Nearly one year after their first official event, leaders of the Flathead Valley Multi-Faith Project are planning their second annual potluck Thanksgiving dinner for Nov. 22. Last week, the heads of several Flathead faith communities gathered in the basement of Kalispell’s Central School Museum to hash out the structure of a service that would be, at once, non-denominational, yet deeply spiritual.
“We thought it was important to have a unified voice and to show that we actually have much more in common in terms of our spiritual and faith traditions than we do different,” Darryl Kistler, pastor of the United Church of Christ in Kalispell, said.
Potluck dinner planned for Nov. 22
Multi-Faith Project Plans Second Thanksgiving Service
Participants in the Flathead Valley Multi-Faith Project Ed Myers, Ina Albert, Rev. Darryl Kistler, Rev. Chad Jones and Rabbi Allen Secher, left to right, meet around a table at the Museum at Central School to make plans for the groups second Thanksgiving dinner. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
[read more]MDT director calls for community effort to crack down on reckless driving
At Meeting Over East Shore Truck Traffic, Few Simple Solutions
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A tractor-trailer travels north on MT Highway 35 toward Woods Bay along Flathead Lake in this file photo. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon |
SOMERS – At a public meeting following the October crash of a tractor-trailer along the east shore of Flathead Lake, Montana Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch told the audience a community effort to increase safe driving along Highway 35 would ultimately be more effective than attempts to restrict truck traffic along the roadway.
The forum, held at the Best Western Grand Oak Hotel, was a chance for public dialogue after a truck carrying wood chips veered off the road near Finley Point Oct. 20, crashing and injuring the driver. This most recent crash stoked the concerns of east shore residents, occurring about a year-and-a-half after a truck crash in nearly the same spot dumped 6,400 gallons of gasoline, forcing five families out of their homes and costing millions to clean up.
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The forum, held at the Best Western Grand Oak Hotel, was a chance for public dialogue after a truck carrying wood chips veered off the road near Finley Point Oct. 20, crashing and injuring the driver. This most recent crash stoked the concerns of east shore residents, occurring about a year-and-a-half after a truck crash in nearly the same spot dumped 6,400 gallons of gasoline, forcing five families out of their homes and costing millions to clean up.
Classes at the museum offer fun and variety
Making Masks at the Hockaday
Maddison Mercord, center, laughs as Director of Education Kathy Martin, left, removes the plaster mask off Tatum Russell during the "Marvelous Masks" class at the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
The cheery room in the basement of the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell looked more like a spa than a classroom last week as students learned about the wonders of plaster during an installment of the art class, “Marvelous Masks.”
The three young students giggled and squealed as they put on their smocks, pulled their hair back and covered their faces with Vaseline. Their teacher, Kathy Martin, dipped pieces of plaster strips into water and lightly covered everything on their faces but their nostrils to make a perfect mold of each one’s face.
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The three young students giggled and squealed as they put on their smocks, pulled their hair back and covered their faces with Vaseline. Their teacher, Kathy Martin, dipped pieces of plaster strips into water and lightly covered everything on their faces but their nostrils to make a perfect mold of each one’s face.
Asbestos Town
Libby Official: EPA Must Pay for Lost Buildings
Vehicles travel down Mineral Avenue in Libby - File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
BILLINGS – A city councilman in Libby said Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency owes the asbestos-plagued Superfund community $2 million for the demolition of several contaminated buildings owned by the city.
The city-owned buildings included an export plant for asbestos-laden vermiculite that was shipped from the site across the country by W.R. Grace, the now-bankrupt chemical and mining company.
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The city-owned buildings included an export plant for asbestos-laden vermiculite that was shipped from the site across the country by W.R. Grace, the now-bankrupt chemical and mining company.
First True Freshman to Start Since Jake Plummer
Osweiler to Start for ASU Saturday Against Oregon
Brock Osweiler - photo courtesy of Arizona State University
On Saturday, Flathead High School graduate Brock Osweiler will become the first quarterback to start as a true freshman for Arizona State University since Jake Plummer in 1993. Most football fans are aware of Plummer, who led the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl and went on to the NFL. When Osweiler suits up against No. 13 Oregon on Saturday night, he will be just the fourth true freshman to start at quarterback in school history.
If it looks like Osweiler is being thrown to the wolves by making his first start against a highly ranked Oregon team on the road, keep in mind that Osweiler already dealt with perhaps fiercer wolves when he played the second half of last weekend's game against formidable USC. In that game, he was 11 of 27 for 153 yards with a touchdown and interception in a 14-9 loss. On the season he is 19 of 45 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
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If it looks like Osweiler is being thrown to the wolves by making his first start against a highly ranked Oregon team on the road, keep in mind that Osweiler already dealt with perhaps fiercer wolves when he played the second half of last weekend's game against formidable USC. In that game, he was 11 of 27 for 153 yards with a touchdown and interception in a 14-9 loss. On the season he is 19 of 45 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Banff Mountain Film Festival tour comes to Kalispell
A Big Festival Born in a Small Town
Banff Mountain Film Festival 2009: Will Gadd on B.C.'s Hunlen Falls in the film "Hunlen." - Photo courtesy of The Banff Centre
The small Alberta town of Banff, where the population is only slightly higher than the elevation, may seem an unlikely candidate to spawn the largest mountain film festival in North America. But if you look closer, at its illustrious Banff Centre of arts and culture, at its stunning mountainous surroundings, perhaps it all makes sense.
From Oct. 31 to Nov. 8, more than 10,000 moviegoers crowded into theaters throughout Banff, a town of just over 8,000 in Alberta, for the famed Banff Mountain Film Festival. From 277 total entries, 62 films were chosen for the festival. Screenings included outdoor adventure films and documentaries serving as in-depth cultural examinations. Winners in various categories were named.
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From Oct. 31 to Nov. 8, more than 10,000 moviegoers crowded into theaters throughout Banff, a town of just over 8,000 in Alberta, for the famed Banff Mountain Film Festival. From 277 total entries, 62 films were chosen for the festival. Screenings included outdoor adventure films and documentaries serving as in-depth cultural examinations. Winners in various categories were named.
Three new councilors elected in Whitefish
In Whitefish, Small-Town Politics Take on a Big-Time Feel
Phil Mitchell, Chris Hyatt and Bill Kahle, left to right, were the winners in this year's election.
The race is over. Let the healing begin.
That is the sentiment expressed by newly elected Whitefish City Councilor Bill Kahle. In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 election, the Whitefish political landscape had become one of contentiousness, even bitterness at times. It wasn’t necessarily a function of the candidates themselves as much as a product of outside influences, with mailers and interest groups sparking the fire, and public intrigue fanning the flames.
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That is the sentiment expressed by newly elected Whitefish City Councilor Bill Kahle. In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 election, the Whitefish political landscape had become one of contentiousness, even bitterness at times. It wasn’t necessarily a function of the candidates themselves as much as a product of outside influences, with mailers and interest groups sparking the fire, and public intrigue fanning the flames.
Law providing incentives for conservation easements to expire this year
Market Drop Creates Opportunity for Flathead Land Trust
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The abrupt drop-off in land development throughout the Flathead Valley over the last year has caused its fair share of negative consequences, but it has resulted in some benefits as well – particularly for those focused on conservation. With little or no pressure from developers to buy up the agricultural lands along the Flathead River corridor, the Flathead Land Trust has found its mission to preserve those private parcels, mainly through voluntary conservation easements, made much easier of late.
“Because land values are low, developers aren’t really interested right now,” Brad Seaman, outreach and development director for the Flathead Land Trust, said. “We’re the only ones out there talking money.”
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“Because land values are low, developers aren’t really interested right now,” Brad Seaman, outreach and development director for the Flathead Land Trust, said. “We’re the only ones out there talking money.”
