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A lot has changed at Beacon HQ in the 17 years since we pumped out our first 24-page paper. New reporters, fresh offices, breaking developments, explosive growth in the Flathead, and the end of our weekly print product. But a lot has stayed the same, too. Shoe leather reporting, up-to-date Glacier Park news, our power couple owners, Maury and Connie, and a deep connection with this valley that we love. Most importantly, we've continued to put out high-quality, community journalism that's supported by our readers and dedicated advertisers.

Taking a dive into the archives, we thought we'd share some snippets from our 2016 profile in the Columbia Journalism Review – "Why a weekly tabloid owned by Maury Povich might have ‘the best newsroom in Montana.'"

Click the link in our bio to read the full story, and to support independent local news.

Thanks for all your love since 2007.

The Beacon Team

#KalispellMT #FlatheadBeacon

A lot has changed at Beacon HQ in the 17 years since we pumped out our first 24-page paper. New reporters, fresh offices, breaking developments, explosive growth in the Flathead, and the end of our weekly print product. But a lot has stayed the same, too. Shoe leather reporting, up-to-date Glacier Park news, our power couple owners, Maury and Connie, and a deep connection with this valley that we love. Most importantly, we've continued to put out high-quality, community journalism that's supported by our readers and dedicated advertisers.

Taking a dive into the archives, we thought we'd share some snippets from our 2016 profile in the Columbia Journalism Review – "Why a weekly tabloid owned by Maury Povich might have ‘the best newsroom in Montana.'"

Click the link in our bio to read the full story, and to support independent local news.

Thanks for all your love since 2007.

The Beacon Team

#KalispellMT #FlatheadBeacon

A lot has changed at Beacon HQ in the 17 years since we pumped out our first 24-page paper. New reporters, fresh offices, breaking developments, explosive growth in the Flathead, and the end of our weekly print product. But a lot has stayed the same, too. Shoe leather reporting, up-to-date Glacier Park news, our power couple owners, Maury and Connie, and a deep connection with this valley that we love. Most importantly, we've continued to put out high-quality, community journalism that's supported by our readers and dedicated advertisers.

Taking a dive into the archives, we thought we'd share some snippets from our 2016 profile in the Columbia Journalism Review – "Why a weekly tabloid owned by Maury Povich might have ‘the best newsroom in Montana.'"

Click the link in our bio to read the full story, and to support independent local news.

Thanks for all your love since 2007.

The Beacon Team

#KalispellMT #FlatheadBeacon

A lot has changed at Beacon HQ in the 17 years since we pumped out our first 24-page paper. New reporters, fresh offices, breaking developments, explosive growth in the Flathead, and the end of our weekly print product. But a lot has stayed the same, too. Shoe leather reporting, up-to-date Glacier Park news, our power couple owners, Maury and Connie, and a deep connection with this valley that we love. Most importantly, we've continued to put out high-quality, community journalism that's supported by our readers and dedicated advertisers.

Taking a dive into the archives, we thought we'd share some snippets from our 2016 profile in the Columbia Journalism Review – "Why a weekly tabloid owned by Maury Povich might have ‘the best newsroom in Montana.'"

Click the link in our bio to read the full story, and to support independent local news.

Thanks for all your love since 2007.

The Beacon Team

#KalispellMT #FlatheadBeacon

A lot has changed at Beacon HQ in the 17 years since we pumped out our first 24-page paper. New reporters, fresh offices, breaking developments, explosive growth in the Flathead, and the end of our weekly print product. But a lot has stayed the same, too. Shoe leather reporting, up-to-date Glacier Park news, our power couple owners, Maury and Connie, and a deep connection with this valley that we love. Most importantly, we've continued to put out high-quality, community journalism that's supported by our readers and dedicated advertisers.

Taking a dive into the archives, we thought we'd share some snippets from our 2016 profile in the Columbia Journalism Review – "Why a weekly tabloid owned by Maury Povich might have ‘the best newsroom in Montana.'"

Click the link in our bio to read the full story, and to support independent local news.

Thanks for all your love since 2007.

The Beacon Team

#KalispellMT #FlatheadBeacon

🗳️ Flathead County's commissioner race has a contested Democratic primary on June 2.

Physical therapist and housing nonprofit founder Nathan Dugan, 36, faces off against FVCC political science student Colton Little, 20. Both are running on affordable housing platforms and hope to unseat incumbent Republican Brad Abell in November. Get to know the candidates.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/22/flathead-county-commissioner-race-democratic-primary-features-candidates-prioritizing-affordable-housing-crisis/

#FlatheadCounty #Kalispell #Montana #Elections #AffordableHousing #LocalNews #FlatheadBeacon

Glacier officials are scrapping their five-year vehicle reservation experiment in favor of a new long-term plan: hundreds of new parking spaces at "hiker hubs," a reservation-based alpine shuttle system, and a 3-hour parking limit at Logan Pass. The catch? None of the funding is guaranteed.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/22/can-glacier-national-park-crack-its-congestion-crisis-by-scaling-up-its-shuttle-system/

#GlacierNationalPark #Montana #GoingToTheSunRoad #LoganPass #FlatheadValley #PublicLands #FlatheadBeacon

⚾️ In their very first season, both Glacier and Flathead High School baseball teams are heading into state play-in games Friday.

The Wolfpack host Hellgate and the Braves travel to Butte — both with a shot at competing for the first-ever Class AA state baseball title next weekend.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/21/glacier-and-flathead-high-schools-eye-playoff-push-in-inaugural-seasons/

#Kalispell #GlacierHigh #FlatheadHigh #Montana #HighSchoolBaseball #FlatheadValley #FlatheadBeacon

⛷️ Whitefish Mountain Resort saw an 8% drop in visitation during the 2025-2026 season — 457,000 skier visits, down 40,000 from the year before — after below-average snowfall and rain at the base challenged operations all winter. The silver lining: a record 17,000+ season passes sold, and lodge revenue came in 5% above last season.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/21/whitefish-mountain-resort-visitation-drops-8-during-2025-2026-season/

#Whitefish #WhitefishMountainResort #BigMountain #Montana #Skiing #FlatheadValley #FlatheadBeacon

❤️ Sister Judy Lund of St. Matthew's Catholic School in Kalispell received the Spirit of Montana Award from Gov. Gianforte today — a fitting send-off for the last Dominican sister in the Flathead Valley as she prepares to retire this summer.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/20/sister-judy-caps-st-matthews-teaching-career-with-spirit-of-montana-award/

#Kalispell #StMatthews #Montana #Education #SisterJudy #FlatheadValley #FlatheadBeacon

🏠 Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley has launched "Grounded in Whitefish" — an ambitious campaign to build 10 homes a year for 10 years, prioritizing local workforce families. The city kicked in $250,000 from its resort tax fund, and the Goguen family donated land and funding to get it started. Learn more at a free open house June 10 at the O'Shaughnessy Center.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/20/habitat-for-humanity-kicks-off-whitefish-initiative-with-contributions-from-city-donors/

#Whitefish #HabitatForHumanity #AffordableHousing #FlatheadValley #Montana #LocalNews #FlatheadBeacon

🏙️ Whitefish approved new state-mandated zoning regulations Monday — but the fight over 60-foot buildings downtown is far from over.

Councilors added language delaying the height requirement until Oct. 1, buying time to find a solution that protects the character of downtown. One councilor called it "a hill to die on."

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/20/whitefish-city-council-approves-new-zoning-and-subdivision-regulations/

#Whitefish #Montana #CityPlanning #Zoning #MLUPA #FlatheadValley #LocalNews #FlatheadBeacon

🚦 Kalispell is taking another shot at making Main Street safer — this time without the controversial road diet.

The city council unanimously approved applying for a $25 million federal Safe Streets grant Monday that would fund two roundabouts at 11th and 13th streets, high-visibility crosswalks, and a long-overdue school zone in front of St. Matthew's Catholic School.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/19/kalispell-officials-apply-for-federal-safe-streets-grant/

#Kalispell #MainStreet #Montana #FlatheadValley #Infrastructure #LocalNews #FlatheadBeacon

🗳️ Rep. Ed Byrne, R-Creston, is proposing "anti-skullduggery" legislation for 2027 that would extend filing deadlines when incumbents withdraw at the last minute — a direct response to the late-hour exits of Daines and Zinke this spring. He thinks he can get 80 to 100 cosigners. 📋

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/19/anti-skullduggery-proposal-emerges-in-response-to-daines-zinke-withdrawals/

#Montana #MontanaPolitics #Elections #FlatheadValley #LocalNews #FlatheadBeacon

After nearly five years and a complete renovation, the historic Bigfork Inn is back.

Owners Michael Brooks and Kelly Couzens Brooks bought the century-old Bavarian-style landmark in 2021 to save it from being torn down for condos. What started as replacing the carpet turned into a full restoration — new wiring, plumbing, kitchen, bar and more — all while honoring the building's history. Now they're searching for the right operator to bring it back to life.

📖 Full story: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/18/a-labor-of-love-owners-complete-restoration-of-historic-bigfork-inn/

#Bigfork #FlatheadValley #Montana #BigforkInn #LocalBusiness #FlatheadBeacon

🗳️ The Beacon's 2026 Northwest Montana Voter's Guide covers everything from the U.S. Senate and western congressional primaries to Flathead County legislative races, the sheriff's race and more.

📖 Full voter's guide: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2026/05/18/2026-primary-election-a-northwest-montana-voters-guide-to-local-and-statewide-races/

#FlatheadValley #Montana #MontanaPolitics #Elections #PrimaryElection #VotersGuide #FlatheadBeacon