LATEST NEWS
Explosive growth, tourism weigh heavy on western Montana’s aging roads
Transportation officials say infrastructure needs outpacing available funds. Growing populations and tourism in western Montana are straining aging roads, leaving state and local governments to fix problems or make improvements with limited funding, according to transportation officials. While development-driven infrastructure upgrades are nothing new, the Montana Department of Transportation is...
6th Annual Hit the Trail Challenge
Explore and log your miles on the Whitefish Trail this May to get outside, be healthy and contribute to preserving our local trails!Join us for the 6th Annual Hit the Trail Challenge this May! This month-long community event is aimed at collectively exploring and celebrating the Whitefish Trail by running, hiking and riding as much as possible. For every mile you cover on the Whitefish Trail and report to Whitefish Legacy Partners, $1 will be donated to support the trail. Throughout the month, we will tally up all the miles and share weekly updates to celebrate everyone’s achievements. Plus, there are...
Whitefish begins chipping away at stock of illegal short-term rentals
Whitefish’s short-term rental specialist, Codi Evenson, has been on the job for about one month. She says she is already making headway in reining in the proliferation of illegal vacation properties as she builds the newly created position from the ground up. “If this is how far we’ve gotten in a month, just imagine how far in six months,” Evenson said. “I think it’ll be great.”Kalispell born and raised, Evenson comes to the position at the City of Whitefish with an understanding of short-term rental policies and the application process after serving her hometown as the permit technician for the last...
Whitefish Fire Department aids driver after vehicle snags on telephone pole guideline
WHITEFISH, Mont. — The Whitefish Fire Department assisted a driver who caught the guideline of a telephone pole with their vehicle west of Whitefish Tuesday. Officials say the incident occurred at Highway 93 and Twin Bridges Road. The drive was uninjured but needed assistance to leave the vehicle. Whitefish...
19th annual Paddling Film Festival kicks off in Whitefish
MISSOULA, Mont. — The 19th annual Paddling Film Festival kicks off at O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center in Whitefish on Thursday. Twenty-nine films feature whitewater, sea kayaking, canoeing, SUP, action, and lifestyle paddling. The tour travels to more than 120 cities around the U.S. and Canada. Tickets are $20...
Mill closures ‘shock’ industry, but officials say demand for wood remains
Five days a week, a short train rolls out of the rail yard in Whitefish with empty freight cars destined for the Flathead Valley’s three surviving wood products mills in Columbia Falls and Evergreen. At one time, short trains like this could be found all over western Montana, serving mills in places like Libby, St. Regis, Darby and Pablo. But today, this is one of the few “local” freights left in the region.
Whitefish makes podium trips In Corvallis
The Whitefish boys placed fifth at the Sapphire Twilight Meet in Corvallis behind two first-place winners. Carson Krack won the 200-meter run with a personal record of 22.64. Simon Douglas won the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:29.56.In the 400-meter run, Azure Stolte placed second with a season-best 53.66. Morgan Kyle was third in the 110-meter hurdles with a season-best 16.91. Kyle was also third in the long jump with a mark of 19-8, another season best. Ryder Barinowski was fourth in the 100-meter run (11.71)Relays were fruitful for the Bulldogs, who placed second in the 4x400 relay with a...
Police Calls: Behaving strangely is not against the law
The police calls section is presented for entertainment purposes and does not reflect the nature or the volume of the calls received by local law enforcement.April 3A reckless driver in a green Toyota was seen on Highway 93 swerving and flipping people off.Someone locked his keys in his truck but was quickly able to get in.April 4There was an apparently intoxicated man on Fourth Street.Someone hit a parked car and left all their information for the driver.A drunk roommate caused issues.April 5An agitated male on Railway Street was moved along.The caller thought there needs to be extra patrol or a...
Arbor Day celebration in Whitefish on April 26
The Whitefish Parks and Recreation Department is holding a tree-planting celebration in honor of Arbor Day on Friday, April 26 at 10:45 a.m. near the Dave Olseth Memorial Skatepark in Armory Park.Students from the Whitefish High School agriculture group will be volunteering to help plant the trees.The City of Whitefish was awarded a $850 Arbor Day Grant from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to help purchase trees for the Arbor Day celebration.For questions, call the Whitefish Parks and Recreation Department at 406-863-2470.
Legals for April, 24 2024
NO. 30269 The MT DNRC-Stillwater State Forest Unit is in the application process of obtaining new opencut gravel permits for an existing gravel pit operated by the MT DNRC. The Whitefish Lake Pit is an active gravel pit, located in Flathead County; Section 32, T32N, R22W. For more information, please contact the Stillwater State Forest Unit Office at (406) 881-2371. April 14, 21, 2024 MNAXLP __________________________
Kelsey Evans named new Pilot Editor
Kelsey Evans has joined the Whitefish Pilot as its new editor.Evans comes to the Flathead Valley after serving as editor for the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources in Moscow, Idaho."We're pleased to bring Kelsey on board to lead Whitefish's award-winning local newspaper,” said Matt Baldwin, regional editor for Hagadone Media Montana. “Kelsey has a strong sense of community journalism, and is eager to learn more about Whitefish and the folks who call this special place home.”Evans has a comprehensive background in communications, with experience as an English professor, sustainability officer, and as a marketing and development assistant. She...
One for the record books: Matt's famous schuss
Editor’s note: Toni Matt's presence lives on today as the namesake of the Toni Matt ski slope, a fast and scenic run down the front side of Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The legendary Austrian skier helped design ski race courses and brought fame and credibility to the Big Mountain Resort and Whitefish.PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. — Thirty-five years after his death, and 85 years after his legendary schuss (straight down) of the 800-foot drop off Mount Washington’s precipitous Tuckerman Ravine Headwall, Toni Matt is making waves again.Matt’s son Richard called April 5 to share the exciting news that he had...
Apartment project highlights fee in lieu versus affordable housing units
The Whitefish Community Development Board voted to recommend approval for a conditional use permit for a 21-unit multi-family development on Iowa Avenue. The applicants, JLA Whitefish, LLC., are proposing the building on two lots totaling about half an acre at 7 and 23 Iowa Avenue. The property is bordered by Edgewood Place to the south and Iowa Avenue to the west. The property is currently zoned WR-4, higher density residential.The multi-family building would include three one-bedroom units, six two-bedroom units and 12 studio units, according to Whitefish Housing Coordinator Luke Sponable.Sponable said the applicants qualify for Legacy Homes Program incentives because...
Lady Hawks softball scores two big victories
There is a saying in softball/baseball circles that chicks dig the long ball, a reference to fondness for home runs.Some teams, like T Falls, rely on “small ball,” the description attached to scoring runs the other way, with single base hits and aggressive base running.The Lady Hawks were in on both forms of softball this past week, splitting a pair of home games in what is shaping up as a very competitive march to post season play.T Falls began the week with a convincing 16-1 win over Class A Whitefish this pastWednesday at Pirk’s Place, their home field adjacent to...
Council reviews upcoming projects on Armory Road, East 6th Street
The developer behind a proposed 77-lot subdivision on Flathead Avenue pulled its three items from the agenda for the Whitefish City Council meeting last week, leaving no public hearings, but a handful of other considerations were addressed.Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman sought direction for the next resort tax roadway project. The council voted unanimously to begin the design phase for two projects: Armory Road and East Sixth Street.Major Street Network projects are divided into three categories: mill and overlay, roadway extensions and reconstruction projects. Currently, only reconstruction projects can be considered for resort tax funding and there are eight...
Looking back: Old-fashioned band concert in Depot Park
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler50 Years AgoApril 25, 1974Stump Town Follies began with an old-fashioned band concert in Depot Park and ended with a pancake breakfast and horse show. Plans included merchants on Central Avenue using the space on the sidewalks in front of their stores for sales and displays. The street was blocked off between Railway and Fourth Streets and additional displays were placed in the streets. An art auction at the Orpheum Theater was planned. The U.S. Army sent a precision drill team from Ft. Carson in Wyoming to perform. Girl Scouts from...
ATP Kids presents Tina Fey's 'Mean Girls the Musical'
What happens when one of Saturday Night Live’s most celebrated alumni writes a musical? The result is “Mean Girls the Musical,” which is the latest offering from ATP Kids.Forty-six high school students from all over the Flathead Valley have been working together to present the hilarious musical based on the hit movie, running April 25-28 at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. This production is part of the ATP Kids Educational Outreach Program.“Mean Girls might be one of the funniest and most topical musicals out there today,” ATP Artistic Director Betsi Morrison said. “It’s laugh-out-loud funny, but underneath all the jokes...
Student Art: ‘Coffee Talk’ by Maxine Martin
The art featured above is called “Coffee Talk” and is a stoneware clay mug with glaze by Whitefish High School junior Maxine Martin in the WHS Pottery class. The Pilot periodically features art from Whitefish High School students.
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