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FEC holds annual meeting April 18
Flathead Electric Cooperative is changing its annual members meeting this year.The Annual Meeting & Energy Expo open house will be Thursday, April 18 at Flathead Valley Community College’s Wachholz College Center.Doors are open to members from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Members are encouraged to attend at any point in that time frame and to review the agenda to determine which events are most alluring to them. “Flathead Electric Co-op turns 87 this year, and for almost every year we’ve distributed electricity in the greater Flathead Valley, we’ve held a traditional breakfast business meeting for our members,” said Katie Pfennigs, community...
Zinke lauds decision to hold more water in Flathead Lake this spring
Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke applauded Monday a plan to hold more water in Flathead Lake this spring.The aim of the change, undertaken by the operators of the Séliš Ksanka QÍispé Dam and approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is to mitigate the low water levels that plagued the lake last summer, a phenomenon that many hydrologists and scientists anticipate will likely reoccur this year. "I'm glad to see the dam operators are making this adjustment and heeding the warnings raised by Lake County residents and officials and my office. It's clear to see by looking at the moisture...
Job fair provides opportunities for job seekers and businesses
The Northwest Montana Job & Opportunity Fair returns to the Flathead County Fairgrounds Trade Center on Thursday, April 11, offering a dynamic platform for both job seekers and businesses to connect and explore potential opportunities.Hosted by the Job Service Kalispell, Flathead Valley Community College, the Daily Inter Lake, Discover Kalispell Chamber, and WorkForce Flathead, this event promises to be the largest in-person job fair event in all of northwest Montana. The fair kicks off with a high school and college student career fair from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., providing local students with invaluable insights into various career paths and opportunities...
A bridge in Bigfork is just as important as Baltimore
For hours after the tragic accident that took down a bridge over the Pabsco River in Baltimore, our nation sat together in sadness for the seven construction workers who lost their lives. My heart and prayers remain with the souls lost, their surviving crew and family members. But then the president remembered it’s an election year and pounced on the media moment to proclaim the American taxpayer will rush all the funding to rebuild the bridge as quickly as possible. Biden’s exact words: “the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress...
PHOTOS: 58th annual Creston Auction and Country Fair
Scenes from the 58th annual Creston Auction and Country Fair on Saturday, April 6. The event is the largest fundraiser for the Creston Fire Department and has been held since 1966. On Sunday, April 7 the vehicle and equipment sale begins at 11 a.m. The day’s $10 bid tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Carson Jilek checks out a Kimball Temptation electric organ at the 58th annual Creston Auction and Country Fair on Saturday, April 6. The event is the largest fundraiser for the Creston Fire Department and has been held since 1966. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake) Casey Kreider A...
Baseball: Eureka spoils Bigfork’s home opener
Ryeln Rodriguez pitched three innings in relief for Bigfork, allowing no hits and striking out three, but Eureka won 13-0 over the Vikings on Tuesday, April 2. Nine errors stymied the Vikings.Rodriguez also had Bigfork’s lone hit of the day. Eureka jumped out to a 12-0 lead through three innings and finished with eight hits total. Eureka finished with eight hits and also had three baserunners from walks, along with two doubles.Bigfork fell to 0-2 on the season with the loss.At BigforkEUREKA 13, BIGFORK 0Eureka - 066 - 01 - 13 - 8 - 0Bigfork - 000 - 00 - 0 - 1 - 9BIGFORK HITTING - R Rodriguez 1-2, G Campbell 0-2, L Benson 0-3, H Mayer 0-1, R Hamilton 0-1, C Wiest 0-1, M Lewis 0-2, H Jantzen 0-1, T Francom 0-1, D Glazier 0-1BIGFORK PITCHING - H Mayer (1 inning pitched, 0 hits, 1 strikeout, 1 walk), M Lewis (1 inning pitched, 8 hits, 12 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout), R Rodriguez (3 innings pitched, 0 hits, 1 run, 0 earned run, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts)
Barry Johnston, 70
Barry Leigh Johnston, also known as "Banker Barry" or "BDB," was born on Jan. 3, 1954, and passed away on Feb. 11, 2024, surrounded by family and friends. Born in Glasgow, Montana, he was raised in Fort Peck by his parents Mary and Charles and six siblings: Jim, Chuck, Claudia, Cathy, Mike, and Andy.Barry financed his college education by alternating between semesters of study and work, never taking out a student loan. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Montana, Missoula, and embarked on a career in corporate banking, starting as a bank examiner with...
Cherry Growers hold annual meeting April 13
The 86th annual cherry growers’ meeting presented by the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association will be held on Saturday, April 13, at the Yellow Bay Community Clubhouse.The meeting is open to anyone interested in growing quality Flathead cherries. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.; the meeting begins at 9 a.m. The clubhouse is located at 23429 Montana 35. Keynote speaker, Gary Grove, Washington State University professor of plant pathology, will give an in-depth presentation including the etiology, epidemiology and management of powdery mildew, an emerging problem among local growers. His talk will include symptoms and signs, mycological information about the pathogen, resistance...
Annual Creston Auction returns this weekend
A field packed with the most unlikely treasures, thousands of people browsing and buying, along with multiple auction wagons working at once — it’s all part of the annual Creston Auction and Country set to return this weekend. The auction, which runs April 6-7, is the largest fundraiser for the Creston Fire Department and has been held since 1966. Consignment Day when donated items can be dropped off is April 5. The auction takes place at Creston, 12 miles east of Kalispell on Montana 35.The fire department’s 30 volunteers rely heavily on this benefit to support them in responding to over 370...
Mack Days: Week three count tops 13,000
After three weekends of fishing beneath the snowcapped Mission Mountains on Flathead Lake, our Spring Mack Days angler’s total lake trout count stands at 13,417. Totals of recent years at the three-week mark are: 2023: 11,315 entries; 2022: 9,039 entries; 2021: 11,135 entries; 2020: 12,925 entries; and 2019: 13,622 entries.These anglers are amazing fishermen and women who put in countless hours, money, and effort making the events successful!Mack Days events are sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and are sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and serve as a management tool used to reduce the non-native lake...
Judge calls Bigfork driver's behavior "disturbing"
A Bigfork man was sentenced in Polson District Court March 27 by Judge Molly Owen to the Montana Department of Corrections for two years on one count of felony criminal mischief, with all but three days jail time already served suspended.Joshua Wayne Winfree, 34, entered an Alford plea Jan. 30, to felony criminal endangerment. The plea was entered as part of an agreement that dismisses one count of impersonation of a public servant.An Alford plea results in a conviction, without the defendant admitting guilty to the charge. The charges were based on two separate incidents, almost a year apart.The criminal...
Wilderness Speaker Series concludes with Artist Wilderness Connection panel
The final installment in the 2024 Wilderness Speaker Series will feature a panel of local artists who have participated in the Artist Wilderness Connection residency program in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.On Wednesday, April 17, four artists will share their experience from spending weeks in remote Forest Service cabins within the 1.6-million-acre Wilderness area. The event is at Flathead Valley Community College in Arts and Technology Building Room 139 at 7 p.m. It’s free.2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Artist Wilderness Connection, a collaborative program between the Flathead National Forest, Hockaday Museum of Art, Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, and Swan...
The birds are back: Migrating flocks settle at Freezout
My favorite color is yellow, but I was good and tired of it by the time I made it past Choteau last Tuesday night. Driving from Columbia Falls, you basically head east on Highway 2, turning once in Browning to get on 89 and drive through three hours of rolling golden fields, the kind you’d imagine buffalo roaming through. But now those fields are pretty empty, and the drive is pretty boring. Chris had told me I couldn’t miss the birds. Reluctantly I will admit that he was right. For one, they have monopolized the only spot of blue in miles...
County board considers Evergreen RV park, event venue near Whitefish
A new RV park in Evergreen and a property wanting to host large events southwest of Whitefish have both applied for approval with Flathead County.The Flathead County Board of Adjustment on Tuesday considered a conditional use permit for an RV park along Montana 35 and East Cottonwood Drive, east of Kalispell. Separately it looked at a request for a conditional use permit for a recreational facility at 685 Twin Bridges Road, outside of Whitefish. The year-round RV park, proposed by East Park, LLC, of Bigfork, is expected to include 226 spaces on the 29.32-acre property. The property, zoned two-family residential and...
Flathead County Library trustees open search for a new logo to the public
Have an idea for the new Flathead County Library logo? Library board trustees are taking submissions and suggestions on designs leading up to their next board in April.Board Vice Chair Carmen Cuthbertson and Trustee Heidi Roedel presented a logo for consideration at the body’s March meeting. Last month, the board voted to readopt the name Flathead County Library after operating as ImagineIF Libraries for about a decade. After hearing from staff and the public on Thursday, trustees decided to open the logo design to the community. Roedel said trustees will be looking for the same orange, white and red colors present...
Homeschool Theatre Club presents ‘The Sound of Music’
A musical that has become beloved around the world, Homeschool Theatre Club next week brings “The Sound of Music” to the stage. Shows are March 28 at 7 p.m., March 29 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and March 30 at 5 p.m. at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.Based on the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers, the play includes music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she...
Wildland Firefighter Foundation to hold banquet April 13
The public is invited to the fourth annual Flathead Wildland Firefighters Banquet to help support the many federal, state, local, contract and volunteer firefighters that train and work to protect public and private lands. The event will be Saturday, April 13 at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Trade Center Building in Kalispell, 4:30 to 9 p.m. and is organized by local wildland firefighters. The event benefits the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. The Foundation’s main focus is to provide critical and immediate assistance to the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and to assist injured firefighters and their families. The...
Bigfork County Water and Sewer awarded $40k grant
The Bigfork County Water and Sewer District will receive $40,000 in planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report. The Bigfork grant was among the $1 million awarded to 32 communities last week by the Montana Department of Commerce. The funds are intended to help develop and plan infrastructure projects to increase the health and safety for those communities and their residents. The funding is through Commerce’s Montana Coal Endowment Program. “It is vital that Montana communities have safe and reliable infrastructure systems to enable steady growth and economic expansion, for right now and for many years to come,” said Paul Green, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “That is why Commerce will continue to allocate grants through programs like this, funding that can support eligible community development projects that will add health and safety improvements for Montanans and their communities.” The State-funded MCEP program is designed to help address the affordability of local infrastructure projects by providing grants to lower the cost of constructing public facilities.
Bigfork students take a look at summer work opportunities
With the promise of summer in the air, many students have begun looking for part-time or full-time jobs.Last Wednesday, Bigfork High School hosted a job fair for students to connect with employers and apply for positions they are interested in.Several of the employers at the fair highlighted that they are looking for “punctual individuals who can arrive on time,” as well as students with good self motivation to get tasks done.The fair provided many choices for the students searching for summer employment, or even lifelong careers. Opportunities from serving at a restaurant, working in retail, to military service were present...
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