Plodding geezer vs old sleazer

Having lost an election, I know it hurts to lose. I know, too, that there is a good life beyond losing because I’ve been living it for the past 20 years.

Dinesen walks it off for the Range Riders

In a game featuring great pitching by both teams, the game wasn’t decided until a wild bottom of the ninth featuring balks, intentional walks and walk-offs, lead to a Range Riders win over the Voyagers.

Kalispell Public Schools, teachers union pause contract negotiations

Teachers will be paid according to a contract that was set to expire this week after the Kalispell Education Association and Kalispell Public Schools failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement after roughly five months of negotiations.

Richard L. Corbitt, 94

Richard L. Corbitt, 94, passed away on May 25, 2024, following complications of injuries received in a motor vehicle accident.

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 June, 13 2024

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.

Law roundup: Shopper suspiciously gains weight in store

A shopper looked a bit bulkier leaving a store than when she arrived and reportedly had multiple bottles of alcohol shoved up the high school hoodie she was wearing. She also tried to shoplift some Chapstick and was banned from the store.

Former bookkeeper for Kalispell firearms manufacturer stole $159,000

A former bookkeeper for a Kalispell firearms manufacturer admitted stealing $159,000 from her then-employer in a check scheme, spending the money in part on hotel stays in Las Vegas and Quinn’s Hot Springs.

Kalispell woman allegedly used ax to break into home

Sophia Maria Owen, 39, appeared before Judge Heidi Ulbricht for her arraignment in Flathead County District Court on May 23.

Law roundup: Man jumps out window to avoid cops

A man reportedly thought he had no other recourse than to jump out of a window when Kalispell Police Department knocked on the door of an apartment where someone complained about a man and woman yelling at each other.

Presentation looks at Montana vigilantes

Local author Carol Buchanan will explore "Montana's Vigilantes – Good Guys or Bad" on Monday, June 17 at the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell.

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.

Legals for June, 6 2024

Flathead Watercooler

Gatherings and events for Flathead Valley businesses

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.’"

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.

Legals for June, 9 2024

Judge orders BNSF to pay Washington tribe nearly $400 million for trespassing with oil trains

SEATTLE (AP) — BNSF Railway must pay nearly $400 million to a Native American tribe in Washington state, a federal judge ordered Monday after finding that the company intentionally trespassed when it repeatedly ran 100-car trains carrying crude oil across the tribe's reservation.

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.