Montana Strong: Fire relief support flows
While this summer’s historic fire season is finally beginning to wane, residents across Montana are still reeling.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Montana Strong: Fire relief support flows
While this summer’s historic fire season is finally beginning to wane, residents across Montana are still reeling.
BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Whitefish resort tax is success story
Love it or hate it, you can’t dismiss the impressive impacts of the Whitefish resort tax.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: No debate: Our students stand tall
Starting today, hard-working high school students from six local schools — Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Flathead, Glacier, Polson and Whitefish — begin the final weekend of the long speech and debate season.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Time to revisit jail expansion project
It was not surprising to hear that the Flathead County Detention Center had set a record for occupancy earlier this week.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Circling back to South Kalispell
As Yogi Berra famously remarked, it’s deja vu all over again.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: High school going to the dogs? Good
Therapy dogs have been used for decades to provide comfort and a sense of calm to people in hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Help cancer patients and families
For 20 years Wings Regional Cancer Support has wrapped its mission around the notion that the last thing individuals and families affected by cancer need is to worry about how to pay for out-of-pocket expenses when their lives are put on hold by the disease. The nonprofit organization has raised …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: War on coal claims more victims
Back in 2008, when he was still an underdog candidate for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama laid out his strategy for the future of coal.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: America to NW Montana: Thumbs up
A record year for Glacier Park, the busiest year ever for Glacier Park International Airport and all-time record visitation at Montana State Parks.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Yep, a divided union – as stated
President Obama’s State of the Union address was billed in advance as being “untraditional,” but there was certainly nothing surprising or unusual about the rhetoric the president employed.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Kidsports is indeed icing on the cake
Kalispell’s impressive Kidsports athletic complex is on track to become bigger and better this year as the city of Kalispell uses a $1.4 million state grant to build seven new multipurpose fields.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: A new start in the West Valley
West Valley residents can be proud of their commitment to their youth, as represented by the now completed $6.8 million expansion and renovation at West Valley School.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Shepherd's Hand has been a blessing
We hope you read the front page story in Sunday’s Inter Lake about the remarkable Shepherd’s Hand ministry. It was truly inspirational.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Back to drawing board for 911 funding
Given the amount of confusion that accompanied Flathead County’s proposed E-911 special district, it’s not surprising the effort was rejected by property owners.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Another new year; another new chance
We happen to begin our year on January 1. Although this roughly coincides with the winter solstice when, for the northern half of the world, the nights begin shortening and the days slowly lengthening, it is a purely arbitrary convention.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
FVCC housing plan marks new era
The beginning of a new era for Flathead Valley Community College is nearly upon us, with the announcement last week that FVCC plans to have student housing available on campus by 2017.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Coming together for the holidays
In the end, maybe it doesn’t matter so much whether a business greets us with “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.”
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Bullock-McLean feud reveals flawed system
It’s been quite educational the past few weeks to watch Gov. Steve Bullock scramble as he tries to reassure the citizens of Montana that he is an adept administrator.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Snow is good sign for start of ski season
It’s beginning to look a lot like winter.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Lake County's growing drug problem
We were disheartened, but frankly not surprised, by the story last week that revealed a growing problem in Lake County for drug-related crime.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Books reveal two sides of Montana
Hagadone Montana Publishing doesn’t just publish newspapers. The parent company that owns the Daily Inter Lake and seven weekly newspapers in Northwest Montana also publishes books, and two of them are available just in time for Christmas.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Glacier Park, events boost tourism
Neither fire nor smoke nor drought could keep Glacier National Park from another record-breaking year.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: CFAC cleanup moves in right direction
A deal reached this week between the federal government and the owner of Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. will begin the process of determining how to move forward with assessing and then cleaning up contamination at the 960-acre plant site in Columbia Falls.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Shop small and make big difference
The holiday shopping season is off to a brisk start in the Flathead Valley, with a noticeable uptick of retail traffic on Small Business Saturday. Many local retail stores were lined with shoppers taking advantage of special deals.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Kalispell: Cradle of quarterbacks
One quarterback just led his Edmonton Eskimos team to victory in the Canadian version of the Super Bowl.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: BNSF, workers should agree on safety
A former railroad engineer’s allegations of unsafe working conditions caused by long hours and unpredictable scheduling have raised concerns about rail safety not only locally but also nationwide.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Thanks for sharing on Thanksgiving
While the world outside roils and rages, we wish all our readers a serene Thanksgiving with family and friends at home around a full dinner table.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Base 911 choice on need, not process
Not everyone will have a life-or-death emergency today, but chances are great that several people in Flathead County will, and when they do, they will want to be assured that the responding ambulance, fire truck, or police car will arrive promptly when they dial 911.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Wildkat spikers make us all proud
The Columbia Falls Wildkats made their own luck last week as they roared to the Class A volleyball state championship.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Paris is one more wakeup call. Will we?
The horrible terror attack in Paris last week has shaken the world, but too soon we are seeing blame shift from the murderers to those who condemn them. Tolerance is not the answer to terrorism. It never can be.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Waiting and watching on Weyerhaeuser
Last week’s announcement that timber giant Weyerhaeuser Co. is buying Plum Creek Timber Co. for $8.44 billion was one of those breaking news stories that no doubt elicited a collective “wow” from most of us here in the Flathead Valley.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: A gift that will keep giving for years
We were pleasantly surprised to hear the name of our old friend Bill Kamps this week, several years after his death in 2011.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Rule makers don't trump lawmakers
It seems a bit absurd to us that the Montana Department of Revenue can’t figure out what legislators intended when they approved a tax-credit program intended to benefit education efforts in the state.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Jail fix not ideal, but workable
Faced with chronic overcrowding at its 30-year-old jail, Flathead County is moving forward with a plan to begin sending young offenders from the juvenile detention facility to Missoula.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: A dream fulfilled for Kalispell
These are heady days in Kalispell.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: A newspaper woman till the end
We bid a fond farewell to our friend and colleague Gladys Shay, who passed away Monday after a long life well spent tending to family, community and her loyal readers.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Missoula gun restrictions would be futile
The Missoula City Council seems to be intent on passing a city ordinance that would require background checks on gun sales and transfers within city limits.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Funding for 911 district still needed
If it seems like just yesterday that Flathead County voters rejected a funding formula to support local 911 services, you are not far off.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Cancer fight gets boost this week
Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the Flathead received a special boost Monday when the Halt Cancer at X committee awarded more than $71,000 in grants to three local organizations and a national research project.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Tribes need to consider helping out
We have always been rightfully proud of the successes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in developing the economy of Lake County and promoting a healthy tribal identity through those successes.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Pink campaign has really paid off
The fall colors have been in full form this month, the gold and orange hues synonymous with autumn. October isn’t as much about fall colors anymore, though, as it is about all things pink.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Local education gets big boost
Flathead Valley residents historically have supported education in a big way. That has been evident most recently with two major school projects. Bigfork School District taxpayers approved a $14 million bond request to add 24,000 square feet of new space for the high school and renovate existing facilities.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Zinke's surprising bid for speaker
For Montanans, the race for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives just got a lot more interesting.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Municipal elections vital to your future
It may be an “off” election year for state and federal races, but there’s a very important local election at hand for the residents of Flathead County’s three incorporated cities.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Cottage food law is recipe for success
A new cottage food law now in effect in Montana will give small business owners and entrepreneurs expanded opportunities to sell their products.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Land and water fund needs support
Conservation organizations, sportsman groups and others in the outdoor industry are lamenting Congress’ decision not to reauthorize the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. We’re also sorry to see the plug pulled on a 50-year-old program that used federal royalties from off-shore drilling leases to finance conservation, access and land …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Celebrating our partnership with you
As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of National Newspaper Week, we thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the role of the Daily Inter Lake in our community.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Be bear aware at this time of year
Two recent incidents — a woman mauled by a black bear in her Ashley Lake home and a hiker injured by a grizzly bear in Glacier National Park — should impart lessons to all of us that this is a challenging time for bear/people interactions.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Housing issues need to be addressed
The ability to buy an affordable home is a piece of the American Dream that is fading away for more and more middle-class families in the Flathead Valley, especially in a ski resort town like Whitefish.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Gateway campaign a success story
Once again, generosity was on full display in the Flathead Valley as an anonymous donor stepped forward to help finance the $2.4 million purchase of the Gateway West Mall building.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Oktoberfest: You're invited!
You don’t have to drink beer and you don’t even have to know how to polka to have a good time at the Great Northwest Oktoberfest that starts today in Whitefish. There are plenty of family-oriented activities and audience participation contests, or you can simply sit on the sidelines and …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Pope's message touches America
Every major news organization has been documenting every minute of Pope Francis’ time in America, and with good reason. The charismatic leader of the Catholic Church has come to our country bearing not only good will for Americans but also to address a number of global issues, from poverty to …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Planning for future not a bad thing
Land-use planning and zoning are rarely neutral subjects.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Bypass at last: Can you believe it?
There are many Flathead Valley residents who thought they would never live long enough to see a bypass around Kalispell completed. All we can say is: Will wonders never cease?
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Libraries keep on innovating
It’s wonderful to see the upgrades that have been made in our local libraries over the past couple of years.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Smart911 could be a life-saver
An important campaign is under way that could help save lives, maybe even yours, and it comes with a remarkably low price tag.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Honor 9/11 dead by staying strong
Today we again honor the memory of those lost in the terror attacks of 2001.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Time to tame your inner dragon
Lakeside is ready to put its hospitality on full display this weekend as the Montana Dragon Boat Festival takes place along the west shore of Flathead Lake.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: The ironic persistence of Ron Smith
Pardon our dismay.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Essex spared; fires slowed; enjoy!
It’s difficult to know yet how much the summer fire season affected the local economy, but there’s no doubt many businesses were impacted by the heavy smoke that kept people indoors for days on end over the past several weeks.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
OPINION: Upturn is a welcome development
Flathead County is currently enjoying a construction boom that may rival or even surpass anything that has gone before.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Plum Creek offer benefits us all
Plum Creek Timber Co. once again proved it is a good neighbor this week when it announced that 15,000 of its acres northwest of Whitefish are being conserved in a deal with the Trust for Public Land.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Canadians play key role in economy
A recent story in the Inter Lake highlighted the impact of Canadian spending on our local economy — and how precarious that impact can be, thanks to the exchange rate.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Take break from fires at the fair
Wildfires burning in every direction have consumed our attention this week, grabbing headlines as conditions worsen in some places.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Coal is key for better Crow future
Rep. Ryan Zinke has been a strong supporter of Montana’s development of its coal resource, and has been especially outspoken about how Obama administration environmental rules will have a devastating effect on the Crow Tribe in Eastern Montana.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: The O'Shaughnessy success story
When the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center opened in 1998 in Whitefish, it was part of a grassroots downtown redevelopment project that included the construction of the Whitefish Library. Those who spearheaded the ambitious project envisioned the O’Shaughnessy serving as a community center as well as a local theater.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Fires don't diminish Glacier allure
It was a mind-boggling spectacle Tuesday as a monstrous smoke plume rose high in the sky from the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Treating prescription drug abuse
The fact that more people in Montana die from prescription drug overdoses than from car accidents is a sobering statistic. Prescription drug abuse contributes to the deaths of roughly 300 Montanans each year.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: 24/7 sobriety program is life-saver
Drinking and driving is not just a crime; it is also a huge social problem, especially here in Montana. It ruins lives; destroys families; and, yes, kills innocent people.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Tonight's debate(s): Must-see TV?
It’s hard to get fired up about a stage full of politicians, but when one of the politicians is Donald Trump, you have to wonder how many times tonight we will hear the catchphrase “You’re fired!”
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: The irony of guarding the guardians
It was more symbolic than anything, but there was something touching about the decision of several local citizens to stand guard to protect military recruiters in Kalispell.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Look for The Best of the Flathead 2015 in tomorrow's Inter Lake.
This much anticipated section features the results of your votes in our annual poll to gauge what our readers think are the very best businesses, doctors, artists, restaurants — you name it!
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Airport growth is source of pride
As a nine-year, $32 million upgrade of Glacier Park International Airport wraps up, the Flathead Valley can be proud of a facility that has continued to improve and expand over time.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Hospitals take next logical step
It’s not surprising that the Flathead Valley’s two hospitals have taken a formal step toward further collaboration by creating a joint task force that will study how best to deliver health care to Northwest Montana.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Iran nuke deal will light Mideast fuse
As a wielder of political power, President Barack Obama has few peers. On issue after issue — from health care to gay marriage — he has seized the initiative and pressed his progressive agenda on the nation.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Recent audit gives state a scare
It was a shock to the entire state last month when the Legislative Audit Division reported that it had discovered significant accounting errors in fiscal records kept by Montana’s Department of Administration.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Giving thanks for a quiet Fourth
It was a quiet Fourth of July, wasn’t it?
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Greece, China and your wallet
Kalispell, Montana, is 5,945 miles from Athens, Greece. That distance may seem to cushion you from the turbulent fiscal crisis under way in the cradle of European civilization.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Time To Try Men's Souls
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Happy birthday to Glacier Park gem
Saturday not only marks our country’s birthday but also the 100th birthday of an iconic Glacier National Park edifice, the Many Glacier Hotel.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Fireworks ban the right thing to do
It promises to be a quieter and saner Fourth of July this weekend.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Don't take chances with fire risk
Is it hot enough for you yet?
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Mayor Happ served with distinction
We sadly note the passing of Norma Happ, a woman who once had the distinction of being voted Kalispell’s Lady of the Year and who lived up to that title every year of her long and distinguished life.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Politics as usual? No, even worse
Dirty politics just keeps getting dirtier, thanks partly to the infinite reach of the Internet megaphone and partly to the gullibility of the media in repeating any accusation no matter how ridiculous.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Is it time to delist grizzly bear?
Slowly and deliberately but perhaps inexorably, the grizzly bear may be on the path to removal from the federal threatened-species list.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: AERO program is soaring success
All roads lead to Rome, and all airlines fly to ... well... not Kalispell, as anyone who has arranged travel in and out of the valley knows.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Racial identity and social confusion
It is hard to know which is more confused: Rachel Dolezal or the society in which she lives.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Water compact is immune from this charge
The Inter Lake has maintained a healthy skepticism of the water compact negotiated with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the U.S. government by the state of Montana.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Time to focus on healthy forests
Has the logjam finally been broken?
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Congratulations, Class of 2015!
They are an ambitious bunch, the members of the Class of 2015 who will receive diplomas at commencement exercises across the Flathead Valley this weekend.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
EDITORIAL: Donations aid shelter's mission
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Take fire precautions while you can
An Inter Lake news editor described May as “parched” in a headline earlier this week. That certainly describes it well, as the month was the driest May on record in the Flathead.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
City on track for a brighter future
Kalispell is on the verge of a monumental transformation that will position the community for retail, industrial, and recreational expansion through the next several decades.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Congratulations to the champs
Last weekend was a big one for local athletes as state high school softball and track seasons wrapped up.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Is Motl on a political witch hunt?
Montana’s commissioner of political practices, Jonathan Motl, has announced that he is resurrecting a complaint filed against GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill in 2012.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Highway bill crucial to Kalispell
Gov. Steve Bullock made a welcome visit to the Flathead last week, in part to show his support for the Kalispell U.S. 93 bypass project that is largely in limbo while Congress tinkers with a transportation spending bill.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
BNSF jobs important to economy
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Nepal's children have true friends
It’s easy to forget about the earthquake devastation in Nepal as the news headlines about the disaster fade away. But the stark reality is that back-to-back powerful quakes on April 25 and May 12 killed at least 8,622 people in the mountainous, impoverished country.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Putting Whitefish budget in context
There’s been a lot of buzz this week about a proposed 63 percent increase in Whitefish’s budget, especially because the city’s number crunching for the coming fiscal year coincides with the construction of a new $14.6 million City Hall and parking complex.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Honoring state's fallen troopers
Two Montana Highway Patrol troopers who died in the line of duty in Northwest Montana during the 1970s were honored last week with separate dedication ceremonies.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Timber-sale appeals a costly mess
The conclusion of a recent academic study should come as no surprise to anyone: Timber-sale appeals cost money both for the community and agencies dealing with the appeals.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
A monumental change for Sun Road
What does the future hold for the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor that runs through the heart of Glacier National Park?
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Spartan Race back in Bigfork!
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Doig spoke to and for Montana
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO
Library's award well-deserved
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO
Creston Auction: The place to be
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO
Helena isn't 'House of Cards,' is it?
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO
Resort wisely reconsiders ban
Whitefish Mountain Resort managers have wisely reconsidered a ban on after-hours, uphill travel on the Big Mountain, due to big-time blowback from many of their most avid skiing customers.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
Projects not subject to whim
The tentative $1 million cash settlement reached last week in the North Shore Ranch lawsuit is a painful reminder for the Flathead County commissioners that land-use decisions must be based on facts, not opinions.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Keeping the dynasty going
Every year, other teams think they have a shot at winning the Class AA wrestling title.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Don't rush gill-netting plan
It appears the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are dead set on gill netting lake trout from Flathead Lake, but the public should be demanding the highest degree of scrutiny before this endeavor ever begins.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Baucus and 'bipartisanship'
We wonder when Max Baucus will get tired of carrying water for his Senate boss, Majority Leader Harry Reid.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Ranger wolves? A real howler
Some crackerjack minds in the National Park Service have come up with an answer for “ballooning elk and deer populations eating up greenery and altering ecosystems” in parks across the country: neutered packs of wolves fitted with shock collars and tracking devices!
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Praise for the Canadian pact
The news came in a simple one-page press release, but the amount of effort that has gone into protecting the Canadian Flathead from mining has been epic.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Forest bill: Unrealistic goals?
Sen. Jon Tester is admirably stressing the potential of his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act for sustaining employment in the state’s timber industry, but we’re not so certain that will be the actual outcome.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Whitefish does what's needed
It’s unfortunate that the city of Whitefish has found itself in financial trouble and expects to end the fiscal year with a general-fund balance in the red. We commend City Manager Chuck Stearns and his administrative team for taking swift action to tighten the city’s belt by making some painful …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
No debate about this dynasty
A final-round rally on Saturday propelled Columbia Falls to another state speech and debate championship and into uncharted territory as a dynasty.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
State of the speech: Our view
The most encouraging aspect of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last week was the strong emphasis on job creation and the economy.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Time to end planning fight
Flathead County Planning Director Jeff Harris said all along that he and his staff had nothing to hide when the county embarked six months ago on a third-party investigation of wide-ranging allegations against the Planning Office.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Don't waste forest jobs, resources
There’s nothing new or untested about co-generation plants powered by biomass, but it’s a proposition that has taken on more weight in Northwest Montana than ever before.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Consolidation not an easy fix
School consolidation periodically surfaces as a potential cost-saving panacea — and it no doubt will be part of the debate as Montana works to address a mounting budget problem.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Fire hall does Evergreen proud
Evergreen has an impressive new monument to community spirit, and everyone is invited to visit on Saturday as the Evergreen Fire Rescue department proudly shows off its new station.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Wake-up call from Massachusetts
Massachusetts voters triggered an electoral earthquake Tuesday by decisively putting Republican Scott Brown into a Senate seat that has been held by the Kennedy family and its allies for more than 50 years.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Double dip? Not acceptable
The president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week made strikingly vocal and dire predictions about the direction of the nation’s economy because of taxes and regulations being pursued by the Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Park visits perk up economy
Glacier National Park lived up to its reputation as the engine that drives the local economy last year, as — in the midst of a national downturn — visits to the park were up 12.4 percent over the previous year.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Haiti's desperate situation
The scale of the destruction in Haiti from Tuesday’s earthquake is still not known at this time, but it looks like it could easily rival the worst disasters in recent history.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
States on hook for health-care tab
Forty-seven states are currently operating in the red. Fortunately, Montana is not one of them, but there are ominous clouds on the budget horizon that are being created by impending federal policies.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
A simpler task for Congress
Sometimes we ask a lot of Congress: fix the national health-care system, monitor wars around the world, ratify world treaties, correct problems in the financial industry, to name a few.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Transparency in the dark?
“The Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after Democrats took control of the House in 2006.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Anti-terror tactics off target
At first glance, the story seemed ridiculous: a man tries to detonate highly advanced explosives concealed in his underpants on a Christmas Day flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, but instead sets himself on fire. Ouch.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Ruling: Step in right direction
Montana now has the dubious distinction of being one of three states in the nation that will allow physician-assisted suicide, but that may not always be the case.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Not the right consolidation
Having some form of consolidation for Flathead County’s 23 school districts isn’t a new idea, but the recent proposal to consolidate the Superintendent of Schools Office with the county treasurer’s office is a hasty move from left field.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
A Christmas wish come true
The holiday season in the Flathead Valley was made a little brighter this year with the recent news that the Montana Army National Guard’s 639th Quartermaster Company is expected home from Iraq sometime around Jan. 1. It’s a Christmas wish come true for families of the 130 soldiers who have …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Give senators a lump of coal
It would be preferable to have a spirited, uplifting Christmas Eve editorial today, but we have the United States Senate to deal with instead.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Time to reappraise tax system
Montana’s system for reappraising property values is a tyranny of the majority, and the time has come to change it.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Grizzlies claw way to the top
Now there’s one left.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Mill closure will have ripples
There will be a ripple effect, and it will be felt. The pending closure of the Smurfit-Stone container mill in Frenchtown will leave 417 employees out of work, causing an immediate and substantial impact on the Missoula area economy.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Hit snooze on climate alarmism
One thing that the Copenhagen climate conference has made strikingly clear is that global alarmism has become a mega-global industry, with a huge driving stake in self-preservation.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Trust-fund settlement overdue
It’s long overdue, but it appears that finally a agreement has been reached to settle a lawsuit on behalf of Native Americans that was led by Blackfeet tribal member Elouise Cobell.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Facing the Afghan challenge
Barack Obama campaigned for president partly on the premise that Afghanistan was “the right war,” and that George Bush had gotten it wrong.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Jobs are good news for valley
President Obama held a jobs summit at the White House this week, but for the Flathead Valley the good news about the economy was closer to home.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Grizzlies claw their way back
Griz Nation has been giddy all week talking about last Saturday’s football comeback for the ages.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Are you listening, Sen. Tester?
Sen. Jon Tester stopped in Kalispell this week to hear the economic concerns of 15 hand-picked business and community leaders.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Thanks for feast, friendship
There are many on this day after Thanksgiving who are stuffed with gratitude for the magnificent holiday feast that fed hundreds on Thursday in the grand tradition begun 27 years ago at Sykes’ Restaurant.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Wolf hunt an orderly success
It was historic, to say the least, that Montana just completed the first regulated wolf hunt in the lower 48 states this week.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Semitool jobs vital to valley
The sale of Semitool Inc., announced this week, was quite the shocker, and hopefully it will be good news for the Flathead Valley economy.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Murder trial or terror circus?
The reasons are legion for opposing the Obama administration’s decision to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other al-Qaida terrorists to New York City for civilian trials.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Terrorism - by any name
It is striking how far some in the media and government will go to avoid squarely recognizing the motivations of Major Nidal Malik Hasan in his murderous rampage at Ft. Hood, Texas, last week.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Electorate opts for change
Election Day always brings its share of surprises, and this year did not disappoint.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Veterans important today, too
Thank a veteran today.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Beefing up economy? Or baloney?
News that federal stimulus job-creation statistics have been vastly overstated by the government is hardly surprising, and neither are the proliferating examples of questionable stimulus spending.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
A bypass by any other name
It appears that the long-held dream of a Kalispell truck bypass might be nearing at least partial fruition.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Voters to Congress: 'Wake up'
The hubris of Democratic congressional leaders has been staggering, considering dwindling public support for health-care legislation that no longer seeks to "reform" the system but rather to completely transform it.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Local elections offer vital choices
Yes, this is an off-year election, without big headliner candidates and issues, but don't make the mistake of thinking the races on the ballot aren't important.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Vaccine shortage troubling
The backup in swine flu vaccine production has been instructive, raising concerns about how the government and pharmaceutical manufacturers could respond to a much worse pandemic.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Pilots need to stay focused
One airline used to advertise with the slogan "Fly the Friendly Skies." We would like to see that amended as "Fly the Friendly (But Disciplined) Skies."
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Hunters take to the fields
As of sunrise this morning, the time for which many hunters wait all year has officially begun.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Community loses two icons
The Flathead Valley lost two treasured community leaders last week with the deaths of Whitefish's Ted Lund and Kalispell civic leader Dan Korn.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Publicity hound bites public
Americans don't like being taken for a ride, and that's exactly what happened as millions were seduced into the "balloon boy" spectacle on national television last week.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Yes to school, golf requests
One money issue is facing local voters in the Nov. 3 election.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Hardin may land on its feet
For the town of Hardin, maybe there is no such thing as bad publicity.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Local elections, big choices
Election season has arrived, and with it the first political signs are sprouting up, and newspapers and mailboxes are starting to fill up with candidate advertising.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Like Obama? Give him a prize
The closest thing to Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize from the left-leaning Euros in 2009 is Sally Field winning the Academy Award from left-leaning Hollywood in 1985.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Gateway revival is good news
The former Gateway West Mall in Kalispell is coming alive again, and it feels good. With the exception of TeleTech and a couple of other private businesses, most of the mall space has been vacant for years, but that's all changing as the Gateway Community Center takes shape.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Hardin's hard luck just got worse
The saga of the big, expensive and empty jail in Hardin has taken a turn into the surreal in recent days, attracting attention from across the country.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
The stimulus bottleneck
It is becoming increasingly striking how unstimulating the whopping $787 billion in federal stimulus funding has been so far.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Property-tax relief overdue
A funny thing happened on the way to property-tax relief - except no one is laughing.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
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