BILLINGS – President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered government officials to consolidate wildland firefighting into a single program, despite warnings from former federal officials that it could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes. The order aims to centralize firefighting efforts now split among five agencies and two Cabinet departments. Trump’s proposed budget for next year calls […]| Flathead Beacon
I am an electrical engineer and resident of Columbia Falls, and I am writing to encourage Montanans to consider the impact that cutting the Clean Energy Tax Credits from the federal budget would mean for the future of our country. For the last century, the United States has led the world in the development of critical […]| Flathead Beacon
Attorneys for BNSF Railway, the U.S. government and a Libby asbestos-screening clinic sparred in federal court Thursday over how the railroad giant can collect a multimillion-dollar judgment stemming from hundreds of fraudulent diagnoses made by the nonprofit health care clinic, a case litigated extensively in a 2023 jury trial. The prior legal battle left the […]| Flathead Beacon
The budget reconciliation bill is a sweeping piece of legislation, part of which aims to reduce or increase spending for several federal programs. Federal programs affected, should the bill pass, include Medicaid.| Flathead Beacon
It’s been a busy year for the Piikani artist Terran Last Gun, but he’s excited to be back in Montana showcasing his work at Good Luck Gallery in downtown Kalispell, where a new solo exhibition of ink and colored pencil ledger drawings will run through mid-August. Originally from Browning, but based now out of Santa […]| Flathead Beacon
Glacier National Park officials announced Thursday that the entire 50-mile length of the Going-to-the-Sun Road is slated to open to motorized traffic between West Glacier and St. Mary on Monday, June 16. In advance of the road’s full opening, park officials will open the alpine highway’s eastern half on Saturday, June 14, allowing motorized access […]| Flathead Beacon
BILLINGS – More than 2 million acres of federal lands would be sold or transferred to states or other entities under a budget proposal from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, reviving a longtime ambition of Western conservatives to cede lands to local control after a similar proposal failed in the House. Lee, who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources […]| Flathead Beacon
Stream gage data is already registering temperatures and flows that normally don’t bedevil Montana’s rivers and tributaries until mid-July, prompting state fisheries managers to issue early warning signals on Wednesday that anglers should anticipate restrictions and closures this summer. From the Rocky Mountain Front to the Flathead River Basin, the high-elevation snowpack that nourishes rivers […]| Flathead Beacon
For more than 30 years, a small arts nonprofit in Missoula has connected elementary school kids with professional writers to create and perform poetry. Residency Coordinator Emily Walter says after 28 years of teaching, she still finds open-hearted creativity in every generation. “It’s a 12-week program and at the end, kids choose two of their […]| Flathead Beacon
This month, I’m celebrating nine years of writing the Twice as Tasty food blog and more than 3-1/2 years of this column. My family also recently celebrated several birthdays, and one of my contributions was blackberry sorbet. I make sorbets at home because they don’t require any special equipment. You can make sorbet in an […]| Flathead Beacon