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Three Valley grads return for Montana, Gonzaga exhibition
COLUMBIA FALLS — More than 1,000 fans gathered at Flip Darling Memorial Field as Montana and Gonzaga met for a women’s soccer exhibition Sunday evening. The main attraction was a trio of Flathead Valley graduates making their returns: Skyleigh Thompson and Reagan Brisendine for the Grizzlies and Norah Schmidt for the Bulldogs. “Usually there’s a lot of nerves with games but being able to be on the bus today knowing I was coming home was exciting,” said Thompson, a senior forward out of Flathead High. “Such an amazing opportunity for not just myself, but for the Griz and Gonzaga girls.” Thompson started for...
Dahlia society remembers the 'Rose Gal' at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo
Sharon McLeod-Askelson was often better known as the Rose Gal, so much so that the license plate of her car displayed the nickname. A Kalispell native, Askelson would often be found in the gardens of neighbors and friends, helping them with their flowers and plants, or at the Flathead County Fairgrounds getting the floriculture building ready for an upcoming event. That commitment to service, and floriculture, was exemplified at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo in Kalispell, where she was named exhibitor of the year six times. Though the champion florist passed away in April following a five-year battle with...
Law roundup: Cruisers aren’t good sports to Olympics fan
A resident allegedly called the Kalispell Police Department wanting to know how to get a car cruise shut down after 25 vehicles drove by his house and were so loud he couldn’t hear the Olympics on his TV.A woman allegedly called the police with an update that the “drug addicts are back,” referring to two women, and claimed she smelled methamphetamine and “dope” through a window. She had reportedly been counseled multiple times on her options of what to do. This time, she was advised on how law enforcement should handle the situation. A later call came in from a woman...
Letters to the editor Aug. 12
Black robe dictators It is really about power and control. The political and obviously partisan rant of former Supreme Court Justice James Nelson (The Legislature tried, and failed, to define sex, July 20) was not really about the definition of sex as much as about preserving the political power of Montana’s Supreme Court to continue to be our black robe dictators by arbitrarily interpreting subjective terms contained in our state Constitution. Our state Constitution has at least three very subjective terms which should never have been included therein. First, under the privacy section, the words “unless there is a compelling public...
Trump supporters pack Bozeman arena for campaign rally
A red sea of MAGA hats filled the streets outside the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman on Friday, with people of all ages gathered for Donald Trump’s first campaign appearance in the weeks following an assassination attempt on the former president and a ticket switch by the Democrats. The indoor venue on the Montana State University campus was filled with people anxiously waiting to see the 45th president – for them, hoping he would soon become the 47th. The rally started at 6:30 p.m. and ended around 11:30 p.m. When Trump took the stage, he spoke for nearly two hours about...
Jeanne (Monk) Linrude, 88
Jeanne (Monk) Linrude, 88, March 16, 1936-July 29, 2024.Sometimes the loss is too big, and the pain too deep to put into words. We will attempt to share a fraction of this extraordinary woman’s life.Jeanne C. Monk was born in Kalispell, in 1936, to Allyn and Lucille Monk. Her father died when she was two, leaving her and her mother to spend hard-working summers on the Monk Ranch in Pleasant Valley, cooking and cleaning for ranch and haying crews. It was there that Jeanne learned to love the cool forests, the spring-fed creeks and forever fields that she and her...
Outlaws mounce Twins from NW Regional
ROSEBURG, Ore. — The Glacier Twins and Gallatin Valley Outlaws may have been declared co-champions at the State A legion tournament, but Saturday the two teams finally settled the score in a loser out game at the Northwest A legion tournament. Brody Ayers drove in four runs to help the Outlaws eliminate the Twins 9-1 to advance to Sunday’s championship. Over in Billings, the Scarlets kept their hopes of a Legion World Series appearance alive with a 12-1 win over Service, Alaska. Outlaws 9, Twins 1 Jaxson Iddings started off the offense for the Outlaws in the first inning with an RBI...
Steps entrepreneurs should take when navigating the lending process
Over the years, one of the most asked questions I get from entrepreneurs is what grants are available for new businesses and how do I get a business loan. Securing business capital can be frustrating and defeating for many individuals that have had the dream of turning their unique idea into a new small business. Grants are mostly non-existent for most startups unless your local community organizations or government agencies offer financial incentives. To help reduce barriers for startups, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently launched its new working capital line of credit to better meet the needs of...
Lifelong love of trees bore fruit
The valley lost a real good apple recently — Rod McIver. We'd been warned, myself directly when I met him and then en masse with many of his friends and admirers at this spring’s annual roundup of the Citizens for a Better Flathead, where one of the organizers said in introducing board members, “Who here knows ‘Johnny Appleseed’?” The crowd assembled at Flathead Valley Community College murmured. She gave the update on McIver’s condition and said that hospice had been called. McIver had been as upfront about his health when I met him one chilly afternoon in October 2022. As a newish...
Law roundup: Dispatcher isn’t in need of saving
A woman reportedly called 911 to quote scripture to a dispatcher who abandoned the call to answer multiple emergency calls coming in.Dispatch had already answered several 911 hangups throughout the day including one where a woman said, “They do not value you.” No one answered dispatch’s multiple calls to see if emergency help was needed.Dispatch called back a phone number linked to an abandoned phone call and a man answered who purportedly thought it was “weird” where a motorcycle was parked on the road, saying it “just didn’t look right.” The suspiciously parked motorcycle was gone by the time officers...
Marty Hafer, 72
Marty Hafer, 72, passed away on Aug. 6, 2024. He left us quietly and entered Heaven. He was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Nov. 27, 1951, to Charles and Darlene (Nelson) Hafer.He graduated from Flathead High School in 1970. His first marriage was to Mary Johnson, with whom he had a beautiful daughter, Christiane. In 1980, he married Lorie Bunyea. They had three sons, Jesse, Tanner, and Cory.Marty worked at his uncle Gary's motorcycle shop in Twin Falls, Idaho. After moving to Kalispell, he worked at Bell's Manufacturing, Pack and Co., American Asphalt, A-1 Paving, and the Flathead County...
Sue Donaldson, 81
Sue Ann (Snell) Donaldson, 81, died on Aug. 2, 2024, in Spokane, Washington. She was born to Betty and James H. Snell on June 16, 1943, in Shelby, and raised in the Lake Blaire area with her five siblings, Jim Snell, Bob Snell, John Snell, Donna Gilbertson, and Lois Hook. She went to grade school in the little schoolhouse of Cayuse Prairie and attended Flathead County High School.Although Sue held a variety of different jobs over the years, including 17 years at Lamb Weston, her favorite was being a mom. Sue married Edwin Donaldson and raised five children during their...
Legals for August, 11 2024
NO. 30512 INVITATION FOR BIDS - Fire Department ½ Ton Pickups The City of Kalispell, Montana will receive sealed bids for two (2) 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Custom 4WD pickup trucks. The sales model code for these is CK10743, color must be Red Hot. Sealed bids shall be addressed to the City Clerk, P.O. Box 1997, Kalispell, Montana 59903 (physical address: 201 First Avenue E., Kalispell, Montana, 59901) and entitled: Fire Department ½ Ton Pickups Bid. Bids will be received until 2:35 P.M. on August 20, 2024, after which all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud in the first...
Deck wants ot deal for 2024 Griz
Northwest Montana continues to be represented heavily on the Montana Grizzlies’ football team, even if most of them are youngsters.The exceptions are a pair of Glacier High products, junior defensive end Henry Nuce and junior receiver Drew Deck. Both have had to work through injuries; both played in January’s Division I Football Championship loss to South Dakota State. Nuce seems a shoo-in to start at defensive end this season for the Grizzlies. Deck is getting lots of reps at fall camp, but the three-receiver look the Griz favor has three familiar numbers: 14 (Aaron Fontes), 6 (Keelan White) and 5 (Junior...
This is not political, it’s people’s homes
Property taxes aren’t red, blue or political; the state writes the rules on property taxes, counties follow the rules. And everyone — no matter what your political stripe — pays. It’s no secret that Missoula County and Beaverhead County are opposite in terms of politics, but we’re aligned when it comes to current property tax issues. The governor sent another letter to all Montana homeowners about property taxes, which has likely hit your mailboxes. The letter asserts that 1.) Property taxes are high because some local governments’ spending is out of control; and 2.) The state’s haul from property taxes is “small.”...
Commissioners approve levy to pay for Lake County Jail expansion
Property taxes will go up across Lake County in November due to a $3.8 million judgement levy passed last week by the county commissioners to help cover the costs of expanding and remodeling the jail.The judgement levy was unanimously approved at the close of a public hearing on July 29, attended by a handful of constituents and several county employees. As part of the settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by inmates, the county was ordered to add around 960 square feet of additional space to ease overcrowding in the jail, located in the basement of the courthouse, as well...
Accused stickup men sentenced on criminal endangerment charges
The two men accused of holding up a motorist on Browns Meadow Road in March 2023 each received sentences to the state Department of Corrections for their roles in the alleged stickup. Tyler David Anderson, 29, received a two-year suspended sentence on one count of felony criminal endangerment in Flathead County District Court on April 11. Kolten Evenson, 21, received a deferred three-year sentence for the same charge on Jan. 11. The pair initially pleaded not guilty to robbery and accountability to robbery charges stemming from the alleged holdup. Evenson reached a plea deal with prosecutors in November and Anderson...
Eric Schenck, 62
Eric Matthew Schenck, 62 of Whitefish, passed away July 28, 2024, following a decade-long struggle with a rare neurological disorder.He was born in Whitefish on Oct. 19, 1961, the "baby" of Carl "Ed" and Marguerite (MacDonald) Schenck’s five children. Eric grew up in Whitefish, spending his winters on Big Mountain and his summers in Whitefish Lake. He graduated from Whitefish High School and was proud of being a member of the 1979 WHS Bulldog State Champion football team. He attended the University of Montana and spent his college summers traveling the west on ski lift construction crews. While at UM...
Delisting delay harms integrity of ESA
In an impressive show of conservation and interstate cooperation, two sub-adult grizzlies captured in Northwest Montana were relocated to Wyoming last week in a long-planned effort to shore up the species genetic diversity in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Wildlife experts say that the Yellowstone grizzly population, which is mostly isolated in the region, will benefit by establishing gene flow between the two ecosystems as the bears’ established ranges get closer. The grizzlies, a male and female, were trapped in a remote area near the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. They did not have a history of human interactions, which officials said...
Home Ranch Bottoms meshes food and drink with entertainment offerings
From marketing and staffing to receiving and managing inventory, running a restaurant in the middle of nowhere is no easy feat, especially when the area runs on generators and solar energy. Defying the odds that come with an off-grid restaurant, Home Ranch Bottoms is a quaint spot in Polebridge, offering quality food and drink, and aiming to be a cultural hub for music, comedy and art. As a baker and musician, the owners of Home Ranch Bottoms, Flannery and Danny Freund are nothing short of a dynamic duo. Shortly before acquiring the restaurant in 2021, Flannery worked as a park ranger...
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The Daily Inter Lake has been serving Northwest Montana since 1889. We were founded by Clayton and Emma Ingalls as a weekly newspaper in Demersville, and two years later the entire operation moved north to Kalispell. As the largest news-gathering operation in the region, we strive to connect all our readers to the people, places and institutions which make Northwest Montana home.
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