Forest Service considering 19 ‘special use’ permits for various tours

The Flathead National Forest is accepting public comment on 19 different recreation events and temporary outfitting and guiding activities that are expected to take place on public lands this year.

Bunker Park cabin proposal put on hold for now

A proposal from Flathead National Forest to develop a small network of rental cabins at Bunker Park has been temporarily placed on hold after the project drew more than 250 comments from the public.

Park Service green lights ticketed entry for Sun Road travel

Glacier National Park officials announced Wednesday that a ticketed entry system for the 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor is officially a go for the 2021 season.

Lion Lake Dam will see repairs

Flathead National Forest officials are seeking public input on a number of repairs that have been proposed for an aging dam on Lion Lake near Hungry Horse.

Health department notes coronavirus restrictions for fans

The Flathead City-County Health Department on Monday released extensive COVID-19 guidelines and procedures for high school and middle school sporting events and other winter activities.

KRMC changing name to Logan Health as it takes over more hospitals

Kalispell Regional Healthcare announced recently the company will be rebranded as Logan Health beginning in January, a change leaders say is another step toward becoming a more integrated system.

Forest Service plans logging projects near West Glacier

The Flathead National Forest is seeking public input on a new forest management project that’s been proposed between Coram and West Glacier.

Brendan House sees an outbreak of coronavirus cases

More than half of residents infected with COVID-19 at longterm care facility

Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s Brendan House is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 that has infected 40 residents to date, ending the long-term nursing facility’s nearly eight-month streak of having no positive cases among residents.

Families recount loved ones’ declines at Whitefish facility

In a recorded video chat dated Aug. 18, Deb Johnson can be heard coaching her 92-year-old father, Alton “Ott” Johnson, through a breathing exercise.

Coronavirus spreads to more staff, residents, at Veterans' Home

The Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls is working to contain a COVID-19 outbreak that has infected a total 17 staff members and residents, with nine of those cases being considered “active,” as of Tuesday morning.

County corona cases surge

A surge in COVID-19 cases in Flathead County over the past week, which officials say can partially be attributed to Labor Day weekend activities, has strained the health department’s ability to relay case data to the state, perform contact tracing and other tasks associated with the new positives, a local health official said Thursday.

County opts for mail in-ballots after all

The Flathead County commissioners voted 2-1 Thursday morning to move to a mail-in election for the Nov. 3 general election, pivoting from their decision in late August to opt for a poll election.

Whitefish assisted living facility beset by Covid-19 deaths, cases

Four recent COVID-19 related deaths in Flathead County have been tied to Whitefish Care and Rehabilitation Center as the facility faces an outbreak that has resulted in 41 positives so far between staff and residents

Huge conservation easement in the works for SPP lands

Nearly 200,000 acres of timberlands stretching from Glacier National Park to the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness and down to the Selkirks and Idaho Panhandle have become available for permanent conservation through pending “working forest” conservation easements.

Forest Service releases Frozen Moose project assessment

The Flathead National Forest Hungry Horse-Glacier View District on Monday released an environmental assessment for a large-scale North Fork fuels reduction, timber and restoration project called Frozen Moose.

Conservancy looks to restore historic park structure

Conservancy looks to restore historic park structure

Glacier National Park Conservancy recently applied for a state grant totaling nearly $500,000 that would go toward the restoration of the historic Lulu Wheeler Cabin on the eastern shore of Lake McDonald.

Glacier Park will reopen June 8, but only until 4:30 p.m. to start

For the Hungry Horse News

Wilderness Foundation looking for Montana volunteers

Officials with the nonprofit organization that spearheads trail maintenance in the sprawling Bob Marshall Wilderness have made several adjustments to its upcoming summer projects and usual volunteer workforce as concerns linger surrounding the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Protesters picket controversial burger joint; say more are planned

A group of protesters gathered in front of MudMan Burgers in Columbia Falls on Sunday to rally against the restaurant’s relaunch. The group held up signs with various messages including “Workers Drug Thru Mud,” “Never Fund a Cult” and “Forced Labor = Slavery.”

Nicosia quietly resigns from county health board

Flathead County Board of Health member Michael Nicosia of Columbia Falls recently stepped down from his board position, citing concerns related to Dr. Annie Bukacek, a Kalispell physician whose appointment to the health board in December has generated widespread controversy and recently caught the attention of the national media.

Climate change, habitat loss threaten iconic bird species

Etched in the early score of Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony” are the names of several birds whose songs are reminiscent of various instruments in the piece’s second movement. A flute trill echoes a nightingale’s harmony, which is soon followed by a quail-inspired oboe and both instruments are later joined by a clarinet, which the composer labeled on paper as sounding similar to a cuckoo.

Hospital preparing for COVID-19 peak: ‘This isn’t New York City where the cow has already left the barn.’

Kalispell Regional Healthcare officials said Wednesday current medical research suggests Montana’s coronavirus outbreak most likely won’t peak until late April. To further prepare for that reality, local health-care leaders have ordered additional ventilators and are exploring the hospital’s ability to expand bed capacity.

MudMan looks to return as for-profit business next month

MudMan Burgers is back — almost.

Of lynx and fire

It didn’t take long for biologists to discern which animals left behind the first few sets of snowy tracks.

FWP Commission declines to extend wolf season in Region 1

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Feb. 13 to maintain the wolf hunting and trapping seasons and bag limit in Region 1 per 2019 regulations, despite a proposal on the table to extend the seasons and double the harvest quota per hunter/trapper.

Oral arguments made in Badger-Two Medicine appeal

Oral arguments for the last standing oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area were the focus of a hearing Jan. 21 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C. Circuit. At issue is a review of a lower court decision to reinstate a previously canceled 6,200-acre oil and gas lease south of Glacier National Park near Marias Pass.

MudMan shuts down abruptly after allegations by interns

Whitefish-based Potter’s Field Ministries is closing its MudMan Burgers restaurants and food trucks, and its ministry internship program amid allegations of abuse against the ministry’s interns.