Editor
KRISTI NIEMEYER
[email protected]
Kristi Niemeyer is editor of the Lake County Leader. She learned her newspaper licks at the Mission Valley News and honed them at the helm of the Ronan Pioneer and, eventually, as co-editor of the Leader until 1993. She later launched and published Lively Times, a statewide arts and entertainment monthly (she still publishes the digital version), and produced and edited State of the Arts for the Montana Arts Council and Heart to Heart for St. Luke Community Healthcare. Reach her at [email protected] or 406-883-4343.
ARTICLES BY KRISTI NIEMEYER
Candidate filing opens Monday for county, state and federal offices
With candidate flyers already appearing on doorknobs and in mailboxes across Lake County, it’s apparent that campaign season is already ramping up in Montana.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 2 DAYS, 18 HOURS AGO
Flathead Lakers, CSKT sign on to lawsuit challenging rollback of water quality standards
The Flathead Lakers, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Upper Missouri Waterkeeper filed a lawsuit in federal court Jan. 26, challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of new state water quality standards.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 2 DAYS AGO
Election judges see democracy in action
Do you value democracy, pay close attention to details, and have the physical and mental stamina to work 18-hour days? Then serving as an election judge might be the ideal parttime job, especially for those who aspire to work twice every other year.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 2 WEEKS, 2 DAYS AGO
Lake County's landfill nears completion
A massive earth-moving project is reshaping the Lake County Landfill, southeast of Polson. By the end of March, the facility is expected to be fully open, and able to digest the 18,000 tons of garbage that currently goes to Republic Services’ landfill in Missoula.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS AGO
Heeding Dr. King's call to service
I’ve been trying to imagine what the members of the Browning Wrestling Team felt when they showed up at McDonald’s in Ronan last Thursday night, expecting to order food.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS AGO
Polson attorney to serve three years on probation for drug use
Polson attorney Kenneth Britton "Britt" Cotter was on the cusp of taking his seat as newly elected District Court judge for Lake and Sanders counties, when he abruptly resigned on Dec. 22, 2024. A little over a year later, he sat in the same Polson courtroom where he would have …
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 1 MONTH AGO
Polson attorney, briefly a judge-elect, to serve three years on probation for drug use
Polson attorney Kenneth Britton "Britt" Cotter was on the cusp of taking his seat as newly elected District Court judge for Lake and Sanders counties, when he abruptly resigned on Dec. 22, 2024. A little over a year later, he sat in the same Polson courtroom where he would have …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH AGO
December's deluges fill Flathead Lake
Anyone who has ventured to the shore of Flathead Lake recently may have noticed that its level resembles that of midsummer. That’s an anomaly, says Brian Lipscomb, the head of Energy Keepers, which manages the tribally owned Séliš Ksanka Ql̓ispé Dam.
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 1 WEEK AGO
December’s deluges fill Flathead Lake
Anyone who has ventured to the shore of Flathead Lake recently may have noticed that its level resembles that of midsummer. That’s an anomaly, says Brian Lipscomb, the head of Energy Keepers Inc., which manages the tribally owned Séliš Ksanka Ql̓ispé Dam.
HUNGRY HORSE NEWS | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 1 WEEK AGO
New faces, new voices
The Leader begins 2026 with a more youthful appearance, thanks to reporters Emily Messer and Max Dupras. The two newcomers – both graduates of the University of Montana’s School of Journalism – bring fresh ideas and infectious enthusiasm to their chosen profession.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 1 WEEK AGO
December's deluges fill Flathead Lake
Anyone who has ventured to the shore of Flathead Lake recently may have noticed that its level resembles that of midsummer. That’s an anomaly, says Brian Lipscomb, the head of Energy Keepers, which manages the tribally owned Séliš Ksanka Ql̓ispé Dam.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 1 WEEK AGO
The Wrap: Headlines from 2025
Once again, Lake County brimmed with news in 2025. Here are some of the stories that stand out:
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 2 WEEKS AGO
People in the News
The Mission Valley lost several people in 2025 who made outsized impacts on their communities. There were plenty of achievements too.
LAKE COUNTY LEADER | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 2 WEEKS AGO
County, Tribes still wrangling with state for PL 280 money
Funding for Public Law 280 – the federal legislation that governs how felonies involving tribal members are prosecuted on the Flathead Reservation – continues to evade Lake County and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which have yet to secure a promised payment of $1.25 million apiece from the State …
DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 1 MONTH, 3 WEEKS AGO