Stevensville
Stevensville, MT · Municipal
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...
Hungry Horse News
High school bond election fails for a second time
The Columbia Falls School District 6 bond election failed to pass muster with voters, 2,430-1,547 Tuesday in a mail-in ballot. The school was seeking $75.9 million to renovate the 66 year-old high school. A previous bond election in 2025 for $84.4 million also failed in November. This time around the district trimmed some expenses from the project, but the 25-year bond still would have had an increase of $321 annually for a primary home assessed for $600,000. The school district argued that changes in state tax law, which favor primary residences mean a lower overall school tax, basically covering the increase from the bond. But the majority of voters still did not favor the bond, which would have paid for a complete remodel of the high school, upgrades to the administration office and upgrades to ball fields if there was any money left over.
sportsdestinations.com
Kalispell, Montana: Where Sports and Glacier Views Meet
Here in Kalispell, we take our sports seriously. The heart of northwest Montana, Kalispell sits 32 miles from the west entrance of Glacier National Park and is a place where hard work meets play, competition meets a thriving community and sporting events come with extraordinary scenery. From baseball to rodeo...
The Western News
Libby voters to decide on city charter changes
One of the many things local voters, specifically those living in Libby city limits, will vote on in the Nov. 3 general election is whether to change the city charter. The Local Government Study Commission, consisting of D.C. Orr, John Bebee and Vince Backen, recommended several changes to the charter. Required every 10 years, the local government review election asks voters to decide if they want to review their local government. Voters overwhelmingly supported the creation of study commissions in the county, Libby, Troy and Eureka. Now city residents will decide if they believe the charter should be amended. In Libby, voters approved a tax levy not exceeding $30,000 to support the 3-person study commission to examine the City of Libby government and submit recommendations on it. The amendments would permit partisan elections for council and mayor, separate legislative and executive functions by having a council chairman conduct city council meetings while the mavor attends and participates but does not direct them. It would also remove the mayor's authority to decide tie votes, require four affirmative council votes for resolutions, ordinances, appointments and veto overrides. Finally, it would establish a legal officer of the city, who may be called the
Whitefish Pilot
Council moves forward with trail easements, new location for Cow Creek bridge
Whitefish Legacy Partners has pivoted with its conservation strategy in the Swift Creek and Smith Lake area north of Whitefish Lake. The organization supporting the Whitefish Trail plans to establish a 15-foot corridor easement surrounding about 10 miles of trail, which will amount to about 20 acres. Legacy Partners hoped to purchase a 600-acre easement from Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation near Swift Creek last year to secure it from development. The purchase fell through when the land was reappraised with a price increase from $7.2 million to $24.3 million. Legacy Partners is now moving forward, with City Council’s unanimous support, plans for a trail-only easement. “We're all a little disappointed it's not an area easement, but this project still captures a lot of the value of the presence of the Whitefish Trail out there and the community's interests in having the Whitefish Trail be a part of the greater Smith Lake and Swift Creek area,” said Jedd Sankar-Gorton, Legacy Partners program director. The plan is to add 6.5 miles of new trails in the area, in addition to the existing 3.5 miles. The Swift Creek and Smith Lake trails will connect to Hellroaring Basin in the future.
Whitefish Pilot
Guest opinion: Supporting the wind phone while questioning the pocket park
I live adjacent to the proposed pocket park, and I first learned of the project when I received a request for public comment on a floodplain development permit in April. I submitted comments by the deadline, but shortly afterward construction paint appeared for the sidewalk expansion. I was later told that the main opportunity for meaningful input on the pocket park occurred at earlier Parks Board and City Council meetings. My concern with the current proposal is that the primary justification for removing the pedestrian bridge is the unchecked erosion at the site. That bridge has long been a well‑used crossing. There are natural river design approaches that could help stabilize the eroding cutbank, such as creating a floodplain bench. The creek has naturally achieved this just downstream of the crossing. I am also concerned that adding roughly 220 square feet of new impervious surface directly adjacent to Cow Creek may unintentionally increase erosion rather than reduce it. Additionally, relocating the trash bin from Second Street to this dead‑end pocket park on the opposite side of the creek seems less practical for people who currently rely on that amenity on the well-established route. In an ideal scenario, the city would
Whitefish Pilot
City Council preview for Oct. 5, 2026
Whitefish City Council meets on Monday, Oct. 5, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. Council meetings are also available for participation remotely through Zoom. The work sessions are also available for remote participation. For more information, visit the city’s website at www.cityofwhitefish.org or call 863-2400. Individuals are encouraged to provide written public comment to the City Clerk, Michelle Howke at mhowke@cityofwhitefish.org or deliver by 4 p.m. on Oct. 5, at City Hall in the Utility Drop Box. Items on the agenda, subject to change: - A resolution to annex .91 acres at 292 Reservoir Road. - An ordinance amending zoning regulations. - A resolution acknowledging F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Company’s new open lands policy. - An ordinance establishing the community housing grant committee. - Other matters that may arise between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5. There is a work session before the meeting at 5:30 p.m. to review and discuss the draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
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
NBCMontana
Northwest Montana History Museum wraps up final walking tour of season
KALISPELL, Mont. — The Northwest Montana History Museum wrapped up its final downtown walking tour of the season, giving visitors a closer look at Kalispell's unique past. The tour takes visitors about a mile through downtown Kalispell, with more than two dozen stops at around 30 historic buildings. Along the way, participants learn about Kalispell's early settlers, prominent citizens, and how the town evolved into a cultural, economic and transportation hub of Flathead Valley.
Whitefish Pilot
Meet the queens of the Great Northwest Oktoberfest
To earn a crown, one must be good at holding beer, at least when it comes to Whitefish's Great Northwest Oktoberfest hop queen pageant. Drawing back to its 19th century origins in Munich, Germany, the original hop queens were said to be the daughters of hop farmers. Today in Northwest Montana, no such royalty is required. All are welcome to try out, and individuality is embraced. "It's a pageant for people who aren't pageant people," said Megan Nuefeld, Whitefish Hop Queen VII. "It's more about the atmosphere and spirit." The pageant involves trying the best of Oktoberfest activities, like stein holding, log sawing and chicken dancing, and wearing the finest of dirndls, a folk costume. "It's not intimidating," said Ella Harrison, Hop Queen XI. "If you're considering running, just do it. It's a very open, loving and fun environment." Once crowned, a hop queen has the important job of keeping Oktoberfest lively. Embodying both tradition and spirit, hop queens "bring joy, help with competitions, interact with the crowds and dance with little kids," said Lauren Walton, Hop Queen IX. Walton is a mother of three and a veteran. She said her hop queen experience is a part of living the