Valley Journal

Home > News > Seniors POLSON — Check out our St. Patrick’s Day menu. Wear your favorite costume. We have a position open for part time cook’s helper. Job applications are available at the senior center from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays. Limited rides are available for seniors with 24 hr. notice ($8 round trip). We only have one driver. Priority is given to health appointments.

Home > News > Business “The Water Keepers,” a documentary film that chronicles the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ groundbreaking water-measurement program, will be shown at Ninepipes Lodge on March 18. The 6 p.m. showing is part of the Conservation Speaker Series held at the lodge, sponsored by the Lake County Conservation District. Admission is free. Plans are also underway for a viewing in Polson on March 26. Admission will be $5. Watch for more details.

Home > News RONAN — A team of middle schoolers from Ronan made their school proud, bringing home the traveling trophy for this winter’s annual Lake County Academic Bowl. The Ronan team of sixth, seventh and eighth graders came out with the most points in the annual competition between Polson, Charlo, Ronan and Mission middle schools that tests the students’ academic knowledge in math, science, English, logic and social studies. The competition started with a mixer on Dec.

Home > Opinion > Columns Last week focused on the myriad things we – as humans – can agree on. What started as a short list morphed into something more extensive, so much so that it encompassed two columns. Turns out agreeing isn’t as hard as we tend to make it out to be. Who would’ve thunk it? But I’ll cut to the chase. And get us started with: We can agree to love laughter and a good joke. Some of us may prefer dirty humor, others silly stuff.

Home > News HELENA — To mark the third day of his 12 Days of Giving, Governor Greg Gianforte encouraged eligible Montanans to give the lifesaving gift of blood donation through the American Red Cross of Montana. “Blood donors save lives,” Gov. Gianforte said. “If Montanans are able, I encourage them to give a lifesaving gift this holiday season by donating blood at an American Red Cross of Montana blood drive.” The American Red Cross of Montana hosts blood drives year-round.

Home > Opinion > Columns Did you get your elk yet? This rifle season has been mild, and elk and deer have been widely dispersed and hard to find. Is changing climate influencing wildlife and hunting? While our weather is variable from year to year, Montana has been warming and drying with increasing greenhouse gas levels. During 1950 to 2015, average temperatures increased 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Snowpack has been declined roughly 20% over the last 80 years, especially at lower elevations.

Home > News > Outdoors BOZEMAN – In new research published this week, work by a Montana State University scientist aims to explore the gradations in elevation-dependent changes in climate, including in mountainous ecosystems like those in Montana and the Rockies.

Home > News FLATHEAD RESERVATION — Members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation will go to the polls Saturday, Dec. 13, to elect councilmembers to represent four districts and one at-large councilmember. People can vote now in the main tribal headquarters, or they can vote on election day Dec. 13 at all the tribal senior centers across the reservation.

Home > News > Seniors POLSON — Effective Jan. 1, 2026, our Transportation (taxi) Service will charge $8 per ride, with a $1 extra stop fee. We only have one driver for each day. Call at least 24 hrs. in advance to reserve your ride. Priority given to medical appointments. Same day requests are seldom granted. Rides are available from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 to 3 p.m. on weekdays. This is the first price increase since 2007.

Home > Opinion A recent flyer distributed to Lake County citizens contains significant misinformation regarding the Montana State Budget. Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a special interest group based in Virginia, asserts that the State budget is “on fire.” This claim is unequivocally false. During the 2025 legislative session, Republicans worked collaboratively with Governor Gianforte to produce a balanced budget for Montana.