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Hungry Horse News
Finberg’s Legacy
By CHRIS PETERSONHungry Horse NewsAsk Cary Finberg when he started playing basketball and the answer is quick.“When I started walking,” he said. “It’s been part of my life since I can remember.” He played with siblings Craig and Cathy, both fantastic ball players in their own right. Craig was a Hall of Famer for Columbia Falls High School and Montana State University and played pro ball briefly for the Portland Trail Blazers and a season in the CBA. Cathy was also an outstanding player and played both at Flathead Valley Community College and Montana State University. Back then, FVCC had a...
C. Dave Managhan
Dave Managhan, 80, passed away peacefully at home on July 15, 2024, with his loving wife Lois and children Scott and Lisa by his side after a long battle with Parkinson’s. Dave Managhan, 80, passed away peacefully at home on July 15, 2024, with his loving wife Lois and children Scott and Lisa by his side after a long battle with Parkinson’s. Dave was born in Kalispell on Jan. 22, 1944, to Carl and Marguerite Managhan. After graduating from Flathead High School, Dave attended Northern Montana College in Havre, obtaining his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Elementary Education. He...
Free dinners coming up
Canyon dinner The free Canyon Community dinner is July 25 at Canyon Elementary School between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Come on in and join us and mingle with your neighbors! Any questions feel free to call Louann 406-261-1083 or Flo 406-250-3406. Columbia Falls free dinner Columbia Falls Community Kitchen will be serving free, hot, delicious meals in the basement of St. Richard’s Catholic Church at 6 p.m. on July 30 and 31. CFCK is a nondenominational, volunteer-based group who is always looking for additional help.
Forest Service OKs fuel breaks
By MATT BALDWINFor the Hungry Horse NewsWork is expected to begin this fall on projects aimed at reducing the severity of wildfires at three locations around the Flathead Valley.The Flathead National Forest on Wednesday approved up to 1,633 acres of fuel breaks along Ashely Lake west of Kalispell, Good Creek northwest of Whitefish and Lion Hill near Martin City. Each of the projects is located within a so-called wildland urban interface where forested areas abut residential communities.The Lion Hill project is expected to yield about 6,300 tons of timber, according to a Forest Service sale notice.The work on Ashley Lake...
Witness testimony in shooting trial inconsistent
Eyewitnesses offered differing – at times clashing – accounts of the fatal August 2022 shooting in Martin City during the second day of Del Orrin Crawford’s murder trial in Flathead County District Court. Prosecutors accuse Crawford, 42, of Kila, of gunning down Whisper Sellars and wounding her husband, Doug Crosswhite, during an argument over a golf cart outside the South Fork Saloon in the early hours of Aug. 27. Crawford, who has pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges stemming from the fatal confrontation including deliberate homicide, assault with a weapon and tampering with evidence, maintains he acted in...
Huckleberry picker shoots, kills attacking grizzly
A man was hospitalized after an encounter with a grizzly bear on Thursday evening approximately 2 miles north of Columbia Falls, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park is reporting.A 72-year-old man was alone picking huckleberries on Flathead National Forest lands off the North Fork Road when he reported encountering a bear that charged and attacked him. The individual shot and killed the bear with a handgun.FWP wardens and bear specialists responded to the incident and confirmed that an adult female grizzly bear was killed. FWP is working to verify if any cubs are present. FWP determined it to be a surprise defensive encounter. The man's name was not released and neither was the extent of his injuries.
Going deep on CFAC
Going deep is an essential next step in order for Columbia Falls and Flathead County residents to begin to really understand and raise meaningful questions about the proposed leave-the-toxic waste-in-place cleanup plan for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC) Superfund site. And going deep is exactly what the Coalition for a Clean CFAC is busy doing now thanks to recent support funding for consultants to help us tract down and better understand the complex data that is buried within some 10,000 pages of technical documents, which are the supporting studies for this proposed cleanup plan. As Matt Dorrington, the Environmental Protection...
Swim team hosts divisional tournament this weekend
The Columbia Falls Swim Team was proud to bring home a third place trophy from their final regular season meet this past weekend in Fort Benton. With only 24 swimmers in the pool, the team still came out strong scoring 506 total points. The team is looking to bring their best to the Western Divisional Meet at our home pool this weekend July 20-21. We invite the whole community to come out and cheer us on.“We took a small team to Fort. Benton and everyone swam really well. This meet always gives us a good state preview and I feel...
Habitat for Humanity homes are available for qualified buyers
Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley is currently accepting applications for three homes, one in Columbia Falls and two in Kalispell. The house in Columbia Falls is a pre-existing Habitat home at 19 Mitchell Way. It is a two-bedroom, one-bath home. The two homes to be built later this year in Kalispell are duplex-style townhouses with attached garages. The townhouses will also be two-bedroom units with a bath and a half. Habitat Flathead intends to start construction on a 3-plus bedroom house in Columbia Falls later this year but is not taking applications for that house yet.In order to qualify...
Orion “Ron” Koppang, 81
On July 5, 2024, Orion “Ron” Koppang passed away peacefully at home with his family following a long battle with COPD. Ron was born in Kalispell on March 17, 1943 to Astrid Koppang (Prestybe) and Orion “Buddy” Koppang. Ron grew up in Kalispell and Columbia Falls, graduating from Columbia Falls High School in 1961. Ron pursued the love of his life, Karalee Stewart and attended University of Montana. They married on June 2, 1966 in Long Beach, California. Ron left a few days later for two tours to Vietnam aboard the destroyer, the Frank E Evans. Following his naval...
Sharon Brotnov, 86
On June 26, 2024, Sharon Brotnov passed away after a protracted fight with leukemia. Sharon was 86. Sharon was born in Washington State but lived most of her life in Columbia Falls, Montana. As a youth Sharon met the love of her life, Dave Brotnov. Dave and Sharon married in 1959. Sharon was mother to two children, Jennie and Scott. In 1990 Sharon became a grandmother. Three more grandchildren would join the first and then in 2010 Sharon became a great-grandmother. At the time of her passing, Sharon was great-grandmother to six. Sharon enjoyed teaching, traveling and spending time with grandchildren and friends. Sharon will be sadly missed. A remembrance of life will be held at the United Methodist Church in Columbia Falls July 25, 2024, at 6 p.m., with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family invites contributions to the American Cancer Society.
Twins have mixed results at Ed Gallo tourney
By BRANDON HANSENFor the Hungry Horse NewsThe Glacier Twins had a pretty good week of baseball.The Twins swept Bitterroot Bucs in an American Legion doubleheader action by scores of 5-3 and 4-3 on Tuesday, July 9. Kellen Kroger struck out eight in the first game, holding Bitterroot to just three hits.Glacier hosted the Ed Gallo Wood Bat Memorial Tournament, starting the tournament with a 10-2 loss to the Couer d’Alene Lumberman on Thursday, July 11.The Twins were held to three hits, with Reed Boyer hitting a double and Noah Amerman hitting a triple. Amerman finished with an RBI as did...
Craig Shafer, 69
With sadness we share the June 24th passing of Craig Shafer. Craig passed away June 24th of complications from cancer. Craig was born in September 1954 In Milwaukee, WI to parents Vaughn and Irene Shafer (Karnes). Growing up in Menominee, Wisconsin, Craig was the youngest of five kids. In 1963, the Shafer family relocated from Wisconsin to Hungry Horse, Montana. His youth was spent exploring the beauty of northwest Montana. In the 1980s, Craig’s parents purchased a gift shop and the Hungry Horse Corral legacy began.Craig is well known in the Flathead valley as an exceptional high school athlete. He...
Heritage Days coming up next week, here’s the lineup
Heritage Days is coming up next week in Columbia Falls with a host of community events. The annual celebration features a host of class reunions, a car show, concerts, a rodeo, O-Mok-See, a parade and a golf tournament just to name a few events. This year’s theme for the parade is “The Best Of Times.”Here’s the complete lineup of sanctioned events: Wednesday, July 24 5 p. m. to 9 p. m. – 15th Annual Car Show at Marantette Park sponsored by the American Legion.Thursday, July 25 5 p.m. to 8 to 8 p.m. Columbia Falls Community Market at 165 Veterans Drive.7 p. m. -...
Barbara Orem, 70
Barbara Orem, 70Barbara J. Orem, 70, of La Canada, California and Bigfork joined Jesus and her Heavenly Father on April 13, 2024. She will be missed by her family and friends.Barbara was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on Feb. 21, 1954, to Everett Gene Orem (Gene) and Anna Charlene Abbott Orem (Charlene), both formerly of Texas and New Mexico. She was the third of four children. Gene was working at the Atomic Test Site in Indian Springs. Shortly thereafter the family relocated to Columbia Falls while Gene worked construction of the Aluminum Plant in Columbia Falls. After a short residency...
Polebridge news: Glacier Drive project nearly complete
By CHRIS PETERSONHungry Horse NewsThe drive to Polebridge is a little easier this summer and should get even better by the end of the month. The Glacier Drive project should be done by the end of July, a representative from the federal Highway Administration said during the North Fork Interlocal meeting lasty week.The road runs from the Polebridge townsite to the Polebridge entrance station to Glacier National Park.For years the relatively short road was one of the roughest roads in the North Fork and it flooded in the spring.The project installed new culverts, raised and improved the roadbed and placed...
Local chef beats Bobby Flay
By KELSEY EVANSWhitefish Pilot Whitefish chef Earl Reynolds literally galloped onto the cooking stage of Beat Bobby Flay before going on to win both rounds of the reality TV competition, effectively lassoing a win against the celebrity chef. “I had to be at the studio at 5:30 in the morning,” explained Reynolds, who is head chef at Herb & Omni in downtown Whitefish. “I was slamming Red Bull and didn’t know what I would do until about 30 seconds before walking out there.“It was funny because I named the horse I rode in on Sinbad, one of my childhood horses....
Trial set to start next week in shooting that happened two years ago
By CHRIS PETERSONHungry Horse NewsThe trial of a man accused of shooting and killing a woman outside a Martin City bar and wounding her husband is expected to start July 22 in Flathead County District Court.Del Orrin Crawford, 42, of Kila is accused of shooting and killing Whisper Sellars on Aug. 27 and shooting and wounding her husband, Doug Crosswhite after an altercation in front of the South Fork Saloon.Prosecutors allege Crawford pulled a gun and opened fire after getting shoved to the ground during the confrontation. Witnesses at the scene told responding Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies that Sellars,...
In a jam, and it’s great
Like most other folks in the Flathead Valley, my sweet cherry trees failed this year. Some failed in the terminal sense: They died entirely, while others just came out of last winter’s cold blast looking awfully sick. I have a young one in the backyard that’s looking pretty stumpy and will likely take years to grow back. The other, older trees had seen better days anyway. Some died entirely, others failed to produce any blossoms, and thus, no fruit.The same happened with all the pear trees. Trees that were absolutely loaded last year had almost no blossoms this year, save...
Botello talks a wide range of issues facing Flathead Forest
By CHRIS PETERSONHungry Horse NewsAnthony Botello recently had a good look at the Flathead National Forest. Many would say the best part of the Forest. Last month he floated down the South Fork of the Flathead River from Big Prairie to Meadow Creek with staffers in the heart of the bob Marshall Wilderness. It was a sort of homecoming for Botello. In 1993 he worked on the Spotted Bear District in a Forest Service exchange, where some staff went to the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho, where Botello was normally stationed, and he and other firefighters went to the Bob.“It’s a...
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The Hungry Horse News has been in publication since 1946. It is the only weekly newspaper in Montana to win a Pulitzer Prize and has a reputation for fine photography of the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park. It is housed in a log cabin in Columbia Falls. Visitors with story ideas are always welcome to stop by.
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