Condon
Condon, MT · Business
Whitefish Pilot
Flathead Valley developer Ruis responds to federal indictment
Flathead Valley developer Alvin “Mick” Ruis and two other men face federal charges of major fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and criminal forfeiture from a case involving scaffolding contracts with the U.S. Navy in 2020 and 2021. Ruis and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, were released on their own recognizance and vigorously deny the charges. Ruis is represented by attorneys Jan Ronis and Gretchen von Helms. “Mr. Ruis has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent,” Von Helms said Monday. “Mr. Ruis has no prior record and has spent his whole life following the rules in order to build successful businesses.” According to a grand jury indictment that was unsealed Sept. 3 in the Southern District of California, Ruis, Isaiah Levi Diehl of Helena and Shawn Peilun Huang of San Diego allegedly conspired to secure contracts for scaffolding with the U.S. Navy. In the indictment, federal prosecutors claim that the three secured scaffolding contracts through one company, owned by Huang, when the actual work would be done by either Diehl’s or Ruis’ company. The Naval’s Regional Maintenance centers in San Diego, and Mayport, Florida, both utilized small business set aside contracts called commercial and industrial service
NBCMontana
New housing development opens in Kalispell as demand continues
KALISPELL, Mont. — On Wednesday, a new housing development officially opened in Kalispell. Hayden Homes celebrated its grand opening of Eagle Valley Ranch, a new single-family home community. Homes in the community range from 1,408 to 3,195 square feet. Houses will include three to five bedrooms, as well as...
Hungry Horse News
Yesterdays: CFAC announces profit sharing with employees
70 years ago Sept. 28, 1956 The International Boundary Commission was clearing a 20-foot swath of land between Canada and the U.S. in Montana. They had been working most of the summer. The last time it had been cleared of brush was 1925. 60 years ago Sept. 30, 1966 Crews were building trails up Black Bear and Mid Creek in the Bob Marshall Wilderness under contract with the Forest Service. A cow elk made friends with the horses in Ray Flint’s pasture near Columbia Falls. The elk would rub noses with the horses. 50 years ago Sept. 30, 1976 More details emerged from the fatal bear mauling of a young woman at Many Glacier. It turned out that rangers found two bears near Patricia Mahoney’s body and shot both of them. Still, there was speculation that the killer bear was still out there, as there had been other incidents in Many Glacier with bears and another in the Starr School Community of Browning. 40 years ago Oct. 1, 1986 The Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. announced it would begin profit sharing with its employees. Years later, the employees would sue, claiming the company withheld millions in revenue from them. 30 years
Light Reading
Vero Fiber, MontanaSky wrap merger
Vero Broadband, LLC, doing business as Vero Fiber, today announced the successful completion of its merger with Montana Sky Networks Incorporated, doing business as MontanaSky, officially bringing together two established broadband providers with a shared commitment to delivering exceptional service, investing in local communities, and expanding access to reliable fiber internet throughout Northwest Montana.
Whitefish Pilot
Guest opinion: The demise of the Kennedy Center and the American farmer
We are witnessing, in real time, the demise of the Kennedy Center and the American farmer. It is fitting, then, to reflect and remember John F. Kennedy's reverence for farmers and ranchers. The legacy of JFK is the words and speeches he left. While JFK gave soaring speeches about Americans, he frequently stressed the plight of farmers. One of his speeches, given at the Midwest Farm Conference on October 24, 1958, is as applicable today as it was 67 years ago. In his opening remarks, he stated: “There can be no prosperity in the city without prosperity on the farm.” Kennedy delivered his frequently quoted observation that “the farmer is, after all, the only man in our economy who has to buy everything he buys at inflated retail – sell everything he sells at depressed wholesale – and pay the freight both ways.” In this speech, Senator Kennedy laid out six fundamental principles needed in any farm bill. First, farm abundance should be a blessing, not a curse, which he elaborated on in detail in his speech. His second point is as applicable today as it was 67 years ago. He observed, “Any national farm program should be based primarily
Flathead Beacon
Floor Space: What You Can Buy for About $650,000
This 1.15-acre property is fully fenced, with mountain views and a woodstove-warmed living area under vaulted ceilings. The finished lower level has heated floors and a custom built-in library, and outside there’s a greenhouse, a chicken coop, and room to garden. A backup generator, mini-split cooling, and built-in accessibility features round out the home. REAL Broker Flathead.
Whitefish Pilot
Guest opinion: Contained pollution is an illusion
The removal of Columbia Falls’ oldest municipal water well following detection of a “forever chemical” raises important questions about plans for the large Teakettle Heights subdivision near the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC) Superfund site. It also underscores the need to better evaluate whether all high-density developments could pollute or deplete our water supply. As someone who spent a career managing environmental, safety, and health operations at massive federal nuclear and research installations, I know firsthand that groundwater does not respect corporate property lines or bureaucratic boundaries. For years, state officials and eager developers have operated under a comforting illusion: that a clean line can be drawn on a map to neatly separate toxic industrial legacy from profitable residential growth. The recent detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at nearly double the federal limit completely shatters that baseline confidence. It lays bare an uncomfortable truth that local residents have raised for years: we simply do not understand the hidden, shifting pathways of our local groundwater, and we are gambling our public health, and future water supplies, to find out. City officials rightfully acted fast to disconnect the affected municipal well after routine testing flagged the dangerous toxic compounds. Yet, the city's
Char-Koosta News
Expo opens doors to careers for more than 200 reservation students
POLSON, Mont. — More than 300 people, including more than 200 students from reservation schools, attended the Workforce & Career Expo Sept. 21 at 400 Horses Casino in Polson. Hosted by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, the expo brought more...
Lake County Leader
Local CEO uses her values to empower young Native students
Native Forward Scholars Fund CEO Angelique Albert was recently named on the Forbes' 2026 50 Over 50 list, but Albert explained that she did not receive her education to succeed as an individual; rather, she did it to serve her community and tribal communities on a broader scale. “It’s an honor to be recognized at that level,” Albert said. “More importantly, what it means to me — it means visibility. It means representation.” Albert explained that anytime Native people gain visibility, it’s important because that’s something missing in the world. “Native people are often misrepresented, and it’s important that we come out and show our success,” she said. She said this isn’t just about representation for herself but about the success and impact of Native Forward, which speaks for itself. Native Forward is a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to tribal citizens pursuing undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Albert has served as CEO for the past nine years and, during her tenure, has tripled the number of students it serves annually, with Native Forward has awarded $400 million in scholarships to more than 20,000 students from 500 tribes across the United States. Albert said the organization recently reached a milestone,
Char-Koosta News
Community Spotlight: The Ronan Mill
RONAN — For Trinity Rosenbaum, opening The Ronan Mill wasn’t a sudden leap — it was a longtime idea that finally found its moment. “It was just something I had always kind of thought about, was having my own coffee shop, and the opportunity kind of fell into my lap,” Rosenbaum said.
NBCMontana
Northwest Montana job fair connects nearly 80 employers with hundreds of job seekers
KALISPELL, Mont. — On Wednesday, Job Service Kalispell hosted the Northwest Montana Job and Opportunity Fair at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. For job seekers, the fair put nearly 80 employers in one place offering more than 850 jobs across a wide variety of industries and attracts around 500-600 job seekers.
Bigfork Eagle
Multiple approvals clear path for Lakeside development to move forward
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued final approval for the first phase of the Territory 1889 luxury development in Lakeside, allowing multinational developer Discovery Land Company to begin work on its resort. The department conducted an environmental assessment to consider the impacts of the development’s proposed water, wastewater and stormwater facilities for the first phase of development, which is limited to 79 residential lots, as well as roads and utility infrastructure. The entire project encompasses a proposed 359 homes, private golf courses and a marina. “The Phase 1 facilities represent a small increment to existing resource demands in the Lakeside area, and cumulative impacts across the resource areas analyzed in this EA are expected to be minor when considered alongside past and present actions in the corridor,” officials wrote in the department’s environmental assessment report. Future phases of the development will require additional, independent approval, and approval of the first phase does not commit the department to approval of future phases, according to the review. The Department of Environmental Quality’s certificate of subdivision approval only addresses the adequacy of water supply, sewage disposal and storm drainage systems. Subdivision design, land use, home construction, internal roads, grading and other
Whitefish Pilot
Whitefish solar project powers homes, offsets peak demand
The sun understood the assignment and shone brightly over Monegan Road on Wednesday, Sept. 16 as Flathead Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the city of Whitefish and several citizens celebrated the completion of a new solar project. “This is an exciting day for us because it reflects the kind of community driven project that this board wants to support – one shaped by local ideas, strong partnerships and meaningful benefits for our members,” said Stacey Schnebel, Flathead Electric Cooperative board president. The solar array, built on city land near the wastewater treatment plant, is made up of 448 solar panels that each generate about 700 kWh per year. The project is expected to generate enough power for 21 average homes. A battery system on site stores energy for peak demand. People may purchase a panel’s power generation for $700 per panel, which will result in a reduction on their power bill by about $43 per year, per panel. The solar array in Whitefish is the third community solar project Flathead Electric Coop has built. The first was built in 2015 off Whitefish Stage Road and the second, in 2018 in Kalispell. “This project came online earlier