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Hungry Horse News
FEC: January storm bent grid almost to breaking
While it may be a distant memory for many folks, the cold snap in January put a mighty strain on the power grid in Flathead County, Flathead Electric Co-op said.“The extended cold weather arrived via whiteout conditions on Jan. 11 and persisted through Jan. 19. It turned out to be Kalispell’s most intense and prolonged cold in over 20 years, and shattered multiple records while it froze pipes and pushed the electric grid to new limits,” the Co-op noted.The Co-op gets most of its power portfolio from the Bonneville Power Administration which stretches from the Hungry Horse and Libby dams...
Who is Tim Sheehy? Taking a closer look
Before Tim Sheehy was the frontrunner in Montana’s 2024 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the ex-Navy SEAL, aerial firefighter, millionaire business owner, part-time rancher and occasional political donor was a 2004 graduate of a Minneapolis-St. Paul area private high school who grew up in a lake house outside Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Sheehy emerged earlier this year from relative obscurity as a top recruit of the National Republican Senatorial Committee — the organization tasked with winning back a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate — in its quest to topple three-term incumbent Jon Tester, the only Democrat left in Montana with...
Three run for school board
Three candidates will vie for two seats on the Columbia falls School District 6 Board this spring.Incumbent Jill Rocksund and school board president is seeking re-election. Rocksund has served on the board for 31 years and has a long and distinguished career in education. In addition, TJ Middlesworth is seeking a spot as is Amanda Pacheco.Both candidates are parents with children attending Columbia Falls schools.Middlesworth has his own business and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).He grew up in the Flathead Valley and graduated from Bigfork High School in 2000. He ran for school board last in 2023.Pacheco grew up in Whitefish and moved to Columbia Falls with her husband Tom in 2013.“Both my husband and I come from blue collar families, that same work ethic and mentality is something we try to instill in our kids. While I’m primarily a stay-at-home mom, I’m blessed to be able to partner with Tom in our entrepreneurial endeavors,” she said on her website.The Hungry Horse News will do more in-depth stories on the candidates later this month.The election, which is by mail-in ballot, is May 7.
Banquet for wildland firefighters on tap
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 – 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....
Earth Day Expo at Flathead Valley Community College on April 20
The Flathead Valley Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) presents the Second Annual Earth Day Expo at Flathead Valley Community College on Saturday, April 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsors and organizers alike are excited to bring the community together to have fun and learn about the many ways we can all benefit from clean energy, innovative technologies, while saving money, and helping protect the place we all call home. There will be a lot of fun activities, interactive booths, panel discussions, and educational workshops. For the kids, there will be hands-on learning, art, birding, and story time with...
Yesterdays: GNP receives first bear spray
70 years agoApril 2, 1954Carpenters working on the new Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant in Columbia Falls were on strike. They wanted a 15 cent per hour raise to $2.65 an hour. School District 6 was asking voters to approve a $160,000 bond to build a wing on the high school.60 years agoApril 3, 1964The first concrete was poured for two more potlines for the Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant. The two buildings would each be 1,000 feet long. Glacier National Park was expected to receive a product called “Halt” which used red pepper to stop bears. The product had been used...
No more Tester
The collective decision of Montana citizens of who to vote for in the upcoming U.S. Senate race will be the most critical decision of the entire 2024 election cycle. While I have not as yet decided who I will ultimately vote for, I am certain I can never vote to reelect our current Senator, Jon Tester. To re-elect him to another six- year term would be a disaster for Montanans. His voting record in the U.S. Senate over the last 16 years tells me all I need to know.Jon Tester puts the interests of Back East lobbyists and ideologies ahead...
CFAC numbers dubious
I find the EPA’s $1 billion-plus estimate for excavating and hauling hazardous waste from the landfills and percolation ponds at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co.’s Superfund site to an out-of-state landfill a little outrageous. That’s about how much money Swiss-owner Glencore made during the short time it owned the plant. And bear in mind, spent potliner from the CFAC plant was routinely hauled to an out-of-state landfill from about 1985 to when the plant finally closed -— and later from the 600 in situ smelting pots when the plant was demolished by Calbag. Maybe someone should call Calbag and ask them how they did it without going broke. I recall Calbag had to follow some strict DEQ-required procedures for handling spent potliner. One has to wonder what hold Glencore has over the EPA. One answer is to stop talking about “truckloads” and start talking about “trainloads.” Another is to stop pussyfooting around with Glencore.Richard HannersJohn Day, Oregon
Glencore should clean CFAC up right
In response to Chris Peterson’s article published in local papers: EPA: Cost to remove CFAC waste could be more than $1 billion. One thing stands out that must be considered… The proposed EPA action for clean-up of the site calls for containing the waste, ALL of the toxic waste sites on the property for perpetuity. The article states the groundwater beneath is contaminated with cyanide and fluoride. The EPA raised concerns that digging up the waste could be harmful by transporting it out of here and exposing multiple communities en-route to Oregon. My point here is Glencore, who generates profits of billions of...
Pyramid closure didn’t have to happen
The lack of vision from the U.S. Forest Service Regional Supervisor, as well as her staff, helped sink Pyramid Lumber, with it taking the livelihoods of over 100 Montanans along with rich opportunities to help the climate and reduce fire fuel hazard risk. Solid and innovative solutions to significantly help the housing issues in Seeley Lake and other communities have been presented to Regional Leaders for years without any meaningful action. A group of U.S. Forest Service District Rangers from the Northern Region began meeting in 2021 to work on solutions to the housing crisis faced by existing and future USFS...
Boys and Girls Club moves into former Glacier Gateway School
The Boys and Girls Club in Columbia Falls has moved into a new location at the former Glacier Gateway Elementary School.Through the generosity of the building owner and a new nonprofit, the club will lease the upper floor of the spacious building, doubling the club’s capacity and moving it out of the old church that had been home for years, but has seen better days.Freedom Bank President Don Bennett and other community members recently formed a new nonprofit, the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 corporation.Building owner Mick Ruis and his wife, Wendy, are in the process of...
Photos: 4,000 eggs, scooped up in minutes
The Easter Egg Hunt at Marantette Park Sunday, March 31. Members of the Columbia Falls Lions Club put candy and prize tickets in 4,000 plastic eggs before the event, which has been ongoing since the early 1950s. (Chris Peterson photos) Leo the Lion high-fives the crowd before the event begins. Sterling Smith won one of several prizes. Prize winners were lucky enough to grab an egg with a number inside, rather than candy. Youngsters get ready to run at the annual Lions Club Easter Egg hunt Sunday at Marantette Park.
Columbia Falls Police Chief announces retirement
Columbia Falls Police Chief Clint Peters has announced his retirement effective Aug. 1.Peters was named police chief by the city in November, 2016.Prior to coming to Columbia Falls, Peters worked for the Whitefish Police Department for 12 years and is a graduate of Whitefish High School, though he’s lived in Columbia Falls for decades.Over his tenure, Peters has modernized the police force and instilled a much better and professional relationship with the community. In addition to police duties, he did a lot of the research for the city’s resort tax and has sat on the board of directors for the...
Park plows beyond Avalanche
Glacier National Park plow crews made good progress Monday. On the west side they made the initial clearing of the Camas Road and cleared around Fish Creek campground. On the Going-to-the-Sun Road they plowed beyond Avalanche Creek to the Red Rock Slide, which is estimated to be between eight and 10 feet deep.Crews also plowed out the Avalanche Campground and parking area. It is not open to motor vehicles. The hiker-biker closure is at Moose Country as of Wednesday. When crews aren't working (late in the day and weekends, people typically are allowed to go farther).The Camas Road is closed...
Sundberg connects kids to education and community
Students and staff want Tamara Sundberg to be recognized for her efforts at Columbia Falls High School. “She provides hope for people, and I think that’s probably the biggest thing that she does so well…,” Columbia Falls High School Principal Jon Konen said of Sundberg. Students like to go to her to learn what resources are available to them.Sundberg, the school district’s Student and Family Advocate Coordinator and high school MTSS Intervention and Homeless Liaison, has been with the district since 2018. The position did not exist before she arrived, and its original goal was to provide resources for upperclassmen to...
Sally Dreyer, 69
Sally Marie Dreyer died March 25, 2024 in Whitefish. Sally is survived by her husband Dennis Dreyer. A celebration of Sally’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at The VFW Post 276, 20 Baker Ave, Whitefish. Austin Funeral & Cremation Services in Whitefish is caring for the family.
Barbara Schomer Thacker, 77
Barbara Schomer Thacker, 77, died March 22, 2024 in Madras, Oregon. She is survived by her husband, Glenn, two brothers, two daughters, six grandchildren and six-great-grandchildren. She was a summer resident in Columbia Falls. Services are pending
Kenneth Riley, 99
Kenneth John Riley, 99, of Columbia Falls passed away peacefully at his son’s home in Gilbert, Arizona, on March 25, 2024. He was just one month shy of his 100th birthday. Ken was born on April 22, 1924 in Casselton, North Dakota. As a child, his family moved to Bemidji, Minnesota where he spent his formative years. As one of nine kids, hunting and fishing weren’t just fun, they were a way of life, providing the primary food source for the family. He often recalled breaking horses, trapping wolves and working on the farm. His wolf money was so good...
Glacier National Park crews plowing Two Medicine Road; will start on Camas Road next week
It’s that time of year again — Glacier National Park has started plowing the Two Medicine Road and will begin plowing the Camas Road Monday, April 1.Park spokeswoman Gina Icenoggle said crews were plowing snow this week from Running Eagle Falls to Two Medicine Lake and were also preparing to plow the Many Glacier Road and the Going-to-the-Sun Road at Rising Sun next week.The park expects to start plowing in earnest on the west side April 1 starting with the Camas Road, Icenoggle said. After that, they’ll start the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the west side. The Camas Road typically takes a...
Columbia Falls outfitter testifies on impacts of climate change to business
Columbia Falls outfitter and guide Hilary Hutcheson testified before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee last week on the impacts of climate change to the outdoor industry.Hutcheson is a longtime fly fishing guide in Northwest Montana and owns Lary’s Fly and Supply in Columbia Falls.She is also the outfitter of record for Glacier Raft Co and Glacier Anglers in West Glacier which has 185 employees and 100 river guides.“My career is one of the 29,453 jobs directly supported by outdoor recreation in our state,” she said.She noted that more than 700,000 people a year book a guided trip while in Montana....
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The Hungry Horse News has been in publication since 1946. It is the only weekly newspaper in Montana to win a Pulitzer Prize and has a reputation for fine photography of the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park. It is housed in a log cabin in Columbia Falls. Visitors with story ideas are always welcome to stop by.
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