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Nonprofits selected for Great Fish Community Challenge
Eighty Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations will participate in the 10th annual Great Fish Community Challenge hosted by Whitefish Community Foundation Aug. 8 to Sept. 13. The Great Fish Community Challenge is a charitable giving campaign in which donors can choose to give to multiple nonprofit organizations with a single transaction. At the campaign's end, Whitefish Community Foundation will award a percentage match on the first $25,000 raised by each participating organization. The match is made possible by Whitefish Community Foundation’s Circle of Giving donors and donors who designate their gift to the Great Fish Match Fund. In honor of the 10th anniversary...
Blotter: Tailgate stolen at rodeo
Reports from Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, based in Bigfork. July 4 A dog was reported tied to a truck overnight, barking. A person reported their neighbor was drunk and setting off fireworks. A vehicle was reported trying to cut through a crowd of people. July 5 Two dogs were reported left in a car with the windows rolled up. A woman reported her husband was intoxicated and trying to leave with their kids. A man reported that his wife hit him and ruined his car. An unattended smoldering campfire was reported and extinguished. July 6 A man was found breathing but unconscious in a porta potty, first responders were dispatched. A tailgate was reported stolen from a truck at the Bigfork Rodeo.
County preliminary budget looks to keep taxes flat
By HEIDI DESCHFor the Hungry Horse NewsFlathead County commissioners last week approved a preliminary budget for fiscal year 2025 that keeps county taxes even. The commissioners approve a budget totaling $129.7 million in expenditures. The approval allows the county to continue operations at the start of the fiscal year on July 1. The final budget will be approved in August after the state Department of Revenue releases the county’s updated tax information including newly taxable property. The budget total in fiscal year 2024 was $115.8 million. While the dollar amount is expected to increase for the upcoming budget, the number of...
US Department of Labor gives $800K to help displaced wood products employees
The federal government has awarded $800,000 to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry for people affected by the closures of Pyramid Mountain Lumber and Roseburg Forest Products. The U.S. Department of Labor sent the money as a part of the National Dislocated Worker Grant, which gives assistance to "areas...
Legals for July, 11 2024
NO. 30491 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE To be sold for cash at a Trustee’s Sale on October 24, 2024, at 11:00 AM at the East door of the Flathead County Justice Center, 920 South Main Street, Kalispell, MT, the following described real property situated in Flathead County, State of Montana: Lot 7 and 8 of Block 142 of Kalispell, Montana, according to the map or plat thereof on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of Flathead County, Montana. More commonly known as 1128 1st Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59901. Ivanna R. Fritz and Kirk M. Fritz, as...
Co-op seeks photo submissions for calendar
Photo submissions for the 2025 Flathead Electric Cooperative Members’ Calendar opened July 1. Submissions are considered through August 31. Winners receive $25 and are notified in late September. Calendars are typically printed and available for members in November. Photos submitted should depict wildlife, scenery, people, activities, or anything that represents our unique lifestyle and special corner of Northwest Montana. The photographer’s name is used wherever the Co-op uses the photo, which is typically in the calendar, on the Co-op’s Facebook page as the monthly header photo, and in the Light Reading monthly newsletter. To enter, you must be a member of Flathead Electric Co-op and a non-professional photographer. Each member may submit up to six horizontal, high-quality photos for consideration at flatheadelectric.com/calendar.
County will see about $3.77 million in PILT payments
By HEIDI DESCH and MATT BALDWIN for the Hungry Horse NewsFlathead County will take in $3.77 million in federal payments this year under a program that compensates local governments for nontaxable federal land. Montana’s portion of the payments-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT) payout totaled $43.3 million. With 2.4 million acres of federal land, Flathead County’s slice is the largest in the state. Last year, $3.4 million was distributed to Flathead County. In fiscal year 2024, the county allocated $500,000 to Road Department operations and placed $1 million in savings for a future Detention Center project and set aside $250,000 for a future Kalispell library....
Sew inspired — Flathead High student goes to nationals with repurposed sewing project
Flathead High School student Cassidy Hanson has a creative flair for her approach to sewing, baking and art projects. Recently she was the first FHS student to compete at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America National Leadership Conference held in Seattle this year. To win a spot at nationals, she first competed at the state level in March where she showcased her fashion and construction skills with an outfit made of repurposed clothes. “When they called my name, I had to go back and ask Ms. Strong, was that me? I was so full of anxiety. This was like a...
Rural Whitefish fire area seeks fee increase
The rural Whitefish fire area is seeking to increase its service fees to better keep up with increasing costs. The Whitefish Fire Service Area is requesting to increase its flat fee by 25% for properties in its 87-square-mile protection area. If approved by Flathead County commissioners, it would increase the fee paid by residential property owners by $36 from $144 per year to $180 per year. Commissioners will hold a public hearing on amending the fire service fee at 9:15 a.m. on July 11. Commissioners meet beginning at 8:45 a.m. at the Historic Courthouse, 800 S. Main St. in Kalispell....
Body of missing boater recovered from lake
FLATHEAD LAKE — On July 3, 2024, at about 5:30 pm, divers from Missoula and Flathead County recovered the body of 36-year-old, Chad Hansen, of Missoula, from Flathead Lake. He was located in the area just north of the Narrows. Hansen had been missing since Friday, June 28, at about 9:41 p.m. when he was witnessed being separated from his boat in the same area where he was eventually recovered in 75 feet of water. Search efforts consisted of multiple teams and use of various technologies from around the region. Flathead, Missoula, and Kootenai County, ID, Sheriff’s Offices all lent personnel and equipment in the days-long effort. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office wishes to extend our most sincere gratitude to Flathead County Sheriff, Brian Heino, Missoula County Sheriff, Jeremiah Peterson, and Kootenai County ID, Sheriff, Bob Norris, their respective Search and Rescue Teams, and Lake County Search and Rescue for the efforts and expertise of their teams.
Law roundup: Feisty feline accused of beatings
A woman called the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office alleging their neighbor’s outdoor cat comes onto her property and “beats her cat.” “Rodeo guys” were reportedly parking on a woman’s Bigfork property, ignoring her when she asked them not to and the “no trespassing” signs posted around the property. She wanted to know how to get the vehicles towed. A man in Columbia Falls allegedly smashed the back window of a Chevy Impala, leaving blood and skin behind. Deputies collected statements and swabs. Two drunk women allegedly attacked a man inside a Kalispell residence. One of the women reportedly bit and scratched him, and...
Nonprofits selected for Great Fish Community Challenge
Eighty Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations will participate in the 10th annual Great Fish Community Challenge hosted by Whitefish Community Foundation Aug. 8 to Sept. 13. The Great Fish Community Challenge is a charitable giving campaign in which donors can choose to give to multiple nonprofit organizations with a single transaction. At the campaign's end, Whitefish Community Foundation will award a percentage match on the first $25,000 raised by each participating organization. The match is made possible by Whitefish Community Foundation’s Circle of Giving donors and donors who designate their gift to the Great Fish Match Fund. In honor of the 10th anniversary...
Grandstand rebuild a necessary investment
The Northwest Montana Fair’s main events are officially on. Get ready for some oldies but goodies with Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Beach Boys, chart-topping country hits with LOCASH and Niko Moon, followed by four nights of intense rodeo action, all taking place at the fairground’s grandstand arena Aug. 13-18. Fair organizers were anxiously awaiting the results of an analysis on the structural integrity of the grandstands prior to announcing these headline events last week. Thankfully, an engineering firm has deemed the grandstands to be safe and adequate to accommodate the hordes of fairgoers this summer. This is excellent...
Legals for July, 9 2024
NO. 30485 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE To be sold for cash at a Trustee’s Sale on November 14, 2024, at 11:00 AM at the East door of the Flathead County Justice Center, 920 South Main Street, Kalispell, MT 59901, the following described real property situated in Flathead County, State of Montana: THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 16, TOWNSHIP 30 NORTH, RANGE 20 WEST, P.M.M., FLATHEAD COUNTY, MONTANA. EXCEPTING THEREFROM THAT PORTION DEED TO THE STATE OF MONTANA IN BARGAIN AND SALE DEED RECORDED DECEMBER 12, 1979 AS DOC. NO. 19039, RECORDS OF FLATHEAD COUNTY, MONTANA. ALSO EXCEPTING THEREFROM THE FOLLOWING...
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