisional tournament

The Mat Cats had a mixed week of matches before heading into divisionals this weekend.

Girls split, but still look to make a run in final stretch

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team split the bill last week at home, thumping Ronan 60-17 Thursday, but they had a tough time against Bigfork Saturday, losing 51-34.

Boys pick up two key conference victories

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team grabbed a couple of key conference wins last week, dropping Ronan, 47-29 at home Thursday night and then Bigfork on the road Saturday 63-51.

24th in ‘24

Wildcats speech and debate team wins 24th state A title, runs the table for second straight season

The Columbia Falls speech and debate team put an exclamation point on a perfect season, winning the state A title Saturday at home.

Yesterdays: Flathead County overpays for postcards

Flathead County asked recipients of 210 postcards mailed to newly registered voters to copy the information from the cards and send them back after overpaying the Postal Service about $2,700 for them.

Glacier superintendent gives talk on visitor use in Park

Glacier National Park Superintendent Dave Roemer shared findings from last season’s approach to visitor use management during a presentation at the Northwest Montana History Museum on Monday.

At workshop, city reveals its short-term rental numbers

Seats were filled at Columbia Falls City Council on Monday, Jan. 22 for a workshop on short term rentals.

FWP will file suit over wolverine listing

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks last week filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over placing the wolverine on the Endangered Species List.

Concerned about Blankenship

I live just upstream of the proposed Blankenship bank stabilization project on the North Fork and am very concerned about anything that could have lasting harmful effects to the free flowing nature of the Wild and Scenic Flathead River.

Reps that show up

The weekly FishTank podcast, from the Montana Tap House in Whitefish, kicked off a new season Jan. 17.

Coach Cary Finberg retiring at end of season

Cary Finberg, the longtime and legendary basketball coach at his high school alma mater, confirmed Thursday that he is stepping down as coach of the Wildkats’ girls basketball team after the season.

Sorenson lived a life of adventure and will be sorely missed

In 2019 Cody Sorenson and Dakota Pearle went into the Bob Marshall Wilderness on a September elk hunt. The trip went south almost immediately

Glacier National Park road reservations open Jan. 25

Glacier National Park reminds visitors that advance vehicle reservations become available on Recreation.gov starting Jan. 25 (Thursday) at 8 a.m. Mountain Time.

Lynn Patricia Malmberg, 56

Lynn Patricia Malmberg died Jan. 18, 2024 in Columbia Falls.

Barbara Stepp Cromer, 79

Barbara Stepp Cromer died Jan. 20, 2024 in Columbia Falls at her home.

Phyllis Anne Ausk, 86

Phyllis Anne (Faber) Ausk passed away peacefully on Jan. 14, 2024, after a five-year battle against cancer.

Shannon Rice, 56

Shannon Marie Rice, 56, passed away peacefully on Dec. 28, 2023 due to a long illness.

Cody Hunter Sorenson, 24

Cody Hunter Sorenson, 24, a native of Columbia Falls, Montana, was born on a beautiful Monday, the 29th of March, 1999.

Fainter, Cronk go undefeated in Class A Duals

The Columbia Falls Wildcats boys wrestling team won Pool C and earned fourth place overall in the Montana Class A Duals in Butte Jan. 19-20.

Girls playing better defense, win first home game

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team played their best defense of the year last week.

Boys snag a pair of big conference wins

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team had a solid week, dropping Browning in a come-from-behind victory against Browning Friday, 52-49 and then hammered Polson 61-41 on the road Saturday.

New bike shop opens in downtown C-Falls

“I had a shop on my property and I just started telling some friends that I was working on bikes and it started slowly that way,” he said.

Yesterdays: 40 years since Whitefish wrestling bus accident

A tanker-truck jackknifed and collided with a bus carrying the Whitefish High School wrestling team down Highway 2, killing the first two rows of bus passengers by impact.

Comments sought on Blankenship bank stabilization

Flathead County and the United States Forest Service are seeking comments on a proposed project near Blankenship Bridge on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

Racicot wrong

Mark Racicot penned a long letter repetitiously trying to make a case that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from running for president due to the 14th amendment prohibiting “insurrectionists” from running for office.

Where are Flathead Republicans?

The story about Braxton Mitchell announcing his candidacy for the state Legislature in House District 5 is both comforting and disturbing.

The Blotter: Snow brings calls

A man was walking down the center lane of Highway 2 due to snow. He was given a lift to the Eagles Club so he could play some pool.

Weaver captured early Flathead on film

A crowd of people looking down Main Street in Kalispell, but at what? We’ll never know.

Vicki Patricia Brockish, 77

Vicki Patricia Brockish, 77, died Jan. 20, 2024 in Kalispell at her home.

Aging Columbia Falls high school needs a new roof over classrooms

The Columbia Falls School District 6 Board recently voted to bring an emergency bond measure to fix the failing roof at the high school.

They struggle to get here

Exactly what causes people to leave their homeland and make a difficult trek of 3,000 miles?

Forest Service extends public comment on Bob outfitter permits

After some feedback, the Forest Service has extended the deadline to comment on renewing the outfitter and guide permits for the next 10 years until Feb. 16.

Despite storms, snowpack still well below normal for late January

An overnight blizzard that struck the Flathead Valley Jan. 17-18 brought some impressive snowfall totals, with Essex reporting the most at 24 inches of new snow, according to the National Weather Service.

City buys new fire truck; starts manager search

The Columbia Falls City Council last week approved the purchase of a new pumper/rescue truck, which will replace two of the older vehicles in its fleet.

Speech and debate win Western A title

The Columbia Falls Speech and Debate team won the Western A Divisional title Saturday in Stevensville in convincing fashion, outpacing rival Whitefish 236-136. Stevensville was third with 55 points.

Essex reports 2 feet of snow; Columbia Falls 19.5 inches

An overnight blizzard that struck the Flathead Valley brought some impressive snowfall totals, with Essex reporting the most at 24 inches of new snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Blizzard warning up for Flathead tonight

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning from 5 p.m. Wednesday night through 5 a.m. Thursday morning.

Catherine Marie Richter, 93

Catherine Marie Richter died Jan. 7, 2024 in Columbia Falls.

Glacier Distilling Co. keeping spirits up this winter

“It was originally something to prepare for the apocalypse,” Glacier Distilling Company Owner and Founder Nic Lee said. “We were just going to stockpile on spirits and whiskey and share it around locally.”

Speech and debate looks to run the table

"Not only are you trying to win for yourself, but you’re trying to keep something going, alive.”

Planning Commission members sought

The City of Columbia Falls is recruiting volunteer, unpaid applicants for a new Planning Commission as it works toward complying with a law passed by the State Legislature in 2023.

Opinion: Ticker news

So I was walking up the Going-to-the-Sun Road on a frigid November morning and the same old pain returned to my chest, the pain I’d been experiencing for about a week or so and felt every once in a while hiking last summer.

Brunch a big success

The Christmas spirit was on display last month as the Columbia Falls Rotary Club kicked off the holiday season with its annual Brunch with Santa Dec. 2.

Presidential disqualification

There are four qualifications set forth in the U.S. Constitution that must be met before any “Person” can be placed on the ballot and run for the Office of President:

Former millworker now penning a host of books

The Monster Masher started as a family story, told on car rides, around campfires and at bedtime.

The Blotter: Drone on Scenic Drive

On Scenic Drive residents reported an ongoing issue with a drone hovering above residences in the area, allegedly taking off from Eleventh Avenue West.

How to live in the Flathead: New website offers guidance to newcomers

Maybe you just bought a chunk of property here and you’re wondering what animals you might cross paths with in the backyard woods. Or maybe you’d like to learn how to better manage your forest for wildfire risk or something simple, like growing your own produce.

Carolee “Robin” Crouch, 72

Carolee “Robin” Crouch passed away after a brief battle with cancer on Jan. 9, 2024 at the age of 72.

Iris Ann Ostrom, 87

What would grandma do? That’s what the grandchildren of Iris Ostrom would ask when facing a dilemma or moral quandary in life, wanting to do the right thing. Because Iris always did the right thing.

Phyllis Ausk, 86

Phyllis Ausk died Jan. 14 in Kalispell.

Mitchell Lynch, 67

Mitchell Arron Lynch died Jan. 9, 2024 in Kalispell.

Grapplers do well at Rocky Mountain Classic

Columbia Falls Wrestling saw four boys in the finals at the Rocky Mountain Classic this weekend, with Blaise Cronk (160) taking home gold. On the girls’ side, six placed.

After another record cold night, upwards of a foot more snow on the way

In the past four days firefighters have responded to 19 calls, including three where sprinkler systems froze, sending water into buildings.

Glacier Institute gets major grant for Big Creek

The official education partner of Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest received a grant that puts it just $200,000 shy of meeting the fundraising goal for the restoration of the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center.

Yesterdays: Pilot spots wolves attacking grizzly

Pilot Dave Hoerner, who was tracking a radio-collared grizzly from the air, saw the bear get attacked by a pack of about 17 wolves at the edge of a meadow in Glacier National Park on Oct. 25, 1993.

Women meet

Columbia Falls Women’s Connection will host a luncheon on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 11:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Columbia Falls.

Choir starts practices, singers sought

The Columbia Falls Community Choir is gearing up for its 46th year of singing.

Robert “Bobby” James Bleick, 34

Robert “Bobby” James Bleick died Jan. 3, 2024 in Kalispell.

Edward Engel, 79

Ed Engel died Jan. 1, 2024 in Lakeside at his home.

Diane Wood, 91

Diane B Wood died Jan. 3, 2024 in Kalispell.

Council approves zone change for Boys and Girls Club

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

Powers, Mitchell, announce candidacies, but in different districts

Democrat Debo Powers has announced her candidacy for House District 3 this coming election, but the district, which once included the city of Columbia Falls and all of the Canyon to Essex, has vastly changed under redistricting.

GOP says they’ve lowered taxes

There’s no way Republican legislators would rather ring in a new year than with lower taxes, and that’s exactly what we’ve done to kick off 2024.

Climate crisis, we’re all in this together

The year 2024 will be the most consequential one in the history of the United States.

Best Buy

So I’m standing there in Best Buy eyeing the iPads and my thigh is all wet.

Mat Cats do well in Ronan tourney, but illness and injury taking toll

The Mat Cats traveled to Ronan for the Western Montana Duals Friday and Saturday, with the boys taking second place and the girls fourth in duals.

Girls get past Ronan, but have tough go against Bigfork

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team split last week.

Boys drop Vikes, but nipped by Chiefs

The Columbia Falls boys basketball team split last week, losing to Ronan on the road 60-56, but coming back to beat Bigfork Saturday at home, 58-46.

Speech and debate wins again

The Wildcat Speech and Debate team brought home their eighth tournament win this weekend at the Yeti Tournament at Glacier High School.

Two endangered lynx caught by trappers, one dies of injuries

Bobcat trappers in northwest Montana caught two lynx recently and one died as a result on Dec. 27.

Climbers raise red flags over proposed Park Service, wilderness, anchor rules

The mountain climbing community is gravely concerned that new rules being proposed by the Park Service and the Forest Service could greatly hinder their sport, making some mountains impossible to scale.

Wintry blast expected later this week

Winter will finally arrive later this week with a cold blast and about 6 inches of fresh snow coupled with blustery winds and low temperatures that could flirt with 30 below in some places of Northwest Montana.

Nicosia, longtime city manager, to retire at end of June

After a 40-year career in government, including more than 25 years in Columbia Falls, city manager Susan Nicosia tendered her resignation Monday night to city council.

Community choir starts practices

The Columbia Falls Community Choir is gearing up for its 46th year of singing. Under the direction of Steven Holte, this choir will meet every Sunday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Columbia Falls beginning on Jan. 7th.

Glacier will look to narrow goat population estimate in coming years

Glacier National Park biologists will likely take a multi-pronged approach in the coming years to try to narrow down mountain goat population estimates and trends.

Olga Hammond, 74

Olga Hammond died Dec. 23, 2023 in Kalispell.

Shannon Rice, 56

Shannon died Dec. 28, 2023 in Whitefish at Logan Health.

Dale Schmoyer, 77

Dale Schmoyer died Dec. 16, 2023 in Columbia Falls at the Montana Veterans Home.

New Columbia Falls daycare specializes in infants

In September of 2023, the Delgados opened Lil Buckaroo’s, an infant-only childcare service, at 729 Nucleus Avenue A in Columbia Falls.

Yesterdays: Columbia Heights mountain lion

A young mountain lion was shot after it attacked a dog in Columbia Heights.

Former Forest Service official claims leadership training lacking

A career Forest Service employee and former staffer at the Flathead National Forest claims the training afforded those in leadership positions is sorely lacking.

The one-on-one free throw is no more in high school ball

Last spring, the National Federation of State High School Associations struck the traditional one-and-one foul shots from its basketball rule books.

Schweikert officially signs with Grizzlies

It’s official. Columbia Falls senior quarterback Cody Schweikert is a University of Montana Grizzly.

Concerned about vaping

As principals we strive to ensure our schools are engaging, safe and healthy environments that promote learning.

Still time to address CFAC concerns

While the public comment period may be over, it is time for our elected officials to speak up for their constituents, many of whom have strong opposition to the current cleanup plan.

North Fork Holiday celebrations

Residents of the North Fork celebrated the holiday season with gusto again this year.

2023: A year in review

Here’s a look at some of the top stories of 2023.

It was another busy year in Glacier National Park

Debates over an expanded vehicle reservation system, construction on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and seeing bison return to the plains all made for an interesting year in Glacier National Park.

Bob Marshall Foundation continues to expand scope of mission

You might say Cliff Kipp is getting a new look at the old woods.

Climate change impacts pocketbooks too, study claims

A report earlier this fall commissioned by the Montana Wildlife Federation predicts wide-ranging economic impacts from climate change in the coming years, from blue ribbon trout streams not having enough cold water, to wildfires fouling the summer skies and putting a monkey wrench into recreational plans.