News
Stay current with top stories from Northwest Montana, including local government updates, education news, community issues, public safety, environmental reports, and regional developments.
Senate confirms Steve Pearce to lead the BLM in a party-line vote
The U.S. Senate narrowly voted to approve Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Pearce,…
Bigfork’s Dragon boat festival canceled, plans 2021 return
The Montana Dragon Boat Festival won’t converge on Bigfork this year due to COVID-19.
Officers clear men with gear from tree
Kalispell Police Department received a report of three or four men dressed in paramilitary gear and wearing night-vision goggles, who were in a tree in the corner of a yard. Police “cleared the tree.”
Officials predict active Montana fire season amid COVID-19
A meteorologist says Montana will likely see more fires and smoke-filled skies this year than it saw last year
Trump administration takes Keystone dispute to Supreme Court
The Trump administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revive a permit program that allows new oil and gas pipelines to cross waterways with little review
Judge: U.S. must release $679M in tribal virus relief funds
A federal judge says the U.S. Treasury Department must release $679 million in coronavirus relief to tribes that it intended to withhold over a court challenge
Canada, U.S. and Mexico extend border restrictions to July 21
The U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to extend their agreements to keep their shared borders closed to non-essential travel to July 21 during the coronaviru…
Court upholds cancellation of Badger-Two Med oil, gas lease
On Tuesday a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., upheld the cancellation of the last remaining federal oil and gas lease in Montana’s Badger-Two Medicine region.
Bozeman man fined $500 for landing helicopter in the Bob
A Bozeman man who landed a helicopter in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in May has paid the maximum $500 fine for doing so, according to a Tuesday press release f…
Woman causes parking-lot drama
Kalispell Police Department responded to a call from an employee who returned some possessions a woman left in the restaurant and she allegedly went to the parking lot where she started throwing stuff. The woman re…
Airport sees modest traffic increase
It’s been an exceptionally slow spring season at Glacier Park International Airport, but traffic finally has started to pick up this month.
C-Falls Rotary raises money to help Guatemala battle virus
Columbia Falls Rotary has provided financial support for hand-washing facilities to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Guatemalan communities.
Census faces uphill battle in tribal communities
Montana’s tribal communities have some of the lowest Census 2020 self-response rates in the country, threatening federal funding and political representation that is based off census data.
Flathead County has two active cases
As of Monday morning, Flathead County had two active cases of COVID-19 after going two months without any confirmed positives, according to data from the county’s health department.
Commitment to duty — Kalispell Police officer honored by peers
It hasn’t taken Tara Oster long to make an impression in Kalispell.
Man’s singing mistaken for screaming
A man’s singing reportedly translated as random yelling and screaming to someone who called Kalispell Police Department claiming he was “higher than a kite,” adding that he was kicking the ground while walking on C…