Flathead Valley Feature: Kalispell, Montana News

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New terms give 30 days for organizations to purchase entire property

Commission Agrees to Amended North Shore Settlement

County commissioners before their meeting Monday. - Molly Priddy/Flathead Beacon
Flathead County commissioners voted 2-1 Monday to pursue a settlement on the North Shore Ranch Subdivision lawsuit, with an amendment that provides for a 30-day deadline that allows various entities to purchase the entire property and make it protected land.

The commissioners also voted 3-0 to release all depositions related to the settlement to the public.
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By Molly Priddy, 03-08-10 | comments (75) | email story | print story

Flathead and Glacier boys in Class AA

Five Area Teams in State Basketball Tourneys

thinkstock photo
For the first time since Kalispell has had a two-high school format, both Flathead and Glacier are going to the Class AA boys state basketball tournament.

That’s the exciting news. The less exciting news is that they face the two best teams in the state right off the bat: Billings West and C.M. Russell, winners of the last three Class AA state championships.

The Class AA basketball tournament is held March 11-13 at the Billings MetraPark and Billings Skyview High School. Games begin at noon on Thursday and run until the championship game at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. It is a double-elimination tournament.
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By Myers Reece, 03-08-10 | add comment | email story | print story

Hank Ricklefs to retire as Tom Ray steps up

At Plum Creek, a Changing of the Guard

When he retires from Plum Creek Timber Co. at the end of the month, Hank Ricklefs will feel much better about stepping down from his position as vice president of northern resources and manufacturing than he would have a year ago at this time.

“It was absolute turmoil,” he said of 2009. “No one had a solid feeling for where the bottom was.”
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By Dan Testa, 03-07-10 | comments (1) | email story | print story

Hot Springs

PLACES: Hot Springs

The neon signs on the Symes Hotel shine bright during dusk in Hot Springs. - Dan Testa/Flathead Beacon

Located about 90 minutes southwest of Kalispell, the tiny community of Hot Springs is a pretty great day trip for anyone feeling truly chilled to the bone by winter. Its natural mineral hot springs, prized by American Indians for hundreds of years, are considered among the most healing and therapeutic in the world.

But soaking isn’t the only reason to make the drive. You’ll also find a number of interesting shops and restaurants. On our short visit, we checked out Montana Movie Posters, which has an extraordinary number of original vintage movie posters, particularly those filmed in Montana (308 Main St., 406-741-5170).
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By Dan Testa, 03-07-10 | comments (2) | email story | print story

Gravel pit limitations and new federal legislation on the table

North Fork Mining Ban Begins to Take Shape

The North Fork of the Flathead River. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon

The effects of an international mining and drilling ban in the Upper Flathead Valley are beginning to ripple on local and federal levels, with new limits on gravel extraction and production in the North Fork of the Flathead River and proposed legislation in Congress.

The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), agreed upon by Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, stops all coal, oil and gas exploration and development upstream of Glacier National Park.
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By Molly Priddy, 03-06-10 | add comment | email story | print story

Local artists’ work to be auctioned off

‘Loud at the Library’ Fundraiser to Support Countywide Programs

File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
If there was ever a taboo at the library, it’s having a loud party. But that’s exactly what’s happening on March 18, as the Flathead County Library Foundation hosts the “Loud at the Library” fundraiser.

The event takes place at the Main Library in Kalispell and will raise money to support library programs all over the valley, according to Flathead County Library Director Kim Crowley.
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By Molly Priddy, 03-06-10 | comments (2) | email story | print story

State Budget

Bipartisan Panel Asks Schweitzer to Consider Cutting Less

A pedestrian descends the Capitol stairs at the end of the day in Helena. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon

HELENA – A bipartisan legislative panel agreed Friday that Gov. Brian Schweitzer should cut less from the state budget than he is currently considering if Congress sends more money to the state.

The move prompted Schweitzer, a Democrat, to pick on Republicans for being inconsistent on spending.

Schweitzer's budget director has recommended budget cuts that total about $40 million as a way to ensure that the state makes it through next year without hitting a deficit. The governor is mulling the proposal.
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By Matt Gouras, Associated Press, 03-05-10 | comments (2) | email story | print story

Colter Coffee Roasting hosts second-annual latte art competition

Art with Foam and a Buzz

Heather Anderson, Colter Coffee Roasting manager, begins creating a heart pattern while pouring steamed milk into two shots of espresso to demonstrate the process of making latte art at the coffee house in Kalispell. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
While art can take many forms, there is something extra special about art you can eat. The baristas at Colter Coffee Roasting have taken this theory to heart. They can whip up not only a custom drink, but also one with a special design on the top.

It’s called latte art, and it can take plenty of practice to master, as Colter Coffee Manager Heather Anderson will tell you. It takes her only seconds to create a perfect rosetta – a kind of leafy design – on a latte these days, but it comes after years of practice and attention to detail.
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By Molly Priddy, 03-05-10 | add comment | email story | print story
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