Thursday, July 31
Australian hiker stops in Montana during attempt to become first woman to walk length of the Americas
The 2024 Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Lucy Barnard, has set a goal of becoming the first woman to walk the length of the Western Hemisphere, from Argentina to Alaska.
Wednesday, July 30
The face of fear
As a state legislator I was always pleased with my dealings with police officers in general and the Department of Corrections people in particular. I found people in law enforcement leadership to be thoughtful, compassionate, and decent.
Voices of the valley: Where kids can be kids
It's the summer of 2025; I watch boys ride their bikes past our house on Willis Street to the Clark Fork River.
Independent film to be shot in Mineral County this fall
When Tanya Lewis earned her degree in media arts from the University of Montana in 2020, she was ready to dive headfirst into filmmaking.
Sovereign “Sov” Valentine, 56
Sovereign “Sov” Valentine
Mineral County Fairgrounds come alive this weekend
Get ready for a weekend of music, fun and community spirit as the 2025 Mineral County Fair returns with a packed schedule of events that promise something for every age and interest.
PHOTO Cornhole tourney in Superior
The 6th Annual 54 Cornhole Tournament was held Saturday in Superior on the lawn of Trail West Bank. Fortunately, when it ended, the awards ceremony was held before the day became blistering hot for the competitors.
Legals for July, 30 2025
Weather poses challenges for cherry growers
The dark red sweet cherries the Flathead is famous for have made their appearance. About a week and a half ago, cherry stands in Polson and along the east shore of Flathead Lake began selling local cherries.
Charges filed in Idaho newborn-for-trade case
WALLACE — Two Silver Valley women are facing felony charges after authorities uncovered an agreement involving the custody exchange of a newborn.
Six suspects charged by FWP in Bull Mountains poaching case
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens recently charged six individuals from Montana and Washington state for unlawfully killing several bull elk and mule deer bucks in the Bull Mountains near Roundup between 2020 and 2024.
St. Regis residents not interested in town water system
Nearly 100 concerned residents, including numerous business owners, turned out on July 21 at the St. Regis Community Center for a special public meeting regarding the possibility of a town water system.
PHOTO: Saddle club holds play day
The River Valley Saddle Club hosted the Alberton Ridge Runner Saddle Club play day on Saturday at their arena in Lozeau.
Montana State receives grant to support rural teachers
Montana State University’s Science Math Resource Center has launched a program to support rural Montana teachers as they incorporate locally and culturally significant place-based phenomena into their schools’ science lessons. The project is supported by a four-year, $675,000 grant from the National Science Foundation known as a Discovery K-12 grant.
UM, RMEF launch center to advance hunting and conservation
The University of Montana and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are excited to announce the recently formed Center for Hunting and Conservation to advance science, research, education and outreach to shape the future of land and wildlife management in the United States.
State launches bear relocation dashboard
In an effort to provide more insight to bear management and to keep local landowners and communities aware when black bears or grizzly bears are relocated, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks released a new online bear relocation dashboard last week.
Western Montana counties net PILT funds
Counties in Montana will receive $46.5 million in federal payments this year to cover a lack of property tax revenue coming from federal lands.
Big Beautiful Bill is a win for Montana
President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is a tremendous win for Montana. It will spur economic growth, strengthen border security as well as expand Montana’s energy sector and provide much-needed funding for our military. And thanks to the diligent work of the entire Montana congressional delegation, we defeated attempts to sell our public lands.
Land Board votes to authorize state water regulator to protest 18 water rights
The Montana Land Board last week voted 4-1 to authorize Montana’s water right regulator to file protests on 18 privately held water rights that are used to irrigate State Trust Land.
Tuesday, July 29
Lincoln County ask DEQ to weaken selenium standards for Lake Koocanusa
Rulemaking petition seeks higher threshold for pollution harmful to fish in transboundary waterway.
Monday, July 28
Missing rower was part of round-the-world team
As of Tuesday, Lake County Sheriff’s Department and Search and Rescue were continuing to search for James "Dingo” Dominguez, 58, of Cheyenne, Wyo., whose non-motorized boat capsized July 15 on the turbulent waters of Flathead Lake.
Saltese woman dies in Lake County rollover
Wendy Gareis, a 73-year-old woman from Saltese, died Tuesday, 15, in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 93 near St. Ignatius.
Wednesday, July 23
David Kulawinski, 71
David Kulawinski
State confirms natural fish kill in Noxon Reservoir
Recent reports of dead or dying fish in Noxon Reservoir in Sanders County are reminders that small-scale summer fish kills can be common when the weather gets hot.
Bannack Days: A town of gold, ghosts and grit
Running along the banks of Grasshopper Creek in Beaverhead County lie the remnants of a once-prosperous town — Bannack — the first territorial capital of Montana.
Kevin 'Peanut' Sterner, 54
Kevin 'Peanut' Sterner, 54
Mineral County Sheriff's Office report
Mineral County Sheriff's Office report
Bill includes $2.5M for Noxon bridge project
A bill that includes funding for replacement of the Noxon bridge is moving toward a vote in the U.S. House.
6 Bobcats, 5 Griz dot preseason all-Big Sky football
SPOKANE — As part of the 2025 Big Sky Kickoff Weekend, the league office has announced its 39-member Preseason All-Conference Team ahead of the upcoming football season.
Inspection station protects Western Montana waters
Montana’s Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection and Monitoring Program has been in place since 2004. Early discovery allows Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists to locate small or source AIS populations, while monitoring allows the agency to study existing population trends and investigate suspect findings.
Legals for July, 23 2025
Upgrades planned for Sanders County Fair
The Sanders County Fair Board Commission has outlined several upgrades and initiatives ahead of the 2025 fair.
PHOTOS: Dino Dig with Dads
The Mineral County Parents as Teachers program put on their annual summer Dino Dig event on Saturday, July 19.
Locals compete at O-Mok-See Nationals
The rhythmic thunder of hooves and the cheers of proud families echoed through the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds as the 60th Annual National O-Mok-See Championship returned to its roots in Helena, where the National Saddle Clubs Association was founded.
Wednesday, July 16
Montana Republican senators demand revote for party leadership
Members of the Montana Senate denied a chance to vote for state Republican Party leadership at a June convention are demanding a do-over.
Area SAR teams dedicated to their mission
But Tuesday evening, while they were training, DTSAR had the real deal when a...
Montana establishes grizzly bear conflict dashboard
In Montana, grizzly bear populations have expanded in both number and in distribution along both sides of the Continental Divide and in the Greater Yellowstone area.
Plains School Board fills vacant seat, approves homeschool partnership
At a special meeting held Tuesday evening, the Plains School Board addressed several key items on its agenda, including the appointment of a new board member and the approval of a partnership with a homeschool program.
Legals for July, 16 2025
Voices of the valley: How to read a tree
My two grandfathers planted and cultivated an apple orchard of 40 trees for decades.
Alberton celebrates its railroad heritage on Saturday
The founding of Alberton has its roots in the iconic Milwaukee Railroad, which began its quest for a route across America to the Pacific Coast in the early 1900s.
Dog rescue shelter marks a year in Mineral County
When Robert Harris moved from southern California to Superior last year, he brought some pups that were already in the care of the dog rescue group Rescuing Cujo and were in need of forever-homes.
Woodworkers gather in Plains for weekend of art and camaraderie
Wood carvers from across the Northwest converged in Plains this past weekend for a two-day event sponsored by the Plains Wood Carving Club.
Mineral County Fair offers a few new attractions
"Dusty Boots, Hometown Roots, and So Much More In the 54" has a friendly, welcoming title to it, which is the name of the 2025 Mineral County Fair and Superior LIONS Club ‘Go for the Gold Rodeo’ taking place July 31 through Aug. 2.
Clark Fork SUP races draw elite paddlers
The growing pains of the Great Montana Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Sprint on the Clark Fork River have developed into a sanctioned event that attracted more local enthusiasts, families and professionals from all over the world last Saturday -- with a world champion registering under an alias name to avoid a rush of publicity.
Entries open for Cabin Fever Quilters show
"American Beauty" will be the 24th annual quilt show Aug. 1-2 held by the Cabin Fever Quilters of Mineral County.
Mineral County Sheriff's Office report
Mineral County Sheriff's Office report
Wednesday, July 9
Voices of the valley: Plains Pool Park
In August 2021, when Dan Rowan was mayor of Plains, Dan and I made three trips to Costco in Missoula in his Ford F-250. Using my Costco membership and credit card — the town had neither at the time — we returned with a small pergola on each trip, and the town refunded the purchase on my card.
Temporary closure on Graves Creek Road
A temporary road closure has been ordered on a portion of Graves Creek Road due to hazards associated with ongoing road construction.
Bridge inspections planned west of St. Regis
The Montana Department of Transportation this month will be conducting bridge inspections west of St. Regis on I-90.
Great Montana SUP marks third year
"If you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly," is an old saying that means, "If you are going to do anything, do it the right way."
Rices celebrate 50th anniversary
David and Gayla Rice celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary over the 4th of July weekend. Their love story began under the sparkle of fireworks at the Missoula County Fair the summer of their junior year as students of Hellgate High School. They tied the knot in 1975 and soon moved to Superior, Montana where they have made their home ever since. David’s career as an engineer required extensive travel, while Gayla worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at Mineral Community Hospital. Their son, Elijah, was born in 1980, forming the perfect triangle of love.
Legals for July, 9 2025
Alberton Panthers robotics team brings home silver medals
Rising ninth-grader Mahlon Manson and seventh-grader Varuna Peeblson of the Alberton Panthers robotics team brought home silver medals from the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held in Atlanta.
Wild Horse Lavender offers farm tour
Join Montana Farmers Union and Wild Horse Lavender for free day on the farm with a tour, demonstration, and Farmers Union community picnic from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, July 23, to learn about lavender production/ distillation, high tunnel production, precision watering, Dorper sheep management, and edible and medicinal flowers and herbs.
St. Regis Fourth of July parade in photos
St. Regis Fourth of July parade in photos
Kvelve's Comments: Performances to remember
It was quite a year, and I couldn’t hang ‘em up without acknowledging the student-athletes who made this, my last season of covering local sports, a memorable one indeed.
Local organizations awarded grants from Montana Justice Foundation
The Montana Justice Foundation is proud to announce grant awards totaling over $1.6 million to 22 nonprofits across Montana working to expand access to civil legal services. This marks the largest single-year grant total in MJF’s history. These funds come at a time when many organizations are facing increased demand while navigating funding cuts.
Jonathan Hanson, 75
Jonathan A. Hanson
Tuesday, July 8
Montana, Forest Service, sign forest management agreement
‘First of its kind’ Shared Stewardship Agreement aims to increase forest restoration and timber production, reduce wildlife risk
Wednesday, July 2
Voices of the Valley: Montana poets and war
Montana poets and war. In two days, our country will commemorate the 249th year since the signing of our Declaration of Independence from England and King George III.
Feds vow to ax restrictions on 1 million acres of Northwest Montana forestland
The federal government pledged to peel back protections on more than 1.1 million acres of forestland in Northwest Montana, opening vast swaths of the region to potential logging projects.
Montana Viewpoint: My political hero
Pat Williams has died. He was Montana’s longest serving congressman, serving from 1979 to 1997. He had a sense of justice and values which he defended proudly and vigorously, often in the face of strong and outraged opposition.
Legion volunteers maintain highway crosses
For 72 years, white crosses have stood as silent sentinels along Montana highways as reminders of lives lost in traffic accidents and warnings to those who pass by to "please drive carefully."
Sale of asbestos clinic's assets on hold
While many wait on U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen’s rulings on Libby’s shuttered asbestos clinic, new court filings indicate the July 2 sheriff’s sale will be put on hold.
Legals for July, 2 2025
Food bank moves to temporary distribution site
When the Community Food Bank of Mineral County moved to their location of 45 Mullan Road West in Superior a few years ago, they understood that the building needed repairs.
Red, white and boom: Independence Day events
Independence Day revelers will have a long weekend to celebrate with the holiday falling on a Friday this year.
Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls
Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls
Fishing restrictions likely with unseasonably warm water
The Clark Fork River is an angler’s delight during the summer months in Montana. It’s known for its diverse fish populations, including several trout species like rainbow trout, brown trout, and the native westslope cutthroat trout. You can also find mountain whitefish, smallmouth bass, and even northern pike in certain sections throughout Mineral County.
CSKT reduces fire danger to moderate
Due to recent moisture, wildland fire officials with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Division of Fire have lowered the fire danger within the Flathead Indian Reservation to moderate.
Standeford heads to next level at Western
College recruiters are not just looking for the best player at the best position.
Kvelve's Comments: Thank you
It is a day you can see coming, especially the closer you get.
