Columbus
Hungry Horse News
Glacier projects 40% increase in revenue from campground fees
With busier campgrounds and a recently implemented fee increase, front country camping is projected to bring approximately $2.4 million into Glacier National Park coffers in 2024 — a 40% increase over last year.Glacier Park’s Public Affairs Officer Gina Icenoggle said fees collected from front country campgrounds in 2023 totaled $1.7 million, and brought $1.4 million in 2022. This year, some campgrounds will see a price increase of as much as $10, like recently reopened Avalanche Campground. This is among other general changes to front country campground fees, like a decrease in the cost of some group sites.The park has not...
City debates changes to landlord-tenant utility billing
The City of Columbia Falls is reviewing its utility billing for the first time in ten years, with a proposition requiring bills be in the property owner’s name. This would be a shift for some rental properties that allow tenants to receive and pay their own water and sewer bills. City staff in the billing and water departments requested the change, which was voted down when it was proposed in 2014. The main reasoning for a change is that duplicate billing must go to the tenant — who is signed up to receive the bill, and the landlord — who is...
Great Brain Project leads eight-year-old to investigate local law enforcement
Costin Banning invited cops to his eighth birthday last April. Fans of TV shows S.W.A.T. and 911, it was exciting for the whole Banning family when Columbia Falls Police Sergeant Brandon Rice and Border Patrol Agent J.R. Hagreen showed up to the party. Rice even brought Costin a warrant with his present. The charge? Getting too old. So when the Great Brain project began for Ruder Elementary schoolers, Costin decided he would investigate local law enforcement. His mother, Cassi Banning, started setting it up.“Every agency was excited and helpful, despite the fact that they were so short-staffed, they really kept trying to...
Wastewater treatment plans delayed
“You’ll notice on your agenda that we’re not calling for bids on the wastewater treatment plant project as planned,” city manager Susan Nicosia said to Columbia Falls City Council at their Feb. 20 meeting.The portion of the ARPA-funded project presented was originally estimated to be $3.5 million. On Feb. 7, the city received an estimate from engineers at $7.5 million. “Just today, before noon, we got new numbers. Now it was $8 million,” Nicosia said. A 131% increase that funding would not cover and took nine months for the engineering company to produce. A viral reactor for the site went from $945,000...
Wrestling for different schools, Fainter brothers compete
Western A wrestling saw two Fainters in the 113 weight class this season, though their alma maters don’t match up. Columbia Falls Wildcat Traic Fainter just finished his senior season a state champion, while younger brother Lyrik Fainter attended state for the second time as a freshman for the Bigfork Vikings. The sons of Steve Fainter and Stacy West, the boys live in Bigfork. Traic came to C-Falls for the soccer team his sophomore year — a good decision, it seems, as he was part of several high-caliber teams including the state championship crew in 2022 — but he has seen...
Kats notch win over Libby
The game was a makeup game for bad weather, for sure.But Columbia Falls’ 78-43 victory over Libby on Tuesday, Feb. 13 was also a solid warm-up before the Western A Divisional tournament in Butte. In a typical year, the Wildkats could expect to see a two-week layoff due to play-in games, but this make-up game proved to be a claw-sharpener before bracket play this weekend.Columbia Falls got off to a fast start against the Lady Loggers, notching a 22-6 advantage in the first quarter. The Wildkats added seven points to their lead in the second quarter for a 41-18 halftime...
Flathead Valley sends three athletes to XC Junior Nationals
The Glacier Nordic ski team qualified three athletes for the 2024 Junior Nationals. Maeve Ingelfinger from Whitefish, Findley Dezzani from Columbia Falls and Liam Browne from Kalispell will head to Lake Placid, New York, for a week of racing next month.The trio will compete in an individual skate on March 11, a classic sprint on March 13, a mass start classic March 15, and a mixed skate relay on March 16.The three athletes have begun fundraising to help cover the cost of traveling to New York and competing, which totals about $3,500 per skier. A GoFundMe campaign can be found...
C-Falls Man suspected of burglarizing ex’s home, threatening her with knife pleads guilty
A Columbia Falls man accused of breaking into his ex’s home last year and threatening her with a knife in another run-in pleaded guilty to a felony charge in Flathead County District Court on Tuesday. David James Bollman, 28, entered an Alford plea Feb. 13 to a single count of felony criminal endangerment before Judge Amy Eddy. Bollman, who initially faced counts of burglary and assault with a weapon, struck a plea deal with prosecutors earlier in the month. Under the terms of the agreement, filed in district court Feb. 1, prosecutors agreed to amend the charges in exchange for Bollman’s...
Hungry Horse News
2K+
Posts
2M+
Views
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.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.