SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Applied Materials Inc. said Tuesday it offered to buy Semitool Inc. for $364 million in cash, a move the company says will broaden its portfolio of chip manufacturing equipment.
Applied Materials CEO Mike Splinter said the acquisition will help the company tap the growing market for semiconductors that go into mobile gadgets including "smart" phones and notebook computers.
Semitool
Applied Materials to Acquire Semitool for $364 Million
Boxes of wafers are seen stacked in a room where customer demos are completed at Semitool in Kalispell. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
[read more]Montana Poll
Baucus Approval Rating Dips in New Poll
 |
HELENA – U.S. Sen. Max Baucus' approval rating dropped 20 points following a high-profile push for health care reform that found him taking heat from both liberals and conservatives alike, a new poll found.
The survey released Monday shows that just 44 percent approve of the job performance from Montana's senior senator. That is down from two years ago when the same Montana State University-Billings poll showed the Democrat with a 64 percent approval rating.
[read more]
The survey released Monday shows that just 44 percent approve of the job performance from Montana's senior senator. That is down from two years ago when the same Montana State University-Billings poll showed the Democrat with a 64 percent approval rating.
Officials say they were not contacted during investigation into their office
Planning Office Left in the Dark During Investigation
In this October photo, Ike Eisentraut works at his desk at Moonlighting Detective Agency in Kalispell. - File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
The Flathead County commissioners say they expect the report from a third-party investigation into the County Planning and Zoning Office any day, causing concern for planning officials who say they weren’t contacted at all during the inquiry into their department.
The Kalispell-based Moonlighting Detective Agency was hired by the county in July to look into complaints against the planning office and its director, Jeff Harris. The commissioners extended investigator Ike Eisentraut’s contract in early October with the expectation that the investigation would be complete by the end of the month. As of this writing, Eisentraut’s report had not been delivered to the commission.
[read more]
The Kalispell-based Moonlighting Detective Agency was hired by the county in July to look into complaints against the planning office and its director, Jeff Harris. The commissioners extended investigator Ike Eisentraut’s contract in early October with the expectation that the investigation would be complete by the end of the month. As of this writing, Eisentraut’s report had not been delivered to the commission.
Wolf Hunt
Wolf Hunt Shut Down in Montana After Quota Filled
 |
Photo courtesy FWP |
BILLINGS – Montana is shutting down its first public hunt for gray wolves since their removal from the endangered species list after state officials said they expected to meet the season's quota of 75 by Monday evening.
The quota was met two weeks before the season's scheduled close. The 75 killed equals about 15 percent of a statewide wolf population estimated at 500.
[read more]
The quota was met two weeks before the season's scheduled close. The 75 killed equals about 15 percent of a statewide wolf population estimated at 500.
Week of Nov. 16
HIGHS & LOWS
File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
We're high on Plum Creek and low on poachers in our weekly index of what’s up, down and in between …
HIGH
TED TURNER – State and federal officials decided allowing some of Yellowstone’s wild bison to be relocated to this media mogul’s ranchland could be the best option to spare the buffalo from slaughter.
PLUM CREEK – The timber giant received a $337,000 rebate from the Bonneville Power Administration for energy conservation measures at its C-Falls fiberboard plant.
RYAN KEENAN – This 12-year-old Bigfork golf phenom shot his first career hole-in-one last week – on his last day of the season.
MATTHEW BRENNER – This UM sophomore was disqualified from kicking a $10,000-field goal at a Griz game when it was discovered he played high school ball. But last weekend he got another chance and nailed it, winning the cash. It’s good!
[read more]
HIGH
TED TURNER – State and federal officials decided allowing some of Yellowstone’s wild bison to be relocated to this media mogul’s ranchland could be the best option to spare the buffalo from slaughter.
PLUM CREEK – The timber giant received a $337,000 rebate from the Bonneville Power Administration for energy conservation measures at its C-Falls fiberboard plant.
RYAN KEENAN – This 12-year-old Bigfork golf phenom shot his first career hole-in-one last week – on his last day of the season.
MATTHEW BRENNER – This UM sophomore was disqualified from kicking a $10,000-field goal at a Griz game when it was discovered he played high school ball. But last weekend he got another chance and nailed it, winning the cash. It’s good!
DNRC to extend public comment period an additional 30 days
Proposed Spencer Lake Logging Prompts Concern from Some Residents
 |
A proposed logging project in a heavily-used network of trails near Whitefish has residents there mobilizing to make sure that recreation is considered as part of the plan. In October, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation announced plans for a timber sale on state school trust land encompassing the Spencer Lake area, three miles west of Whitefish.
According to the DNRC, work on the sale layout could begin next summer, with actual thinning taking place in the late summer or fall of 2011. But although the proposed sale is in its very early stages, some recreational users of the area and local leaders are being proactive in meeting with the DNRC to ensure that the character of Spencer Lake, and the mountain rising above it, isn’t inexorably altered.
[read more]
According to the DNRC, work on the sale layout could begin next summer, with actual thinning taking place in the late summer or fall of 2011. But although the proposed sale is in its very early stages, some recreational users of the area and local leaders are being proactive in meeting with the DNRC to ensure that the character of Spencer Lake, and the mountain rising above it, isn’t inexorably altered.
Prisoners will go to county jail after new 911 center opens
Columbia Falls Jail to Close in February
Anyone sentenced to jail in Columbia Falls will be immediately transferred to the Flathead County Jail, pictured above. - File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
The jail in Columbia Falls will close its doors when the new county 911 center begins operation this February, prompting the city to change its routine way of incarcerating prisoners.
To pay for its share of the 911 center, Columbia Falls used the funds that pay its local dispatchers, Police Chief David Perry said. Most of the Columbia Falls dispatchers will transfer to the new county facility, he said, but their absence means the jail will have to close.
[read more]
To pay for its share of the 911 center, Columbia Falls used the funds that pay its local dispatchers, Police Chief David Perry said. Most of the Columbia Falls dispatchers will transfer to the new county facility, he said, but their absence means the jail will have to close.
Kalispell
PLACES: Old Steel Bridge Fishing Access
A rainbow touches down behind fishermen seen from the new bridge spanning the Flathead River off Holt Stage Road. The bridge replaced the aptly named Old Steel Bridge and officially opened last September. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
Even as the weather sporadically changes between light chilling rain and sunny blue skies, the Old Steel Bridge fishing access is a high traffic area for anglers and those looking for an accessible outdoor break.
The new bridge spanning the Flathead River, connecting Holt Stage Road, where the Old Steel Bridge once stood, is still the centerpiece for the area. A pedestrian walkway borders the new sleek bridge making plenty of room for bikers, walkers and those fishing from the bridge.
[read more]
The new bridge spanning the Flathead River, connecting Holt Stage Road, where the Old Steel Bridge once stood, is still the centerpiece for the area. A pedestrian walkway borders the new sleek bridge making plenty of room for bikers, walkers and those fishing from the bridge.
