Saturday May. 26, 2012
By , 11-13-11
 
Phil Guiffrida III, right, speaks during a city council forum last month in Kalispell. Guiffrida was elected to Kalispell's City Council, representing Ward 4. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon

A few years ago, Phil Guiffrida III worked for a technology company that wanted to transfer him out of Kalispell. As a way to stay in his hometown, he quit the job.

“I love this place that much,” he said.

The 1997 Flathead High School graduate has kept his roots intact and hopes to help other residents do the same as the new city councilor for Ward 4.

 
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By , 11-13-11
 
Congressman Denny Rehberg makes his way to the front of a packed room at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 276 in Whitefish. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon

WHITEFISH – Standing in solidarity with the Jesus statue on Big Mountain, a capacity crowd filled the Whitefish VFW hall last week as Montana lawmakers rallied around the memorial.

The statue, situated on a 25-by-25-foot patch of leased Flathead National Forest land, was issued a U.S. Forest Service permit in 1953 and built by the Knights of Columbus No. 1328 as a memorial for World War II veterans. It is located near the top of Chair 2 at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

 
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By , 11-13-11
 
The Great Northern Historical Trail runs along U.S. Highway 2 west of Kalispell, where there are multiple access points. - Justin Franz/Flathead Beacon

It has been many years since trains have made the trip to Somers or Kila, but people can follow that path now thanks to the Great Northern Historical Trail. The effort to turn the old railroad right-of-way into a pedestrian trail has been in the works for more than two decades and in the last few years Rails to Trails of Northwest Montana finally achieved their goal of connecting Somers and Kila, by way of Kalispell.

Currently, the paved trail stretches from Somers Road in Somers, along U.S. Highway 93 to Kalispell. In Kalispell it swings west, near the Highway 93 bypass and follows U.S. Highway 2 west to Kila. There are various points of entry along the trail in Somers, Kalispell and Kila, as well as in between.

 
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By , 11-12-11
 
Columbia Falls resident Caroline Lawhead casts her vote in the Columbia Falls City Council election at City Hall. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon

Following a tight election that saw a fairly even dispersal of votes between five candidates, the Columbia Falls City Council is welcoming two incumbents back while also greeting a fresh face.

Incumbents Don Karper, 59, and Julie Plevel, 57, garnered the most votes in the Nov. 8 city council election with 270 and 250, respectively, according to unofficial results from the Flathead County Election Department.

Darin Fisher, 34, secured the third and final open seat on the six-member council with 248 votes. The youngest candidate in the race, 29-year-old Samantha Johnson, received 225 votes and incumbent Harvey Reikofski Jr., 61, received 194 votes.

 
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By , 11-12-11
 
Twelve-year-old Beau Bronson. - File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon

Local police and fire department officials recognized the public safety officers responsible for helping save a young boy’s life in Columbia Falls recently.

At a Kalispell City Council meeting on Nov. 7, Police Chief Roger Nasset and Interim Fire Chief Dave Dedman gave public service awards to the 10 police officers and firefighters who had a hand in saving the life of 12-year-old Beau Bronson. Bronson collapsed after riding his bike on Oct. 8 because of a rare heart disorder but was kept alive by CPR by neighbor Kyle Lockwood and responding safety officers.

 
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By , 11-11-11
 
Off in the Woods - Painting by Luke Smith

Even if the stage was familiar, something felt very different when Off In The Woods entered the Polson High School auditorium a few weeks back, bass player Sean Burress said. A lot has happened since they last played on the old wood stage.

In the three or four years since Burress, Jon Schumaker, Layne McKay and Nathan Nobel graduated from Polson, their high school band has played numerous shows and festivals around western Montana and the Northwest, recorded in Seattle and released an album this fall, “Smoke Signals,” which is now available online. Their success is impressive when you consider they’ve barely practiced together in recent years, with members of the band strewn about from Kalispell to Missoula. Burress said it’s just the chemistry they still have.

 
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By , 11-11-11
 
The Fallen Soldier Memorial at the University of Montana in Missoula - Photo courtesy of Josh Lane

Ashley Johnston can still hear her older brother’s voice.

Johnston has a burned CD with two voicemails from Kane Funke, her only sibling who missed graduating from Flathead High School because he left early to enlist in a delayed-entry military program in Washington. Lance Cpl. Funke was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004. He was 20 years old.

 
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By , 11-10-11
 
Kalispell City Manager Jane Howington - File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon

Kalispell City Manager Jane Howington told her staff on Thursday that she would be leaving at the end of December, a city official confirmed.

Howington, who was hired in 2009 and guided a turnaround in the city’s budget, will take over as the city manager in Newport, Rhode Island, according to the Newport Patch.

 
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