Ellington

Timothy James Fox

Tim Fox, our loving husband, father, brother, dear friend and mentor, passed away peacefully with family by his side on the evening of Feb. 15, 2022

Montana's Senators weigh in on Russian invasion of Ukraine

Montana’s two U.S. Senators weighed in on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Thursday.

Police Calls: Wrestling team wants an escort through town

Police Calls: Wrestling team wants an escort through town

Wolf hunting and trapping around Yellowstone now closed

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks announced Thursday that wolf hunting and trapping in Region 3, which is north of Yellowstone National Park, has closed.

Logan Health - Whitefish recognized among top rural hospitals

Logan Health has been recognized as one of the top health care systems in the U.S. focusing on rural health.

Photos: Whitefish Ski Joring

Riders and skiers race through the course at the Whitefish Ski Joring event on Sunday.

Flathead Classic Sled Dog Race returns this weekend

After a 1-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other logistical issues, the Flathead Classic Sled Dog Race is returning to Olney, Montana this weekend.

Whitefish Lake state parks visitation continues upward trend, while Flathead parks show dip

As many state parks around the Flathead saw a dip in visitation last year, Whitefish Lake parks still rose in popularity.

District seeks firm to assist in planning high school expansion

The Whitefish School District is moving forward with planning for a possible high school expansion in order to address the enrollment increases that are occurring now and are anticipated to continue in future years.

Whitefish Theatre Company presents opening weekend of production ‘The Revolutionists’

The Whitefish Theatre Company is thrilled to present “The Revolutionists” as its third mainstage theatre production of the 2021-2022 season.

WTC announces auditions for production ‘Bauer’

The Whitefish Theatre Company is holding auditions for their final Black Curtain theatre production of the 2021-2022 season. Auditions for “Bauer” will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.

Looking Back: WMR reported a whopping 17 inches of new snow

Looking Back for February 23

John L. Hakes

John L. Hakes

Whitefish Community Library receives generous donation

The Whitefish Community Library has recently received a generous donation from the estate of Vera Jean “Connie” and Ira James “Jake” Heckathorn.

Vernon “Vern” Ingraham

Vernon “Vern” Ingraham

Barbara B. Leverenz

Barbara B. Leverenz

Patricia Leigh Kuchenbrod

Patricia Leigh Kuchenbrod

New visitor center at Waterton opens

Visitors to Waterton Lakes National Park will be greeted by the park’s new visitor center, which officially opened to the public Wednesday.

Lift operator still passionate after nearly four decades

“Wild” Bill Packer started as a lift operator on Big Mountain in 1986. Since that time, his enthusiasm hasn’t waned a bit, as anyone can tell who has heard his energetic catchphrase: “It’s here! You’re on! You’re gone!”

Charles (Chuck) Kempner

Charles (Chuck) Kempner

NW Montana Scouts return to Klondike Derby Winter Camporee

After a two-year hiatus, young men and women from across the Flathead Valley were back to compete in the snow and test their winter skills during the Northwest District's annual winter camporee near Coram, Montana over the weekend of Jan. 21-23.

Lion Mountain mid-winter dog poop report

Here’s a mid-winter report on the chronic dog poop problem at Lion Mountain. In a word, disgusting. Although my dog and I have shoveled along the trail at least eight times this winter — sometimes just a few days apart — we’ve routinely encountered 30 or more deposits per trip.

Multiple Whitefish students selected for prestigious All-Northwest Choir

The Whitefish School District will have an impressive representation at the All-Northwest Honor Choir concert and conference in Spokane in mid-March.

Kindness in Whitefish

It is so refreshing to see the kindness that comes out of the woods.

Lady Bulldogs narrowly miss divisionals after dropping play-in game to Polson

The Whitefish girls basketball team wrapped up its season with a heartbreaking loss to Polson Friday night.

Thank you to Sen. Tester

I want to thank Sen. Tester for his extensive effort to reform Senate rules to provide an opportunity for productivity in Congress. Unfortunately, others have not been

Whitefish boys’ season comes to a disappointing end with loss to Libby

The Bulldogs were hoping for a Western A divisional berth, but instead their season ended on Friday night with a narrow 43-34 loss to the Loggers in Libby.

Keeping the riffraff out

I see that the well-off and second homeowners in partnership with the Whitefish City Council have rejected the Mountain Gateway, a reasonable low to medium density residential housing development.

Bill will protect waterways, public land and wildlife

Outdoor recreation comprises $7.1 billion of Montana’s economy and generates $286 million in tax revenue.

Whitefish’s Nia Hanson commits to University of Jamestown

Whitefish senior Nia Hanson recently committed to the University of Jamestown in North Dakota for swimming beginning next fall.

Bulldog Bodie Smith signs with Carroll College for football

Next fall, Whitefish senior Bodie Smith will be suiting up to play football with a new team as he moves on to the collegiate level.

Montana needs more housing

Montana has been discovered. We were the second-fastest-growing state in the country last year.

Free the Seeds giveaway, workshops return to Flathead Valley

Free the Seeds returns to the Flathead Valley March 5–7, for the seventh year of workshops and a free seed giveaway. This year’s event features two locations for the open-pollinated seed giveaway and free virtual workshops that promote real seeds, real food, and real skills.

Investigation: Zinke misused position as Interior secretary

Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a development project in Whitefish and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement, according to a report from federal investigators released Wednesday.

Library Board restricting our freedom of thought

What’s next? What is the next restriction that the Library Board will place on our search for inspiration, education, and information?

Displaced hotel residents receive checks from Whitefish businessman

Four days before the lights were set to be turned off at the FairBridge Inn, Suites & Outlaw Convention Center, the remaining guests of the extended-stay hotel received donations that could help them avoid homelessness.

Trovare's cooking classes teach culinary techniques for hard-to-find dishes

Chef John Evenhuis strives to make complex recipes approachable in his classes along with providing instruction for making dishes that aren’t easily found here.

Whitefish swims to second place at state: Qunell defends titles, Botner returns to top

Whitefish’s Ada Qunell sealed her high school career with a couple of state titles at the All-Class State swim meet on Saturday.

Bulldog freshman Aurund runner-up in State A wrestling

Whitefish freshman Landree Aurund finished his inaugural high school season on the podium at the All-Class State wrestling tournament in Billings on Saturday.

Bulldogs put regular season behind them, head into play-in game

After finishing up regular season play last week, the Bulldogs are treating their upcoming divisional play-in game as a blank slate.

Senior Erin Wilde leading Lady Dogs toward postseason

The Lady Bulldogs have been gelling and feeding off the fuel from senior guard Erin Wilde in recent wins.

Groomed singletrack on Whitefish Trail enables new winter recreation access

A trail with the snow groomed to a precise 33 inches across winds through the narrowing woods all the way around to Beaver Lake just north of Whitefish.

City Council to meet Feb. 22

Whitefish City Council meets on Tuesday, Feb. 22 beginning at 7:10 p.m. at City Hall.

Planning Board meets Feb. 17

Planning Board meets Feb. 17

Community Foundation to receive large donation specified for affordable housing

The Lack of affordable housing in Whitefish is an issue the Whitefish Community Foundation and its donors are actively working to address.

Whitefish Songwriter Festival to return for second year

For three days and nights, the streets of Whitefish will come alive with the Whitefish Songwriter Festival. Six No. 1 hit songwriters and 18 rising stars songwriters will perform more than 30 shows in the restaurants, bars and theaters of downtown Whitefish. Shows will kick off Thursday, Sept. 15, and will run through Saturday evening, Sept. 17.

North Valley Music School launches American Indian Music Scholarship

North Valley Music School, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching Montana communities through music education, appreciation, and performance by offering

Park Side announces nonprofit partnerships

Park Side Credit Union announced last week the exclusive group of nonprofit organizations the credit union will be working with for their 2022 Park Side Partner Program. Through these strategic partnerships, each organization will receive cross-promotion, shared advertising and a donation of $5,000 from the credit union.

Whitefish should annex for housing — Not more commercial

Why is the Whitefish City Council being asked, by their planning staff, at their Feb. 21 City Council meeting, to approve the zoning and annexing of property just south of the intersection of Highway 40 and Highway 93 for more commercial development?

Billie Orphey Hamma

Billie Orphey Hamma

Gary Van Slyke

Gary Van Slyke

Marilyn J. Feenstra

Marilyn J. Feenstra

Monique A. Jozwiak

Monique A. Jozwiak

Montana women dominate Idaho Sled Dog Challenge

Race reputed to be one of the toughest Iditarod and Yukon Quest qualifiers

Glacier Nordic team competes in sunny Jackson Hole

This weekend marked the last big travel weekend for the Glacier Nordic Competition team as they raced in sunny Jackson, Wyoming.

Flathead Valley ski racers have podium success at Big Sky

Ski racers from the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation team stepped onto the winners podium several times during a speed series for ages 12-20 at Big Sky Resort on Feb. 5-6.

Whitefish's Voisin lands 5th in Olympic slopestyle

Whitefish's hometown freeskiing marvel Maggie Voisin impressed in her final event at the Beijing Winter Games, just missing out on some Olympic hardware.

Whitefish Ski Joring is back this weekend

The annual Whitefish Ski Joring event will be back in action this weekend, Feb. 19-20.

Whitefish's Maggie Voisin secures spot in Olympic slopestyle final

Whitefish freestyle skier Maggie Voisin secured her spot in the women’s slopestyle finals at the Beijing Winter Olympics after a strong performance in the qualifying round Sunday.

Glacier Nordic hosts Carnival Classic race

On Sunday, Feb. 6, the Glacier Nordic Club hosted the Carnival Classic race at the Glacier Nordic Center at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course.

Whitefish advances four athletes to state, all placing 5th at divisionals

Four Whitefish wrestlers advanced to state after placing at the Western A Divisional Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Frenchtown.

Debra Kaber

Debra Kaber

Qunell signs with Colorado Mesa University for swimming

Whitefish senior Ada Qunell says there was a period in her life when she was unsure if college swimming was something she wanted to pursue. But once she made the decision, she was committed and wanted nothing more than to keep swimming after high school.

Schlauch signs with University of Mary for football

Whitefish senior Jaxsen Schlauch began playing flag football while in first grade and by fifth grade he was suiting up with pads for the first time.

Whitefish Community Foundation awards grant to help displaced hotel residents

Whitefish Community Foundation has awarded a $45,000 grant to Samaritan House to support the deployment of a temporary shelter for individuals displaced by the closure of the FairBridge Inn & Suites in Kalispell.

Carnival Treasure found

The Pitman family including Elizabeth and her brother Adam, with niece Lucia, and nephew Henry found the Whitefish Winter Carnival Treasure Wednesday morning. The Pitmans have found the treasure in some years past as well and enjoy searching every year.

Whitefish Range among regional wildfire mitigation efforts recently OK’d for more than $2M

Last July, lighting struck a remote stretch of wilderness in the mountains north of Ovando. The resulting brush and timber fire, the most recent major Northwest Montana wildfire, then scorched some 3,700 acres of Flathead and Lolo national forest over roughly three months until heavy snows finally doused the last of its embers in mid-October.

City, Flathead Electric partner for potential community solar project

The City of Whitefish is interested in partnering with Flathead Electric Cooperative to construct a community solar facility on the city-owned property off Monegan Road where the wastewater treatment plant is located.

WTC holds limited auditions for ‘Sense and Sensibility’

The Whitefish Theatre Company is holding auditions for two roles in their upcoming production of “Sense and Sensibility”.

Whitefish Community Foundation expands Community Grant Program

Whitefish Community Foundation’s Board of Directors recently announced an expansion of the Community Grant Program.

Sun Road reservations to be available beginning March 2

Glacier National Park announced that reservations to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road and to enter the Park via the Polebridge entrance this summer will be available on the recreation.gov website beginning at 8 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on March 2.

Don “K” Subaru donates to Flathead County Animal Shelter

Don “K” and Subaru recently donated $4,000 to the Flathead County Animal Shelter after dealership employees chose the shelter as the 2021 Hometown Charity for the October Subaru Loves Pets month.

ATP presents big band tribute to swing era

New York City’s Broadway and Opera star N’Kenge returns to Whitefish with one of America’s most electrifying tap dancers, DeWitt Fleming Jr, for a special Valentine’s Day weekend performance of nostalgic big band music.

UM Lecture series ‘Our Environment Matters’

The University of Montana Alumni Association will host a lecture series dedicated to explorations of the human impact on environmental sustainability.

This Act unites outdoor enthusiasts

When people think of Montana, they think of the outdoors. The state attracts tourists from around the world to witness the beauty of The Last Best Place. Whether you’re a hiker, skier, fishermen or avid snowmobiler, Montana is bound to supply you with outdoor recreation opportunities.

Lady Dogs pick up wins over Eureka, Polson, fall to Browning

Last week Whitefish showed its potential, earning wins over Polson and Eureka. However when faced with the tough team out o

Whitefish hoopsters hold on for win over Eureka, drop one to powerhouse Browning

Last week the Whitefish boys basketball team narrowly edged Eureka 47-43. The next evening the Bulldogs let one get away from them when Browning came to town and dominated 70-50.

Property values

Regarding the proposed Mountain Gateway 318-unit development in Whitefish, I would like to point out that people work hard all their lives and with their sacrifice of hard work they are able to buy a nice house in a nice neighborhood.

Opposed to Big Mountain Road development

So the City Council is deferring the decision? Does this mean it’s actually considering the project? A roundabout at the base of Big Mountain Road is supposed to alleviate traffic on Wisconsin. That’s a joke!

A partial funding solution for Whitefish affordable housing

After listening to comments at planning board and council meetings, the need for affordable housing comes front and foremost in importance.

Council rejects Mountain Gateway development planned for Big Mountain Road

Whitefish City Council on Monday turned down a controversial housing project proposed at the base of Big Mountain, saying one of the largest residential developments in the history of the city would be out of place at the proposed location.

Photos: Scenes from the Whitefish Winter Carnival LXIII

The 2022 Whitefish Winter Carnival LXIII with an 80s Rewind: Totally Rad theme went off over the weekend with people from all over joining in the merriment.

Glacier Nordic skiers compete in Junior Nationals qualifier

The Glacier Nordic Ski Team competed this weekend at West Yellowstone, Montana, in a Junior Nationals Qualifier of the Intermountain Division.

Woody Weekend registration opens

Woody Weekend registration opens

Marilyn Ruth Wilhelm

Marilyn was born on Sept. 29, 1936 in Athens, Ohio to Mary and Elton Frost.

Bulldog wrestling splits duals on senior day

Whitefish wrestlers took a win over East Helena and dropped a dual to Libby at a Whitefish High School meet on Friday.

Chad Ross retires as Whitefish head football coach

After 24 years with the Whitefish Bulldog football program, the last 12 of those spent as head coach, Chad Ross announced Friday he was hanging up his play cards.

Whitefish speech and debate finishes fourth at state tournament

The Bulldog speech and debate team had a good showing at the Class A State Tournament in Corvallis over the weekend.

Whitefish swimmers compete in large Missoula meet

Whitefish Bulldog swim competed on Saturday in a large 17-team meet in Missoula.

Whitefish girls basketball stumped by Browning, Eureka

Jimena Sanchez poured in 15 points for the visiting Eureka Lady Lions in a nonconference victory over Whitefish Thursday.

Bulldog boys turn on fourth-quarter heat against Eureka

Senior Talon Holmquist’s 15 points, with senior Bodie Smith also chipping in 13 points, led Whitefish to victory over the Eureka Lions at home on Thursday.

MHS Seeks Heritage Keeper Nominations

The Montana Historical Society is seeking nominations for people and organizations whose exemplary commitment to identifying and preserving our historical and cultural heritage makes them eligible for the Heritage Keeper Awards.

DREAM Adaptive Recreation’s Snow Ball

DREAM Adaptive Recreation has been committed to making outdoor recreation accessible by providing year-round adaptive sports since 1985.

Whitefish Theatre Company Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

The Whitefish Theatre Company has been approved for a $10,000 Challenge America award from the National Endowment of the Arts to support two live performances by the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band (J2B2), including one public performance and one free outreach show for Flathead Valley veterans, senior residents, and community members with disabilities.

Safety grants assist in Whitefish Trail project

Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety Board awarded a total of $10,000 in grants to community nonprofits at its Jan. 13 meeting.

Cabin Fever Days return

The 43rd annual Cabin Fever Days is coming up in a couple of weeks, but folks interested in competing the bar stool races down Martin City’s Sugar Hill need to get their sleds registered soon.

School board selects Elizabeth Pitman as newest trustee

A local veterinarian, Dr. Elizabeth Pitman, was unanimously chosen the during a meeting last week to fill a vacant Whitefish School Board trustee position.

Whitefish School Board January notebook

The Whitefish School Board of Trustees met mid-January and discussed a variety of topics.

Whitefish Interim Police Chief cleared of misconduct

State officials have cleared Whitefish Interim Police Chief Bridger Kelch regarding allegations of misconduct.

City’s water main project gets the go-ahead

At a January meeting, the Whitefish City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the Spokane Avenue Water Main Replacement Project.

Whitefish Theatre Company hosts father-daughter ball

On Friday, Feb. 4, the Whitefish Theatre Company invites you to attend the seventh annual Father-Daughter Winter Ball.

Whitefish local looks forward to hitting the slopes again on new mono-ski

Jeff Lozeau is excited to go skiing and experience the smell of the snow and the sound of the edges digging into the turns. It’s been a while since he’s been on the slopes.

Equine therapy ranch horse arena collapses from heavy snow, faulty structure

Heavy snow made heavier by rain caused the riding arena to collapse early Saturday morning at the Stillwater Horse Whispers Ranch just north of Whitefish on Highway 93.

The Russian demonstration

We get news reports and pictures all the time recently of the massive Russian buildup of troops on the Ukraine border. We see them training with heavy weapons like tanks, helicopters and artillery, as though they are preparing for the order to invade their neighbor.

City Council preview for Feb. 7

Whitefish City Council meets on Monday, Feb. 7 beginning at 7:10 p.m. at City Hall.

Donors threaten to pull support over housing project, officials say decision can’t be based losing donations

A set of recent emails sent to Whitefish city officials reveal that many wealthy donors would likely cease support of nonprofit organizations in the community and more specifically the construction of proposed future affordable housing projects if a large-scale development is approved at the base of Big Mountain Road.

New pro baseball team reveals name and mascot

The Flathead Valley’s new professional baseball team on Wednesday revealed its brand as the Glacier Range Riders, along with a mountain goat mascot.

Shot clock, baseball, OK'd by MHSA

Changes are coming to the high school sports landscape.

New Town Pump south of town opens

The new Town Pump gas station and convenience store at the intersection of Highway 93 and Montana 40 opened quietly on Dec. 16.

Mountain Gateway will provide needed housing solutions

“Our lives begin to end when we become silent about the things that matter,” is what Carol Atkinson said on Jan. 18 to drum up support from Whitefish City Council to oppose the passage of the Mountain Gateway development.

Why Do Politicians Lie?

We’ve all heard the quip, “how do you know when a politician is lying?” Answer: His lips are moving.

Legals for February, 2 2022