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Bigfork Eagle
Mack Days: Perfect weather for opening weekend
The 2024 Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake, sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, began Thursday, March 14, and wrap up May 11.Mack Days fishing events, held each spring and fall, are a fish conservation effort designed to lower the numbers of non-native voracious feeding lake trout in Flathead Lake to increase the numbers of native bull trout and westslope cutthroat, which were the dominant fish of the lake for hundreds of years.The event offers up to $225,000 in cash and prizes to the many qualifying hard-working anglers who must...
Vikings notch first win in baseball debut
RONAN — Carson Parish’s one out, RBI double in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and Bigfork held on to beat Ronan 4-3 Monday, in the high school baseball debut for both programs.Parish had two hits and drove in two runs for the Vikings, while Ryder Hamilton tripled in a run and scored in the second inning. Down 2-0, the Chiefs knotted the game at 2-all in their half of the second when Coleton Sherman hit an RBI double, and eventually scored while DaVonne Curley stole second. They went ahead in the third 3-2 when Hunter Luedtke walked, stole second and came around on an error. Luedtke drew three walks.Bigfork got the equalizer in the seventh when Hayden Mayer singled and came around on an error as well.It was a bit of a pitchers’ duel: Cash Atkinson, Tristan Fisher and Ben Mitchell combined to allow four hits and three earned runs for Ronan: Five Bigfork pitchers combined to allow one earned run on three hits (and seven walks) for Bigfork.
Bigfork baseball team begins inaugural season
After a huge surge in community efforts and support, Bigfork High School officially has a baseball team this spring. The team is made up of mostly underclassmen with a few juniors. Although they are young, they are also talented and head coach Dave Romano is looking forward to seeing them grow throughout the season.“They’re young, but they are good character kids with a lot of heart,” Romano said.Spring is notorious for its spotty weather, something Romano expects to be a challenge for the group. Right now, they are forced to practice inside until the snow clears from the fields. This...
Mountainfilm Tour to benefit Bob Marshall Foundation
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is hitting the road, bringing their annual film festival to five different cities around the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Mountainfilm on Tour features a selection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and incredibly inspiring documentary films curated from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colorado.The tour will end with two events in the Flathead Valley: first in Whitefish at the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center on Thursday, March 21, and then in Bigfork at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 22. Both evenings will feature the same set of films that explore themes connected to...
Tester talks crime, drugs and border with Flathead law enforcement officials
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester met with law enforcement officials from Flathead and Lincoln counties in Kalispell on Friday to discuss crime prevention, fentanyl interdiction and border security efforts.The three-term Democrat — who is running for reelection this year — joined a roundtable discussion March 15 that included Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino, Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short, Columbia Falls Police Chief Clint Peters, Kalispell Police Chief Jordan Venezio, Deputy Chief Kevin Conway of the Whitefish Police Department and members of the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force. The gathering was held in the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. Ahead of his trip to...
Lake County officials look for answers on Public Law 28 withdrawal from U.S. Attorney
Frustration seemed to be the tenor this week at the Lake County Courthouse as public officials contemplate their withdrawal from Public Law 280, which has given the county felony jurisdiction over tribal members on the Flathead Reservation for nearly 60 years. The county announced in November that it was pulling out of the agreement, and in a letter dated March 1, Gov. Greg Gianforte acknowledged that decision on behalf of the State – which is the other signatory in the law enforcement agreement, along with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Flathead, Missoula and Sanders counties.That means Lake County’s...
Gary Lee Lapka
Gary Lee Lapka was born in Veblen, South Dakota on April 30, 1940, to George and Leona (Kallas) Lapka. The oldest of five children, Gary had a strong work ethic. He went to work for his father at a young age, driving cattle to market. Never one to pass up fun, Gary learned to carve out time for fishing and hunting rabbits when he wasn't working or in school. By the time he graduated high school from Leola School in 1959, Gary had developed the art of balancing responsibilities with fun, which enabled him to buy his first love, a...
All-Northwest A hoops teams picked
The all-conference basketball teams for the Northwest A have been released, and a total of three players each from Bigfork and Browning were selected All-State, along with two from Columbia Falls.Bigfork’s trio of Braeden Gunlock, Paeten Gunlock and Ava Davey and Browning’s Jerel White Grass were voted All-State for girls basketball by the league coaches; all of them are first-team all-Northwest A, as is Taryn Borgen of Columbia Falls.On the boys side, Browning’s Maurice Redhorn III and Tommy Running Rabbit are first-team all-conference and All-State, bracketing Jace Hill and Cody Schweikert of Columbia Falls.Each of the four Class A leagues...
Panel to discuss Flathead Lake water management
An online panel discussion focused on the Flathead Basin's dams and water management decisions will be held Thursday, March 14.Representatives with Energy Keepers Inc., the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and NOAA Weather Service will host the virtual informational meeting from 4 to 6 p.m.The panel will provide an overview of the Hungry Horse Reservoir Dam and the SKQ Dam on Flathead Lake, as well as basin conditions and reservoir operations for water years 2022 and 2023, and the current water supply outlook and snowpack conditions. The meeting is intended to be informational with no opportunity for...
Steamboat Landing subdivision calls for more than 250 units in Somers
A proposed subdivision adjacent to Somers Middle School could result in the development of 252 residential units.The Steamboat Landing project would consist of primarily single-family residential lots, along with condominium lots, on 63.79 acres at 603 Somers Road. A preliminary plat request for the development goes before the county Planning Board on March 13. The Planning Board meets at 6 p.m. in the South Campus Building at 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell. Two other public hearings are also on the agenda. Recommendations from the board regarding the requests are forwarded to the Flathead County commissioners for final consideration.A stack of public...
Candidates file for election in county races
The list of candidates running for office in Flathead County remains short.Commissioner Randy Brodehl has filed for re-election seeking his second term in the position. The Republican last year announced his plan to seek the office again to represent District 3 in the western part of the county. No challengers — Republican or Democrat — had filed for the seat as of last week. The filing deadline is Monday, March 12 at 5 p.m. Sara Fredenberg Smith has filed to run for clerk of court. She now serves as a deputy clerk. Longtime incumbent Clerk of Court Peg Allison, a Republican, has not filed for re-election. In the district court judge races, incumbents Amy Eddy and Heidi Ulbricht have filed to retain their seats on the bench. Eddy was appointed to her position in 2015 and has since won re-election to retain her seat. Ulbricht served as Kalispell municipal judge before being elected to the district court bench in 2012. Paul Sullivan and Eric Hummel, who both serve as Justice of the Peace judges, have filed for the Department B spot held by Judge Robert Allison, who is not seeking another term.Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.
Valkryies come up just short in state championship
BUTTE — The quest of the Bigfork Valkyries got away right at the end Saturday, when Carol Old Bull put back an offensive rebound to give Billings Central a 39-38 lead with 2:15 left.The final was 41-38, Central; the Rams picked up their seventh State A girls basketball crown, and first outright championship since 2012.The Valkyries were seeking to become the first basketball team to win a championship at one classification — they went 24-0 last season in Class B — and them move up and win another. They came up just short.“We had a chance,” Vals coach Cortnee Gunlock...
State A: Davey lifts Valkyries into title game
BUTTE — If the final State A girls basketball semifinal was a slog for the Bigfork Valkyries, well, Ava Davey had just about as fine a 4.9 seconds as you can have.First the junior guard took a charge, as Miles City drove for what could have been a go-ahead basket or free throws. Then, after a timeout, she took the ensuing inbounds pass and went coast-to-coast for a layup.Bigfork 34, Miles City 32. The dream still lives. The 22-1 Valkyries, State B champions a year ago, will face Billings Central (22-2) for the State A title Saturday at 8 p.m. at...
Cheryl “Lily” Stone, 75
Cheryl (Lily) Stone, 75, of Polson, Montana passed away on February 27, 2024, with her husband, children, and beloved dogs by her side. Lily was the devoted wife of Bob Stone and loving mother of Amy, Bryan, and Lisa. She adored her grandchildren, Jessi, Brandon, Jade and Ivy who cherished their magical summers with their grandparents. Lily is also survived by her brother Bruce, two great-grandchildren, Shivvy, and Juniper, and many nieces and nephews. Lily was loved greatly and will be deeply missed by all who knew her.Lily was a strong woman who faced every challenge in her life with...
Valkyries three wins from back-to-back state titles
Two years ago, the Bigfork Valkyries came into the season having never won a basketball state championship. Now, they enter the Class A state tournament in Butte this weekend as the favorites to win back-to-back state titles.The 20-1 Valkyries will have their work cut out for them if they intend to march to another title as Bigfork will have to contend with four Eastern A teams that have combined for 71 wins this season.The Valkyries open the state tournament at 8 p.m. Thursday as they take on a Lockwood Lions team that has gone 15-7 this season, scoring 53 points-per-game...
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The Bigfork Eagle – established in 1976 – provides the community of Bigfork with news, sports and entertainment coverage through our regularly updated news website and weekly print edition. Reinvented in 2019 after a few years hiatus, the Eagle has come back to serve the community with strong local news.
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