COLUMBIA FALLS — Kids were hard at work Friday planting trees at Hoerner Park helping Columbia Falls keep it’s designation as a Tree City USA “I think we’re 17 years now as a Tree City in Columbia Falls,” said Columbia Falls Tree Board Volunteer Member Paul Donnellon A total of 75 fifth grade students from Glacier Gateway Elementary School got their hands dirty learning the best practices for planting trees “We’re going to plant four linden trees here behind me in this park as well as have a selection of seedlings that we plant kind of in the forest nearby including ponderosa pine and western larch,” said Donnellon Donnellon said part of being a Tree City USA means teaching the next generation to protect and get involved with the outdoors “Just talking about conservation of trees in general as a whole as well as tree identification and learning about exactly what kinds of trees we live with here.” Fifth grade teacher Anna Pickard said it was fun seeing her students outside of the classroom giving back to their community “It’s a great thing for them to learn more about the trees itself and kind of their growing process and what each part of the tree represents,” said Pickard Fifth grader Ethan Spencer is excited to check in on the trees he planted in a couple of years I’ve never really planted a tree and seen them grow a lot,” said Spencer COLUMBIA FALLLS — After 33 years of coaching basketball in Montana Columbia Falls' Cary Finberg has been inducted into the Montana Coaches Association Hall of Fame Finberg started his coaching career in Dillon where he coached both the girls and boys basketball teams and won six state championships between the two “Coming back to my alma mater in my hometown I wanted to bring a tradition and a winning formula back here and the current Columbia Falls boys basketball coach who played for Cary in high school and began his career as an assistant coach under his uncle Chris said when he began coaching the Wildcats he carried an important lesson from Cary He'd go to coaching clinics and he would try new things at practice or maybe in games and try different things with different teams,” Chris said “The biggest thing he told me that stuck in my mind Cary Finberg’s willingness to keep learning brought him 533 career wins but some of the games that stick out are the losses “I look back at the 17 times we placed at state they just come up maybe a game short or possession short,” Finberg said “They were great teams and great memories there Those successful seasons will be honored with Finberg’s induction into the MCA Hall of Fame in July an honor he will share with four other coaches he admires “A lot of great coaches I looked up to growing up and obviously through my playing career and obviously early into my coaching career,” Finberg said definitely something special and definitely something I'm proud of.” The induction ceremony will be part of the 2025 MCA awards ceremony and coaches clinic on July 31 at Great Falls CMR High School Kicking off at noon and going until 5 p.m. the grand opening event will include a food truck Fresh off a Thursday afternoon session at the new Columbia Falls skate park Matt Holloway said that the conditions “couldn’t be better.” and founding member of the Badrock Skate Park Association said that in the few weeks since the park opened earlier this month it has at times resembled an anthill with just how much activity it’s attracted all attached in some way or another to a rider have worked over seemingly every contour of the concrete expanse on a daily basis “I don’t know where all these kids have come from that I see there after school They have come out of the woodwork,” Holloway said Sign up for our newsletter and get the best of the Beacon delivered every day to your inbox The hum of activity at the park is the result of a multiyear effort to bring Columbia Falls a skate park an effort which organizers characterized as having moved along slowly before things began to come together very quickly In their view the completion of the skate park is a cause for celebration and they’re hoping the community comes out this Saturday for an official grand opening event Holloway also said that pro skateboarders Cody Lockwood and Kevin Kowalski plan to be in attendance and should have a chance to showcase their skills for the crowd but otherwise the goal is to have a casual atmosphere another Badrock Skate Park Association board member recalled that the final permits and approvals were granted on a Tuesday; the very next morning crew members from contractor Dreamland Skateparks (led by Danyel Scott who is originally from Whitefish) were out starting on the skate park at 8 a.m Powell was also there when the park had something of a soft opening on April 4 Dreamland Skateparks had come out to seal the concrete which was pretty much the last task left to complete by the time the snow started to fall at the start of this winter 20 theft of tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of tools and equipment from a storage container at the construction site Representatives from the City of Columbia Falls came out after the concrete sealing was completed to do a walkthrough and then the fences surrounding the park were opened up “I mean even when we were doing the walkthrough there were people driving by real slowly to see if it was open,” Powell said and she guessed there have been 20-plus people gathered there every day after school in the weeks since Holloway said the park even has a lunchtime crowd of skateboarders who book it from Columbia Falls High School just to get 20 minute of feverish skating in before they head back to class Holloway said it was important that the park be accessible by foot which has made the payoff of seeing people get there without a car that much more satisfying the 12,000-square-foot park was originally designed by Holloway and fellow Skate Park Association board member Simon Smith with some additional input from other skateboarders and community members The concept was to have a park that flows very well; or as Holloway put it they wanted you to be able to connect through the whole park without having to push meaning there are opportunities to connect a range of points as opposed to just going back-and-forth between a limited number of spots and I think it accomplishes that really well You can be a beginner and have plenty of fun and you can be a pro and still scare yourself,” he said The Badrock Skate Park Association board members assembled in 2022 and started communicating with the City of Columbia Falls about the project but was reluctant to commit taxpayer dollars toward That meant the association had to fundraise over $800,000 if they wanted to see their vision become a reality There’s still some ongoing fundraising which Powell said at this point is for a few picnic benches The success of the effort has prompted questions from other people with similar ideas Powell said she’s heard from people interested in getting a local splash pad built and that she’s even been contacted by people in Butte about the possibility of a skate park there she sums it up like this: “It’s a lot of work it would have been done years ago but it takes the right people at the right time working together Powell shared some details about what attendees can expect She said that a $1,000 Roundup For Safety Grant from Flathead Electric Cooperative has helped finance a helmet giveaway and that there will also be giveaways of different skateboard parts and components There’s also going to be a work station set up for people to either build boards or install new components and learn how to maintain their board There will also be skate park t-shirts for sale Holloway said it boils down to the opportunity the park presents to the family that is the local skateboarding community “It’s a place where my hope is that the generations of kids can come and see the same value in it [email protected] The continued support from our readers keeps our lights on and helps sustain local independent journalism in northwest Montana Please consider a one-time gift or sign up for a recurring contribution and join more than 500 readers in the Editor’s Club Click here to read about the impact the Beacon has on the community. © 2025 Flathead Beacon, All Rights Reserved. Use of this site is subject to the Flathead Beacon's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy — Earth Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness about environmental protection and students at Columbia Falls High School took action to make a difference Around 65 students from the National Honor Society and Key Club spent the day on Tuesday picking up trash in surrounding neighborhoods all in effort to keep their community clean Students told NBC Montana that the Key Club helped raised money for the vest garbage bags and gloves for the Earth Day activity Multiple bags were filled with garbage from the designated area Deer Park School in Columbia Falls is the oldest school operating in Flathead County School officials say major upgrades are needed to keep the school running for years to come and we need to replace these two classrooms; we can’t function without these two classrooms,” said Deer Park School Board of Trustees Chair Cindy Barnes Deer Park School is asking voters to approve a $4 million bond on May 6 to replace the Quonset Hut and office buildings that are running out of space “One of the biggest components of learning music in the beginning is being able to move and feel the rhythm and feel the beat and unfortunately based on the size of the building we just don’t have a lot of room to let the kids run around,” said Deer Park School Music Teacher Paul Bruce Bruce teaches music in one of two classrooms that occupy the Quonset Hut we had about 30 band students in here with instruments and I actually had to rearrange the room to be able to fit them all in here,” said Bruce The Quonset Hut was donated to the school in the 1960s and is used for art and music classes The building is a converted gym and has no windows things are starting to fall apart,” said Deer Park School parent Ashley Young Young has two children attending Deer Park School and is worried about their safety “I want to know that my kids are safe here that the staff is safe here and I want to know that it will be around for my kids for the duration of their time here.” a new building over 6,000 square feet would be constructed that would double the amount of existing classrooms from two to four The building would also serve as the new administrative office space “We have a cot for a sick bay over by the copier we are always doing the juggle,” said Deer Park School District Clerk Gina Smith Smith said the current office building was built in the 1930s and is running out of space “So the bathroom does double as like the nurses’ station it doubles as a janitor’s closet,” said Smith a home with a taxable value of $300,000 would see annual taxes increase by an estimated $243 a year More information can be found here. The city looks to hear community comments on street designs for the Gateway to Glacier Safety and Mobility Plan Columbia Falls is moving forward with plans to metamorphose the Gateway to Glacier’s downtown and surrounding streets opening the design up to community comment next week in an open house on Feb The Gateway to Glacier Safety and Mobility Plan is poised to reconstruct 1.3 miles of the city’s roadways add 1.7 miles of sidewalk and one mile of shared-used pathways The plan will also upgrade multiple intersections improve parking and expand Americans with Disabilities (ADA) access downtown Improvements center around 4th Avenue North and South 13th Street adjacent to Columbia Falls High School “We are looking forward to the significant positive impacts this project will bring to our city for years to come and an upgraded water main,” Columbia Falls Interim City Manager Mark Shrives said in a press release The city is partnering with two engineering firms Texas-based Jacobs Solutions and Kalispell-based WGM Group The federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program recently renamed the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program awarded the city $10 million in 2022 to fund the endeavor With the aim of completing its design phase this September the city is hosting an open house on Wednesday project information and receive community feedback inside the Columbia Falls City Hall Council Chambers at 130 6th St The city’s anticipated timeline for the project is to begin construction this October [email protected] Columbia Falls School District held its first of three meetings to discuss ideas on a future high school enhancement bond Wednesday night’s meeting revolved around safety and security — Columbia Falls School District held its first of three meetings to discuss ideas on a future high school enhancement bond Community members expressed key points including efficiency traffic flow and the need for a safer way to get off the second floor in case of an emergency Jackola Engineering and Architecture was hired for the process and has worked with the school district in the past how can we make this building last into the future,” said Shane Jackola president of Jackola Engineering and Architecture and how do we make it last another 40 to 50 years for the next generation of students in Columbia Falls.” Columbia Falls School District hopes to receive input from the community on what they want the future enhancement to look like The bond is set to be on the ballot this fall To find out more about the upcoming meetings and bond schedule, click here He steps into the role after long-time City Manager Susan Nicosia retired last June following a decades-long career in local government After a lengthy search extending back to last March the City of Columbia Falls finally has a new city manager on the job who retired in August 2024 after a nearly 30-year career with the U.S had his first day as the city manager of Columbia Falls on April 1 Hanks had spent his last three years with the Navy as the commanding officer at the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island in Washington He steps into the role after long-time city manager Susan Nicosia retired last June following a decades-long career in local government including 13 as the city manager for Columbia Falls The city had begun vetting candidates to replace Nicosia last March and ultimately went through multiple rounds of unsuccessful searches before the most recent one ended with the decision to hire Hanks In the intervening months between Nicosia’s retirement and the hiring of Hanks the city relied on a number of interim city managers including former Columbia Falls Police Chief Clint Peters and most recently Mark Shrives Army before working in a variety of city manager and city administration roles as well as a stint working for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Hanks said that his time as the commanding officer was his first experience in municipal government and he described the Navy base as having a connection to a community about 25,000 people and another 15,000 people consisting of dependent families and retirees It was an experience that he said taught him the value of providing municipal services And it had all these experts and engineers and just great Americans to do it,” he said of the array of agencies and offices that the base relied on The job in Columbia Falls appealed to him as a way of continuing his work in municipal government but Hanks also described his appreciation for what he sees as the city’s small town culture and the stability within city government and city staff He also shared that his love for the outdoors made the job even more attractive “The mandate’s very clear to me that where we’re going right now is healthy It can use some improvements in different areas I need to work with the council and the staff and see where to make those corrections “There won’t be any major changes on how we operate While Hanks continues to get onboarded and up-to-speed Nicosia is currently contracted to help with the city’s budget for the coming fiscal year and there will be some discussion at an upcoming council meeting about potentially contracting Shrives as an advisor to help on a couple projects that he’s been working on during his time as interim city manager Hanks said he’s originally from southwest Louisiana and that he didn’t come from a military family but when he had the opportunity to attend the U.S “I wasn’t sure if I was going in to do a whole career After those first couple years of being a naval officer and working with sailors and Marines and Coast Guard just every tour got a little bit better and broadened the aperture of what I enjoyed doing.” He describes his first 15 years of his 27 total in the Navy as primarily spent focused on naval aviation During that period he served on an aircraft carrier and said that his role boiled down to leading people and taking care of people “so they can do the amazing things that they do to execute our national defense mission.” “And then the last nine or so years was much more at the executive level learning how the business of the Navy works or working with some of the senior-most people in the Navy and Department of Defense.” He said he’s married with two adult children and over the years he’s lived twice in Hawaii each of those tours would be like three years each you have to learn how to quickly assess the organization you’re in In its reporting on the change of command ceremony Hanks participated in ahead of his retirement the Whidbey News-Times credited him with spearheading work on spouse licensing access to childcare and healthcare for sailors and families as well as “reigniting” community outreach activities after the Covid-19 pandemic The paper also reported that Hanks ended his time with the Navy having accumulated more than 3,300 flight hours In his first week working for Columbia Falls Hanks has spent some of his time getting to know about the local organizations and agencies that work with the city and visiting with those entities when possible he went to a meeting involving local fire departments including volunteer fire departments and came away impressed That that many people want to come and work for the community on volunteer basis is impressive.” he said he also plans on trying to look for opportunities to involve the community more including by taking on more communication as part of an effort to help better explain and educate people how their local government works and in some cases humanize the work of local government “A thriving community is successful when the citizens are involved You don’t have to be a council member or come sit through a couple meetings,” Hanks said [email protected] COLUMBIA FALLS — A project years in the making has reached the finish line as the first skatepark in Columbia Falls is officially open it’s a worth a trip for sure," said skateboarder Andrew Hoffman Hoffman has been counting down the days until the new skate park in Columbia Falls officially opened Hoffman has been out riding every day since construction finished in early April I love the community skateboarders is bringing together seeing all the older dudes that haven’t been skating in a long time and they are getting back after it which is sweet,” he told MTN The new 12,000-square-foot skatepark has been a dream 10 years in the making spearheaded by the BadRock SkatePark Association Board member Ty Johnson said they worked closely with Dreamland Skateparks to come up with the design Kalispell got their skatepark and everybody in Columbia Falls would have to just go for a drive you’re going to have to travel or you’re going to have to find a curb in some random parking lot or something so actually pulling this thing off and getting it to this point is phenomenal,” said Johnson BadRock SkatePark Association partnered with the City of Columbia Falls to secure grant funding for the $750,000 project and find a location close to downtown at Fenholt Park Johnson said the skatepark wouldn’t have been possible without community and private fundraising including a special gift from Pearl Jam Bassist Jeff Ament “He’s responsible for the big back bowl back there so he put in about a $50,000 donation which is responsible for the custom pool coping over there.” The skatepark was designed with features for all skill levels you got like the smaller section and then the medium and then the big bowl which is gnarly but is super fun and there’s definitely a good level of progression here,” said Hoffman Spike Blauvelt teaches skateboarding camps and has been riding for close to 50 years this little toy will do that,” said Blauvelt He said the new skatepark is a major win for Columbia Falls An official grand opening party for the skatepark will be held on Saturday featuring special giveaways and professional skateboarders The Columbia Falls School District is in the process of creating a bond to enhance the high school facility Wednesday night is the first of three meetings where community members are encouraged to join and ask questions about the project COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont. — The Columbia Falls School District is in the process of creating a bond to enhance the high school facility Jackola Engineering will attend to share their thoughts and ideas Three main points will be discussed at the different meetings The April 23 meeting will be about safety and security with the schedule of the project The May 7 meeting will be about infrastructure with the budget and bond amount The May 21 meeting will be about 21st century learning with the design and programming “I just like everybody to be involved with this process,” said Cory Dziowgo superintendent for the Columbia Falls School District Provide any insights that we may overlook because again we do need the community input to make sure this happened.” All three meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m with tours of the school being available afterwards The bond is anticipated to be voted on in October Located at Sixth Avenue West and Eighth Street West four townhomes are slated to break ground this spring bringing a total of 11 homes to be built within the municipality over the next two years After years of preparation to bring affordable homeownership opportunities to Columbia Falls Habitat for Humanity of the Flathead Valley is accepting applications for four townhomes located on the corner of Sixth Avenue West and Eighth Street West a double lot the organization recently purchased for $315,000 one three-bedroom and a pair of two-bedroom households which chosen applicants will be responsible for providing “sweat-equity” in the construction process Income requirements must fall within the ranges of 30% and 80% of Area Median Income Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements for Flathead County the maximum gross income for a household size of one person is $49,000 while the maximum for a six-person household is $82,050 The application deadline is April 15 and construction on the homes will begin this spring Habitat Flathead has worked to secure multiple properties throughout the Flathead Valley over the past several years which will bring 11 houses to Columbia Falls within the next two years The Railroad Street East project in Columbia Falls is slated for six single-family homes with applications expected to open in May while a separate project at 209 Third Ave in the same neighborhood will have a single-family home all of which are expected to break ground in the coming months construction crews have been working on a pair of two-bedroom townhomes since last year According to Habitat Flathead Executive Director MaryBeth Morand home costs are expected to range between $300,000 to $400,000 The projects, excluding the Sixth Avenue West and Eighth Street West property, are located on Northwest Montana Community Land Trust property that the nonprofit acquired in recent years The land trust will own and lease the property under the homes built by Habitat Flathead’s staff and volunteers By subcontracting the cost of the land from the purchase price of the home and providing their own seat equity with Habitat’s volunteers the homebuyers can purchase the home with a small mortgage well below market price Morand said she hopes to eventually give the community land trust the first right of refusal for each property to allow the organization to manage the homes in the long-term “It strengthens the identity of the land trust to be the manager of the pool of affordable housing,” Morand said Habitat Flathead recently began using part of their ReStore building in south Kalispell to pre-assemble walls the facility is being used to frame sections for various projects The pre-production facility allows staff and volunteers to build year-round without losing days due to weather the facility helps reduce the price of homes by an estimated $4,000 by allowing the organization to stockpile lumber To donate to Habitat Flathead, visit www.habitatflathead.org/donate or send checks to 2535 U.S [email protected] Despite the theft of tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools from the Fenholt Park construction site the 12,000-square-foot skate park could be completed in December Despite a late-October worksite burglary resulting in the theft of tools and equipment progress is continuing on the 12,000-square-foot Columbia Falls skate park projecting a timeline for completion is dependent on how the weather plays out the expectation is that the park could be finished or close to finished on the early side of December also with the Badrock Skatepark Association said that if the park is somewhere around 95% done by the beginning of December there could be additional work needed in the spring to beautify the area Groundbreaking at the Fenholt Park project site happened in late August a board member with the Badrock Skatepark Association said that contractor Dreamland Skateparks has brought in extra crew members and that progress has continued at a good rate with crew members making do in the immediate aftermath by shifting to concrete work and utilizing trowels It’s estimated that tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools were stolen from a container where they had been stored Anyone with information is being asked to call the Columbia Falls Police Department The Badrock Skate Park Association and Dreamland Skateparks are offering $500 each for a combine $1,000 reward for information that leads to the return of the tools While the process to get through the various administrative and logistical steps was a lengthy process Powell described rapid progress since construction began every time I drive over there it’s like ‘Oh my gosh Powell said that excitement is still building “It’s really cool to see it coming to fruition.” [email protected]m After Mick and Wendy Ruis purchased the old Glacier Gateway Elementary School and donated it to the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation four of the city’s youth-focused nonprofits are finding a new life in its hallways Three years after developer Mick Ruis purchased the old Glacier Gateway School building in Columbia Falls the site is becoming a hub for the city’s youth-focused nonprofits creating a centralized location where families can access childcare food assistance and extracurricular activities The Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country which serves Columbia Falls children in after school and summer programming moved into the second floor of the building in April taking over the upper floor and nearly tripling its capacity.  Gateway to Early Learning Daycare is now operating out of the ground level Construction is making room for Land to Hand a nonprofit that runs educational and food-access programs.  which has been spearheaded by the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation Freedom Bank president and longtime Columbia Falls resident is grounded in the mission that “it’s all about the kids.”  “I feel like it’s just a beautiful blend of different organizations,” Bennett said.  the Boys and Girls Club was in urgent need of a new space after the small church building it had been operating out of suffered a water leak.  Following conversations with Bennett and community leaders rather than turn the old school into housing Ruis began the process of donating the building to the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation Bennett said it was clear the building’s “bones [were] really good,” and it made more sense to revamp it rather than tear it down and build something new.  the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation leases space to four local nonprofits for a symbolic rent of $1 per year and helps raise funds for infrastructure improvements and much-needed supplies The nonprofits are responsible for covering their share of utilities.  “Part of what our goal is is to just try and keep their costs down and help them be as efficient as possible,” Bennett said I’m so excited about the whole thing.” operations director of the Boys and Girls Club said the new space has allowed the nonprofit to serve around 140 participants up from the 65 it was able to accommodate before.  extremely cramped,” Crews said of the old location “One bathroom for 65 kids and five adults is not ideal.” the Boys and Girls Club sprawls out across a half-dozen classrooms where students have access to their own library hands-on science activities and arts and crafts Students have their own lockers and access to larger bathrooms With a $10,000 donation from Freedom Bank and a $30,000 Federal Home Loan Bank grant the Boys and Girls Club runs an after-school program Program administrators say enrollment has increased tremendously as has interest from local families.  “We’re able to provide more quality help to families,” Crews said noting the overwhelming demand for after-school care especially among families with working parents.  The Flathead Valley has experienced a persistent childcare shortage in recent years who are often forced to spend thousands per year or forgo entering the workforce.  Last year, Columbia Falls’s Nature Kids Child Care shuttered, leaving 50 families without childcare. According to a study by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry more than 66,000 Montana parents were unable to fully engage with the labor force due to family responsibilities and a lack of childcare center-based daycare for an infant or toddler in Montana sat around $11,700 annually.  and it’s been putting a strain on families,” Crews said By providing a low-cost space to both the Boys and Girls Club and Gateway to Early Learning Daycare local stakeholders hope to increase the availability of affordable childcare in Columbia Falls Construction crews are also working on a sprawling space on the building’s first floor which is set to be the new home of food access nonprofit Land to Hand.  Land to Hand will have administrative offices volunteer space and an expanded food pantry from which they’ll provide Columbia Falls families with access to high-quality installing commercial-grade floors and expanding doorways so Land to Hand staff can move pallet jacks through the space Updates to the building will be covered in part by Land to Hand and in part by the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation.  Land to Hand had been looking for a new space said the old Glacier Gateway building “came back to us in a way that was just so lovely.”  Boyer said Land to Hand is “thrilled to be sharing space with the Boys and Girls Club,” allowing for Columbia Falls families to access critical services all in one place The executive director said the nonprofit hopes to move into their new home by February.  Bennett hopes to see more nonprofits move into the building such as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Kids and mental and behavioral health providers.  said Ruis is “a huge advocate” of the local nonprofit helping make the ambitious project happen.  Let’s help the kids in the community,’” Crews said of Ruis.  [email protected]  COLUMBIA FALLS — After winning back-to-back state titles the Columbia Falls softball team is working hard to continue its dominance in the Montana softball world But for the first time in nearly three decades the team has a new coach at the helm as longtime assistant coach Rick Lawrence stepped up after Dave Kehr retired Lawrence said his new role has brought its challenges but his players have held him to the high standard the team has set in the past few years and they've let me know a few things that I need to do here and there,” Lawrence said Senior first baseman Annika Reid said having Lawrence as the coach has allowed the Wildkats to play the game with more freedom “We're still doing a lot of the same drills and we're still going about things a lot of the same ways but I think we're not quite as serious as we used to be,” Reid said “Still with a serious mentality but not quite as serious just in general.” This new mindset has allowed players like centerfielder Tayler Lingle to take on leadership roles with younger players to build up their confidence “Keeping your positivity up and keeping ourselves high because we're definitely a good team,” Lingle said “We could definitely pull it off if we really wanted it Lawrence believes history has a shot at repeating itself so we’ve got to get to state and then just put it all together top four team would be great," Lawrence said WHITEFISH — Frenchtown needed overtime to reach the semifinals of the Western A boys basketball divisional tournament on Thursday Browning made sure that didn’t happen in the tournament’s second game by pulling away in the fourth quarter for victory Frenchtown defeated Ronan 64-62 on a late basket by Hank Smith in a first-round game Columbia Falls got off to a good start and then held off Butte Central 64-51 Frenchtown and Browning will play at 6:30 p.m Columbia Falls and Dillon advanced to the second semifinal at 8 p.m Butte Central and Bigfork dropped into a loser-out game at 1:30 p.m Smith’s drive and lay-in with eight seconds left lifted Frenchtown to a 64-62 overtime win over Ronan made two free throws with 33.9 seconds left in the OT to give the Broncs a 62-59 lead Ronan’s Kolby Finley answered with a corner 3-pointer to tie the score at 62-62 with 18 seconds to play Konnor Klimpel then inbounded the ball to Brooks Day Smith caught the ball just outside the left elbow and beat two Ronan defenders to the hoop for the basket Cooper Michaud added 16 points for Frenchtown and Finley added 11 and Wade Qualtier finished with 10 Jude Reevis paced Browning with 19 points in the Indians’ 51-41 win over Hamilton Hamilton trimmed an eight-point halftime deficit to just five by the end of the third quarter but Browning got some distance in the final quarter for the double-digit victory Tyler Jette scored 18 points to pace the Broncs Neither team did itself any favors from the free-throw line Browning made 7 of 17 from the charity stripe Three Columbia Falls players scored in double figures as the Wildcats held off then ran away from Butte Central 64-51 in a first-round game Reggie Sapa had 14 and Bjorn Pedersen added 11 to help send Columbia Falls into the semifinals Though Butte Central trailed by 13 at the end of the first quarter and 31-21 at the half They closed within three points in the third quarter and still were within four deep into the fourth Back-to-back layups by Easton Brooks and Grady Hatton finally pushed the Columbia Falls lead back to double digits and the Wildcats pushed on from there The Maroons also put three players into double figures Jaxon Hiatt followed with 13 and Owen McPartland 12 Dillon took control of the game early and dominated Bigfork in the 61-38 win The Beavers turned a six-point first-quarter lead into double digits by halftime and by the third quarter led by as many as 20 points Dillon pretty much maintained that margin the rest of the way Kyler Engellant paced the Beavers with 18 points and made three 3-pointers and Cohen Hartman connected on four from the arc for 13 points Bigfork was led by Austin Savik and Treker Hickey with 15 and 10 points COLUMBIA FALLS — Columbia Falls Special Olympic athletes were celebrated in a parade with the fire department where they drove through downtown and the local area schools on Monday During spirit week at Columbia Falls High School many athletic teams are celebrated for their achievements throughout the season one of the coaches for Columbia Falls’ Special Olympics team said the celebration especially means a lot for their athletes “We were honoring our Special Olympic athletes,” Bahr said we decided at the end of our state tournament they get to ride the firetrucks through the town after their state competitions.” Members of the community and schools showed their support for the team by cheering them on as they drove by This parade is a yearly tradition for the school’s Special Olympics team and the local fire department which has supported the athletes over the years and given them a moment in the spotlight it lets them get a chance to shine,” Bahr said “They'll wear their medals around to classes and stuff and to see that everybody's cheering them on just brings them a lot of happiness and encouragement and they end up just being very excited and ready to do it all over again.” Columbia Falls Special Olympics' next event will be held at Whitefish Mountain on Wednesday for their winter skiing games 4-ranked Columbia Falls boys played to their strengths Thursday night using a fast-paced offense and efficient 3-point shooting on the way to a 75-39 victory over Libby The Wildcats were led by seniors Grady Hutton and Reggie Sapa who were scoring from the inside and the perimeter to help the Wildcats jump out to an early lead Libby could not start much on offense as Columbia Falls’ opportunistic defense led to multiple fast-break layups to help extend the early Wildcat lead Things were no different in the second half when Columbia Falls came out stealing the ball more and knocking down multiple 3s to cruise to victory and extend their winning streak to nine in a row Libby plays its next game at Polson on Saturday COLUMBIA FALLS — Crews battled a Wednesday evening fire at a restaurant in the Flathead Columbia Falls Fire Chief Karl Weeks says firefighters were called to the Teriyaki Kitchen on Nucleus Avenue shortly before 8:45 p.m Firefighters arrived to find light smoke coming from the main floor and residents in the apartments above the restaurant were evacuated as a precaution Chief Weeks says the fire was sparked by an electrical issue in the kitchen and was contained by the sprinkler system Crews were then able to knock down the flames with only minor damage done to the restaurant Evergreen and Whitefish fire departments responded to the scene - information from Derek Joseph included in this report — Montana Department of Transportation will be clearing snow berms in Kalispell and Columbia Falls early Thursday morning Traffic will be restricted to one lane in Kalispell and a detour will be in place in Columbia Falls COLUMBIA FALLS — The City of Columbia Falls held an open house Wednesday to show the community the beginning stages of the Gateway to Glacier Safety and Mobility Improvement Project The project will utilize the $10 million RAISE Grant funds the city was awarded in 2022 to improve multiple sidewalks roads and ADA accessibility in the downtown area Columbia Falls Interim City Manager Mark Shrives says these improvements will help with increased tourism throughout the city but its main focus is to help residents have a safer walkable community It's not just because of tourism,” Shrives said we go by one of the schools so we're looking to do that to make sure we provide safer entrances and exits for the schools and things like that.” Shrives continued by saying the city wants feedback from residents to address any concerns they may have about the project “This is a lot of money and we can do a lot of things with it and so that’s the important part is we want to do it right,” Shrives said “That’s why were having these open houses and we’re talking to the community to let them know that here’s what we’re doing we understand that there are some concerns Construction on the Gateway to Glacier Safety and Mobility Improvement Project is estimated to begin in October 2025, more information about the project can be found here Firefighters spent several hours on Wednesday at the scene of an explosion and fire at the Weyerhaeuser MDF plant in Columbia Falls Columbia Falls Fire Chief Karl Weeks tells MTN that crews arrived at the scene shortly before 8 a.m. and found light smoke showing and sheet metal that had been blown off a structure. (full update here) Crews responded to the scene of a reported explosion and fire at the Weyerhaeuser MDF plant in Columbia Falls Columbia Falls Police Chief Chad Stephens tells MTN that first responders were called to the scene on Wednesday Chief Stephens says there was an explosion at the Weyerhaeuser building followed by a fire The Columbia Falls Fire Department along with other agencies responded to the scene -information from Derek Joseph included in this report The Bigfork Valkyries will start the tournament against Havre at 9 a.m The Columbia Falls Wildkats tip off against Billings Central at 5 p.m As the Montana high school basketball postseason begins its final leg on Thursday with both set to compete for a shot at the championship in the Class A state girls basketball tournament in Billings Both the Bigfork Valkyries girls basketball team and the Columbia Falls Wildkats girls basketball team advanced out of the Western A divisional tournament last weekend with third and fourth place finishes The two teams met in the consolation game of the Western A divisional which ended in a 52-32 Bigfork win over Columbia Falls a class that has gone 98-7 and has never lost a game at home this will be fourth time in a row they’ve made it to the state tournament but the first time they’ve arrived as anything other than a No Tournament play kicks off Thursday morning Head coach Cortnee Gunlock said she thinks that her team not having to worry about the pressure of being the top seed out of the West may actually be to their benefit especially for a team that has relied on younger players to step up this season Even as they spent the early part of the week continuing to recover from the physical demands of last week’s tournament Gunlock thinks her players are in a positive place mentally and that they’re happy to be headed back to the state tournament “I think they’re in a good place with their confidence,” she said could get a little rowdy as the team’s leaders bring out their loudspeaker and start trying to drum up some excitement for the team “One of the biggest things that we always say before the game is ‘Play to win I think they take that to heart,” Gunlock said The Valkyries are 19-3 on the year and of their handful of losses including a 39-37 loss in the first week of the season and a 57-49 loss in the second round of the divisional tournament the Valkyries went 22-2 and narrowly lost in the championship game 41-38 to Billings Central who enters this year’s tournament as the undefeated No It was the first year for Bigfork athletics in Class A and the Valkyries were fresh off an undefeated 2022-2023 season which culminated in a Class B state championship Bigfork’s first opponent in the state tournament are the Havre Blue Ponies with two losses to Billings Central and one to Lockwood The two teams will play each other Thursday morning at 9 a.m and Gunlock thinks that her team can match up well with Havre but she’s conscious of the fact that Havre brings a little more experience to the table and has emerged from a tough Eastern division so they have harder games throughout the season so they get pushed a little bit more,” Gunlock said The Valkyries have relied on the same starting five for most of the season a senior and Brigham Young University commit has scored 1,802 points in her high school career and is averaging a double-double on 19.7 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game She’s the team leader in scoring and rebounding and is also averaging 3.2 assists per game and 4.9 steals per game making her just 18 points shy of 1,000 career points She’s the team leader in steals and assists Joining the Gunlock sisters are fellow senior guards and team captains Keni Wade and Ava Davey is viewed by the coaching staff as a player who brings leadership and versatility while Wade and Norred are relied on for their defensive abilities Rotating in are sophomore forward Somer Campos The family dynamics on this Valkyries team and Braeden Gunlock’s status as a senior means that this trip to the state tournament has an added emotional component for the Gunlocks The head coach said that she and her daughters are aware of how many lasts this tournament appearance represents for them and even longtime teammates like Keni Wade who has been playing with the Gunlock sisters since about fifth grade this is really coming to an end here.’ But we’re still trying to stay focused on what we still want to try and accomplish this year,” Gunlock said  “They know how much they’ve been blessed with the success they’ve had these last four years and they’re going to have some great memories.” this is the first time the girls team has made the state tournament since 2022 and it’s also their first season being led by head coach Jeremy Grilley and their coach says that there have been growing pains as they’ve adapted to his system but that he believes that going into the divisional tournament Starting off the state tournament against Billings Central Thursday at 5 p.m and Grilley said the Rams are a disciplined balanced team with three players scoring in double figures and a fourth averaging about 9 points a game “We’re just gonna go in there and play aggressive The good thing is there’s no pressure on us,” Grilley said The team’s starting lineup includes senior guard Taryn Borgen an All-Conference player who is averaging 11.8 points per game this season and leads the team in steals Her coach said she’s someone “that we could just rely on if we needed a bucket,” and said she’s created a lot of opportunities for the team on offense and defense The team’s second leading scorer is Lawrence a sophomore who is averaging 8.7 points per game Grilley said that Lawrence is probably the most skilled She has the second most steals on the team and Grilley credited her ability to create off the dribble and her anticipation and timing on defense The team’s third leading scorer is senior Kierra Kemppainen Kemppainen has been in and out of the starting lineup for the Wildkats but Grilley credited her as the ultimate teammate who has done whatever is best for the team Kemppainen’s shined during the divisional tournament who said she was the team’s second-leading scorer The team’s leading rebounder is junior Maddy Barker who is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game and has also rotated in and out of the starting lineup Leading the team in blocks is 6-foot sophomore Sweeney while also averaging 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds she’s able to block or alter shots when defending in the key and has continued to gain confidence as the season has progressed Grilley said the team’s best on-ball defender is Friskey who joined the team’s starting lineup about halfway through the season Friskey is what Grilley called a true point guard and said that she changed the makeup of the team on both sides and that her mindset trickled down to the rest of the team A key point in the season was the Wildkat’s second game against Ronan The first game ended with a 58-55 win for the Maidens which was further marred by 34 turnovers for Columbia Falls Grilley said that the offense for Columbia Falls started to click with the players finally beginning to understand their reads and spacing They also took care of the ball significantly better The result was a 50-40 win for the Wildkats Grilley pointed to the team’s second matchup against Browning Columbia Falls walked away with a 60-45 win Browning was second in the conference and Columbia Falls was fourth That win was the game in which Grilley said his team truly started to believe in their potential accept the challenge of playing the top team and we’re going going to give it our all.” [email protected] Cities around Montana are conducting studies in compliance with Senate Bill 382 that passed last session Three organizations partnered to conduct a housing study in the Columbia Falls — Cities around Montana are conducting studies in compliance with Senate Bill 382 that passed last session presented the data to the City Council and the Planning Board on Monday our real focus was to take a look at the housing you may need to maintain a local resident occupancy and employees filling their jobs by responding to them,” said Sullivan “They are currently in the next 5 to 10 years.” The study shows the average household size in Columbia Falls is 2.5 individuals Those making 30% of the area median income or roughly $25,510 can only afford a max rent of $590 a month and a max home purchase price of $78,300 that’s $75,200 a year to afford a max rent of $1880 and a maximum home purchase of $250,450 “Columbia Falls was interesting because actually a lot of trends that were perspective over covid had actually started before,” said Sullivan The study showed some positive trends including: Columbia Falls used to be considered a less expensive rental city but now matches the average county rate compared to five years ago when it was under 21% grown faster in price points than they have in the county overall,” said Sullivan You're no longer as affordable in the Flathead Valley as you used to be.” The study showed predicted housing needs from 2024-2029 and another 360 houses will be needed in the surrounding areas Predicted job growth anticipates a 2.4% increase per year totaling 715 jobs housing needed to keep up with job growth is 360 new units or an average of 72 units a year “Why are you needing to build housing at the price points that you know,” said Sullivan “What do you need to be able to try and get some housing on the ground that is more aligned with the incomes and wages that we see in this area?” growth in the valley continues despite the ongoing issue of housing affordability COLUMBIA FALLS — The Columbia Falls Police Department has applied for a grant to get a police officer specifically for DUIs due to a growing number of driving under the influence arrests The grant from the Montana Department of Transportation is valued at $135,262 to fund the salary and benefits of the new officer There were 107 DUI arrests in Columbia Falls in 2024 which Columbia Falls Police Chief Chad Stephens says is high for an area that small “In a city that’s a little over 5,700 people "Most of it is transitory due to Highway 2 running right in the middle of town So a lot of the DUIs come from people passing through our community.” With heavy traffic and tourism rolling through Highway 2 Chief Stephens believes the addition of another officer is a necessary step toward preventing DUIs in town “If we have a reputation that we don't tolerate we seek out and we enforce impaired driving laws have an impact on those folks,” Chief Stephens said they'll think be a little bit more responsible about maybe I need a ride home.” Columbia Falls PD will begin the process of filling the new position in October 2025 if the grant is successful Environmental Protection Agency in 2016 designated a Superfund site on the 1,300 acre parcel that held the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company The smelter closed years earlier and left behind hazardous chemicals harmful to human health and the environment In a decision published earlier this month, the agency said it will contain the waste underground on-site inside reinforced concrete called a “slurry wall.” This option was chosen amidst several alternatives and is supported by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality the Coalition for a Clean CFAC called the EPA’s decision a failure that could pollute the entire watershed Shirley Folkwein is on the coalition’s board it might stop the flow of the contaminants into the groundwater but the currently contaminated groundwater will remain contaminated," she says Folkwein says the decision goes against the hundreds of comments EPA received from the public asking for removal of the waste With the record of decision issued the state and federal government will draft details of the plan and will open it for public comment before finalizing The containment project is expected to take 2-4 years to complete Volunteer COLUMBIA FALLS — We are learning additional information about a Wednesday explosion and fire at the Weyerhaeuser MDF plant in Columbia Falls Columbia Falls Fire Chief Karl Weeks tells MTN that crews arrived at the scene shortly before 8 a.m and found light smoke showing and sheet metal that had been blown off a structure  Chief Weeks added that the explosion was caused by an electrical issue the fire was not officially knocked down until shortly before 1 p.m Kalispell and Bad Rock fire departments all responded to the scene which wasn’t cleared until 3:50 p.m the Columbia Falls boys basketball team stumbled out of the Northwestern A gate with a 78-60 loss to Ronan on Thursday that loss has not hurt the Wildcats' confidence and players like Grady Hutton believe their style of play will help them win “We're a fast-paced team we just can move the ball up and down the court,” Hutton said Columbia Falls Senior Reggie Sapa says this Wildcats are talented and can use their athletic abilities to their advantage The Wildcats plan to continue improving as Columbia Falls head coach Chris Finberg notes the competition will only get tougher “The Western A is going to be a battle when you combine the Northwest A and the Southwest A (when) you have divisional later on in the year,” Finberg said “If you want to be one of the top-four teams that come out of the Western A you're going to have to be playing very good basketball and hopefully we're playing our best basketball at the end of the year and we can be one of them.” his players believe they are a top-four team “I think if we continue to get better every day and play good defense Columbia Falls will face Bigfork on Saturday RONAN — Hot 3-point shooting and opportunistic defense led Ronan to its first conference win 78-60 over No 2-ranked Columbia Falls in Northwestern A boys basketball Thursday After taking the lead early in the first quarter off a Laurance Lozeau 3 Ronan gained control of the game early and forced Columbia Falls to play catch-up But the Wildcats did not go down easy when it made a comeback in the second quarter with multiple 3-point shots including a four-point swing by Bjorn Pedersen who made a 3 while fouled and gave the Wildcats the lead After starting the second half with a three-point lead Columbia Falls could not keep up with Ronan as the Chiefs scored on multiple fast break opportunities and kept knocking down 3s to extend their lead Ronan will face Libby on Saturday while Columbia Falls takes on Bigfork known as “Bobby’s Law,” would establish the crime of aggravated vehicular homicide under the influence with a three-year minimum sentence A bill strengthening Montana’s penalties for driving under the influence is moving through the Legislature with strong support from the Flathead Valley.  known as “Bobby’s Law,” creates the crime of aggravated vehicular homicide while under the influence a charge that currently does not exist in Montana The charge will apply to anyone who causes the death of another human being while operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .16 or higher The charge comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison Montana’s drunk driving laws are notoriously weak allowing for offenders to get away with light sentences and Most poignantly for Mitchell is the case of Bobby Dewbre, a 21-year-old Columbia Falls man who was killed by a drunk driver while crossing the street in 2023. The man who killed Dewbre received 18 months in county jail the maximum sentence that could be awarded for one count of misdemeanor careless driving involving death or serious bodily injury and one count of aggravated driving under the influence Flathead County Attorney Travis Ahner explained that in order to bring a felony charge for a drunk driving death his office must be able to prove that the driver was acting negligently negligence is defined as when a person “consciously disregards” that a risk will occur in a case where ignoring the risk involves a “gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe.” In fatal drunk driving cases such as Dewbre’s the county attorney’s office often cannot bring a successful felony charge if the driver was intoxicated but was obeying traffic laws and following the speed limit when the fatality occurred The inability to prove negligence resulted in a slim sentence for the driver who killed Dewbre removes the requirement that prosecutors prove negligence to bring a felony charge essentially establishing that “being behind the wheel at that level Ahner worked with Mitchell to draft the legislation During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week the Capitol was filled with proponents of Bobby’s Law including members of Dewbre’s family and representatives from Montana Bar Fairies a Kalispell-based drunk driving prevention nonprofit started by the Dewbres after Bobby’s death The nonprofit now has chapters in the Flathead Valley delivered impassioned testimony to lawmakers citing Montana’s high drunk driving statistics and recounting the painful experience of losing her son “These kinds of senseless deaths rock our communities and it is time to put a stop to it,” she said Speaking about his own history of drunk driving “Drinking and driving was and is a part of the culture in the state of Montana.”  Montana ranks as the worst state in the nation for drunk driving. The state has reported 8.57 drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes for every 100,000 licensed drivers, the highest rate in the U.S., according to Forbes More than 44% of traffic deaths in Montana are caused by drunk drivers The state also has the highest rate of drunk drivers under the age of 21 involved in fatal crashes In Flathead County, 42% of the 166 roadway fatalities that occurred between 2013 and 2022 involved an alcohol-impaired driver, per the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) the Montana County Attorneys Association and Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association.  Testifying in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 27 and this bill enacts a stricter enforcement The bill passed the House with broad support with all Republicans and 36 of 42 Democrats voting in favor.  Some Democrats expressed concerns that the mandatory minimum sentence would hamstring the ability of judges to sentence offenders based on the individual facts of the case.  During a January meeting of the House Judiciary Committee said “taking away the discretion that prosecutors have to look at the facts of an individual case” could result in “a real miscarriage of justice.” An original version of the bill was amended to include certain exemptions to the mandatory minimum specifically for minors and those with impaired mental capacity France and other Democrats during a committee meeting said the change did not do enough to address the shortcomings of a mandatory minimum.  I just don’t see where a judge would need discretion.” [email protected] Tens of thousands of tons of contaminated soil at a shuttered aluminum plant just north of Columbia Falls will be consolidated and capped under a plan released last week by the U.S The EPA’s plan for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company site along the Flathead River comes 15 years after the plant closed and eight years after it was added to the National Priorities List, also known as the Superfund list. The 432-page Record of Decision largely reflects a draft version that was criticized by a local group that wanted the EPA to force the site’s owner to completely remove the contaminated soil “This cleanup plan reflects years of collaboration and is a crucial step in finalizing a comprehensive set of cleanup actions that will protect the health of the community and the environment,” stated EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker “In partnership with Montana DEQ and the Columbia Falls community leaders we have worked to ensure public participation and transparency throughout the process We are moving forward now to get the cleanup underway protect the Flathead River and move towards a safer healthier future for everyone who calls the Columbia Falls area home.” As demand for aluminum increased after World War II, the Pacific Northwest, with ample access to hydroelectricity, became an epicenter for the industry with 10 large plants scattered across Washington, Oregon and Montana. At one point, more than 11,000 people worked in aluminum production in the region the Anaconda Copper Mining Company opened CFAC at the base of Teakettle Mountain just a few miles away from its primary power source The plant eventually became the largest employer in Flathead County While the plant secured Columbia Falls’ spot as the industrial hub of the Flathead Valley, CFAC’s environmental impacts were soon obvious. In 1969, U.S. Forest Service researchers began to report on the negative impacts of fluoride emissions from the facility on plants and wildlife Ownership of the plant changed multiple times through the second half of the 20th century finally being acquired by Glencore in May 1999 the plant was restarted but not to full capacity It remained open until October 2009 when production was halted for good after years of back-and-forth between Glencore and local The Superfund site extends for approximately 1,340 acres (not all of the land owned by Glencore) but most of the estimated 1.2 million cubic yards of contaminated soil are focused on 200 acres near the plant’s former landfills where waste from the aluminum smelting process was disposed the EPA released a preliminary plan that called for leaving most of the waste in place and surrounding it with a slurry wall The concrete wall below the surface would help prevent groundwater from traveling through the landfills A report from the EPA states that contaminants from the site have not impacted the nearby Flathead River But a local group called the Coalition for a Clean CFAC was critical of that plan and urged the EPA to have the toxic soil excavated and moved to a landfill in Oregon EPA officials stated that the proposal was considered but ultimately rejected due to cost and the risks related to transporting that material either by track or by train a Columbia Falls resident and board member for Coalition for a Clean CFAC said Monday that he was disappointed that the final Record of Decision was mostly unchanged from the EPA’s initial draft and that the toxic material would remain on site one of the world’s largest mining companies had the resources to clean up the site appropriately “We’re obviously disappointed that the EPA has put Glencore’s interests over those of the Columbia Falls community,” he said While the final Record of Decision was a major moment in the saga of the CFAC Superfund Metcalf said his group planned to remain involved in the process moving forward The consolidation and capping of the soils at the site are expected to take two to four years and cost Glencore an estimated $57.6 million Groundwater on the site will also be monitored in the future to ensure the remedy is working The EPA is now working on a consent decree with Glencore to enact the plan Glencore announced that it planned to sell the land around the former aluminum plant site to local developer Mick Ruis The sale was contingent on the EPA releasing a Record of Decision with some of the land being transferred following its release and the rest after the cleanup Ruis plans to develop the land for commercial Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley is set to break ground mid-August on a new development in Columbia Falls — Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley is set to break ground mid-August on a new development in Columbia Falls The organization is partnering with the Northwest Montana Community Land Trust on the project “In cooperation with the city council and the mayor,” said MaryBeth Morand executive director for Habitat for Humanity of the Flathead Valley “We are building 6 single-family residences that will be very similar to the pre-existing neighborhood there and we are putting in a park space with a little playground in it.” The organization has also opened a pre-production unit behind their restored building where they can prepare walls and siding year-round “We can have houses framed in advance so that when we are ready to break ground and are ready to bring those walls to the site,” said Morand “It goes a lot more quickly and we build faster.”