Baseball has a lot of young talent
Despite losing eight seniors, the Columbia Falls baseball team still has a solid core of athletes this year, looking to make their mark on the conference and with any luck, the postseason.
Notes from Ranger Doug
I’ve had the pleasure over the years of getting correspondence from longtime Glacier National Park ranger/naturalist Doug Follett. He would either mail or drop by poems and notes to the office.
A barking fox and other tales from Freezout Lake
Sounds. That’s the thing you leave the Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area within your head if you’ve spent the night there.
Recent storms boost snowpack to 99% of median
A late winter storm has boosted the Flathead River Basin snowpack to normal. As of Monday, the snowpack was 99% of the median, though some sites remain well below normal and others higher than normal.
Late riser? Glacier National Park's Sun Road advanced reservations easier to get than one might think
Advanced reservations to enter the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road don’t appear to be going as fast as they have in previous years now that Glacier National Park has instituted a timed entry system, particularly for reservations that are later in the day.
Veterans inspire youth to research critical code talkers
Once a week or so youngster Aspen Smith visits the Montana Veterans’ Home in Columbia Falls with his mother Lehnora and he plays cards with veteran Ed Day. “He cheats,” Day joked.
The Making Place looks to set up shop at Uptown Hearth
The Making Place, a nonprofit collective of artists, craftsmen and designers is expanding its presence in Columbia Falls with plans to lease the entire third floor of the Uptown Hearth building.
Softball season starts this week in Polson
The Columbia Falls girls softball team has a new face at head coach this year, as longtime assistant Rick Lawrence takes the reins.
Opinion: Snowbirds return
The juncos are back in Glacier National Park. The affable birds nest in shallow burrows in the ground and are some of the first birds to return to Glacier each spring, along with the varied thrush, which have arrived as well.
City taps distinguished Navy veteran as new city manager
Columbia Falls has a new city manager. The city council recently selected retired Capt. Eric Hanks, a distinguished Navy veteran, to lead the city.
Appeal filed in Glacier Park home case
The Flathead Conservation District and Friends of Montana Rivers and Streams have filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of a home built on private land along the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park.
Zinke says Going-to-the-Sun Road plowing should be on schedule
Judge also rules most probationary employees be reinstated
Montana Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke announced Friday that Forest Service and Park Service probationary workers that were fired earlier this year under cuts by the Trump Administration will get their jobs back, at least for the time being.
Young at heart: Kenneth Young reflects on life, his faith and his family
Kenneth Young is a decorated veteran. A longtime preacher. And was a gifted athlete in his youth.
Ruis going full steam ahead on CFAC property
Developer Mick Ruis said he’s already been hosting potential businesses interested in developing at least part of the former Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. site.
Glacier Park’s poet passes away
He was a poet, a storyteller and an educator, entertaining every one from young tourists to the future president of the United States.
Columbia Falls police officers recognized for life saving efforts
Two Columbia Falls police officers were recognized at the March 3 city council meeting for saving lives while on duty in separate incidents.
Photos: Glacier Gateway puts on the Pied Piper
Glacier Gateway students put on the Missoula Children's Theater production of the "Pied Piper."
Wage increases haven’t kept up with rents, study finds
A recently commissioned housing study for Columbia Falls found that about 23% of households in the Columbia Falls area (59912 Zip code) and 36% in the city limits were renters.
Court ruling will stay after Forest Service drops appeal of lawsuit over road management
The Forest Service recently dropped an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in a case that has been in the federal courts for years over road management on the Flathead National Forest.
Most employers say housing is a problem
Housing also plays a big role in employment and some employers say they may leave the area if things don’t improve, a draft housing study commissioned by the city of Columbia Falls found.
City manager candidates down to two, interviews Friday
The Columbia Falls City Council will interview two finalist candidates for the open city manager positio
Housing study paints picture between haves and have nots; Separately, Ruis closes on CFAC property, which could change the housing landscape
A draft housing study commissioned by the City of Columbia Falls found that the price of houses here has far outpaced an increase in wages for most residents and without some sort of subsidy, home ownership is simply out of reach for many in the working class.
In Glacier National Park, a rally for public lands and the people that work there
Kellie Ileto stood at the edge of the Going-to-the-Sun Road Saturday as it enters West Glacier holding one sign that said, “Only you can stand up for National Parks, National Forests and State Trust Lands” and another that said, “Why? Federal employees who protect them were fired.”
City looks to add another police officer for DUI patrols
Columbia Falls will look to add another full-time DUI and patrol officer to its ranks.
North Fork timber sales see no bids
Some of the timber sales in the Frozen-Moose project up the North Fork failed to get any bids, Glacier View/Hungry Horse District Ranger Rob Davies said during the Feb. 14 interlocal meeting.
Hughes, Hall of Fame coach from the ‘70s, dies peacefully at Polson home
Columbia Falls Hall of Fame coach Harold Hughes died peacefully on Feb. 21 in Polson.
National Weather Service issues flood watch for low-lying areas
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from Saturday night into Monday. The mainstem rivers aren’t expected to flood unless water builds up behind ice jams, but smaller streams and low-lying areas could see some flooding, the weather service is warning.
Flathead National Forest DOGE cuts detailed; many did not save taxpayer dollars
Cuts to the federal workforce have hit home.
Teriyaki Kitchen suffers minor damage in fire
The Teriyaki Kitchen restaurant on Nucleus Avenue suffered minor damage from a kitchen fire Wednesday night, but the incident required the building, which has apartments upstairs, to be evacuated as well.
City government review public hearing coming up in March
The Columbia Falls City Government Commission will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. March 12 to take public input on how the city might operate better and whether it should change its current form of government.
For Gladstone, performing is a way of life
Earlier this month, Jack Gladstone had kids at the Columbia Falls Junior High singing and laughing right with him, as he told tales about Chinook winds and grizzly bears.
Park Service will fire 1,000 probationary employees, but hire 5,000 seasonals, Post reports
The Park Service aims to fire 1,000 probationary employees nationwide, but will, in turn, hire about 5,000 seasonal positions, the Washington Post reported Friday.
City manager search closes in on finalists
The Columbia Falls City Council is whittling down the prospective candidates for the city manager position.
Habitat for Humanity trims Columbia Falls subdivision by a house
Habitat for Humanity will look to build six homes on what is now a baseball field on Railroad Street in Columbia Falls.
FWP looks to find out what ails South Fork elk herd
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks hopes to collar 16 elk in the Bob Marshall Wilderness this month as part of a study to better determine why the population has been on the decline in the South Fork of the Flathead.
The Whitefish Winter Carnival Parade
A few scenes from the Whitefish Winter Carnival Parade.
Advanced reservations for Glacier National Park's west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, North Fork become available Feb. 13
Glacier National Park has released more details on a timed entry reservation system for the west entrance of the Going-to-the-Sun Road and the North Fork region of the park this summer.
Private house in Glacier Park can remain, federal judge rules
A private home on the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park can remain, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
In defense of the green and the gray
The Trump administration’s federal workforce hiring freeze and “resignation” offer certainly sent a chill with locals who work for the Park Service and Forest Service last week.
Canyon’s ‘water man’ recognized for service
As the water system operator for three Canyon communities, Ben Shafer is used to his phone ringing. He’ll often get 20 calls a day, from people inquiring about their bill to whether he’s shut off their water.
Hiring freeze, 'resignation' offer could impact thousands of Park Service workers, including Glacier National Park
How can they keep the gates open in Glacier if they have no seasonals?
A federal hiring freeze and a letter that urges employees to consider resignation is already having implications in Glacier National Park and throughout the Park Service.
Rivers meetings draw crowds, concerns
More than 100 people both nights showed up at public meetings last week to learn more about the proposed action for the Flathead River Comprehensive River Management Plan.
Townhomes get the green light
The Columbia Falls City Council last week in a 4-2 vote approved a townhouse subdivision at 274 Meadow Lake Boulevard.
Opinion: A memorable view, made possible by a memorable character
There’s a picture that hangs up in my house. It’s the only photo of another person that hangs on the walls that isn’t a family member.
Our Savior’s Lutheran welcomes new pastor
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Columbia Falls welcomes Seth Nelson as its new pastor. Nelson hails from Faith Lutheran Church in Ronan, where he was pastor for the past 10 years. He joined Our Savior’s last fall and its congregation of about 380 members.
Anderson reflects on storied career with FWP
In the fall of 1995 Lee Anderson was hoping to get on with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a game warden.
Construction will limit access to Many Glacier in Glacier National Park this summer
Access into the Many Glacier Valley in Glacier National Park will be restricted this summer to about 120 groups a day, as the Park Service upgrades the infrastructure in the Swiftcurrent Valley.
Cats drop Hamilton in first home game
The nice thing about the Columbia Falls boys basketball team is this: Any player with the ball in his hands can score.
Museum showcases timber history
Did you know that in 1884 that John Foy’s mill between Foys Lakes was considered the first water-powered sawmill in the valley? Or that in 1914, the first of 147 permanent fire lookouts on the Flathead National Forest was built on Spotted Bear Mountain?
City could send DOR after resort tax scofflaws
The city of Columbia Falls could soon sic the Montana Department of Revenue’s Collection Bureau on a few businesses that are not paying the city’s 3% resort tax.