Most money for endangered species goes to a small number of creatures, leaving others in limbo

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Since passage of the Endangered Species Act 50 years ago, more than 1,700 plants, mammals, fish, insects and other species in the U.S. have been listed as threatened or endangered with extinction. Yet federal government data reveals striking disparities in how much money is allocated to save various biological kingdoms.

Family-run hardware business celebrates 75 years in Whitefish

Nelson’s Ace Hardware and the town of Whitefish have been growing hand in hand for the past 75 years. Nelson’s offers steadfast support to the community, open seven days a week and closed only for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year.

Dave Barry's 2023 Year in Review

It was a year of reckoning, a year in which humanity finally began to understand that it faces an existential threat, a threat unlike any we have ever faced before, a threat that will wreak havoc on our fragile planet if we fail to stop it — and it may already be too late.

Home sales down while multi-family units continue to dominate Flathead Valley market

High interest rates coupled with shortages in skilled labor have influenced development projects in the Flathead Valley toward more concentrated multi-family units, according to city officials, real estate agents and builders.

The laureate rocks

I didn’t expect to hear Mary Oliver’s verse from Montana’s poet laureate, and here Chris La Tray recited her “The Summer Day.” We listened, then bent our heads to draw.

Legals for December, 31 2023

Montana lawmakers reject call for special session on taxes

A call for a special session of the Montana Legislature that would have addressed rising residential property taxes in the state has failed.

University of Montana alumni keep health care local in small-town Montana

Superior – Working every day with your best friend would be a dream come true for some people. Getting to work with your best friend to provide a vital service to your hometown community would make it even more special.

The Air Force said its nuclear missile capsules were safe. But toxic dangers lurked, documents show

WASHINGTON (AP) — A large pool of dark liquid festering on the floor. No fresh air. Computer displays that would overheat and ooze out a fishy-smelling gel that nauseated the crew. Asbestos readings 50 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's safety standards. These are just some of the past toxic risks that were in the underground capsules and silos where Air Force nuclear missile crews have worked since the 1960s. Now many of those service members have cancer.

Maine bars Trump from ballot as US Supreme Court weighs states' authority to block former president

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's Democratic secretary of state on Thursday removed former President Donald Trump from the state's presidential primary ballot under the Constitution's insurrection clause, becoming the first election official to take action unilaterally as the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Trump remains eligible to return to the White House.

Though down from 2022, public school enrollment is up over the past decade

Public schools in Flathead County overall saw a negligible -1% decrease in enrollment compared to 2022 with a total enrollment of 15,173 kindergarten through 12-graders.

Legals for December, 29 2023

Major Flathead Valley transportation upgrades will be underway in 2024

State and local officials expect to make inroads on several major transportation infrastructure projects in the Flathead Valley in 2024, including the widening of West Reserve Drive in Kalispell.

Resurrection: Three Chiefs Cultural Center returns to Pablo

For Marie Torosian, director of Three Chiefs Cultural Center in Pablo, hope rises from ashes. It lives in every moccasin, headdress, beaded bag or vest that survived the arson-caused fire that demolished the People’s Center Sept. 6, 2020.

Samaritan House obtains state funding for expansion project

The Montana Department of Commerce awarded a $750,000 Housing Trust Fund grant to the Samaritan House to assist in funding the shelter’s expansion project that looks to turn the old Army Reserve Armory into housing.

Three join Flathead Valley Community College’s executive team

The three bring a wealth of leadership experience and commitment to continuing FVCC’s mission of promoting excellence in lifelong learning, focused on student success and community needs, the college notes.

Biden orders strikes on an Iranian-aligned group after 3 US troops wounded in drone attack in Iraq

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone.

Conservation easements bring permanent protection for Flathead lands

Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements between a land owner and a land trust that permanently limit development on a parcel of land in an effort to protect its conservation values.

Legals for December, 26 2023

Letters to the editor Dec. 25

Letters to the editor Dec. 25