Columbia Falls, MT

MISSOULA, Mont. — A Kalispell couple pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and theft of mail on Tuesday. Jennifer Don Smith, 37, and Michael Thomas Kullberg, 34, were accused of stealing mail in Lincoln and Flathead counties and using personal information from the stolen mail to shop at businesses. Both pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors have brought a Kila man up on a felony assault with a weapon charge for allegedly discharging bear spray at another man in 2021. Randaell Charles Stilson, 18, was booked in the Flathead County Detention Center on May 10 and released on his own recognizance the same day. His arraignment in district court is set for June 2. Although an arrest warrant was issued March 30 of this year, authorities believe the attack occurred late in the evening of Aug. 4, 2021. They began investigating Stilson after another man reported the incident about 1:47 a.m. the next day. According...

Daily service on the Empire Builder, the only Amtrak line that traverses Montana, will resume May 23, the federally funded passenger rail service announced last week. The rail agency said that the hiring of an additional 1,500 employees and increased demand for travel has enabled the restoration of daily service to four long distance lines including the Empire Builder, which connects Chicago to the Pacific Northwest through Havre, Whitefish and other towns in Montana’s northern tier. Amtrak reduced — or paused entirely — trips on a number of long-distance lines in January, citing a pandemic-driven workforce shortage. The Empire Builder has been running five days a week since.

Daily service on the Empire Builder, the only Amtrak line that traverses Montana, will resume May 23, the federally funded passenger rail service announced last week. The rail agency said that the hiring of an additional 1,500 employees and increased demand for travel has enabled the restoration of daily service to four long distance lines including the Empire Builder, which connects Chicago to the Pacific Northwest through Havre, Whitefish and other towns in Montana’s northern tier. Amtrak reduced — or paused entirely — trips on a number of long-distance lines in January, citing a pandemic-driven workforce shortage. The Empire Builder has...

A man facing state and federal charges for allegedly holding up an area pharmacy at gunpoint last month is back in the county jail after trying to to buy a firearm, authorities say. Grant Alan West, 38, of Columbia Falls is being held on a $250,000 bond after being booked in the Flathead County Detention Center on May 12. That same day, prosecutors had filed a petition to revoke, accusing West of violating the Gun Control Act. Included in the court documents is a copy of an ATF firearms transaction form purportedly filled out and signed by West dated May...

Because Republicans have held a solid majority in the Montana Legislature for more than a decade, and because Flathead County is tinged a deep shade of red, GOP primaries play an outsized role here in determining how next year’s legislative session plays out. But even though crowded primaries are...

Brice is one of the most popular artists on music streaming services, in addition to radio play

MISSOULA, Mont. — Kalispell Public Schools’ 2022 election faced a number of challenges -- from two candidates disqualified due to residency requirements to 1,700 ballots improperly sent out to residents. The school board drafted and passed a resolution asking the Flathead County Election Department to run the 2023...

When Sue Vaughn showed up to work at Montana Coffee Traders’ south Whitefish location in early May, she and her employees noticed something hanging underneath the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter delivery van. Somebody had stolen the van’s catalytic converter a few hours earlier at about 2 a.m., according to surveillance footage....

Aiming to provide year-round access to athletic, arts and other enrichment programs, a new youth center is the centerpiece of a larger commercial and housing development planned for the north end of Kalispell. The Flathead Valley Youth Center nonprofit is behind the effort to create a publicly accessible youth center planned for Church Drive just off U.S. 93 south of Majestic Valley Arena. Organizers say the center would provide children and teens access to several programs. Tawnya Bingham, board president of the nonprofit, says the goal is to build a space where the community’s youth can play, grow, learn and...

MISSOULA, Mont. — The North Valley Music School is co-hosting an event with the Nate Chute Foundation on Tuesday. "The Music & Mental Health: Instruments of Resilience" discussion will explore the relationship between music and wellness at 6:30 p.m. at the Black Box Theater in Whitefish High School. Panelists...

Alejandro Calderon will take over as head boys soccer coach for Flathead High School, according to a press release sent out by the school on Wednesday. Calderon has been the Braves’ head junior varsity coach since 2017, returning to a program he played for from 2006 to 2009. He also spent four years coaching at Glacier High School.

This 106 acre piece of land that sits directly on Flathead Lake is located in the small community of Somers, Montana. It is now Montana's 56th state park, the first park created in 3 years. Somers, Montana and our new state park are located on the northern tip of Flathead...

Welcome to Thomas Insights — every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox. An advanced semiconductor manufacturing company is establishing...

Two Republican candidates are seeking to represent the residents of House District 7 in central Kalispell in the Montana Legislature next session as GOP lawmaker Frank Garner reaches his term limits and cannot run again. Republican candidates Courtenay Sprunger, 40, and Dave Ingram, 64, will face off in the primary...

On the third day of the Big Sky Conference Track and Field Championships in Pocatello, Idaho, Ben Perrin pulled in 10 points for Montana State University with his win in the 10,000-meter run. The 25-lap event came down to the last lap for the Flathead High School graduate, as Perrin...

KALISPELL, Mont. — What started off as a pile of dirt in an empty lot is now a move-in ready four-bedroom home. Kalispell’s Student Built Homes completed their seventh build after 30 students invested around 7,500 hours for this year’s program. “This is their final project, per...