LATEST NEWS

KALISPELL, Mont. - Over the Memorial weekend, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office had 519 calls for service across its 5,200 square miles. Deputies arrested sixteen individuals who are currently being held in the detention center. By the end of the weekend, the population at the detention center was 111 inmates.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to over 500 calls and 16 people were arrested over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Memorial Day has flags flying across the U.S. and 1,000 flags created a grand display of patriotism in Kalispell this week.

Editors note: Honors teams are submitted by district secretaries at various points at the conclusion of the season. This will be updated as we receive lists from the districts and divisions. Northwest A. All-State: Maddie Moultray, Jr., Columbia Falls, P; Haden Peters, Jr., Columbia Falls, 3B; Syd Mann, Sr., Columbia...

May 27—A Columbia Falls motorist arrested after allegedly drunkenly colliding with a family of cyclists last summer has struck a plea deal with prosecutors. Prosecutors brought Kenneth Malcolm Stevenson, 34, up on one count of felony negligent vehicular assault following the Aug. 21, 2022 collision on Seventh Avenue East North in Kalispell. Although he pleaded not guilty at his September arraignment in Flathead County District Court, Stevenson agreed to change his plea in a deal inked last week.

BELGRADE — The Columbia Falls softball team earned its first state championship in program history with an 8-2 win over Billings Central on a rain-soaked Saturday. The top-seeded Wildkats (24-3) won all four of their games at the Class A state tournament this weekend. They edged third-seeded Laurel 6-4 in the undefeated final earlier in the day, began the tournament with a 16-3 win over fifth-seeded Hamilton and won a 4-3 thriller over second-seeded Central on Friday night.

A Whitefish man accused of fraudulently voting the ballot of another elector in the 2020 general election appeared for arraignment on criminal charges today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Donald Samuel Hill, 52, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with false information in voting and with fraudulent voting. If convicted of the most serious crime, Hill faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Hill was released pending further proceedings. “Our voting laws are in place to protect the right of every citizen to cast...

12:43 a.m. Two drunk passengers got off a plane and weren’t sure who was picking them up from the airport. 1:55 a.m. Someone was using a leaf blower in the street. 9:46 a.m. Someone reported their neighbor had left a fire burning unattended for the third week in a row.

Festivals featuring arts and crafts, food and drink, music and rodeo events are all planned for this summer in the Flathead Valley. The following is just a small sample of the events taking place throughout the region this summer. For more ideas about where to go and what to do under the summer sun, check out www.flatheadevents.net and www.flatheadbeacon.com.

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Columbia Falls Community Market won't be held at its historical location this year. Organizers say new leases between businesses are keeping the market from setting up along the building commonly known as the "Coop," so you will be shopping, eating and dancing in a smaller area. The market organizers report this is beyond their control, and they are working diligently to find a solution. They ask for your continued patience.

It was about 9 p.m. on a Friday night when the 160-pound-test nylon line on Leslie Griffith’s large fishing reel began to sing the opening stanza in what would become a colorful, controversial chapter in the lore of Flathead Lake. In the days that followed that evening in late May 1955, Griffith would unspool a fish story reminiscent of a Hemingway novel.

BELGRADE- Between the lightning, thunder, rain and hail, the Wildkats managed to go undefeated on their way to the Class A state title. Columbia Falls Overcomes the Elements to Win their First State Title in School History. BELGRADE- Between the lightning, thunder, rain and hail, the Wildkats managed to go...

ITS BAAAACK! The Area 406 Festival is returning to Kalispell this Summer. The Kalispell fairgrounds are soon going to be transformed into ground zero of an alien invasion. Something that will resemble an out-of-this-world landing zone. The AREA 406 Music and Arts Festival is returning for yet another EPIC summer party.

HELENA — After besting Missoula Sentinel Saturday morning, Helena High met Kalispell Glacier for the Class AA state softball championship at Batch Fields. Brooke Richardson would go deep for the first time of this game, second HR on the day for Richardson saw her Bengals on top of the Wolfpack, 1-0 early in the fourth inning. Senior, Kalley May would then RBI single off Glacier’s Ella Farrell to make it 2-0 in the top of the sixth inning.

9:30 a.m. Someone reported getting a call that a person, who was a known thief, had their dog but claimed not to have stolen it. 10:15 a.m. A dog killed several of the neighbor’s chickens. 11:53 a.m. A couple of lost mules were turned in to law enforcement. 12:36...

C. Mark Hash Hash, O’Brien, Biby & Murray, PLLP  Attorneys at Law  136 1st Ave. W. P. O. Box 1178 Kalispell, MT 59903-1178 (406) 755-6919 cmhash@hashlaw.com  Attorneys for Personal Representative    MONTANA NINETEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, LINCOLN COUNTY In The Matter of The Estate of KATHRYN E. MALLY,   Deceased Cause No.  DP-23-50 NOTICE TO CREDITORS    NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of the above-named estate.  All persons having claims against the said deceased are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the first publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must be either mailed to Patrick Mally, Personal Representative by...

Jim Reuter died May 21, 2023 in Kalispell. A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Wednesday, May 24, at 2 p.m. at Darlington Cremation and Burial Service, 3408 U.S. HWY 2 East, Kalispell. Darlington Cremation and Burial Service is caring for Jim’s family.

May 24—A Flathead County District Court judge this week dismissed a felony case against a woman accused of trying to cash a forged bond at a valley bank. Authorities brought Liane Maree Lovelace, 55, up on a forgery charge after bank officials determined several bonds she tried to cash on April 7 were fake, according to court documents. The $5,000 bonds were purportedly now worth $44,070, court documents said.

Every spring in the predawn darkness, before the sun’s first rays illuminate the surface of Flathead Lake, Jason Mahlen loads his boat with an arsenal of fishing gear, carefully selecting rods, reels and a collection of tackle designed to entice lake trout from the deep. The spring air is cool, carrying a sense of anticipation as Mahlen prepares for another day of catching lakers in the Mack Days spring competition.

HELENA, Mont. - Better conditions and even better matchups for day 2 of the Class AA State Softball Tournament. Strong pitching arms were the story of round 2 as Helena High defeated tournament favorite Billings West 2-1 and Glacier would run past Sentinel 9-5 to meet each other later for a chance to play in the State Championship.