AA Lakers split doubleheader with Bozeman

BOZEMAN — Luke Nikunen pitched a complete game and drove in a pair of runs as the Kalispell AA Lakers defeated Bozeman 7-6 Saturday.

Frontier Conference adding 4 more members

HELENA — The Frontier Conference Council of Presidents unanimously voted to accept Bellevue University, Dakota State University, Mayville State University, and Valley City State University as full conference members beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.

A track: C-Falls Simpson wins twice, Cats take 2nd

Whitefish girls 2nd, Bulldog boys 3rd

LAUREL — Columbia Falls’ sprinter Malakai Simpson made good, and his Wildcats nearly won team gold as well.

Flathead gymnastics athletes claim pair of regional titles

Soli Bullemer won an all-around regional championship and Rogan Dean won the floor event at regionals for Flathead Gymnastics, while Carson Wenz qualified for the Western Nationals gymnastics championship in Coralville, Iowa.

Perfect combo: Swagger, and a ‘good human’

Bigfork’s Jack Jensen had a heck of a 2023 track season, capped by him kicking away from his competition to win the State B 800 and 1,600 titles. Then Bigfork High moved up a classification this school year and Jensen figured, Bring it on.

A Lakers take 2 from Libby

LIBBY — Bransen Walker doubled and drove in four runs as the Kalispell A Lakers defeated Libby 14-1 in Legion baseball Friday.

Turning the page — Repository for rare books scales back collection

Located off Lake Blaine Road, Parkland Books has been a treasure trove for bibliophiles seeking national park books and publications or rare and out-of-print books.

Lake County's John Grant leaves a legacy defined by birds, land and water

At Leon Hall, just south of Ninepipe, friends, neighbors and colleagues gathered Saturday to celebrate the legacy of retired wildlife-area manager John Grant and his 33-year effort to tend and protect a vast swath of critical wildlife habitat.

C-Falls softball starts hot in title defense

BILLINGS — Columbia Falls’ Class A softball title defense got off to a hot start Friday.

Experimental student testing model slated for statewide rollout

This spring marked a departure from the usual end-of-year testing regime at Missoula’s Hellgate Elementary School District. Gone were the back-to-back weeks of summative assessments students and teachers had grown accustomed to. Instead, the nine months leading up to this week’s final hours of instruction had been sprinkled with scaled-down tests designed to incrementally gauge students’ competence in math and reading.

County commissioners approve lower wage increase for employees

Flathead County commissioners on Tuesday approved an increase in wages for elected officials, which in turn increases county employee wages at a matching rate of 3.2%.

Nyman, Franklin lead Bravettes over Knights, 11-0

Coin flip helps Flathead make state tourney

Olivia Nyman picked up three hits and drove in four runs as Flathead defeated Missoula Hellgate in high school softball Friday.

A Home at the Samaritan House: Expansion project nearly 20 years in the making

The Samaritan House is adding two apartment buildings and will see an expansion of its administrative office on its campus on former Army Reserve property in Kalispell. The organization is nearing its $16.9 million fundraising goal and is preparing to break ground in July, according to Krager.

Whitefish senior uses personal experience in pursuing medicine

When Brooke Osburn was a freshman, a long-lasting nosebleed sent her to the emergency room. To be safe, doctors ran tests and immediately flew her to Spokane.

Northwest Montana mountain snowpack rebounds in May

High-elevation snowpack in the Swan Range has remained near or above historical averages for most of May thanks to a series of cold storms that dumped snow and rain across the region.

Marlis Dorothy Neisinger, 81

Marlis Dorothy Neisinger, 81, of Kalispell peacefully passed away of natural causes Thursday, June 20, 2024, at Hidden Meadow Memory Care.

Great Outdoors Act funding to spur Flathead National Forest improvements

Thanks to a $26 million investment into the Forest Service’s Northern Region, rental cabin updates, road work, campground improvements are among the upcoming projects slated to occur in the Flathead Valley.

Law roundup: 5-year-old injured from dog bite

A neighbor’s pit bull reportedly bit a 5-year-old’s stomach, leaving a bleeding wound about the size of a baseball.

Zinke seeks evidence of his own claims about arrival of immigrant family

Despite raising the specter that a nonprofit worked with the Biden administration to relocate immigrants in the country illegally to Kalispell earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke has yet to produce evidence for the claim.

Law roundup: Bar employee tired of mixing it up with unruly woman

Frustrated at constantly being pestered by an unruly woman at his place of work, an employee of a bar turned to the Kalispell Police Department for help. He said she comes in on every shift to mess with him and at least once has gone into the kitchen to find him.