Flathead Watercooler

Gatherings and events for Flathead Valley businesses

Legals for June, 12 2024

Sheryl Mower, 68

It is with a heavy heart that the family of Sheryl Mower announces her passing on May 25, 2024, at her home in Kalispell.

Legals for May, 26 2024

Legals for June, 9 2024

Flathead cherry crop stunted by winter freeze

"There’s just a lot of hoops to jump through before we get to the harvest time with a good crop. And now we’re telling you, ‘We’re starting with a bad crop.’"

Legals for June, 21 2024

A massive flood struck the Flathead Valley 60 years ago

Sixty years ago the waters rose and rose until they became the largest flood in Flathead County’s recorded history.

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.

Crews working in sweltering conditions and steep terrain battle major Los Angeles-area wildfire

GORMAN, Calif. (AP) — Strong winds pushed flames through dry brush in mountains along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles, and officials warned residents in the wildfire's path to be prepared to leave if it explodes in size again.

Riverbend Concert Series set up for summer

The Riverbend Concert Series will kick off Sunday, June 23 at Everit L. Sliter Memorial Park in Bigfork. The series has run for over 40 years, with this year’s lineup including tributes to the concerts’ past supporters. A total of 10 local artists will play each Sunday at 7 p.m. through August 25.

Letters to the editor May 28

Letters to the editor May 28

Supreme Court will take up state bans on gender-affirming care for minors

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday jumped into the fight over transgender rights, agreeing to hear an appeal from the Biden administration seeking to block state bans on gender-affirming care.

Steven Duane Swanberg, 72

Steven Duane Swanberg, 72, biked off over hills and mountains to Heaven on June 6, 2024, at the Beehive in Kalispell following a battle with Alzheimer's.

Faye E. Hustis, 83

The world lost a shining star on April 25, 2024, when Faye E. Hustis passed away due to complications of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 83.

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.

Of blooms and building booms

I appreciate these semiwild oases. Given how difficult it is to manage larger, popular spaces for the public good, it is these smaller parcels that may mean the most, especially for locals.

Joyce 'Peach' Graeff, 81

Compassionate and dedicated servant and friend to the community of Bigfork, Peach from Bigfork was called to her eternal home on May 24, 2024; her room was ready.

Zombies: Ranks of world's most debt-hobbled companies are soaring, and not all will survive

They are called zombies, companies so laden with debt that they are just stumbling by on the brink of survival, barely able to pay even the interest on their loans and often just a bad business hit away from dying off for good

Judge blocks Biden's Title IX rule in four states, dealing a blow to protections for LGBTQ+ students

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration's new Title IX rule expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students has been temporarily blocked in four states after a federal judge in Louisiana found that it overstepped the Education Department's authority.