We’re entering the “quiet period” in the uplands. Depending on where you live, game birds are pairing up and breeding. Nesting will soon begin in the southern states.  Up north we’re still a month or so away, but it won’t hurt to start adjusting your dog training plans right now. Where I live, I can afford to let my dog run wild during the fall hunting season, winter and only the chilliest parts of spring. I have a nice spot along the river where Jade can stretch her legs and run loose while I plod along on the trail, contemplating my developing contempt for winter. Stay Connected with th ..read more

WASHINGTON –The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that’s expected to face legal challenges and disrupt the lives of content creators who rely on the short-form video app for income. The TikTok legislation was included as part of a larger $95 billion package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel and was passed 79-18. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said in a statement immediately after passage that he will sign it Wednesday. Sta ..read more

Montana behavioral health nonprofits largely supported recommendations presented Tuesday to the state’s behavioral health commission, which is advising the governor on how to spend $300 million allocated to bolster mental health resources in the state. Gov. Greg Gianforte has already approved some allocations of the funds like $7.5 million for providers to conduct court-ordered forensic fitness exams to address the backlog in the state, as well as $600,000 in grants for certification and training for professionals working with Montanans with intellectual and developmental disabi ..read more

10:34 a.m. A woman was upset that her neighbor kept landing drones on her roof. 11:40 a.m. A regular complainant to 911 was told that noise complaints are not the appropriate use of 911. 1:58 p.m. Someone called 911 to report that his girlfriend had slashed his tires and he had no easy way to leave her house. 4:49 p.m. A woman who sent a check to an out-of-state pest control company suspected she’d been scammed. 5:30 p.m. Two dirt bikers kept cutting across private property lines. 7:32 p.m. Someone was concerned that drivers kept stopping along the highway to take ..read more

Whenever Jon Tester and Tim Sheehy file into my living room, which is during every commercial break of every telecast of every streaming platform, I shift my focus to the fireplace mantel, where the late Will Rogers is forever cast in the saddle of his favorite roping horse, Soapsuds. Several decades ago, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists put Charlie Russell’s bronze sculpture of his dear friend on the auction block, and I made sure I was the highest bidder. Ever since, whenever in the throes of an exhausting election cycle like this one, I’ve channeled the cowboy philosopher and hi ..read more

As part of the ongoing Vision Whitefish 2045 effort to update the Whitefish Growth Policy, the city’s planning department will be kicking off the first of four neighborhood-specific visioning sessions this week, and the localized events are planned to continue into June. Alan Tiefenbach, the long-range planner for the city who has helmed the growth policy update, has previously described visioning sessions as an early part of the growth policy update process intended to help the community form a mental picture of the future it wants, to establish shared values, and to articulate what makes the ..read more

CFAC/Glencore representatives will be in Columbia Falls Wednesday and Thursday, April 24 and 25. Don’t miss this opportunity to speak up for a brighter future and a more comprehensive cleanup of CFAC’s toxic waste dumps. This is a vitally important opportunity to not only ask questions at two half-days of listening sessions and presentations, but to let CFAC, EPA and Montana DEQ know, through your packed room presence, particularly at their two evening meetings, that you, and the community at large, want CFAC’s, EPA’s, and DEQ’s support in providing more time to study, explore, and find a path ..read more

8:42 a.m. A woman was wandering around a store feeding her fake baby. 11:08 a.m. A reckless driver in Columbia Falls jumped the curb and almost drove into a coffee shop. 12:56 a.m. A Lakeside resident pepper sprayed a loose dog that chased after her. 2:24 a.m. Two toddlers playing with a phone accidentally dialed 911. 2:33 p.m. A Kalispell woman was concerned that her neighbors weren’t picking up their dogs’ poop in their own backyard. 2:34 p.m. Someone wanted law enforcement help in catching a loose “chiweenie,” who seemed “bitey.” 3:24 p.m. Some high school ..read more

Lawmakers on Tuesday grilled officials from the Montana Department of Corrections following a recent legislative audit that identified a myriad of shortcomings in the department’s educational and work training programs at state prisons.  The audit, conducted through surveys at four facilities between 2020 and 2022, identified low participation in education and training programs despite inmates’ high interest, a gulf between the training offered and workforce needs, gaps in data collection and spotty enforcement of the state’s agreements with private prisons to provide reentry pr ..read more

A 24-year-old man has been charged with a felony count of kidnapping, a misdemeanor count of partner or family member assault, and a second misdemeanor count of escape in Flathead County District Court after he allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend in Missoula with plans to drive to Browning before she escaped in Columbia Falls. Adam Joel Whiteman was booked in the Flathead County Detention Center on April 21, where he remains on a $250,000 bond. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for May 7 at 9 a.m. before Judge Danni Coffman. According to charging documents, the victim called law enforceme ..read more