Wednesday, November 27
Local nonprofit finds and fundraises new baseball field
The field, between the church and Rising Mountains Assisted Living, has a sweeping view of the mountains and room to build. BYBA started leasing the land from the Roman Catholic Bishop of Helena Oct. 1 and got straight to work.
Gunlock signs with BYU
Senior standout Braeden Gunlock has officially signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her academic and athletic career at Brigham Young University.
HAPPENINGS: Butter Baller, VFW Thanksgiving dinner, Shop small Saturday
Bigfork Butter Baller on the Bigfork side of the Swan River Nature Trail, 9 a.m. All donations received will go to the BHS CrossCountry team.
BLOTTER: Arguments amongst housemates
In Bigfork, a caller reported their roommate was drunkenly threatening members of the house, punching things and slamming doors.
Creston bird walk, Bigfork Christmas bird count upcoming
Michell DeLeon Tyler will lead a walk on Sunday, Dec. 1 at the Creston Fish Hatchery from 8 a.m. until about 10 a.m.
Fuels reduction project planned near Condon
Flathead National Forest is seeking public input on the environmental assessment for the Rumbling Owl Fuels Reduction Project.
Commissioners must address PILT underpayments
For the record, PILT is not a form of governmental handout, it is required by law. Additionally, we believe that legislation is clear that it is up to county commissioners to negotiate with PILT to make certain these payments are reasonable to the local taxpayer.
Bigfork bridge replacement to begin this December
“[The contactors’] plan is to start the first week of December with some initial stuff that has to happen; getting set up, staging, and then they’ll get the crane, they’ll start removing the old bridge,” MDT district construction engineer John Schmidt said.
Community asks BLUAC to consider zoning in updated neighborhood plan
The Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee heard from residents of Peaceful Drive during public comment at their meeting Thursday night, frustrated at the state of the Northshore Woods housing development.
Black-powder enthusiasts gather for Fort Connah Turkey Shoot
Around 25 spectators and black-powder enthusiasts gathered for a Turkey Shoot, with turkeys awarded to the best shots in three contests. The winner of a poker shoot received a cast-iron cooking pot.
Elementary bleachers to be replaced
The 40-year-old out-of-code elementary school bleachers have been slated for replacement. Tutt Construction of Billings has given an estimate of $79,000 for the project. The school will carry out some demolition to keep the project under the $80,000 requirement to go out to bid. The board unanimously approved the project.
PHOTOS: Christmas tree lighting
Despite winter storms and power outages throughout the valley, hundreds gathered to watch Bigfork’s Christmas tree lighting at Bigfork Inn Saturday, Nov. 23.
Whitefish speech and debate students safe after bus fire in Ronan
A Rocky Mountain Transportation activity bus caught fire Saturday after transporting the Whitefish High School speech and debate team to a tournament in Ronan.
Alpine enigmas: Researchers work to improve management of bighorns, mountain goats
“The capture is the hardest part, and the biggest part, manpower-wise,” said Dan Walsh, leader of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, and Distinguished Affiliate Faculty within the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana. “This is dangerous terrain.”
Wednesday, November 20
Bigfork Fire lieutenant dismissed following misconduct investigation
The Bigfork Fire District Board of Trustees held a special meeting Thursday night for a disciplinary decision regarding Lieutenant Sean Reffner, who faced allegations of misconduct relating to the sexual harassment of female coworkers.
Embracing Small Business Saturday: Why shopping local matters for our communities
Rural and local businesses face unique pressures. They compete not only with the convenience of online shopping but also with the often lower prices offered by big-box stores.
Bigfork school board reviews four-day week feedback
Of the feedback received, 68.4% of total parents were in favor of a four-day week. Sixty-six percent of staff responded to the survey, with a 79% vote for four days.
Bigfork’s first esports team headed into playoffs
“My motivation for starting the whole program was, it’s actually the fastest growing source of scholarship money in the country right now, esports scholarships. So, it’s something that’s really growing and I want to get our area involved in it early so we can be leaders in that kind of push,” team captain Lance Peterson said.
Speech and debate starts season strong
“Every member of the team we took to the meet made it to finals which is unheard of,” coach Shirley Stine said.
Vals play tough at State
The Valkyries ended their regular season with a 67% win rate. Bigfork will lose seniors Piper Lee, a leading hitter and server, and setter Taylor Howlett, with top assist and block stats. They will hope to return freshman Maddie Corona next season, leading hitter, as well as remaining younger team members who will benefit from the experience of a state tournament.
‘The Nutcracker’ coming to Bigfork
The Northwest Ballet Company will perform “The Nutcracker” at Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts over Thanksgiving weekend, a holiday staple in the Flathead Valley for years.
Gordon Walker, 88
Gordon Lee Walker, 88, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 9, 2024, surrounded by his family and is now safely in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.
HAPPENINGS: Bridge open house, Elves Decorating Day, Tree lighting
SATURDAY, November 23 is Bigfork Elves Decorating Day, meet in front of the Bigfork Inn at 8 a.m.
Single-hook restriction expanded for Flathead River
A regulation change in 2020 limited anglers to using only single-point hooks on the three forks of the Flathead River, upstream of the Teakettle Fishing Access Site. Commissioners approved extending the ban on treble and double hooks on the main stem of the Flathead River to Flathead Lake. The regulations do not apply to Hungry Horse Reservoir.
Wednesday, November 13
Choirs Collide: High school conductor brings new opportunities to Christmas production
Bigfork Community United Methodist Church is cooking up their third annual Christmas cantata, this year in partnership with Bigfork schools’ choir director Erik Heuchert.
Valkyries third at divisionals, headed to state
The Valkyries battled their way to a third-place finish at the Western A Divisional Tournament in Corvallis this weekend, their ticket to the state tournament in Bozeman.
Douglas Franklin Tillett, 80
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Douglas Franklin Tillett, affectionately known as "Doug," who left us on Oct. 21, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer.
HAPPENINGS: Thanksgiving food drive, Decorating Prep Day, BLUAC
Thanksgiving food drive, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Montana Properties 425 Grand Dr Suite B, Bigfork, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Everyday needs include canned items, pasta, peanut butter, cereal, rice and beans. Thanksgiving needs include stuffing, gravy, corn, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, etc. Contact 406-837-1800 for more info.
The value of school trust lands
Montana now has more new residents defined as five years or so than old. That means perhaps that someone should tell the story of what is now spoken of as public lands as different from Glacier Nat
MDT to host open house for Bigfork Bridge ahead of construction
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) will begin work to replace the Bridge Street Bridge with a new single-lane steel truss bridge this winter and is hosting an open house to celebrate the 100-year-old downtown fixture and share details about the upcoming project next week.
Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre holding auditions for ‘White Christmas’ musical
Auditions will be at Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre Afterschool Arts CENTER, 833 Grand Ave on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Grades 3-4 will audition from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m; grades 5-7 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Grades 8-12 and adults from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Fire knocks out radio station’s transmitter building near Creston
A fire engulfed local radio station KOFI’s AM transmitter building early Saturday morning.
Wednesday, November 6
PHOTOS: Vikes vs.Dogs
Whitefish 24 Bigfork 21 Vikings finish 5th in Western A
Unwavering belief in the American people
“Before all else, the people have a right to an electoral system free of shenanigans and capable of yielding honest, responsible, and responsive government open to all and shaped to meet the needs of all.” — Mike Mansfield, 1974.
Bigfork Fire lieutenant faces sexual harassment allegations
The Bigfork Fire District on Monday held a due process meeting for Lt. Sean Reffner on the allegations at Bigfork High School. Reffner, a member of the Bigfork Fire Department since April 2021, was placed on administrative suspension on Sept. 18 after officials received 20 allegations of misconduct.
Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray to visit Bigfork Library
Flathead County Library kicks off a Montana Poet Lecture Series Nov. 8 with a presentation by Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray as part to the Montana Conversations program sponsored by Humanities Montana.
Elves needed for Christmas preparations next weekend
The day will kick off with a free breakfast at the Garden Bar at 8 a.m. From there, Lead Elf Michelle Mank will give further instructions and split up the group to help with cutting trees, making new bows and fluffing old ones at Taco Loco or checking light strands at the Garden Bar.
Bigfork seeks community input on four-day school week
In an effort to gauge interest in a four-day school week, Bigfork School District has released an online survey open to parents, community members and staff. “We’ll be able to extrapolate the information and say, ‘What do the elementary parents think? What does the elementary staff think?’” superintendent Tom Stack explained during an October School Board meeting.
‘Montana Legends’ food donation for vets on Friday
The Montana Legends Memorial Run for the Vets annual food donation to the Northwest Montana Veterans Food pantry will be this Friday, Nov. 8 at noon at Bigfork Harvest Foods on HWY 35 in Bigfork.
HAPPENINGS: Genealogy classes, Science on Tap, poet lecture series
Geared toward individuals and families aged 13 and older, learn personal researching skills, connect with family history groups, and get expert help navigating genealogical sites from instructors Diane Denney and Susie Hill from Kalispell’s FamilySearch Center.
Teenager held for Halloween shooting in Kalispell
Authorities arrested a 14-yearold boy on a pending attempted deliberate homicide charge following a Halloween shooting in Kalispell that left another teenager hospitalized.
BLOTTER: Campaign worker knocked down in driveway
A caller doing campaign work in Lakeside was allegedly knocked to the ground by the resident of a house they were visiting.
Man who killed eagles on Flathead Indian Reservation gets nearly 4 years in prison
The defendant and others killed at least 118 eagles, 107 hawks and as many as 3,600 birds overall, prosecutors said.
PHOTOS: Senior Night spikers
The Vals lost 3-2 to Polson at home last Tuesday, Oct. 29. They went on to win over Browning and Ronan to advance to the divisional tournament, where they will first face Frenchtown at Corvallis High School, Thursday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m.
