Celebrating with cookies

On May 18, the delicate scents of cardamom, anise and almond will emanate from Bethlehem Lutheran Church’s fellowship hall, tempting Main Street traffic to stop for “A Taste of Norway” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Spring art class decorates garden planters

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Program taps into expanding science

Students at Flathead Valley Community College make bacteria glow in the dark not only to learn about recombinant DNA but also to develop skills that will one day land them a job in the growing field of biotechnology.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Doctor's advice: Fall properly to help avoid skiing injuries

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kim Stimpson offered some simple advice for skiers and snowboarders to avoid meeting him or his colleagues in a professional setting.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

College unveils draft master plan

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas calls the college’s draft master plan an opportunity to do some “forward thinking” and planning for future growth of the campus.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Trustees adopt four new college programs

Flathead Valley Community College’s board of trustees adopted several new certificates Monday related to the $3 million in grants the college received to develop short-term training for jobs in demand.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Medical residency program fills first 10 slots

The Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana has filled all 10 of its positions.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Crafting exquisite eggs - Local artist's intricate display a show-stopper

Irene Frank’s extraordinary egg art started as an inspiration in her early 20s in 1951, but quickly turned into an obsession lasting decades until her eyesight failed.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell man's art quilts accepted for elite show

Art quilter Brian Dykhuizen thought he might have good news when he found two large envelopes in his mailbox from the American Quilter’s Society international quilting competition in Paducah, Ky.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Surgical tower opens for tours

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Nurse anesthetist couple win national award

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Director models The Summit's wellness mission

Brad Roy, executive director of The Summit Medical Fitness Center, exudes the good health and energy that have been his life’s passion to give others.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

FVCC teacher's contribution saluted

Ivan Lorentzen, psychology instructor at Flathead Valley Community College, was surprised recently to receive a letter from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Sequestration not likely to affect FVCC grants

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas told trustees that federal budget sequestration may impact the college but she doesn’t know how much yet.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

College to add two-year agricultural degrees

Flathead Valley Community College began its spring semester with 4.7 percent fewer students taking 2 percent fewer courses for a decline of 6.7 percent full-time equivalent students from spring 2012.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

February a busy month for dogs at shelter

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

College resumes auto-service testing

Greg Shaffer, service manager at Don K Chevrolet, announced that Flathead Valley Community College has become a Prometric test site for certification through ASE (Auto Service Excellence).

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Annual Princess Benefit Ball will offer $50,000 in prizes

The third annual Princess Benefit Ball in memory of the late Valicity Faith will transform hundreds of girls into princesses on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Ringling 5 combine music and Nordic humor

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Singers warm hearts on Valentine's Day

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Physicals that fit

After 20 years in health care, nurse practitioner Joan Lanfear has found a forum to work with patients on wellness instead of seeing them for just 15 minutes when they become ill.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Aerobatic pilot sold on Wellness Compass

Marshall Friedman was one of the first people to go through Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s executive physical. He was so impressed with his health assessment through Wellness Compass that he decided to try the new concierge medicine component with nurse practitioner Joan Lanfear.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

New model for medicine

Dr. Doug Pitman takes calls from patients anytime and doesn’t mind consulting while on skis at Whitefish Mountain Resort. He even stops by their homes for consultations.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Experts predict continued growth

Economists from the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research predict continued economic recovery this year in Flathead County and the rest of the state.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

FVCC provides early tour of health building

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas provided a sneak peek Thursday inside the new $5.75 million Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Bids go to local builders

Kalispell Public Schools trustees on Thursday awarded contracts to Hammerquist & Casalegno and Swank Enterprises to construct additions to Peterson and Edgerton elementary schools.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

College health building on time, under budget

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas told the board of trustees Monday that Swank Enterprises expects to complete the new nursing and health sciences building on schedule in March.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Man captures memories in poetry

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Iconic mural moves to college

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Feline advocates pursue cat addition at county shelter

Myni Ferguson, president of the Flathead County Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, has received the Health Board’s endorsement for an $88,000 project to add a 20-foot addition on the cat wing of the shelter.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Rush is on for getting flu vaccine

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Options considered for fairgrounds

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Commissioners favor grant for new building

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Woman knits dishcloths into dollars for Wings

Margaret Griffith, a volunteer for Wings, knows cancer from the spouse’s perspective after her husband was diagnosed with a potentially deadly form of the disease.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Long-lost dog reunited with Great Falls owners

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

New Agency on Aging director ready to tackle mission

Lisa Sheppard remembers how the job posting for director of Flathead County Agency on Aging stood out as she was exploring this area on her computer in Austin, Texas.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Free services offered to taxpayers of all ages

Residents of all ages with low to moderate incomes have free tax preparation available from AARP’s TAX-AIDE and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) starting Feb. 4 and continuing through April 15.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Agency on Aging: Hazards cited at building

The building where the Agency on Aging prepares and serves food for the Meals on Wheels program has numerous safety hazards, Flathead County Agency on Aging Director Lisa Sheppard told the Area IX Advisory Council on Aging at its Thursday meeting.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Family frantic to find missing Lab mix

Charlie, an 8-year-old Labrador in Great Falls, really misses his pal Lucy, a female mixed Lab/ Weimaraner who turns 4 on Super Bowl Sunday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Grant to state association benefits local health center

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Flathead flu cases spiking

Influenza took hold across Flathead County in the last week with flu cases doubling.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Act fast for choice senior classes

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Good things come in threes

In the nick of time on Thursday, Graham and Katie Cook of Eureka scored three more 2012 tax deductions with the birth of fraternal triplets Prym, Kara and Lioni.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell hospital adds second da Vinci surgical robot

Gynecological surgeon Dr. Richard Taylor describes operating with the da Vinci surgery robot as “like walking around inside the patient with a magnifying glass.”

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Heating mishap causes home disaster

Linda Smith of Kalispell loves her aromatherapy velour wheat hot packs.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Couple celebrates miracle baby's first Christmas

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Therapist shares tips for loss of a child

Arleah Shechtman boldly pursues an unusual path, even during the season of good cheer.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Machine tech programs approved

Flathead Valley Community College’s board of trustees adopted two certificates in industrial machine technology at its regular December meeting held Monday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Tree sales span six decades

Raymond Robinson remembers when Robinson Tree Farms grew thousands of Scotch pine Christmas trees on its 50 acres on Montana 35.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Faraway soldiers devour gifts of magazines

For five years, Donna Chase of Lakeside has fed a never-ending magazine hunger among troops in remote areas ranging from Afghanistan to the decks of aircraft carriers and destroyers.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Veteran's family gets a surprise new house

Wounded U.S. Army veteran Ryan Pengelly, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, uncovered a home rendering poster Thursday to learn that Operation Finally Home had selected him to receive the organization’s first house.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Flathead volunteers served Sandy victims

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Boxes of cheer

Halfway around the world, a soldier opens a box postmarked Bigfork, releasing the scent of fresh evergreens and revealing a bounty of goodies such as beef jerky.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Soldiers are gone but dinner will go on

Thanks to volunteers, the 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of the Montana National Guard’s traditional Christmas at Our House dinner returns for its 23rd year on Saturday, Dec. 8.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Troopers send tot, family to see big fish

Elsa Reddig, 5, and her four brothers and sister were excited just to see Montana Highway Patrol cars when they pulled into Pizza Hut for lunch on Wednesday with their parents, Elden and Sarah Reddig of Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

College gunsmithing program hits the mark

Flathead Valley Community College’s new gunsmithing program hit the mark for a range of students in courses last summer.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell gun maker targets big revenues

NEMO Arms Inc., a relatively new Flathead Valley firearms manufacturer, has targeted $5 million to $10 million in sales for 2013.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Trustees award tenure, vote campus tobacco free

By Candace ChaseThe Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Seniors can adopt senior pets for low price

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Pharmacy director relishes job, lifestyle

Mark Donaldson recalled the day about two weeks before Christmas in 2001 when he was offered his job as director of pharmacy services for Kalispell Regional Healthcare.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Many new local pertussis cases involve adults

Flathead City-County Health Department officials reported new pertussis (whooping cough) cases Monday with one at Glacier High School and another at Bigfork High School.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Therapy practice goes different direction

Facing the uncertain world of health-care reform, Blaine Stimac, a physical therapist and owner of Professional Therapy Associates, ignored the trend of health-care providers fleeing private practices for jobs in a hospital setting.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Further exchange explorations with FVCC expected

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas called a two-week visit of six Chinese educators very successful, ending with the signing of a letter of intent to explore exchanges of students and faculty between both countries.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Slow but deadly: Pilot chronicles dive-bomber days

Robert “Andy” Anderson, 89, of Helena Flats shouldn’t have survived World War II after stalling out upside-down while pulling out of a high-speed dive or flying a plane riddled with dozens of bullet holes.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

495th departs with ceremony, tears

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Memory screening and health fair set at Sykes'

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Designing in 3-D

Flathead Valley Community College instructor Karen Kolar was thrilled when Deanna Campsall’s wedding ring set design won the student category of Gemvision’s international contest.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

College master plan, tobacco-free policy advance

Flathead Valley Community College’s Board of Trustees on Monday passed the first reading of a tobacco-free campus policy and voted to move a draft update of a college master plan to a public review period.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

New fairgrounds building proposed for seniors, youths

An overflow crowd of mostly seniors attended a Flathead County commissioners workshop Wednesday on a proposed new fairgrounds building.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

New bed offers safety to disabled woman

When Medicaid twice denied a SleepSafe Bed for Mikayla Wisher, her family, friends, community and many strangers stepped up.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Pertussis still spreading with 9 new cases

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Seniors get huge help from small program

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Iraq veteran puts experiences into book

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Newest Thunderbird hopes for hometown show

No one hopes more than Capt. Jason Curtis, a Kalispell native, that the U.S. Air Force selects the Flathead Valley for a July 2013 performance by its prestigious Thunderbirds demonstration squadron.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Breast cancer news spans huge spectrum

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Survivor ardent on mammograms

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Grocer, former logger vie for open House seat

Neither Greg Hertz, a Republican, nor Bud Koppy, a Democrat, faced opponents in the primary election battle to represent House District 11.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

House candidates express differences

Democrat Alexander Schaeffer of Kalispell challenges Republican incumbent Mark Blasdel of Somers to represent House District 10 in the Montana Legislature.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Man, family walk to end Alzheimer's

Rudy Rice, 73, remembers many things about growing up with nine sisters on a farm on Whitefish Stage Road.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Woman's near-death experience leads to success in quilting world

Terri Kohlbeck of Kalispell credits quilting with returning her to physical and mental health after a medical crisis.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Woman surgeon part of orthopedic vanguard

Dr. Karen Perser, the only female orthopedic surgeon in the Flathead Valley, surprises some patients when she enters examination rooms at Northwest Orthopedics and Sports Medicine or the emergency room.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Hero Packs a hit with soldiers' kids

Adopt A Troop presented backpacks full of gifts called Hero Packs to youngsters at a Yellow Ribbon program Saturday to prepare families for the upcoming deployment of the Montana Army National Guard’s 495th unit.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

More than 150 exposed to pertussis

The Flathead City-County Health Department received a list of more than 150 students potentially exposed to pertussis (whooping cough) from a seventh-grader who tested positive for the infectious illness.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

FVCC scores $3.6 million for job training

The federal departments of education and labor have awarded Flathead Valley Community College grants totaling more than $3.6 million to develop short-term, innovative job training programs and an entrepreneurship center to help grow small manufacturing in Northwest Montana.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Whooping cough crops up at KMS

Kalispell Middle School officials notified parents Wednesday of a confirmed case of pertussis (whooping cough) adding one more to the 70 cases in Flathead County so far this year.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Conference will focus on senior mental health

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Men urged to get prostate screenings

Clell Hoffman, a prostate cancer survivor and founder of a local awareness group, feels frustration and anger over a government preventive medicine panel’s criticism of standard prostate screening.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Paddlers with a cause to propel pair of dragon boats

Kelsey Timothy, 25, has inspired family and friends to take up paddles to compete in two dragon boats Saturday in the Montana Dragon Boat Festival at Flathead Lake Lodge.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Author's book to benefit clinic

West Valley writer Frank Owen du Bois, author of “Getting Stronger at the Broken Places,” has devoted his income from this collection of short stories to Shepherd’s Hand, a free Whitefish clinic for those who can’t afford medical care.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

FVCC celebrates 45 years

With banners, balloons and student-made cake and ice cream, Flathead Valley Community College celebrated its 45th anniversary Thursday with students, faculty, staff and community members.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

College targets university center at Kalispell campus

Flathead Valley Community College announced Friday that creating a university center on the Kalispell campus is a top board of trustees priority in response to community, business and industry interest.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Wilson shares 100 years of wisdom

Lucille Deborah “Debbie” Wilson, 100, gave a lot of thought about what she had learned before an interview a few days before her birthday Sunday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Libby gets green light to build new hospital

St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has agreed to guarantee a $32 million loan to build a new hospital.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Fiber-optic line makes health links

A consortium of five hospitals and two community health centers ushered in a new era in Northwest and North Central Montana on Tuesday with the dedication of a 425-mile fiber optic network.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Woman, 91, conquers water fear

For as long as Ida Schroeder can remember, she has been afraid of water. At 91, she decided it was time to confront her fear.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Pet therapy team certification offered

Anyone interested in visiting hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities with a pet can learn about becoming certified as a pet-therapy team at free informational sessions from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday or from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday in the former chapel behind the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia …

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Photographer exhibits blue-ribbon attitude

Amie Bartell smiled broadly as she walked up to the special needs Open Class Photography exhibit at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Showmen shine with wiggly rabbits

Rabbit Showmanship may not have the shock factor of youngsters chasing squealing pigs or getting dragged by irritated steers, but few events have more “ahhh” than children wrestling wiggly bunnies under the judge’s scrutiny.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Health-care execs question impact of Affordable Care Act

In the aftermath of the United States Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s top administrators have continued their singular focus on controlling costs while keeping quality high as they navigate toward an uncertain future.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Shelter director pushes dog licensing

Cliff Bennett, director of the Flathead County Animal Shelter, has a message for every dog owner in the county — every dog needs a license.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

90-year-old medals at Bloomsday

Lucille Hammer, 90, of Kalispell, got a surprise recently when she received a first-place medal from the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run held May 6 in Spokane.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Growers back to shipping cherries

Flathead Lake Cherry Growers resumed the cherry harvest for the national market on Monday after a few days’ break to lessen the glut of fruit from a robust season — and to assess damage from a rainstorm.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

New cookbook feeds body and soul

A new cookbook from the Samaritan House homeless shelter raises the bar for home-grown fundraiser publications.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

'Wee Whinnies': Miniature horses provide therapeutic nuzzles for elderly

Cassandra Wilson gets “all goose bumpy” just remembering the day that launched Wee Whinnies Therapeutic Minis.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Board issues ultimatum for Bigfork eatery

Flathead City-County Board of Health and County Health Officer Joe Russell agreed Thursday to issue an ultimatum to Margrit Matter, owner of Swan River Inn in Bigfork, to take a course to improve food safety or face the threat of legal action to close the restaurant.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

College presidents share issues with legislators

Officials from Flathead Valley Community College and the University of Montana hosted legislators and candidates Friday morning for a wide-ranging discussion of education issues in preparation for the 2013 legislative session.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

A voice for Lisa: Montana 200 racer raises awareness for oral cancer

When driver Agni Howell puts the pedal to the metal of his “super late model” division car this week, he has a goal beyond qualifying and winning at the 22nd Coors Light Montana 200. With “Believe Lisa’s Voice” emblazoned across his car hood, he competes as a tribute to Lisa …

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell man the first to earn Montana low-speed license

Jay Barrow, almost 58, on Monday became the first person in Montana to receive a low-speed restricted driver’s license under a new provision in state law.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Woman home with Kiondos of Hope

Jeana Roose King, the outstanding girl graduate of Lincoln County High School in 1981, dreamed of a big city career when she completed college degrees in fashion merchandising and business.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Forgotten veterans get final honors

At long last, five forgotten Flathead Valley military veterans and two from Billings will reach their final resting place at Fort Harrison today.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Audiology extern defines presbycusis

Ever heard of presbycusis, or is everyone mumbling so much that you don’t hear much of anything? If it’s the latter, you may suffer from the former, which translates to age-related hearing loss.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Tenants pleased with Sykes' high-end dwellings

Lillian Fenster, 89, the first tenant of the new Sykes’ apartment complex in Kalispell, waited longer than expected, but that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm when she finally moved in June 15.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Thompson awaits response to new apartments

Ray Thompson, owner and developer of the Sykes’ complex in Kalispell, wrapped up the luxury apartments in June just in time to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary in the main building with his wife Ladeine and 400 guests.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Red Cross blood supply critically low

MONTANA — The American Red Cross has issued an urgent call for blood donors since the supply has reached critically low levels for blood types O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative.

LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Fun fundraiser will benefit military children

A silent auction and mini-carnival Friday evening and Saturday will raise money and solicit gifts for “Hero Packs” for children of soon-to-be deployed National Guard or Reserve soldiers.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Woman, 91, works to stamp out TB

At 91, Polly Nikolaisen has found a way to help stamp out tuberculosis and help handicapped children by working with canceled postage stamps while sitting in her easy chair at Buffalo Hill Terrace.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Help for the heart: Patients rely on ventricular device to keep key organ pumping

Flathead Valley residents Russell Harold and Dennis Swensgard suffer from advanced congestive heart failure, but a system called a HeartMate II makes their hearts work better.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Medicaid a big unanswered question for local hospitals

Local hospital officials say the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Thursday upholding most of President Barack Obama’s health reform legislation has little impact since both Flathead Valley hospitals began planning for implementation when the law passed.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

College passes $1 million goal

Flathead Valley Community College trustees learned Monday that the college has raised more than $1.3 million to match the $4 million donated by the Broussard family for the new center for nursing and health sciences.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Board postpones sewage-tank vote

The Flathead City-County Health Board tabled action Thursday on a variance request to develop a host site pad at the Old Steel Bridge Fishing Access on the Flathead River.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Seamstress hangs up her scissors after 27 years

Since she was a small girl at her mother’s treadle machine, Naomi Davidson has found sewing a perfect fit. For the last 27 years, she has made her talent pay as the proprietor of The Perfect Fit in Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

WWII vets back from honor flight

It was the trip of a lifetime for two local World War II soldiers.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Red Cross blood supply critically low

The American Red Cross has issued an urgent call for blood donors since the supply has reached critically low levels for blood types O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

College to build eight new tennis courts

Flathead Valley Community College is doubling its tennis courts this summer.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Sons of Norway gear up for party

As Fedraheimen Lodge No. 140 of the Sons of Norway approaches its 100th birthday next March, members issued an invitation for others interested in Scandinavian culture to join up for the celebration of the century.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Pertussis outbreak winding down

Flathead County pertussis (whooping cough) cases have reached 59 and two new schools have been added to the list of those with students sick with the disease.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

FVCC awards 200 GEDs tonight

More than 200 people of all ages are expected to receive their general education development certificates tonight at Flathead Valley Community College.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Olney man wins $10,000 at Albertsons

A little over a week ago, Rye Beals of Olney thought to himself, “It can’t be,” as he affixed the fifth and final tab to his Kalispell Albertsons’ game board under the $10,000 family vacation prize.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

FVCC tests out gunsmithing program

Gun enthusiasts can take their hobby to a new level and law enforcement officers can earn education credits when Flathead Valley Community College premieres gunsmithing in mid-July.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Elaborate proposal viewed by millions

As of Thursday, more than 10 million people had watched Gina Johnson Morris, a Kalispell native, lead dozens of family and friends of Isaac Lamb and Amy Frankel in dance routines in a viral video sensation called the “first live lip-dub proposal.”

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

County's pertussis count rises to 53

Flathead County’s confirmed cases of pertussis (whooping cough) reached 53 on Tuesday with the results of the latest tests conducted by the laboratory at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Memorial flag honors female veteran, family

Standing on stage at the Liberty Theatre in December 1942, Dorothy Orser Groose had an induction into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps that made a lasting memory.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

College trustees hear smoking complaint

At its regular May meeting on Monday, the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees raised the age for the senior tuition benefit to 65 and heard a student complaint about the campus smoking policy.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

FVCC breaks ground on new nursing center

Jerome, Rebecca and Sarah Broussard-Kelly and John Chaney helped Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas and others break ground Tuesday for the new $5 million Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Board stretches scant repair dollars

Imagine living with no hot water or not being able to get into the bathtub for a soak or a shower. Some low-income senior citizens in the Flathead Valley have lived like that for years in ancient mobile homes.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

FVCC grad earns prestigious award

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas introduced one of the college’s brightest and most gracious students as the audience cheered at a recent dinner to thank donors to the FVCC Foundation.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Five more cases added to whooping-cough total

Two adults and three school-aged children were among Wednesday’s batch of five new lab-confirmed cases of pertussis (whooping cough).

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Illness reported at new schools

The number of Flathead Valley cases of pertussis (whooping cough) climbed to 25 Tuesday with more cases at Kalispell Middle School and new cases at Evergreen Middle School, Trinity Lutheran School and two unspecified rural schools.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Pertussis caseload grows

Flathead County now has 19 confirmed cases of whooping cough (pertussis), according to county Health Officer Joe Russell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Karas' trip to China puts FVCC in global limelight

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas recently returned from a conference in Beijing, China, where she was invited to serve as an education expert with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s delegation.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Pertussis case total increases

The Flathead City-County Health Department said Friday there now are 13 confirmed cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in the county, with more potential cases pending lab confirmation.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Pertussis arrives in Flathead

Eight pertussis cases have been reported in Flathead County.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Water cutoff averted for trailer park

More than 25 people and families living at Backwoods Trailer Court on Montana 35 spent the weekend wondering what to do after learning that Evergreen Sewer and Water District planned to disconnect their service today.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Merrill Lynch guru bonds with investors

A select group of investors leaned forward from plush leather chairs as bond guru Martin Mauro from Bank of America Merrill Lynch shared his global view of the gripping question the drew them to the Canoe Club in Whitefish on a recent sunny evening.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Gluten, school nutrition experts speak

The Montana Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition Wednesday through Friday May 9 to 11 features two nationally known experts on gluten sensitivity as well as family and school nutrition.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Meet senior band at spring concert

Members of the Flathead Valley New Horizons Band invite the public to their free spring concert tonight at 7 p.m. in the Christian Center’s worship center on Summit Ridge Drive in Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

College trustees raise tuition, fees by 2 percent

The Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees voted Monday to increase tuition and fees by almost 2 percent.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Community college trustee candidates vie for votes

College trustee candidates Jerry Elwood and Michael Hebert vied for votes Thursday at a lightly attended candidates forum sponsored by the Faculty Senate.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Asperger's author presents information Saturday

Rudy Simone spent more than 40 years not knowing why her life was so difficult.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Bass Center, hospital earn accreditation

Dr. Melissa Hulvat lauded the accreditations of the Bass Breast Center and Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s cancer programs as a big deal.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Veteran quilter featured at show

Linda Sting of Teakettle Quilt Guild celebrates her 30th year in the craft as the featured quilter at the guild’s free annual show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Glacier Discovery Square in Columbia Falls.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Lisa's Voice event warns about oral cancer

Lisa Petersen, Flathead High School and University of Montana graduate, never gave a second thought to the sore on her tongue that she first noticed in fall 2009. When it didn’t go away, she waited much too long before seeking medical attention.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Hobby club celebrates 60 crafty years

Marjorie Olsen and Agnes “Aggie” Gustafson appear as charter members on the flower-bordered stationery announcing the first meeting of the Hobby Handicrafters Club in May 1952.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Titanic: One hundred years ago

As the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic approached, John Olson of Kalispell was taken back to his childhood in South Dakota and stories he heard of the death of his father’s cousin, Ole Martin Olson on the ship.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Hantavirus case confirmed in Flathead

Flathead City-County Health officials have confirmed hantavirus infection in a Flathead County resident.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Churches cut off involvement with Haiti mission

Pat Freebury, a Kalispell woman who has raised money for a Haiti orphanage, announced that the American board for Haiti Mercy Mission has severed its ties to the group that runs the orphanage in Pignon and four churches.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Sweetgall changed physician's life

Dr. Pam Roberts knows that motivational speaker Robert Sweetgall changes lives. He changed hers.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Movement motivator talks the walk

A veteran of trekking across America, movement motivator Robert Sweetgall returns to the Flathead Valley this week to talk up walking at a series of free public events starting Wednesday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Civic spirit

Corey Ledbetter, a sophomore paramedic student at Flathead Valley Community College, has always enjoyed helping others and his community but never expected any special recognition.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Tele town hall focused on Medicare

An AARP-sponsored tele town hall meeting Friday on the future of Medicare and Social Security focused mostly on Medicare with questions from 11 Montanans and answers from several government representatives.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Advice from the last first lady of Whitefish: 'Hard work never hurt anybody'

Whitefish could not have founded a purer role model for its final first lady than Helen Morris, a community-spirited lifelong resident with no bad habits.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Health board OKs pair of variances

The Flathead City-County Health Board approved two sewage treatment system variances recently.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

College tops $700,000 for new building

College President Jane Karas announced Monday that Flathead Valley Community College’s nursing/health building campaign has topped $700,000 in gifts and donations.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Beating saved Bigfork trucker's life

In an unusual turn of fate, a savage beating last October may have saved Bigfork trucker Michael Forkin’s life.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

The poetry of pottery

Looking like a man at ease with his life, veteran potter Robert Markle sits on a big slab table in his Columbia Falls studio with his big black cat Griz curled up next to him.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Hot Springs reaches clinic funding goal for clinic

In an amazing community effort, the people of Hot Springs have raised enough money to build a $750,000 medical clinic to replace the current crumbling facility.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Benefit helps baby with broken heart

Laura and Michael Matt, parents-in-waiting for baby Monte, had their own hearts broken when they learned their son has a potentially fatal heart defect.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Senior calls in alert on medical card scam

After receiving three scam calls, senior Claraellen Anderson of Kalispell got mad as heck and decided she had to do something.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Longtime AOA office administrator steps down

The local Agency on Aging lost its director two weeks ago; now its office administrator has resigned.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Benefit to help woman waiting for arm

Bigfork veteran and mother Susan Bennett has waited 10 years for a prosthetic right arm, living on resolve but little else.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Entertainers to perform to help out mission

Well-known local singer and musician David Merkel headlines a benefit talent show at Epworth Methodist Church for the Haiti Mercy Mission on Sunday, March 11.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Heart disease more deadly to women

At Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s recent Heart Health Fair, Dr. Thomas Amidon drew looks of surprise when he said heart disease kills more women than men and that more women die from heart disease than all forms of cancer.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Architects working on FVCC health center design

Architects have produced preliminary designs for Flathead Valley Community College’s $5 million Rebecca Chaney Broussard Nursing and Health Sciences Center.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Graduating workers cause FVCC enrollment dip

Flathead Valley Community College enrollment has declined 7.7 percent from spring semester 2011, but much of the slide was from displaced workers trained with federalTrade Adjustment Act dollars finishing their studies.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Victim shines light on anorexia

At 5 feet 10 inches tall, Mary McRae weighed 68 pounds when her friends and family performed an intervention. She was skin and bones with a concave stomach.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Flathead residents not immune to eating disorders

Steve Bryson, a registered nurse and licensed therapist, specializes in treating people with eating disorders at Bryson Counseling and Consulting in Whitefish. He said these disorders afflict people around the world, including the Flathead Valley.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Group effort reunites veteran and dog veteran

Nearly a year’s separation did not dim the love of a little fluffy white dog named Vanilla for George Vincent, the veteran she serves.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

County health officer to speak in Dubai

Joe Russell, Flathead County’s health officer, has been tapped as a speaker for the Seventh Dubai International Food Safety Conference.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Quick work halts meningitis spread

Quick responses by Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s emergency room staff and the City-County Health Department kept bacterial meningitis limited to one local high school student, the Flathead City-County Board of Health learned Thursday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Widow seeking homes for horses

On Thanksgiving, Tom Carter of Ferndale developed a fierce headache. Just a few months later on Feb. 3, he died after a hard-fought battle against an aggressive form of brain cancer.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Ramp replacement requires group effort

Muriel Morse, 92, survived back-breaking farm labor and bombs in England during World War II, but a poorly constructed ramp caused this former Land Girl a huge amount of stress.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Castle connection brought sculptor here

Sculptor Nina Winters' introduction to Kalispell Art Casting took place at Belvoir Castle in England.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Naturopath sets example for patients

Northwest Healthcare's naturopathic physician Lynn Troy looks so much the part that she might have been found through a casting call.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Dance benefit steps up the fun for 2012

Lighthouse Christian Home’s eighth annual swing dance shines a light on hearts this year as a warm-up for Valentine’s Day.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Art class one of many opportunities at senior center

Barb Abbott, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program art teacher at the Kalispell Senior Center, has painted professionally and taught in many venues for financial gain, but she said she never received as much in return as she has here as a volunteer and through her membership.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Whitefish welcomes wounded warriors

From welcome ceremonies with the Montana Patriot Guard to adaptive skiing and dining in top restaurants, eight injured veterans and their guests have received the royal treatment in Whitefish.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Drop in enrollment affects FVCC budget

Flathead Valley Community College trustees got a mix of good and bad news at their January meeting.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Books without borders: Flathead authors find success in e-publishing

Flathead authors Kathy Dunnehoff and Deborah Epperson had few expectations when they placed their books for sale on Amazon’s Kindle bookstore. Both had their hearts broken before when literary agents accepted their books but never secured publishing contracts.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Montana county cuts pet euthanasia service

KALISPELL, Mont. - Flathead City-County Board of Health voted Thursday to eliminate pet euthanasia from services offered to the public for a fee.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Woman reflects on 104 years of memories

On Jan. 2, Irene Daley celebrated her 104th birthday with guests and family at a party at Buffalo Hill Terrace.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Shelter ends pet euthanasia service

Flathead City-County Board of Health voted Thursday to eliminate pet euthanasia from services offered to the public for a fee.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Spouses' dementia unites those in unofficial support group

Laughter and conversation mix with the smells of freshly cooked breakfast as sunshine pours through the windows of the dining room of the Bratsberg Dementia Unit at Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Wings still helps woman beat the odds

Wendy Maechtle has fought off cancer for 30 years with a determined spirit and help from Wings, her local guardian angel.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Woman honored for elderly housing management

Deborah Frey, 64, loves her job managing elderly housing too much to even consider retirement.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Couple enjoys role as hosts at senior center

Jean Penne, 77, and her husband Russ, 79, form a dynamic duo serving the Kalispell Senior Center.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

'Made in China, loved in America'

Ai Liu, the severely burned Chinese orphan featured in the Daily Inter Lake last spring, arrived in the United States on Christmas Eve to begin life with her new American family and to start surgeries to reconstruct her face.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Tiny villages fill family's home

For JoAnn Illi, it takes many miniature villages to make a memorable Christmas all through the house.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Couple endures long weeks apart

Williston, N.D., is desolate, cold and 563 miles from Kalispell, but the oil boom there has supplied jobs of last resort for hundreds of Flathead Valley breadwinners such as Dave Smith.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

'A real, live ghost town happening'

Naomi and Arnold Morrison of Columbia Falls always had a keen interest in pioneer experiences and ghost towns.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

N.D. boom benefits RV, vehicle dealers

As Flathead Valley workers rush to North Dakota’s thriving oil-based job market, they help the local economy, sometimes before they send back their first paychecks.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Columbia Falls man created legacy in wood

Floyd Kile, 84, lives in Columbia Falls with his dachshund pal Freckles, surrounded by his legacy of a lifetime of working with wood.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Two years take Kila couple from terrified to overjoyed

Steve Sonoda, 57, cuddles newborn Sophia Grace gently in his strong arms as his wife, Sherrie, 47, smiles down at the two of them nestled on the couch with their dog, Kane. Sophia’s eyes lock lovingly at his face.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Museum exhibit remembers Pearl Harbor

Gil Mangels, founder of the Miracle of America Museum in Polson, created a uniquely personal exhibit recalling the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

After a fireworks accident left him crippled, Ian Reynolds now has...

Kalispell resident Ian Reynolds walks with a bounce in his step that reflects the exuberance of his attitude toward life. The video game character Mario smiles up from his prosthetic calf and foot.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

FVCC to drop its plumbing program

The Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees voted Monday to drop its plumbing certificate, add back an updated administrative assistant program with a new name and expand its medical coding certificate to become an associate’s degree.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Christmas wish list

Cliff Bennett, director of the Flathead County Animal Shelter, is asking Santa for new homes for more of his canine residents.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Book reveals Conrad calico's sweet life

Sweetiepie, a dark brown and orange tortoise-shell calico cat, lives in a mansion in Kalispell with a large staff at her beck and call.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Veteran finds answer to WWII mystery

For more than 60 years, Alvia “Alvie” Leighton, 95, wondered what happened to a B-24 Liberator aircraft that never returned from a mission to the base in Australia during World War II.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Mother's dream about baby proves prophetic

Amber Thornton, 26, had a recurring nightmare about her unborn baby's face.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Retired firefighter still going strong at age 80

At 80, former fire marshal and firefighter Gene Thompson fights mostly political flare-ups as the very active local chapter and state president of the Montana Landlords Association.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Thinking Pink: Campaign focuses on saving lives

As leaves turn gold, Save a Sister turns the Flathead pink in the annual October crusade to boast breast cancer awareness among women as well as men.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Thinking Pink: Research changes breast-cancer treatment

Calling October the month of pink, local breast surgeon Dr. Melissa Hulvat launched into an update on groundbreaking studies and her work at the Bass Breast Center at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Woman zipped Big Mountain for 80th

Barbara Kemler of Lakeside zipped through the trees with the greatest of ease, celebrating her 80th birthday with sport at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

From pain to triumph

Brandi McAtee's health provider calls her the poster child for living with chronic pain from systemic fibromyalgia as well as osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Local group launches program to honor veterans

In June, Tricia Kinnamon received a Buck knife while attending the 90th annual Montana state convention of the Disabled American Veterans held in Butte.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Rollins woman passionate about quilts

Sharon Betts, featured quilter of the Flathead Quilters Guild's 2011 show, admits to occasionally disappearing to her downstairs studio at 7:30 a.m. and making only brief appearances for lunch and dinner.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Champion pie maker practiced more than 50 years

Irene Houston, 78, practiced her art more than 50 years before winning the Great American Pie Contest with her apple pie at the 2010 Northwest Montana Fair.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Stillwater Free Lutheran Church celebrates 100 years

With its spire pointing heavenward now 100 years, Stillwater Free Lutheran Church exudes a country church charm that touches the souls of all who pass the West Valley landmark.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Local student sees Cuba from inside

Martha Obermiller, a 2009 graduate of Glacier High School, returned from seven weeks studying in Cuba addicted to the people and the high-octane coffee.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Nuclear medicine hits the road

Heads turn when Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s big black motorcoach rolls down the road, emblazoned Mobile Nuclear Medicine with an eye-catching atom graphic.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Special forces do special work here

Montana members call themselves the Devil’s Brigade Chapter of the Special Forces Association, but Staff Sgt. Elain Colon sees a heavenly connection.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Mountain men rendezvous with historians

From mountain men throwing knives and brandishing muzzleloaders to history seminars and panel discussions, Saturday's Howse House Bicentennial Celebration and Mountain Man Rendezvous offers something for everyone.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

A Montana memoir: New book details homesteading trials, treasures

In July of 1910, Freeman Halverson and his cousin Fred Halverson, both 21, headed for the Flathead Valley from Wisconsin on the Great Northern Railroad.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Food bank feeds budget with thrift store

After suffering massive funding cuts in the state legislative session, the Flathead Food Bank cooked up a plan to help itself with Second Helpings, a thrift store scheduled to open in September.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Family of child with cancer gets Don K van

At noon on Thursday, James and Katie Brown of Eureka picked up a 2006 Dodge Caravan thanks to money donated by citizens of their hometown and a match by Don Kaltschmidt of Don K Chevrolet in Whitefish.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Children's book teaches patriotism

By Candace Chase

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Mauritsens celebrate 70th anniversary

On Saturday, Vernon and May Mauritsen, former longtime Bigfork residents, celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with family and friends at Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Health board topics range from trash to euthanasia

Flathead City-County Board of Health members heard an update Thursday on secure trash loads, animal shelter issues and restaurants with low sanitation scores.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Sperry Chalet damaged by avalanche

An avalanche has damaged Sperry Chalet and may force the popular backcountry hotel on the west side of Glacier National Park to open at reduced capacity for guests.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Nick Cook: A Hero Remembered

On a snowy day a few weeks ago, Kathy Taylor of Hungry Horse accepted the Silver Star awarded posthumously to her grandson Pfc. Nicholas Cook for valor in the face of the enemy in Afghanistan.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Egg game inventor still scrambling after 15 years

Flathead Valley resident Erich Jonas has spun a stone egg across a flat board into a cultural exchange activity played in 14 nations

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

FVCC trustees approve tuition/fee increase

At a special meeting Monday, Flathead Valley Community College trustees approved an increase in tuition and fees for students.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Health board discusses drug disposal, securing trash

The Flathead County Board of Health discussed efforts to secure trash in vehicles and legal disposal of medications at its May meeting on Thursday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Author a finalist for elite Spur Award

Flathead Valley novelist Carol Buchanan triumphed over chronic self-doubt by entering her new novel "Gold Under Ice" in the competition for the Spur Awards.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Bigfork artist sculpts Heisman winners

For months, Bigfork artist Ken Bjorge has worked in secret on monumental sculptures of three football greats and a bust of a coach and football pioneer, all tied to Auburn University in Alabama.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Medicare patrollers offer seminars

Winnie Greenshields, Flathead Valley Coordinator for Senior Medicare Patrol, has a passion for helping people understand Medicare and for stopping fraud and abuse of program dollars.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Teakettle show features dedicated quilter

Rita McClanahan describes herself as not much of a joiner, but she kept coming back after attending one meeting of the Teakettle Quilt Guild in 2006.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Mom speaks out on breast-feeding rights

Angie Carlson's face still flushes as she recalls a confrontation with a pool area manager over breast-feeding at The Summit Medical Fitness Center.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Doctor happy with new medical home

Dr. Judy Rigby, a neonatologist at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, couldn't be happier with her medical home of more than a year.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Magazines brighten soldiers' lives

In her small home in Lakeside, Donna Chase picks her way over multiple stacks of magazines sorted by titles such as Field and Stream, North American Hunter and Sports Illustrated.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Board protests funding cuts

The Flathead City County Board of Health agreed Thursday to send a letter urging state legislators to restore tobacco prevention money and the state appropriation for Title X family planning federal dollars.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Bionic hand returns dexterity to amputee

Over the last eight months, Bill Corrigan of Polson has learned how much he took his hands for granted.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Swing dance combines fun, great buys

Imagine hiking with the Von Trapp children, staying in a super luxurious suite at the Russian Ritz-Carlton near Red Square, hunting in South Africa or enjoying a weekend getaway to Flathead Lake Lodge.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Man spreads joy of harmonica

When Ronald Butcher arrived in the Flathead Valley in 2008, he began spreading the joy of playing the harmonica to people of all ages.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Marion senior to ride across U.S. for children

Mike Williams, 62, of Marion leaves early Thursday morning for San Diego for the start of a coast-to-coast bicycle ride on Saturday to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Smiles are reward for donated dentistry

While many people sympathize with struggling families, Kalispell dentist Tom Pittaway and his staff put their skills into some of the neediest teeth in town.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Cardiologist pens heart biography with brother

Kalispell cardiologist Dr. Thomas Amidon and his brother, novelist Stephen Amidon, combined art and science to deliver “The Sublime Engine: A Biography of the Human Heart” to Rodale Press in time to publish just before Valentine’s Day.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

New form carries through on patient wishes

Marilyn Olson, community educator with Frontier Home Health and Hospice, has launched a campaign for a form that expresses a patient’s wishes about life-sustaining treatment.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Book relives drug treatment in Marion

Just five days before his 18th birthday, Chad Hepler had a rude awakening from the comfort of his bed in his parent’s house in Georgia.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Unsecured trash loads mean warning, fines

Flathead City-County Board of Health members and Sheriff Chuck Curry agreed Thursday that some people need more than public service announcements to stop littering and start securing their loads of trash.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Senior Institute registration opens

Flathead Valley Community College’s Senior Institute for 2011 features a mix of new classes and perennial favorites to brighten up Fridays for people 62 and over.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Wings assisted relapsed Hodgkin's patient

Randall Johnson, 28, has a healthy glow and quick smile that belies his brutal battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer originating from white blood cells.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Hospitality defined Cockrell's life

Carol Cockrell, retiring executive director of Buffalo Hill Terrace, has a gift for making strangers feel like old friends. She knew immediately that the staff at the senior retirement community shared her gift.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

New Horizons Band open for members

The Flathead Valley New Horizons Band looked relaxed and sharp in matching black shirts and black slacks as they tuned up their instruments before playing at Kalispell Center Mall Thursday evening.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Owners recover pets left in travel trailer

Rance and Christina Castle, owners of the four dogs and five cats that got loose at ShopKo last week, said they love their pets and don’t want people to think they abandoned them.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Public invited to shelter Holiday Tail Wagger

Flathead Shelter Friends Inc., a support group for the Flathead County Animal Shelter, invites the public to celebrate the season from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, at a Holiday Tail Wagger.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Tough budget year expected for senior services

When the Montana legislature convenes on Jan. 3, directors of Agencies on Aging expect a fight to maintain services for seniors.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Mansion holiday tours start today

In the fashion of Kalispell's founding family, the staff at the Conrad Mansion has decked the halls of the venerable house for a seasonlong schedule of Christmas fun.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Family thanks veteran with truck donation

The 1976 Ford F100 truck has a little rust and a lot of miles, but it meant the world to Whitefish resident Brian Cain in the final days of his Army service at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO

C. Falls woman follows God across continents

Joan Melrose, 71, of Columbia Heights remembers the pact she made with God after hearing his calling to do missionary work.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO

Shelter angel adopts old, special needs animals

Loretta Bordelon, an angel to the Flathead County Animal Shelter, runs a heaven on earth for dogs, cats and many other rejected animals on about 17 isolated acres off Batavia Lane.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO

Kristoffersen named No. 2 Norway fairy-tale artist

Kalispell artist Arvid “Chris” Kristoffersen, 80, left Norway for the United States in 1952, but his hometown and native country have not forgotten him.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Whooping cough increase triggers local health alert

A spike in pertussis, commonly called whooping cough, triggered a statewide alert recently to health care providers to redouble vaccination efforts with patients of all ages to protect babies and people with weak immune systems.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Cats now half price at county animal shelter

Flathead County Animal Shelter Director Cliff Bennett was heartened by the public response to a Daily Inter Lake story about critical overcrowding at the shelter.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Baker's pies earn praise

Erna Fortin, baker at the Huckleberry Patch, has been courted by the Martha Stewart show, interviewed for a USA Today story and her huckleberry pies were ranked No. 3 in the country by Gourmet magazine.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Specialized helmets remold baby heads

Babies look adorable — like tiny linebackers — in the colorful helmets fitted by Stan Gautier of Northern Care Orthotics and Prosthetics.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell founder's granddaughter dies

On July 24, Alicia “Timmie” Vick, the granddaughter of Kalispell founder Charles E. Conrad, died in Missoula at 89. She was one of the last people to have actually lived in the Conrad Mansion, now maintained as a museum in Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Health board postpones vote on variance request

Members of the Flathead City-County Board of Health last week wrestled with — but ultimately postponed — a decision on a variance request that raised concerns about future filling in of flood-plain lots for development as an unintended consequence.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Tele-Stroke saves lives through speed

Mary and Robert Phillips of West Yellowstone learned first-hand the benefit of the Tele-Stroke Program that links expert Kalispell neurologists by video to stroke victims in emergency rooms in Libby, Ronan and Whitefish.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Medical center art exhibit honors 'Elders'

A new exhibit at Kalispell Regional Medical Center called “Honoring Our Elders” features the mixed-media work of 14 men and women artists from the Kalispell Senior Center.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Puffs of air saved preemie

Ashley and Erik Nadeau of Whitefish never expected that their baby would arrive prematurely and end up fighting for breath.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Senior center welcomes help from realty crew

After a year of maintenance nightmares, the staff and volunteers at the Kalispell Senior Center welcomed a surprise offer of painting labor from Keller Williams Realty with donated Sherwin-Williams paint.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

SilverSneakers gets seniors moving

Nancy Mehring, senior advisor, started SilverSneakers at Flathead Health & Fitness about two years ago with two people.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Farmer Bennett at helm of shelter

Cliff Bennett, a fifth-generation farmer, has gone to the dogs — and cats — as the new director of Flathead County Animal Shelter.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

British village honors Kalispell pilot

Residents of Redlingfield, a small village in Suffolk in eastern England, recently honored a Kalispell airman, 2nd Lt. Kenneth B. Rongstad — a B-17 pilot whose aircraft crashed in the village on Nov. 19, 1943.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Board aims to get tough on food violations

A policy passed at the May Flathead County Board of Health meeting is meant to clamp down on food establishments with multiple poor inspections.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

New director at helm of RSVP

Sara Cowger is not in Kansas anymore but she brought a lot of ideas from her home state to her new position as director of Retired Senior Volunteer Program for the Flathead Valley.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Ceremony marks opening of new veterans center, food pantry

With the raising of the flag, singing of the National Anthem and a few tears, the Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down and Food Pantry inaugurated its new location Monday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Years have been golden for 'Friendship Club'

In 1960, a group of women organized into what was called a home demonstration club with the help of Lillian Tubb, an extension agent with the Montana Extension Service. They recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of their enduring club at a party at Jagz.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Water carves steel, stone at GlacierJet

At GlacierJet Technologies, owner Joshua Boyce harnesses the power of water and crushed garnets to precision-cut thick slabs metal or stone into works of art or industrial parts with no hazardous waste, toxic fumes or dust.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Sign up for state Olympics at Summit's Senior Day

Athletes interested in participating in the Montana Senior Olympics Summer Games may register on Wednesday during Senior Day at The Summit, the official headquarters of the games.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

FVCC reviewing applicants for fall Scholars Program

Calder Morrison, a member of Flathead Valley Community College’s new Scholars Program, had his choice of colleges after graduating as a valedictorian at Flathead High School in 2008.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Three seek House District 4 nomination

The primary election race for House District 4 in Whitefish features candidates William Geisse, Damon Pace and Derek Skees as contenders for the Republican slot on the November ballot.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Local soldiers to mobilize for Iraq

The Montana Army National Guard on Monday announced a one-year mobilization of about 500 of its members this fall.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Food purveyors get grades to display for public

The Flathead County Board of Health unanimously has approved a new program providing sanitation grades from A+ to F for restaurants and all retail food purveyors to post for the public to see.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell woman reaches 100-year mark

Mildred Hadley Morrison, a longtime resident of Kalispell, turns 100 on Monday, April 26.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Woman's quilts show passion, obsession

Don’t refer to quilting as a hobby around Nancy Collard, the featured quilter at the April 17 Teakettle Quilters show.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Search launched for state's centenarians

With winter on the wane, Montana officials begin anew their search for citizens who have seen nearly one hundred springs or more.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Vets memorial in critical need of funds

The group that spearheaded the veterans memorial in downtown Kalispell needs help to pay back money borrowed to construct the granite and bronze statue of a kneeling soldier.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Novel resurrects pioneer, prospector Jack Fisher

Jack Fisher, a prospector with a Canadian mountain peak and a Libby area river named for him, lies in an unmarked grave at Conrad Memorial Cemetery.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Preschoolers liven up Wel-Life

A large group of Kalispell Head Start students and their parents livened up Wel-Life of Kalispell Thursday evening, sharing pizza and some of their favorite songs with the assisted-living residents.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Student nurse held beating heart

Sonya Solum, a student nurse who grew up in the West Valley, returned from a month working at a hospital in Taiwan with a momentous hands-on experience.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Winter Classic fetes 25th year

Former Miami Dolphin great Doug Betters provides a pithy mission statement for the Whitefish Winter Classic, which this week celebrates its 25th year of aiding critically ill children.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Pioneer reflects on century of life

Whitefish native Felicia Holter Burleigh Stimson, a retired teacher, turns 100 on Tuesday with wise advice for those of us who hope to celebrate centennial birthdays.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Medical team heads to Haiti

A team of local medical professionals, including a physician, physician assistant, nurses, equipment specialist and physical therapists, takes off for Haiti Wednesday to serve at St. Damien Hospital near Port-au-Prince.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Foster program finds new 'grandparents'

Patricia Sackner, aka Grandma Pat, arrives at school every morning at 7:30 a.m. with a lesson plan of love and hugs for the 3- to 5-year-olds at Head Start in Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Fallen soldier's family sought for memorial

Residents of a small village in Suffolk in the United Kingdom have reached across the pond looking for relatives of 2nd Lt. Kenneth B. Rongstad in conjunction with a pilot and crew memorial they plan to have dedicated in May.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Health board ponders H1N1 vaccine, eateries

Flathead City-County Board of Health members discussed H1N1 vaccine distribution as well as some problem food establishments at its Thursday meeting.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Health study rates counties

Flathead County ranked as the 10th healthiest county in Montana in a new study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Local woman still feeling fine at age 100

Ivamay DiGiovanni’s friends describe her as 100, going on 60.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

MSU president fights for higher education

New Montana State University President Waded Cruzado has discovered the fierce loyalties of Cats versus Griz, but she sees nothing but solidarity in their missions.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Tasha's hope

Three-year-old Natasha Belston of Columbia Falls woke up this morning in a child’s dreamland called “Give Kids the World Village,” a gated community in Orlando built to house visiting children with life-threatening illnesses.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Feb. 20 concert will help out Haiti orphans

Pat Freebury, a local woman who experienced the earthquake in Haiti, has organized a benefit concert with all proceeds going to assist two orphanages and refugees in Pignon, Haiti.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Seniors get the royal treatment

With great heraldry and ceremony, some special seniors around the valley got the royal treatment last week with the crowning of Whitefish Winter Carnival senior kings and queens.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Local surgeon back from Haiti, back at work

Dr. Albert Olszewski, a local orthopedic surgeon, returned to the Flathead Valley earlier this week after donating his time at King’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Four rescued huskies still need homes

The Flathead County Animal Shelter staff needs homes for the last four huskies remaining from the dozens rescued from inhumane treatment last June.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Local author pens climate-change book

Eric Grimsrud can make people listen when the topic is climate change.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Leaving Haiti 'tore my heart out'

Pat Freebury, a 71-year-old Flathead resident caught in Haiti during the Jan. 12 earthquake, recalls her tears when she finally had an escape route to the Dominican Republic.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Outpatient facilities offer economical option

With demand soaring for services from the stress of the recession, the Montana mental health budget faces a potential $1 million shortfall.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

State may close treatment center

The sadness and fear among mental health clients is palpable and poignant as they talk about the threatened closure of the Adult Day Treatment Center in Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Help available for those who fear tax returns

If the words “tax return” make your stomach flip and your blood run cold, take heart. The intrepid AARP Tax-Aide volunteers have returned, fresh from tax classes with their pencils sharpened, ready to help seniors and others file their 2009 tax return.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Robotics give boost to delicate surgery

North Valley Hospital has acquired a new robotic system that offers less pain and a lot of gain for patients needing urological or gynecological surgery.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Kalispell surgeon heads for Haiti duty

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Albert Olszewski of Kalispell hopes to leave for Haiti Sunday or Monday to work with Hope Force International treating earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Marijuana issue goes mainstream with clinic

On Friday, the Montana Caregivers Network offers a daylong clinic at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell for people seeking physician evaluations needed to apply for state registry cards to use medical marijuana.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Montanans open wallets for Haiti

Just as in previous disasters, Montanans have opened their hearts and wallets to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Local volunteer reported safe after Haiti disaster

Shortly after the massive earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday evening, Gary Freebury of West Valley got a call from his neighbor. He spent the next hour watching the news and worrying about his 71-year-old wife Pat.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Ornaments capture life's memories

Jeannette Spaulding, 87, lives in small quarters at Wel-Life assisted living, but she decorates large for the holidays — including a moose that drew a lot of residents to her apartment for a look.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Vets group gets a gift: a new building

Allen Erickson, founder of the Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down and Food Pantry, received an anonymous Christmas present he’ll never forget — an 11,098-square-foot building.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Character studies

Gary Montgomery of Trego was a natural to write “Tobacco Valley,” with help from the board of history archives, for Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Documentary exposes human trafficking

On Sunday, the Flathead Abolitionist Movement and a host of other local organizations present “Call+Response,” a documentary film that goes deep undercover to expose the global slave trade.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Marino flies troops' eagle eye in the sky

Jim Marino of Columbia Falls flies like an eagle without ever leaving the ground.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Remembering Bronson

A 25-year-old Troy man who died two years ago on New Year’s Day will be remembered during Friday’s Rose Parade for the gifts he gave as an organ donor.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Ribbons, signs to welcome soldiers

The 120 members of the Montana Army National Guard 639th Quartermaster Supply Co. are expected to arrive Friday in Helena following a nearly yearlong deployment to Iraq.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Museum offers lions, bears and more

If you ever wanted to get up close and personal with a full-sized grizzly or mountain lion, the Museum at Central School has you covered.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

The gift of children

Travis and Rachel Steindorf of Kalispell delivered a divine gift to their cousins and best friends Ryan and Erin Reichman of Tacoma, Wash.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Local horse selected as Breyer model

O’Leary’s Irish Diamond, a famous Flathead stallion, has gone global as the Irish Draught inspiration for a 2010 limited edition Breyer Horse model.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Couple speaks out on twins syndrome

Charlie and Britney Wheeler of Kalispell joke about living under house arrest with their 4-month-old twin boys Davin and Easton — but they really couldn’t be happier to have a new family around their Christmas tree.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Making spirits bright

Things weren’t looking too merry or bright for Jon Whitmore when he lost his job as a local truck driver in February.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Landmark Kalispell cafe reopens

Plates of food and smiling faces filled the tables once again on Wednesday at Sykes’ Restaurant on Second Avenue West in Kalispell.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Donors needed for Smallville at shelter

Myni Ferguson, a member of Flathead Shelter Friends, has a plan to convert a space with a grim history into a happy place for small dogs to frolic and a suite to separate some dogs for observation.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

'Christmas at Our House' invites diners for 20th year

The 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of the National Guard celebrates its 20th “Christmas at Our House” dinner on Saturday, Dec. 12.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

It only takes a phone call

Carey Dill, local coordinator for Toys for Tots, received 60 phone calls Monday from families in need, foreshadowing another high demand year.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Life is a 'Cabaret' at FVCC

Life is a “Cabaret” at 7 p.m. today at Flathead Valley Community College with the opening performance of a local version of the famous musical.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Humane Society returns to traditional calendar

The Humane Society of Northwest Montana has proven the wisdom of the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Going whole hog for kids

Clad in leathers and looking tough, a group of Harley riders invaded Wal-Mart on Thursday evening and hauled away a truckload of Barbies, baby dolls and Tonka trucks — all in support of Toys for Tots.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Breast cancer screening change panned

The same morning a government task force recommended against routine mammography screening before age 50, a 41-year-old woman sat before Kalispell breast surgeon Dr. Melissa Hulvat with a very aggressive form of breast cancer.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

To hell and back

Lester Smith, 89, of Kalispell, has a vial of coarse black volcanic sand that he picked up from Iwo Jima in 1995 at a reunion 50 years after landing on the island as a Marine in World War II.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Bartender saves Bigfork restaurant

Caroline Guizol got a message at 9:20 p.m. Nov. 3 that no one wants to hear: La Provence, the Bigfork restaurant she owns with her husband, Marc, was on fire.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Thanksgiving meal takes shape at new site

A communitywide coalition of churches, charities and businesses has come together to serve up 1,000 pounds of turkey and 500 pounds of ham and 166 pumpkin pies to carry on the Thanksgiving dinner started by Judy and Doug Wise in 1982.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Investigators descend on doctor

Dr. Annie Bukacek of Hosanna Health Care in Kalispell was surprised when a 30- to 40-foot-long command-post vehicle pulled up unannounced last week, along with a posse of state and federal health-care fraud investigators.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Hitched on Halloween

George Hyer has a room full of witnesses that his new wife, Nicole, turned into a witch at their wedding reception on Halloween night at the Outlaw Inn.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

H1N1 clinic to have more vaccinators

After a healthy public response last week and with more vaccine available, Flathead City-County Health department has doubled the number of vaccinators for the next H1N1 flu vaccine clinic.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Woman earns pilot's license at age 72

Valeria Valiquette, 72, flew off into the sunset last week with her new private pilot license.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Block parties

Whitefish native Kevin McCready got hooked on the history of the Flathead's coolest crop harvested in the dead of winter.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Doctor: Too many advanced cancers

Dr. Melissa Hulvat, surgeon and co-director of the Bass Breast Center, has a sobering message about the breast cancer cases here compared to those she treated in Chicago:

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Pen pal from the past

Sydney Derrick, 75, was recovering from surgery in Brendan House when she came across a fragile, faded letter stuck in a notebook she used to make lists and to store clippings.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO

Inaugural inoculations

Flathead City-County Health Department administered more than 800 doses of mostly H1N1 (swine) nasal flu vaccine Thursday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Pumpkin patch harvested in a hurry

Emergency picking was far from sweet, but the owners and crew at Sweet Pickin's Pumpkin Patch saved a good part of the crop from freezing.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

College students help test out hybrid poplar trees

A test site for hybrid poplars at Flathead Valley Community College has given students a real-life opportunity to exercise math and natural-resource management skills.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Children's health insurance program expanded

Flathead County will receive $44,000 of $971,868 awarded as a grant to Montana to find and enroll uninsured children in either Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Horse logger tours the country on faith

Lee the Horselogger espouses no particular religion but he provides a living testimony to the power of faith, traveling more than 7,000 miles across the country in a covered wagon.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Marine cycles for Semper Fi Fund

Michael Tobey, a Whitefish native, made local headlines when he was injured fighting across the Diyala River as one of the first companies to enter Baghdad in the opening days of the Iraq War in 2003.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Public-option backers rally

About a dozen people took their complaints about Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., to Kalispell's Main Street on Thursday, protesting his recent vote against a public insurance option as part of health-care reform legislation.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Dogs' tale touches people's hearts

Amber, the silver Labrador retriever rescued from the cold with nine puppies, became an overnight celebrity since her story and photos of the family appeared in Saturday’s Inter Lake.

HUNGRY HORSE NEWS | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Dogs' tale touches people's hearts

Amber, the silver Labrador retriever rescued from the cold with nine puppies, became an overnight celebrity since her story and photos of the family appeared in Saturday’s Inter Lake.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Dogs' tale touches people's hearts

Amber, the silver Labrador retriever rescued from the cold with nine puppies, became an overnight celebrity since her story and photos of the family appeared in Saturday’s Inter Lake.

WHITEFISH PILOT | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Power problems far from over

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Suit alleges ER misdeeds

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Illnesses bloom in Flathead winter gloom

Flu, norovirus take a toll on valley residents

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

First cases of norovirus found in Flathead Valley

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

FVCC hires firm to build college brand, Web site

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Quilters stitch together Wings auction piece

Fundraiser to help cancer patients now in its 11th year

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Hungry Horse baby receives new liver

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

We all fall down

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Surgeon spans dental/medical bridge

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Flu cases confirmed in Montana

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Divine dwellings

St. Ann's Catholic Church undergoes a conversion

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

When you wish

Child's dream to meet Mickey comes true

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Errant pumpkin seed grew into huge medical bill

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Stay ALERT

Feds still looking for pieces missing from Nov. 2 crash

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 17 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Locals awarded MHCA honors

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Vets give comrades final salutes

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Extreme Nursing: Kalispell Edition

Day in and day out in operating rooms at the Medical Center, professionals put heroism on display

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Polson couple loses son in Iraq

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Pandemic flu would sicken 27,000 here

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Schweitzer offers Guard 'square deal'

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Mosquito-control levy breeds controversy

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Immanuel Lutheran participates in national study of how nursing homes allocate resources

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS AGO

Kevin's Last Walk

Family to walk from Arizona to Flathead with ashes and a message for teens

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 18 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Horse with West Nile euthanized

The Daily Inter Lake

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 20 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO