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Whitefish Pilot
Do-it-all senior Ainsley Scott to pursue nursing degree
Scott is a 3-sport athlete. She’s served as team captain four times: twice in volleyball and twice in basketball. She’s a two-time honorable mention in volleyball. She’s a two-time state qualifier in tennis and volleyball. With four brothers – one older and three younger – it’s no wonder Scott has a competitive nature. While she was born in Dallas, her family moved to Whitefish when she was 9. When she’s not on the court, Scott said she “likes to stay busy.” “I love doing everything. It keeps it more interesting.”Scott is the class vice president for student council and has been involved in...
Tis’ the season to be bear-aware
Whitefish Legacy Partners and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks are partnering to offer free family-friendly bear-awareness presentations and a hiking event. Justine Vallieres, wildlife conflict management specialist for Region 1, will be presenting information and answering questions. "The goal of these events is to offer folks free education about a vital part of our community—bears! It's about us and our safety, but it's also about them and their safety—how we can coexist on the same land,” said Haley King, education coordinator for Whitefish Legacy Partners. Vallieres was the grizzly bear conflict management technician for the last four years in Region 1, and prior...
Flathead Trails Fest celebrates outdoors
Celebrating the outdoors, the second annual Flathead Trails Fest is set for Sunday, May 19 near Whitefish.The event, hosted by the Flathead Trails Association, runs from 3-6 p.m. at Haskill Creek Farms, 1202 Voerman Road. Featuring local trail organizations, the day includes live music, free beer, prizes, food trucks, demonstrations, family-friendly activities and volunteer opportunities.Attendees will have the opportunity to meet 30 plus nonprofit and land agency partners that make up the network of trail planners, builders, fixers, and educators in the Flathead. Come give Smokey Bear a high five, practice shooting bear spray from a test canister, be entered...
River Plan is back on track with new leadership
The Comprehensive River Management Plan still has a pulse.In a joint release, the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park said they expect a draft plan to be out this fall.The plan will guide river management of 219 miles of the Wild and Scenic portions of the Flathead River into the future as the system sees more and more pressure from anglers, guides and private river users each year. “We are bringing on a new project leader who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Wild and Scenic River planning” Rob Davies, Hungry Horse-Glacier District Ranger said in a release....
Marathon and FishFest this Saturday
It's set to be a festive weekend with events to tun, shop, dine and dance the fish all day long.The 2nd Annual Whitefish FishFest is set for this Saturday, May 18. It will be a full day of festivities to celebrate Whitefish including the Whitefish Marathon, sidewalk sales, patio parties and more. Local retailers, bars, restaurants, and others are offering an array of sales, discounts, promotions, and give-a-ways throughout the day.To "Run the Fish,” the WAVE’s 17th annual Whitefish Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5K runs kicks off the day at 8 a.m. in Depot Park. The road races alone are set...
Spring in full swing at Glacier National Park
Sunny, warm skies during the day and stunning northern lights at night made this weekend a great start to spring at Glacier National Park. The road was open to vehicles to Avalanche Creek Trailhead, where it was a buzz of happy hikers and bikers. The Park announced a full state of spring operation updates on May 10. The west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road is undergoing the last phase of construction work that began in May 2023. The last 2.8 miles of construction will focus on paving Going-to-the-Sun Road, starting west of Sprague Creek Campground up to North Lake McDonald Road. Construction resumed in April...
Gianforte reiterates aggressive strategy for dousing wildfires during annual briefing
Gov. Greg Gianforte reiterated his administration’s aggressive approach to fighting wildfires during an annual fire briefing in Helena on Wednesday.Gianforte told the assembled representatives of state and federal agencies that his main goals during the 2024 wildfire season were aggressively attacking all burns and promoting forest management. He also called on residents to take steps to prevent fires. “We can’t stop every wildlife from starting but we can control our actions and our preparedness,” Gianforte said May 8. “As Montanans, we all have a role in preventing wildfires. It’s critical that we stay informed so we can protect our firefighters and...
May storm improves outlook, but drought concerns persist for Montana
This week’s widespread, wet storm has brought a measure of relief to parts of Montana reeling from one of the driest winters on record, but water managers say it’s too early to tell how much of that water will stick around to sustain streams, crops and forests through the hottest months of the year.“I think it’s fair to say that despite the pins and needles we’ve been on after that dry November and December, conditions this May are greatly improved from the last three [Mays],” said Michael Downey, the drought program coordinator with the state’s Department of Natural Resources and...
School levy request approved
Preliminary results from the May 7 election on the Whitefish High School general funds levy are in. The levy has passed with 59.8% of votes in favor. 4,122 ballots were cast, denoting a voter turnout of 39.41%. 2,465 votes were cast for; 1,624 against; 33 ballots did not vote. The permanent levy of $108,337 will fund teacher and staff salaries and meet the needs of a growing student body. The levy’s estimated impact on a home with a tax-assessed value of $600,000 will be $5.88 yearly.
Dark money interests: May 8 letters to the editor
Dark-money interestsMy great-great grandpa took the train from Kentucky to Whitefish in 1914, and we’ve been in Western Montana ever since. Our family is made of schoolteachers, railroaders and lumber workers, and we always loved Montana because of its quiet beauty and its friendly people. But now those neighbors and us can barely afford to live here anymore.I am so tired of Republican multimillionaires moving here from out of state, buying 5 mansions on Flathead and in Big Sky, then getting elected and saying “trust me - I care about lowering your housing prices!” I am talking about Jersey Gianforte...
Yeats family places acreage east of Flathead River under easement
A key parcel of farmland just east of the Flathead River has been placed under a conservation easement with the Flathead Land Trust.“I wanted to protect my land so it wouldn’t be subdivided,” landowner Luci Yeats said last week. “Kind of put my money where my mouth is.”Yeats and her late husband, Dave, planned on placing the land into an easement, as development pressure east of the river mounted. The land is farmland and woods on 76.5 acres. It often hosts an elk herd in the winter months.Four generations of the Loeffler and Rogers families have stewarded the land that...
Looking Back: Eighteen-year-old pilot decides to ‘ride it out’
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler50 Years AgoMay 9, 1974Assistant County Sanitarian Al Schoenhuth made a presentation to the Whitefish City Council about surface sewage flowing into the Whitefish River. Lab reports showed a series of six samplings, taken in the southwest area of Whitefish. These samples showed the fecal coliform bacteria count ranging from 18 per 100 ml. to 5600 per 100 ml. Schoenhuth stressed the health hazard of such surface effluents, which cause cholera, dysentery, typhoid and other epidemic diseases. 40 Years AgoMay 10, 1984The State Highway Department announced plans to resurface Highway 93 for...
Police Calls: Staying limber is not illegal
The police calls section is presented for entertainment purposes and does not reflect the nature or the volume of the calls received by local law enforcement.April 18A man who has been stretching and doing toe touches in a parking lot on Seventh Street for years was asked to do his exercising across the street. The caller said although the man was doing nothing illegal, they were concerned about young girls in the area.An approximately 75-pound dog fell head-first into a pipe hole in the ground and got stuck. The owner of the dog was not home but the dog was...
Student Art: ‘Pretty Peaks in Glacier National Park’ by Mahalia Horton
The art featured above is called “Pretty Peaks in Glacier National Park” and is a graphite drawing by Whitefish High School freshman Mahalia Horton in the WHS Introduction to Art class. The Pilot periodically features art from Whitefish High School students.
Meals on Wheels serves seniors from Whitefish Community Center
The Whitefish Community Center has served as the Whitefish hub for the Meals on Wheels program for well over 20 years. Around 40 volunteers deliver about 50 meals each day in Whitefish. On weekends, the crew delivers another 25 to 30 frozen meals. The service area reaches south to Happy Valley, west to Skyles Lake and north to Whitefish Lake and Big Mountain Road.For the last six months, Roland Mena has been the coordinator of the program. Mena lived in Butte for 27 years and worked for the Department of Health and Human Services before retiring about four years ago and moving...
Whitefish Community Center a gathering place for all
What was once a senior center is now the Whitefish Community Center and it is buzzing with activities for all ages. Tara Liard, executive director of the center and a self-described “huge advocate for community,” has been on the job for about a month and is excited about offering more programs.The building, located at 121 East Second Street near the river, was a senior center until a couple years ago when it changed its name to the Whitefish Community Center and began offering a wider variety of activities. Laird said the building has evolved into a gathering place.“Right now we...
Smokey Bear stolen from Tally Lake Ranger District
Striking the Tally Lake Ranger District office on Sunday, thieves made off with an American icon. At about 3:30 a.m. April 28, a pickup truck drove up onto the sidewalk outside the Wolfpack Way district office in Kalispell and its occupants stole the two-dimensional visage of Smokey Bear affixed to a fire prevention sign. The facsimile of the beloved bear was relatively new, officials said.“He’s our icon and it’s coming up on his birthday this year … You know, he’s near and dear to our hearts,” said Kira Powell, spokesperson for the Flathead National Forest. Smokey, who was born as the symbol of...
Whitefish squares up podium trips at triangular
Both the Whitefish boys and girls track team took second at the Mike Nicosia Cat/Dog/Viking Triangular on Tuesday, April 30.For the girls, Brooke Zetooney took first in the 100-meter run (12.52), the 400 (57.64), and the shot put (36-4). Also, in the 100-meter run, Rachael Wilmot was second (12.81), and Anna Boysen was third (13.61). In the 200-meter run, Anna Boysen was first (27.97), and Mila Maddock was third (29.44). In the 400-meter run, Wilmot was second (59.69), Hailey Ells was third (1:01.79), Kellie Klepper was fifth and Sierra Gibb was sixth. Olga Abramchuk was third in the 100-meter hurdles (19.87), while Drew...
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The first edition of the Whitefish Pilot rolled off the press Jan. 23, 1904. For more than 100 years, the Pilot has provided Whitefish with local news, sports and features, and has played an integral role in documenting the city's transformation from a railroad town to a bustling resort community.
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