Flathead Beacon

A binational study board examining decades of coal mine pollution in the Elk-Kootenai watershed has postponed the release of its draft Final Report to late November and secured a second extension on its final deadline, pushing its recommendations to Feb. 5, 2027. The International Elk-Kootenai Watershed Study Board had planned to release the draft Sept. 30, opening a public comment period that would have run through Oct. 16.

Montana’s small business owners work hard, create jobs, and build communities. They are also some of the Montanans most likely to face litigation as they navigate the complexities of employment, contracts, partnerships, and insurance disputes. They need judges who are experienced, fair, and consistent in their application of the law. Montanans value fair, unbiased courts and judges who interpret our laws and Constitution consistently and reliably.

Wildlife Commissioners also unanimously rejected citizen petitions for 24-hour trap checks and mandatory bear spray By Jules Lingenfelter September 28, 2026 A wolf slinks through the grass at dawn in the North Fork area of Glacier National Park on July 30, 2022.

Politics The Flathead has six members of Generation Z running for office this fall — the highest number anywhere in the state. Their experiences running for office, serving as leaders, and the issues they’re focused on, help illustrate how the next generation could shape Montana’s future By Mariah Thomas September 28, 2026 The Capitol in Helena on Jan. 15, 2025.

Where: 164 Bitterroot Estates Drive Price: $649,000 What: Three-bedroom, three-bath home Square Feet: 2,904 This 1.15-acre property is fully fenced, with mountain views and a woodstove-warmed living area under vaulted ceilings. The finished lower level has heated floors and a custom built-in library, and outside there’s a greenhouse, a chicken coop, and room to garden. A backup generator, mini-split cooling, and built-in accessibility features round out the home.

“Democracy, the worst form of government … except for all the others” is attributed to Winston Churchill. He saw the flaws of democracy having worked inside and outside of the system. He also saw that authoritarians, whether fascist (Mussolini, Hitler) or communist (Stalin), were much worse.

Wildlife A former grizzly recovery coordinator says the internal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service directive would mean “a whole lot of dead and injured grizzly bears” By Jules Lingenfelter September 27, 2026 A grizzly bear track in the mud along trail in the Cut Bank Area of Glacier National Park on June 1, 2023.

It’s archery season here in Montana, and access to our public lands should be easy. When we hunt, hike, or otherwise recreate in a responsible way, we shouldn’t have to navigate a maze of legal uncertainty when we step from one public parcel to the next where they meet at the corners. Corner-crossing is the act of moving from the corner of one public parcel to the adjacent corner of another parcel by stepping across the point where they connect.

The Montana Supreme Court this week denied a new trial for a 44-year-old Kila man convicted of murdering a Hungry Horse woman and injuring her husband during a shooting in the parking lot of a Martin City bar in 2022, ruling the defendant’s due process rights were not violated.

Soon our lives and media will swarm us with political spending and mostly negative exaggerations about the opposition. What is essential is to regain a country based on freedoms, opportunity and compassion? Some of our national trends toward anti-family, anti-faith, entitlements rather than opportunity, and misguided empathy without accountability are examples of anti-American common sense. In a free America, opportunity is key.