Corvallis
Corvallis, MT · Municipal
Whitefish Pilot
Missing dog activates communities in valley wide search effort
A scared Collie cross was adopted and then bolted from her new owner’s car and into the woods around Whitefish about two months ago. Now, people across the valley are teaming up to bring the dog to safety. There have been about 20 reported sightings of the young dog named Rogue who is still wearing a harness and dragging a leash. In almost all of the sightings, the dog ran away when people called her or walked toward her. What makes this missing dog special is that she “went from a horrible situation, to a shelter, to being on her own in the wilderness, for close to 60 days now,” searcher Haylee Johnson said. “It's heartbreaking.” Trail camera footage placed her in the Lion Mountain area for weeks, but a recent video sighting came from Tamarack Lane near Meadow Lake Golf Club in Columbia Falls. Just days ago, she was seen at the golf driving range near Grouse Mountain, back in Whitefish, but searches think that was likely a different dog. “We desperately need residents throughout Columbia Falls, Meadow Lake, Hungry Horse and surrounding areas to check security cameras, doorbell cameras, trail cameras and any other footage they may have,”
Flathead Beacon
Providence Opens New Rural Health Clinic in Polson
Just over a year after breaking ground on a rural health clinic in Polson, community members, donors and hospital staff gathered Sept. 30 in front of the new building just behind Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. “Over the years we’ve heard about this need over and over again,” Chief Executive...
kalispell.com
5th Ave WN - North Bound Lane – Road Closure
The City of Kalispell Public Works Department will conduct maintenance work on 5th Ave WN. This maintenance work is scheduled to begin at 8:30 am Wednesday, October 7, 2026 and is anticipated to be completed by the end of the working day. Impacted Areas:. • Northbound traffic on 5th Ave...
wheninyourstate.com
The largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi stretches across northwest Montana
Flathead Lake spreads across nearly 200 square miles in northwest Montana, and the first time you see it, you pull over. You can’t help it. The water runs blue-green, the Mission Mountains rise snowcapped to the east, and the far shore is so distant it disappears into haze. This...
Flathead Beacon
Pursuit Resubmits Columbia Mountain Tram Proposal
Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality announced Thursday it had submitted a proposal to the Flathead National Forest to build a year-round aerial tram up Columbia Mountain near Hungry Horse, reviving a project the agency rejected nearly four years ago. The Forest Service confirmed receipt of the proposal the same day. The...
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
fireapparatusmagazine.com
‘A Big Relief’: New South Kalispell (MT) Fire Station Breaks Ground After Years of Planning
Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont. Work on a new South Kalispell fire station off Airport Road is finally kicking off. The need for a new fire station in the South Kalispell Fire District has been the subject of discussions for the last 25 years, said Fire Chief Chris Yerkes. It has been on his to-do list since he took over as chief in 2008.
Lake County Leader
Polson City Commission approves closing SID, tables taxpayer refund
Taxpayers within the bounds of Special Improvement District 42 raised several questions during a recent Polson City Commission public hearing about SID 42 after the City of Polson posted a document detailing the properties due for a possible refund, which totaled about $6,000 less than the approximate amount in the SID account. Finance Officer Jodi O’Sullivan and City Attorney Dave Michie presented two resolutions to the commission on Monday, Sept. 21, regarding this SID. One was to dissolve SID 42, and the other was to return the SID funds. According to previous Leader reporting , O’Sullivan said the typical procedure when closing an SID is to transfer the remaining funds to the revolving fund and later use them to cover the initial cost of opening a future SID. However, during the Aug. 18 meeting, the commission “indicated” that these funds should be returned to taxpayers, Michie said, prompting the presentation of this resolution. During the Sept. 18 meeting, Polson resident Becky Dupuis said that, according to her research, $37,500 was placed in the revolving fund when SID 42 was created, meaning that transferring the overpaid taxpayer funds, combined with the original transfer, would total over $60,000 not returned to taxpayers.
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...
Flathead Beacon
2026 Great Northwest Oktoberfest Kicks Off with Locals Night
Another edition of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce’s Great Northwest Oktoberfest will kick off Thursday, commencing two weekends of steinholding, chicken dancing, keg hurling, sausage eating and, of course, beer drinking. The action begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1 with Locals Night, where Flathead residents age 21...
Whitefish Pilot
Whitefish growth policy green lights 60-foot buildings downtown
Sixty-foot-tall buildings will be allowed in downtown Whitefish under new state law. Whitefish City Council approved amendments to the city growth policy, Vision Whitefish 2045, last week after striking from the document an attempt to block 60-foot buildings in the downtown area. Councilors also removed a developer’s attempt to rezone their property to build a 42-unit community land trust near Lion Mountain. The city’s growth policy mandated by the Montana Land Use Planning Act goes into effect Thursday, Oct. 1. In its efforts to modernize land use and update zoning to the benefit of affordable housing, the act clears the way for 60-foot residential or mixed-use buildings in certain commercial and industrial areas, despite efforts from Whitefish citizens and city staff to prevent such heights. The Planning Commission moved forward an amendment to the growth policy supporting 45-foot-tall buildings as the cap, but councilors struck down the challenge to the state law last week. “The state law is pretty clear,” said Councilor Andy Feury. Councilor Ben Davis agreed. “I don’t think we have much of a choice there, but I do think that we should direct staff to evaluate options for the bulk, size and architectural considerations of these buildings
Hungry Horse News
Columbia Falls Eyecare welcomes new doctor
Longtime Columbia Falls optometrist Dr. Troy Ypma and staff have a new spacious facility on Third Avenue East. Ypma also recently welcomed associate optometrist Dr. Mark Fischer who joined the Columbia Falls Eyecare staff Sept. 8. Fischer was practicing in Arizona when he and his fiancee Meagan Helton were vacationing here, visiting Glacier National Park. The couple missed the seasonal changes as Fischer grew up in Iowa, so they were looking for a change. They just happened to see the opening advertised in a trade publication, and Fischer applied and was hired. “It almost felt like fate,” he said. Fischer has a doctorate in optometry from Pacific University, graduating in 2023. Ypma grew up in Bozeman, has an undergraduate degree from Montana State University and his doctorate from the Southern California College of Optometry. Ypma had been practicing at an office on Fifth Street. But the practice needed more space, so he decided to build a new facility, which they moved into in December 2025. Ypma has been practicing in Columbia Falls for 22 years. The building, which includes signature stonework done by his father-in-law Mick Diede and exposed timbers celebrates Columbia Falls’ aesthetic. It was designed by architect Mark
NBCMontana
New clinic to open in Polson
NBC Montana Staff — A major expansion of health care access in the Flathead and Mission valleys is being celebrated today in Polson. Providence St. Joseph Medical Center is holding a ribbon-cutting for its new Rural Health Clinic. The clinic is located on 13th Avenue East, near the Boys...