As the housing industry recovers in the Flathead Valley, students at Flathead and Glacier high schools have decided to build a village – or at least two houses for a village.
At the Flathead Building Association’s Home and Garden Showcase on March 19-21 at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, six playhouses will be displayed as the expo’s centerpiece. Collectively, they will be called the “DreamBuilders’ Village.”
Playhouses are centerpiece of Home and Garden Showcase
Led by High Schoolers, a Village is Built
Vince Semenza and Matt Stahlberg, from left, hold the long end of wood trim to steady it as Jon Weber cuts a piece to line one of the windows of a playhouse being built by students at Flathead High School. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
[read more]Anger and frustration after fair manager’s contract not renewed
Group Calls for Entire Fair Board to Resign
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Gerry Banzet discusses his concerns about the Flathead County Fair Board at a gathering of valley residents at Gardner's Auction Service. - Molly Priddy/Flathead Beacon |
A group of frustrated Flathead Valley residents are calling for the resignation of every member of the Flathead County Fair Board, a movement that comes on the heels of the board’s decision to not renew then-Fair Manager Jay Scott’s contract.
A crowd of roughly 100 people gathered at Gardner Auction Service on March 11 to air their grievances and attempt to get organized in their efforts to get Scott reinstated. Gerry Banzet led the charge, asserting that firing Scott was unjust and immoral.
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A crowd of roughly 100 people gathered at Gardner Auction Service on March 11 to air their grievances and attempt to get organized in their efforts to get Scott reinstated. Gerry Banzet led the charge, asserting that firing Scott was unjust and immoral.
Financial penalties may not be the answer, local officials say
A Renewed Battle Against Repeat DUI Offenders
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thinkstock.com |
On Nov. 8 last year, Thomas White failed to dim his brights as he drove on Highway 2 near Coram, catching the attention of a deputy from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court records, the deputy pulled him over and, after smelling alcohol, administered a preliminary breath test. The results showed a blood alcohol content of .297, nearly four times the legal driving limit of .08, despite White’s claims that he had only had four beers.
[read more]
According to court records, the deputy pulled him over and, after smelling alcohol, administered a preliminary breath test. The results showed a blood alcohol content of .297, nearly four times the legal driving limit of .08, despite White’s claims that he had only had four beers.
Chef’s Table provides experience for students, high-quality food for the valley
An Education in Elite Culinary Arts
Amber Sams, front, begins work on preparing potatoes as the kitchen in Flathead Valley Community College's Arts and Technologies building bursts into life. Chef Howard Karp’s culinary class was prepping for the next day's Chef's Table hosted by the students at FVCC. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
A professional kitchen can look like blurring chaos to an outsider, but as far as the culinary students at Flathead Valley Community College are concerned, their kitchen works like a well-oiled, great-smelling machine.
Last Thursday afternoon, the second-semester junior year interns bustled into the expansive, 3,224-square-foot kitchen in the FVCC Arts and Technology building, finishing their final prep work for last Friday’s sold-out Chef’s Table dinner.
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Last Thursday afternoon, the second-semester junior year interns bustled into the expansive, 3,224-square-foot kitchen in the FVCC Arts and Technology building, finishing their final prep work for last Friday’s sold-out Chef’s Table dinner.
Biologists fear up to 700 may die in Montana
Pneumonia Sweeps Through Western Montana Bighorn Sheep Herds
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Bighorn sheep graze in the Bitterroot Valley region. An ammonia outbreak has killed hundreds of bighorn sheep in western Montana. - Photo courtesy of Fish, Wildlife and Parks |
There are roughly 6,000 bighorn sheep in Montana and wildlife officials fear that nearly 700 of them could be dead by the time a pneumonia outbreak runs its course.
And Montana isn’t alone. Bighorn sheep pneumonia cases have been reported in Utah, Washington and Nevada. Biologists say such a widespread outbreak is rare and the cause is still unknown, though pneumonia in wild bighorn sheep has often been linked to contact with domestic sheep.
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And Montana isn’t alone. Bighorn sheep pneumonia cases have been reported in Utah, Washington and Nevada. Biologists say such a widespread outbreak is rare and the cause is still unknown, though pneumonia in wild bighorn sheep has often been linked to contact with domestic sheep.
Unemployment
Flathead County’s Unemployment Rate Hits New High
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From the Montana Department of Labor and Industry |
Northwest Montana’s unemployment rolls rose precipitously in January to the highest levels since the beginning of the recession. Flathead County’s non-seasonally adjusted 13.2 percent rate eclipsed the previous high set in March 2009 of 12.7 percent, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. What’s more, neighboring Sanders and Lincoln counties saw their employment rates creep above 17 percent in the first month of the year, further evidence that the worst recession in a generation hasn’t loosened its grip on the region.
Statewide, the unemployment rate also continued an upward climb with a slight increase in January. The state's unemployment increased to 6.8 percent from 6.7 percent in December – which was up from 6.4 percent in November.
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Statewide, the unemployment rate also continued an upward climb with a slight increase in January. The state's unemployment increased to 6.8 percent from 6.7 percent in December – which was up from 6.4 percent in November.
Kalispell lawmaker plans to introduce bill altering appraisal formula
As Cabin Lease Rates Rise, Occupants Predict Mass Exodus
Scott Treweek, with Montana House Moving and Construction, uses an excavator to move debris so that Kyle Quinnell, with Montana Well and Pump, can access the water pump for removal from Brian Tanko's cabin site in Marion. Tanko, a Kalispell attorney, is moving the structure from state land to a private lot down the road because of the increase in lease rates. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
Brian Tanko will soon reluctantly undertake the unusual move of loading his McGregor Lake cabin onto a truck, driving it off his current lot and relocating it to a parcel not far from its former position. He’s not doing it to improve the view, but because the annual rates on his state-owned cabin site are scheduled to increase in coming years to a level where he feels he has no choice but to abandon the lease.
“I’m forced to do it,” Tanko said. “I can’t afford to do this, but I also can’t afford not to do it.”
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“I’m forced to do it,” Tanko said. “I can’t afford to do this, but I also can’t afford not to do it.”
Betters Holds 25th Whitefish Winter Classic
As a Quadriplegic, NFL Great Continues His Mission
Doug Betters, center, former University of Montana football player and defensive end for the Miami Dolphins, signs autographs during last year's Winter Classic's NFL 60 Challenge. Betters founded the Winter Classic that helps raise money for local families whose children are in need of medical care outside northwest Montana. - File Photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
Doug Betters can’t walk but he can fly. His airplane is equipped with hand controls and he is equipped with an unflinching desire to seize life. He once dominated 300-pound linemen and collected NFL trophies. Today he saves lives, and flies when the sky calls.
Last week, Betters maneuvered in a wheelchair around his airplane, which sits in a hangar at Glacier Park International Airport. He explained that he hasn’t flown in two years because of his wife’s motion sickness. Not to mention, flying costs a lot of money.
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Last week, Betters maneuvered in a wheelchair around his airplane, which sits in a hangar at Glacier Park International Airport. He explained that he hasn’t flown in two years because of his wife’s motion sickness. Not to mention, flying costs a lot of money.
