As a lawsuit proceeds between the nonprofit Flathead Warming Center and the city of Kalispell, the local low-barrier homeless shelter on Tuesday released a community connection guide introducing plans for a new law-enforcement liaison position and announcing its intent to host periodic community meetings. The guide also delineates some of the center’s standards for ways the community can […]| Flathead Beacon
In a partnership with the Institute for Justice (IJ), a Texas-based nonprofit, public interest law firm, the Flathead Warming Center has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Kalispell after officials revoked the low-barrier homeless shelter’s conditional use permit last month. Attorneys with the institute on Wednesday announced the lawsuit during a press conference […]| Flathead Beacon
The Kalispell City Council on Tuesday night unanimously voted to postpone a decision that could potentially close the Flathead Warming Center, a move the city officials said would allow nonprofit leaders and residents who have complained about its impacts a chance to collaborate on a solution. Following months of conversations surrounding accusations from the […]| Flathead Beacon
The Kalispell City Council on Monday night reviewed a conditional use permit for the Flathead Warming Center, which was approved in 2020, to determine if the low-barrier homeless shelter is complying with guidelines and if it’s appropriate to amend or revoke the permit. Prompted by a high volume of complaints from neighbors and business owners […]| Flathead Beacon
The Kalispell City Council will host a work session in May to brainstorm potential solutions surrounding homelessness within the municipality, which officials say continues to disrupt businesses operations and absorbs law enforcement and first responder resources. Councilor Chad Graham requested the future work session at the April 1 council meeting and said he was concerned […]| Flathead Beacon
The Kalispell Public Schools (KPS) will move forward with the creation of two in-district charter schools after the Montana Board of Public Education last week approved two of the district’s four charter proposals. The board green-lighted Kalispell Rising Wolf Charter and Flathead PACE Academy Charter, two high school charter programs that will be located within […]| Flathead Beacon
The Whitefish School District on Dec. 14 hosted a community engagement meeting to discuss ongoing plans for the expansion of Whitefish High School. At the meeting, architecture firm Cushing Terrell presented three possible concepts for the expansion of the high school building and two concepts for an expanded athletic complex. Parents, educators and local stakeholders […]| Flathead Beacon
Officials with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks still don’t know how a nonnative brown trout ended up in the Flathead River upstream of Pressentine Fishing Access last month. But given the river system’s history of circumventing brown trout invasions, they say the recent detection was most likely the result of an illegal […]| Flathead Beacon
Kalispell Where: 115 Stryker Peak Tr. Price: $630,000 What: Three-bedroom, two-bath home Square Feet: 1,657 This lovely home sits on a large corner lot and features a bright and open floorplan, vaulted ceilings, stainless steel appliances, granite counters, and a large island. Outside is a covered patio, fenced backyard, fire pit and underground sprinklers. […]| Flathead Beacon
When U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced last month that the administration was taking steps to rescind a decades-old policy to restrict road building and timber harvests on 58.5 million acres of national forest lands, she justified it as another step by the Trump administration to remove “absurd obstacles” that have stymied forest […]| 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
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
The Flathead Warming Center and the City of Kalispell have reached an agreement to reinstate the 50-bed, low barrier homeless shelter’s conditional use permit and allow for its permanent operation following months of court proceedings after the city council voted to revoke the permit last year. Kalispell city councilors, however, must pass a resolution to […]| Flathead Beacon
The Flathead Warming Center will open its doors tonight after U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christenen issued a preliminary injunction to allow the 50-bed, low-barrier homeless shelter to operate overnight amid a lawsuit challenging the City of Kalispell’s permit revocation, according to a press release. Beds will remain open for guests throughout the winter and […]| Flathead Beacon
Following a months-long saga of public meetings, the Kalispell City Council on Monday night took the unprecedented step of revoking the Flathead Warming Center’s conditional use permit in a 6-3 vote, citing widespread complaints from neighbors. Councilors Kari Gabriel, Chad Graham, Sid Daoud, Jed Fisher, Sam Nunnally and Mayor Mark Johnson voted in favor of […]| Flathead Beacon
The murder trial of a 39-year-old Bigfork man accused of killing his mother along with her partner at their residence in 2022 is now underway in Flathead County District Court, with jury selection, opening statements and witness testimony taking place on Monday, March 31. The 14-member jury panel, which includes two alternates, heard opening statements […]| Flathead Beacon
When the 2023 Legislature set aside $50 million to address workforce housing across the state, lawmakers directed local housing nonprofits to establish management organizations for the new homebuyer assistant program and direct its funds, with $4.5 million designated for Flathead County. If approved by the Flathead County Commissioners, the funding would be managed by a […]| Flathead Beacon
In 2015, nearly a century after the Montana Power Company (MPC) began operating what was then called Kerr Dam on ancestral land to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CKST), the tribes acquired the hydroelectric project as independent operators, having acted as co-licensee with MPC since 1985. Tribal leaders changed the name to the Se̓liš […]| Flathead Beacon
The Kalispell Public Schools (KPS) and its teachers union have ratified a two-year collective bargaining agreement, closing a tense chapter for the school district after it failed to reach a contract agreement with its union last spring. In a press release on Wednesday, KPS Superintendent Matt Jensen said the agreement “represents our school community coming […]| Flathead Beacon
“Unimportant.” “Discounted.” “Undervalued.” Nearly two dozen teachers offered public comment before the Kalispell school board on Tuesday night, donning their distinct union red as they expressed dismay that, nearly a month into the school year, the Kalispell Public Schools (KPS) has yet to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with its teachers union. Following months of […]| Flathead Beacon
Amid ongoing conflicts between school districts, elected officials and taxpayers over who is responsible for funding public schools in Montana, experts are pushing for a reconfigured appropriations formula that they say will relieve the burden on taxpayers while better serving schools. Each school district in Montana currently sets the rate at which it taxes local […]| Flathead Beacon
The Glacier Range Riders have started to build out their roster for the 2025 season, beginning last week with resigning three players from last year’s team, and the organization expects to announce more signings in the coming weeks. The first trio of signees, announced in a press release Tuesday, is made up of infielder Gabe […]| Flathead Beacon
Following a decennial redistricting process that reshaped Montana’s legislative districts, Democrats picked up an additional state legislative seat in Flathead County, which remains deeply Republican. Republicans won two of three state Senate races and ten of 11 state House races in Flathead County, according to preliminary results from Flathead County. Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, was […]| Flathead Beacon