An analysis by the federal agency following record-low water levels in Flathead Lake found the dam operators did not violate operating license despite complaints by property owners| Flathead Beacon
Kalispell Where: 22 Bruyer Way Price: $624,000 What: Four-bedroom, three-bath home Square Feet: 1,922 This spacious home in the Buffalo Stage subdivision has a three-car garage and sits on almost a half-acre lot. It has an open floor plan, fireplace, large primary bedroom, and an office. Outside is nice landscaping, underground sprinklers, a fully […]| Flathead Beacon
Marcia Stolfus will serve as the new Flathead County superintendent of schools, per a Tuesday press release from the county.| Flathead Beacon
Braxton Mitchell’s involvement with Turning Point, a non-profit founded by Charlie Kirk, dates back to 2019.| Flathead Beacon
Three years after developer Mick Ruis purchased the old Glacier Gateway School building in Columbia Falls, the site is becoming a hub for the city’s youth-focused nonprofits, creating a centralized location where families can access childcare, food assistance and extracurricular activities. The Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country, which serves Columbia Falls children in […]| Flathead Beacon
Bigfork Where: 106 Golden Bear Dr. Price: $848,685 What: Three-bedroom, two-bath home Square Feet: 1,826 This Eagle Bend Golf Course gem features vaulted ceilings, large windows, hickory woods floors, and a gas fireplace. The chef’s kitchen has heated floors, granite counters, and stainless-steel appliances. Outside is a covered deck, fire pit, and expansive golf […]| Flathead Beacon
As summer travel peaks in the Flathead Valley, businesses are reporting flat domestic tourism compared to 2024 with an uptick in last-minute trips and a 25% decline in Canadian travel amid a weak currency, economic uncertainty and tense border relations. Northwest Montana is following nationwide trends of strong domestic travel and a drop in international […]| Flathead Beacon
Glacier Park International Airport (GPIA) officials announced today that there will be limited aircraft operations in July 2026 to complete a critical rehabilitation project, an infrastructure improvement that local business leaders say will disrupt tourism during peak visitation in northwest Montana. Starting in early July next summer, a rolling schedule will close the airport from […]| Flathead Beacon
More than 765,000 people visited Glacier National Park in July, according to new visitation data, which revealed a nearly 3.4% dip in visitor traffic compared to the same period last year. But the park’s overall year-to-date visitation data could still be one for the record books, a feat that’s all the more impressive given the […]| Flathead Beacon
Living without electrical hookups often comes with compromises, but when Jane Hyman and her partner decided to commit to off-the-grid living in 2016, there was never a question of whether she would give up sewing with a machine as they settled into life up the North Fork. Hyman is the owner and operator behind Needle […]| Flathead Beacon
When Rob Ratkowski was in his first year as the director of Glacier Park International Airport in 2017, the airport broke 40,000 passengers that July for the first time, prompting him to throw a party for his staff. Fast-forward eight years and the airport this July saw a record-breaking 86,954 passengers, an 11.7% growth compared […]| Flathead Beacon
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 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
