Montana man sent to prison for LGBTQ hate crime

A southwestern Montana man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after being convicted of a hate crime and firearms charges for threatening a woman with violent, homophobic slurs and shooting at her house with an assault rifle as part of a self-described "mission" to rid a small town of its LGBTQ community.

Co-op raises rates slightly

Flathead Electric Cooperative’s democratically elected Board of Trustees recently approved an overall rate adjustment of 1.11% effective with bills issued on or after June 1.

‘Exude compassion’

Lind-Ritzville students ready for the next challenge

RITZVILLE — “Exude compassion.” That was the advice given to Lind-Ritzville High School seniors at their graduation ceremony Saturday by LRHS history teacher and guest speaker Bryce Court. “When I say to do that, I mean it should be the defining attribute of your character, the thing you are and do by accident,” Court said. “And I believe compassion should be separated from synonyms like love and charity. Compassion is distinguishable from love because, while I know it's difficult to love those whom you strongly disagree with, you can always show those darn angry fools compassion.”

‘Always a Warrior’

MATTAWA – For the 170 graduates of Wahluke High School and 11 graduates of Sentinel Tech, Friday’s graduation ceremony was full of callbacks to previous years, celebrations of achievements and the excitement of post-graduation plans. “Seniors – what a journey these past four years have been,” Wahluke Principal Cody Marlow said during the ceremony. “Filled with many good, and some not-so-good memories; hardship, sadness, excitement, anticipation – plus a whole lot more. All of these have been valuable lessons that will help you in your next chapter.”

Flathead Electric awards scholarships

Flathead Electric Cooperative has announced its 2023 Scholarship Program recipients.

Desert Oasis High School seniors persevere

OTHELLO — Valedictorian Michelle Torres summed it up after the Desert Oasis High School class of 2023 had received their diplomas. “Start of a new day, you know?” she said. The 29 seniors officially finished school, five of them through a SkillSource program, in a ceremony June 5. In her valedictory speech, Torres said she knew it hadn’t been easy for her classmates. But they had done it nonetheless. “As for those who have cut us down, made us feel less of ourselves, and told us we weren’t getting far, look at us now. We are graduating, and this is just the beginning,” she said.

Aquatic Workshop program set for mid-July

The Pend Oreille County Noxious Weed Board is gearing up for the 2023 Aquatic Workshop on July 14 at the Camas Center, offering a full day of expert speakers, free lunch and door prizes, as well as a virtual attendance option.

Priest River grads celebrate milestone

Priest River graduates reflect on adversity, dedication, and hard work.

Nude prowler given deferred sentence

The man brought up on a burglary charge after allegedly trying to steal a motorcycle from a Columbia Falls area home while nude earlier this year has received a deferred sentence.

Legals for June, 14 2023

Opportunities to fix forests in the farm bill

Fixing our forests will ultimately require cutting through the environmental red tape that prevents many forest-restoration projects from getting off the ground or stalls them until they go up in flames.

Thorns soccer teams fundraising for trip to nationals

Both Thorns teams are doing fundraisers to offset costs.

Legals for June, 13 2023

Written in Stone

Those impacted by cancer leave words for 'heroes, past, present and future.'

MOSES LAKE — The encouragement, the remembrances, the sentiments won’t be visible, but they’re there. “‘No one fights alone.’ God.” ...

Ted Kaczynski, known as the "Unabomber," died of suicide: AP Sources

Ted Kaczynski, known as the "Unabomber," who carried out a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died by suicide, four people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Huetter Business Park to open in late fall

Huetter Business Park, which is three flex industrial and office buildings owned by Etco Services, will open in late fall on Huetter Road north of Interstate 90 and Seltice Way.

Three Kalispell teachers named educators of the year

This is the first time the Kalispell Education Foundation has given out the award.

Flathead Business Watercooler

Business events, trainings and seminars

Europe's economy shrank. For households that are hurting, it's just numbers

Economic output in the 20 countries that use the euro currency dropped 0.1% in both the final three months of 2022 and first three months of this year from the previous quarters, according to the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat.

Legals for June, 11 2023