Local News
Your source for reliable, in-depth reporting on Northwest Montana’s communities, government, and daily life—delivering the stories that matter most to you.
New owner begins renovating former Outlaw Inn, details plan for extended-stay rentals
Columbia Falls developer Mick Ruis has begun renovating the former Outlaw Inn after its previous owner left the bu…
Banking on kindness: Mineral County food bank serves as community pantry as demand increases
Volunteers hefted heavy bags of food up steep steps to clients waiting outside. Annual food drives were held in October, and members of the Boy Scouts went aro…
Warm dry weather trims snowpack across Montana
Dry conditions and warm winter temperatures hampered snowpack accumulation across Montana during the month of January.
Cassidy Kipp chosen to lead Samaritan House amid major expansion
Longtime housing advocate Cassidy Kipp is expected to take the reins of the Samaritan House next month.
PHOTOS: Winter Carnival Penguin Plunge splashes into Whitefish Lake
Participants splashed into the cold waters of Whitefish Lake during the Whitefish Winter Carnival's Penguin Plunge on Saturday, Feb. 7. Organized by the Law En…
Glacier National Park displays removed, local land battles, debates and Winter Carnival honors
This week on News Now, reporter Taylor Inman breaks down six of the Flathead Valley’s biggest and most talked-about stories — from federal policy changes at Gl…
The keepers of Whitefish’s Winter Carnival buttons
In the Whitefish Winter Carnival’s earlier years, volunteers were known to hop on a bus and head all over the valley to sell their wares in the form of buttons.
Teachers union, school district resolve grievance over newly implemented program
A memorandum of agreement that resolves a grievance between the Kalispell Education Association and Kalispell Public Schools regarding a Kalispell Middle School program awaits approval by union members.
Judge revokes deferred sentence of Whitefish man convicted of gas station beating
A Whitefish man convicted of felony assault at an Evergreen gas station in 2024 saw his deferred sentence revoked last month after he allegedly attacked a woma…
Downtown group retains private firm to advise Whitefish on growth policy update
Heart of Whitefish presented a letter from a privately hired consultant to the Whitefish Planning Commission with suggestions for the land use element of the c…
South Kalispell Fire Department mourns loss of two members
When Chris Yerkes climbed into an ambulance on the evening of Jan. 13, he had no idea he was responding to an emergency involving an old friend.
Drunk driver accused of fighting cops gets suspended jail sentences
Garrett Christopher Joubert, 27, of Columbia Falls, allegedly began struggling during a May 22, 2025 traffic stop near the intersection of Ninth Street West and South Meadow Boulevard.
Change of plea hearing set for Kalispell teen accused of shooting sister
A Kalispell teenager accused of shooting his sister in the head on Halloween in 2024 is poised to change his plea.
Investigation reels in no evidence of invasive trout in Flathead River
State biologists have found no further evidence of invasive brown trout in the Flathead River after a fishy photo surfaced last summer.
Kalispell schools adds two positions, eliciting conversation about teacher pay
Kalispell Public Schools board of trustees approved adding two positions — a district data systems specialist and a workflow process lead in the facilities dep…
Man arrested for stabbing mother gets four-year sentence
A Kalispell man arrested for allegedly stabbing his mother with a plastic pen last spring earned a four-year sentence with the state Department of Corrections in October.