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Bigfork Eagle
Embracing Change: Bigfork senior seeks adventure overseas
“I really like a change in things. Let’s go see what this different place looks like and how they act,” Bigfork High School senior North Nollan said.The son of Ryan and Michelle Nollan, North has attended school in Bigfork since first grade. The family made trips to Washington to visit his grandparents and New York during North’s childhood. Everywhere he went was a new adventure, and it fostered a love of travel in him. Second semester of his junior year, North decided to take on study abroad, the first Bigfork student in recent memory to do so. Norway was his original...
Flathead cherry crop stunted by winter freeze
Northwest Montana’s January freeze is having lasting effects on the area, notably in Flathead Lake’s cherry orchards. At Sunset Bay, temperatures bottomed out at negative 14 between Jan. 10-13. Finley Point saw temperatures in the negative 20s. North toward Bigfork, temperatures were similar if not colder. “I hate to say the good news is my trees are alive,” Sunset Bay grower and Flathead Cherry Growers Cooperative board member Bruce Johnson said. “And they’re doing well, but maybe that is the good news right now is that we don’t have a very big cherry crop but the trees are doing just fine here....
Mystery snails turn up in Flathead Lake
Dumping aquarium pets into local waters can negatively affect the ecosystem — and the consequences don’t always come at a snail’s pace.Flathead Lake is now home to mystery snails, a common house pet and invasive species, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. It is the first detection in Montana, but they are common in other states, thanks to aquarium dumping.“Statewide and nationally, this is something we are trying to get the public to realize: It’s never OK to dump a pet. In this case, you dumped a species that is not desirable, that we may never get rid of,”...
Turning the page -- Repository for rare books scales back collection
Located off Lake Blaine Road, Parkland Books has been a treasure trove for bibliophiles seeking national park books and publications or rare and out-of-print books.Customers who visit Parkland Books today will see the shop in a period of transition. Owners Ed and Marge Rothfuss are downsizing after nearly three decades in the valley. Any remaining inventory will be stocked at a booth they rent and recently expanded in the Antiques Market located downstairs of Western Outdoor on Main Street in Kalispell.The motivation to completely operate out of the Antiques Market is due to health reasons Ed said, with his wife,...
Ronan man sentenced to 60 years for starting fire that destroyed 14 homes
A Ronan man, and son of one of the most experienced and respected wildland firefighters in the country, was sentenced May 10 in Polson District Court to the Montana State Prison for a total of 60 years with 30 years suspended.That was the punishment for Craig Allen McCrea, 38, who was convicted by a Lake County jury in February of two counts of felony arson – one of them for the catastrophic Boulder 2700 Fire of July 31, 2021. It destroyed 14 homes and 17 outbuildings, burned for 70 days and consumed almost 2,600 acres. Hundreds of people were forced...
How a local grizzly bear raised three offspring amid human presence
When grizzly bears make the news, the headlines are often negative. Dorothy’s story, however, is a positive one, so far. Dorothy is an 18-year-old female grizzly widely known throughout Bigfork and Ferndale. For the last two years, Dorothy has been accompanied by her three offspring, and since male grizzly bears do not provide parental rearing, she has been tasked with finding enough food for herself and her cubs. She has managed to do so while defeating the odds of cub mortality (about two out of five cubs survive their first year of life), all while generally staying out of trouble.What...
Corps of Engineers Approves higher lake levels for Memorial Day
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) approved another request from Energy Keepers, Inc (EKI) to deviate from the Flood Risk Management Plan by allowing for higher Flathead Lake levels on Memorial Day. This is the second deviation driven by dry conditions.Each spring, Energy Keepers Inc. is required to follow a Flood Risk Management Plan by drawing the lake down 10 feet from maximum levels to 2,883 feet by mid-April if possible. Full pool is 2,893 feet. This water lowering spring procedure maximizes the water storage potential in Flathead Lake to handle higher stream flows as the winter snows melt....
Community Markets opening season
Bigfork’s community markets are opening for the season, with Bigfork Farmer’s Market Co-op set to start things up Wednesday, May 22 and Bigfork Monday Market following on Memorial Day. The Co-op will have its usual crafts, baked goods, produce, honey, woodworking, food trucks and more next to the Liquor Barn at 22 Swan Highway. To kick off the warm weather, plant starts will be for sale for gardeners. As the seasons change, so will the goods offered. The Co-op is open to more vendor applications, available on their website www.bigforkfarmersmarket.com. They will run every Wednesday 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. through...
Spring Mack Days total tops 35,000
The 2024 Spring Mack Days Event on Flathead Lake sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes ended Saturday May 11. A total of 35,089 were entered during the nine-week fishing event. The goal behind these fishing events that focus on reducing the non-native lake trout. The leader in the Top 20 category was Kolton Turner of Kalispell. He turned in a total of 2,283 lake trout entries and had an 18-day average of 100. He also set a new record in fish total for a Spring Event. Top 10 anglers are placed by their best 18-day average. Second place...
Traffic updates for highways
The Montana Department of Transportation and LHC Inc. anticipate completing paving on the northern segment of the Swan Lake Pavement Preservation project on Montana 83. Once paving is complete, additional work will begin to install rumble strips, striping, and signage as well as bump grinding.The week of May 20, travelers can expect paving between mile markers 70 and 78, installation of rumble strips, striping, and signage, as well as bump grinding. Anticipate single-lane closures, 10 to 15-minute delays, temporary traffic lights, and pilot cars. Typical working hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.Download MDT’s mobile app “MDT 511” or visit...
Bigfork schools qualify for free lunches
“I can’t tell you anything more than what we all know in this room, that our grocery bills have doubled, our property taxes have gone up, and now we are eligible for free food across the entire district for up to three years,” Superintendent Tom Stack said at the May 15 Bigfork Public Schools Board of Trustees meeting. Bigfork schools saw an increase in state aid SNAP and TANF program qualifiers, with 27% of students qualifying, and are now eligible for free food across the district for three years through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Program.The board approved applying to the...
Wildflowers Salon blossoming in Bigfork
Hairdresser Holly Johannson left behind a 20-year clientele in Phoenix, Arizona when she and her daughter, Harper, moved to Creston last June.The move was Harper’s idea. The pair had spent the past six or so years driving up from Phoenix to visit family in Alberta, where Holly is originally from and Harper’s dad lives. Harper would visit her dad, and Holly would camp in Montana in her RV. When Holly’s Parents, Curt and Dusty Johannson, bought land in Creston, the move seemed all the more realistic. Holly ran Makin’ Waves in Phoenix, a salon she operated by herself for 10 years....
A winning issue is a winning issue whether it can be addressed or not
POLITICS…AS USUALThe furor over immigration is an issue that won’t go away—can’t go away-- because once it does it will no longer provide political ammunition for Republicans to use against the Democratic Party. The easiest way for Republicans to win politically on that issue is to propose solutions that –at least to Democrats--defy logic and are unrealistic. Why? Because Democrats are suckers for logic and reject solutions that don’t make sense “logically”. Years of failure by Democrats to deal with their myopia have not even begun to teach them that logic is their enemy. Take, for instance, their insistence that American...
Middle school girls basketball camp
The Fourth Annual Morehouse Hoops Collective Middle School Girls Basketball Camp is open to any girls entering grades 6-8. Hosted at Bigfork High School, June 10-12. Sessions run 1-4 pm. Register at mhcbasketball.com or download the Morehouse Hoops Collective app available for iPhone and Android. Email mhcbasketball@gmail.com for more info.
Troyer set for state tennis
Bigfork singles play Tessa Troyer is headed to state after placing sixth at the Western A Divisional Tournament in Kalispell on Wednesday, May 15.Troyer defeated Whitefish’s Alivia Lusko 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (9-7) in the divisional semifinals. She advanced to the championship, where she fell to Columbia Falls Lexi Olberholtzer 6-2, 6-2.
Jensen double-winner at Western A Divisional Track
Bigfork’s Jack Jensen won the 800-meter run (1:57.82) and the 1,600-meter run (4:27.56), helping anchor the boys track team to a fourth-place finish at the Western A Divisional Track Meet in Columbia Falls on Friday, Saturday, May 17-18. Wyatt Johnson was third in the 110-meter hurdles (15.71), while Austin Savik was sixth (16.55). Johnson would take third place in the 300-meter hurdles (41.45), while Savik would place seventh (42.26). Bigfork’s 4x400 relay team was fourth at divisionals (3:33.86). Tamret Savik, meanwhile, placed second in the triple jump (42-11) and fourth in the high jump (6-0), while Noah Pandina was fourth in the long jump (20-3.5). Tristen Herd was second in the pole vault (12-6). On the girls side, Claire Jensen was sixth in the 800-meter run (2:29.14), while Zoe Guffin was fourth in the javelin (105-8) and teammate Callie Gembala was fifth (103-11).
As comment periods close, Oldenburg residents feel unheard on Sportsman’s Bridge fishing access
Public comment period for FWP’s proposal to relocate their Sportsman’s Bridge Fishing Access Site from the east side of the Flathead River to the west will close today, Wednesday, May 22 at 5 p.m. Designs for the bridge, facilitated by MDT, and relocation of the fishing access site to Oldenburg Road, are set to be completed this year with construction slotted for 2025-2026. While previous public comment led FWP to consider moving the fishing access site in the first place, some residents on Oldenburg Road aren’t happy to see the access put on their quiet road.“All the way down through Harbor...
65 years of show tunes and hard work at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse
Under the reins of Don and Jude Thomson, and their son Brach, the Bigfork Summer Playhouse has become one of the most notable small-town professional theater companies in the country, not missing a single season in its 65 years.The Playhouse performs four musicals and a variety show about once a week during its annual run in the summertime. A college-aged cast is hired — roughly 3,000 apply every season for the 20 spots available. The program has churned out performers and crew members who go on to have successful careers in the arts like that of Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons.The...
Grounded Teen Center welcomes eighth graders in May
Grounded Teen Center is graduating its first set of seniors to spend all four years of high school at the building on Montana 35 in Bigfork after opening the space in 2020. Now, eighth graders are invited to check out the space for the month of May. “Every year there’s a new group of kids that discovers Grounded,” volunteer program director Marci Truckey said. A few eighth graders have already stopped in, and Truckey encouraged parents to come and meet her and fellow volunteers as well. “That’s kind of the point of this place, it’s easy accessible, it’s open house, they can...
Preliminary results for Bigfork and Swan River trustees
Preliminary results for the Bigfork and Swan River school trustee election last week showed incumbent Dan Elwell as top pick for representing the Bigfork High School and Swan River School in Bigfork, and Swan River School District had Linda Stewart and Curtis Wisman positioned to fill two trustee positions there. Results are unofficial until canvassed by their respective school boards. The deadline for trustees to canvass votes, issue certificates of election and publish results is May 31. Unofficial election results are detailed below. BigforkBigfork School District voters selected one trustee representing the high school and Swan River School.Dan Elwell 239Carrie Garber 69 Ballots mailed —1,157 Ballots returned — 310Spoiled ballots — 2Swan River SchoolSwan River School District voters chose two trustees.Linda Stewart 170Curtis Wisman 145Josh Turner 143Marcus Burleson 115Ballots mailed — 1,153Ballots cast — 317 ballots castSpoiled ballots — 3
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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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