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Hungry Horse News
Legals for June, 12 2024
NO. 1790 RESOLUTION NO. 428 DISPOSITION OF ABANDONED, OBSOLETE AND UNDESIRABLE PROPERTY A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 6, COLUMBIA FALLS, MONTANA TO DISPOSE OF ABANDONED, OBSOLETE AND UNDESIRABLE PROPERTY THROUGH THE SALES OR OTHER MEANS, AS PROVIDED BY SECTION 20-6-604, MCA. WHEREAS, it has been determined certain personal or real property contained within the High School Building as described below has become abandoned, obsolete and undesirable by School District No. 6. The property includes but is not limited to: • Books • Curriculum Material • Computers and other technological equipment • Furniture • Fixtures • Office and other equipment THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the...
Glacier National Park plows a little more than halfway through the Big Drift
Glacier National Park plow crews made it a little over halfway through the Big Drift this week and started putting up hundreds of feet of removable guardrails on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.They also started working around the Logan Pass Visitor Center.The Big Drift is a large drift of snow just east of Logan Pass.The guardrails are removed each fall and then have to be bolted back onto the road each spring, an arduous task.Hikers and bikers on the west side can go as far as Rip Rap Point and on the east side Lunch Creek when crews aren’t working.The weather this week improved — it’s finally warmed up after a cold and wet end to May.The weather this weekend is expected to be pleasant with the highs in the 80s west of the Divide and 70s east of the Divide.There is a slight chance of rain late Sunday into Monday, but will be scattered at best. Then another high pressure system is expected to roll in.
A perennial problem: Campers stranded at Blankenship
At least two campers are apparently stranded by high water at the Forest Service’s dispersed camping site along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River at Blankenship.The Forest Service has since closed the site temporarily to public access, though when the Hungry Horse News stopped there on Thursday, vehicles could still be seen in the access road, which is partially flooded.The water came up last week during spring runoff and flooded parts of the site, though not as badly as in previous years.The site became a popular camping area during the pandemic and has stayed that way ever since, as...
Man given life sentence for running over state trooper
By SCOTT SHINDLEDECKERThe Western NewsLife without parole was the sentence Flathead County District Judge Danni Coffman delivered to Jason Allen Miller Wednesday afternoon in the Lincoln County Courthouse.Miller, 42, was convicted of attempted deliberate homicide, criminal endangerment, aggravated kidnapping, possession of dangerous drugs and criminal mischief on April 19 in the Feb. 16, 2023, incident where he ran over Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Lewis Johnson on a U.S. Forest Service Road in northern Lincoln County near Koocanusa Bridge.The incident, which nearly claimed the life of the 36-year-old trooper, followed a police chase that began in Eureka when authorities sought the...
Columbia Falls native recognized by Montana State
By ETHAN VANDENBOSCHHungry Horse NewsA Columbia Falls alumna was recently honored by Montana State University.Anna Pickard graduated from MSU this spring, and she received the College of Education, Health, and Human Development’s “Outstanding Graduate,” award.She was honored on May 9 at the graduation ceremony for her professionalism and work with her peers. Pickard was the only graduate from her major to receive this award and was nominated by her professors. Her mother Marna Pickard works at Ruder Elementary as a counselor, and her grandmother Mary Hagen also had a career as an educator but has since retired.“I’ve seen them help shape who...
Jennifer Golan, 54
Jennifer Nelson Golan, 54 of Columbia Falls, passed away on Feb. 23, 2024, after navigating cancer diagnoses and treatments for over 15 years. She was born June 3, 1969, in Mesa, Arizona, to Laura B. Cherrington (Hovland) and the late Donald J. Nelson. She grew up in Whitefish and graduated from Whitefish High School and Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. She lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area for ten years before returning to the Flathead Valley to live in Columbia Falls for the past 20 years. Professionally, she was a graphic designer and project manager. Jennifer enjoyed cooking, travel, arts and crafts, hiking, relaxing on the river and lakes, and spending time with good friends and her dog, Alta. Her family, especially her boys Noah and Kai, meant the world to her; she was their number one fan, supporting them passionately in all their sports and activities. She is survived by her husband of 22 years, Alon Golan; children, Noah A. and Kai M. Golan; brother, Chris Nelson (Christy); and mother, Laura Cherrington (Donnie). A celebration of Jennifer’s life will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. on June 21, at the COOP in Columbia Falls.
Carroll M. Jones, 70
Carroll M. Jones, 70, passed away on May 21, 2024, surrounded by his loving family at the Jones family home in Columbia Falls. Born to Edward and Esther (Wagner) Jones on Sept. 9, 1953, at Whitefish Hospital, Carroll was the fourth of his siblings, Robert, Fred, Doug, Lorie and David. He grew up and graduated from high school in Columbia Falls, and obtained his mechanic’s license through trade school. At an early age, his interest began in car mechanics when learning how to clean engine parts for his dad in the family garage. He spent many summers mowing neighbors’ lawns to...
Opinion: Christman recalls flood
The Great Flood of 1964 had a profound effect upon my life. In fact, in my stories of “Tales of a Misspent Youth,” the day of the flood became a directional point, a remembrance that none could forget. And as they say, you had to be there, and I was.Even though 60 years has passed, I remember those moments in June of 1964 as if they were yesterday. I just turned nine years of age, yet even then I could feel the tension in the air as to what the river was going to do. My folks, 3 year old...
Roger Grant Anderson, 88
Roger Grant Anderson, 88 of Whitefish, passed away on March 28, 2024. He was born on Feb. 24, 1936, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Grant and Genevieve Anderson. He was their first child, a healthy bubbling baby boy. Roger was a loving father to Roger Timothy Anderson, Kristen Anderson, Wendy and Steve Stuart, and Robin Anderson, all of Kalispell. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Torrey Anderson, Tina and Jeremy Mills, Jesse and Elizabeth Franklin, Katrina and Keith Fletcher, John Stuart, and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Elaine George of Dardanelle, Arkansas. He was preceded in death...
Sixty years ago, a massive flood struck Northwest Montana
By WILLIAM SPENCEFor the Hungry Horse NewsNote: The following story was written for the 50th anniversary of the flood of 1964. Some minor edits and additions have been made.Sixty years ago the waters rose and rose until they became the largest flood in Flathead County’s recorded history.When torrential rains poured on top of a heavy mountain snowpack on June 8-9 of 1964, it caused, by some measures, one of the most powerful flash floods in the United States.Water poured down both sides of the Continental Divide, tearing out roadways and rail lines and ripping away bridges. Three dams failed. Another...
Death notices for June 5, 2024
Joan Elayne Chapin, 83Joan Elayne Chapin died May 27, 2024 in Whitefish. Service will be held privately at the convenience of the family. To send online condolences, please visit austinfh.com.Jennifer Karen Hull, 49Jennifer Karen Hull died May 30, 2024 in Kalispell at her home surrounded by family.Family services are being planned at this time. Darlington Cremation and Burial Service is caring for Jenn and her family.Sheryl Mower, 68Sheryl Lynn Mower died May 25, 2024 in Kalispell. Family plans are being made. Darlington Cremation and Burial Service is caring for her family.Elaine Schulze, 86Elaine E. Schulze died May 31, 2024 in Kalispell. Family plans are being made at this time. Darlington Cremation and Burial Service is caring for her family.
Community events: Concert series, summer camps, fire meeting all coming up
Concert seriesThe Columbia Falls Lions Club Summer Concert Series will once again be at Marantette Park this summer. Here’s a lineup of the shows on tap:• Thursday, June 27, 7-8:30 p.m., Don Lawrence Orchestra• Thursday, July 25, Heritage Days, 7-8:30 p.m., Flathead Valley Community Band• Thursday, Aug. 8, 7-8:30 p.m., Roots Uprising BandAll concerts are sponsored by Glacier Bank. Free entry to all concerts, but donations are accepted. Any questions can be sent to Steve Melby of the Lions Club at (406) 249-5547Annual fire meetingThe annual West Glacier Community fire meeting is June 17 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m....
Fran Pletcher, 76
Fran Pletcher, 76, passed away surrounded by her loving family members on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2024. She was born in 1948, in Grafton, North Dakota, to Stanley and Lorraine Czapiewski. She was the eldest of four children. Fran spent her youth in Grafton and graduated high school in 1966. Fran met Jack Pletcher in Grafton, and they were inseparable from that moment on. Fran and Jack married in 1966 and spent 53 years together before his passing in 2020. They welcomed their son, David in 1969 and daughter, Stacey in 1971. A job with the Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant brought...
Opinion: Ashby on ‘64 Flood at Many Glacier
I was wet, getting wetter by the minute, and would remain so for the next couple of weeks. It all started for me when I came down from my bunk at Swiftcurrent and landed in a foot or more of water. I thought that this can’t be good … and it wasn’t! Thus began my adventure with the Great Montana Flood of 1964. I had recently come up from my home in Oklahoma to spend another summer working at Swiftcurrent Motor Inn in Glacier. In order to take advantage of a special Great Northern fare for Glacier employees to travel...
CFAC tours next Wednesday
The Columbia Falls Aluminum Company invites people to visit the proposed remediation area on tours from 1-3:30 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. June 12. Buses will be provided to take attendees around the site and project team members from the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co., the Environmental Protection Agency, and the state Department of Environmental Quality will be available to discuss the remediation process and answer questions. Tours will run approximately every 30 minutes and will last about one hour. Attendees are encouraged to dress for potentially inclement weather. There are no restroom facilities at the site and attendees should plan accordingly. Please call 406-207-4484 to reserve your spot or to request special assistance.
Opinion: Superintendent explains levy impacts
The past four months have been a whirlwind of communication efforts to ensure that everyone had the information they needed to make the best decision they could make for themselves during the May elections. The three levies that Columbia Falls School District 6 proposed during this election time were meant to provide the continuation of services to our students as well as some much needed repairs to our high school building. We felt that we provided the best information possible so all voters could be informed. The over 40% voter turnout demonstrated that our voters wanted their voices to be heard. We...
Swim season starts with Shelby 2nd
The 2024 Columbia Falls swim team is excited to announce the start of this year’s summer season. The team traveled to central Montana last weekend for their season opener in Shelby. With only 22 swimmers in the pool, the team brought home a second- place finish with 607.5 total points scored.“We walked into this weekend’s meet with no practices and I was extremely impressed with the carryover in skill development from last year. We are excited for a big year. The kids are very motivated this year already, and have some great goals they are working towards,” coach Kyle Babcock...
Court gives neighbors say in Glacier National Park inholder lawsuit
By CHRIS PETERSONHungry Horse NewsA group of West Glacier residents have been given intervenor status in a federal case involving a private home that many charge was built illegally on the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park.The neighbors, who filed the initial complaints against the home last year, are calling themselves Friends of Montana Rivers and Streams and include Monica Jungster, a longtime Apgar businesswoman and Mary McClelland, a longtime West Glacier resident, among many others.“Friends of Montana Rivers and Streams has an interest in enforcement of the Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act and advancing its right...
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation seeks volunteers
Hungry Horse NewsThe Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is looking for volunteers for a slate of trail maintenance projects within the 1.6-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex this summer.BMWF projects are free of charge, and no prior trail work or camping experience is necessary. The foundation provides all meals, group camping gear, tools, and an experienced Crew Leader who guides the project. All of their backcountry trips are pack supported, thanks to dedicated volunteer packers and their horses and mules who carry the heavy loads.Volunteers just need their personal camping gear, and a willingness to learn new things and work hard. BMWF...
Experience a goat farm en route to Glacier Park
By ETHAN VANDENBOSCHHungry Horse NewsFolks can now get a farm experience in the Canyon, with the new “Goats of Glacier” facility in Coram.Carter Harris, 19-year-old son of the owner Dustin Harris, manages the two-acre farm of over 30 goats varying in sizes, two mini highland cows, seven chickens and three alpacas to educate families about the intricacies of farm animals. “Goats of Glacier is an educational farm that families and whoever can come to have a farm experience and learn about where their foods come from,” Carter Harris said. Learning how to feed animals, how to take care of animals and how...
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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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