Grizzly Attack at Glacier, Primary Election Results & Airport Closure

This week in Northwest Montana, host Taylor Inman breaks down the headlines you need to know - from a frightening grizzly bear encounter on one of Glacier National Park's most popular trails to a primary election that reshuffled the political landscape across Flathead County.

A hiker was airlifted to Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell after a surprise grizzly encounter on the Grinnell Glacier Trail - the second bear incident in Glacier National Park in less than a month, following a fatal attack on the Mount Brown Trail in early May. Taylor covers trail closures, safety reminders, and everything we know about both incidents.

Tuesday's primary election brought big wins and surprising upsets across Northwest Montana. Incumbent Rep. Courtenay Sprunger held her seat in House District 7, Sheriff Brian Heino cruised to an uncontested November run, and Sheena Sterling flipped the Flathead County Clerk and Recorder race - all while razor-thin margins in Whitefish-area districts signal a highly competitive general election ahead.

And if you're planning a summer trip to the Flathead Valley, you need to hear this. Glacier Park International Airport is suspending service for several weeks this July for runway repairs, Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle reservations are now required, and Whitefish Mountain Resort is navigating a slower-than-expected booking season. Here's what locals and visitors need to know before they hit the road.

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Transcript

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Hello, Milk to News Now. I'm your host, Taylor Enman. We're going over the week's biggest headlines for Northwest Montana. A hiker injured by a charging grizzly bear in Glacier National Park last week suffered a broken arm, according to park officials. The 32-year-old man sustained the injury on Thursday, May 28th, in what park officials described as a surprise encounter on the Grinnell Glacier Trail in the Mini Glacier area. The trail was closed following the attack and remained closed as of Wednesday evening. The encounter occurred at about 1245 p.m., roughly three and a half miles up the trail on a snowfield, according to a media release from the park. Park officials determined that the sound of loud rushing water made it difficult for the hiker and the grizzly to detect one another. The bear charged and fractured the man's arm. Park officials did not indicate if the hiker was carrying or deployed bear spray during the encounter. Nearby hikers responded to provide medical aid and called for help as the bear moved away from the area. Glacier Park dispatchers received the SOS alert at 12 51 PM and the alert medical helicopter in Kalispell was sent to the scene. The injured hiker was transported by air to Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispel. The Grinnell Glacier Trail will reopen after park staff determines it is safe to do so, according to the release. The release did not indicate whether any actions would be taken regarding the grizzly involved in the attack. The incident follows a fatal bear attack on May 3rd on Glacier's west side. In that incident, search and rescue crews discovered 33-year-old Anthony Polio's body about 50 feet off the Mount Brown Trail after the Florida man went missing while hiking on May 3rd. Evidence at the scene pointed to a surprise bear encounter. The species of the bear involved in the attack remains undetermined. A canister of bear spray was found near Polio's body, but it was unknown if the spray can was his or was deployed. There have been 12 fatal bear attacks in the park's history, including the Mount Brown fatality. Prior to that incident, the last fatality caused by a bear occurred in 1998 on the Scenic Point Trail in the Two Medicine Valley. Hikers who encounter a bear are advised to stay calm, speak in a steady voice, back away slowly, and not make any sudden movements. Visitors should report bear encounters to park staff as soon as it is safe to do so. Tuesday's primary election delivered beginnings and endings political hopefuls across Northwest Montana. Representative Courtney Sprunger, the Republican incumbent for Montana House District 7, said from her perspective, the people prevailed. Sprunger earned 64% of the vote in the district's Republican primary, fending off a challenge from political newcomer Luke Maxwell. Despite a decisive victory, Sprunger said she isn't ready to ease up on the gas quite yet, adding that, quote, the best campaigns are ran like you're behind. While she isn't starting from behind, the primary results do hint that the general election may be far tougher than previous years. Madison Evans, the sole Democrat in the race, ended the day with 780 votes compared to Sprunger's final tally of 819 votes. Another 457 votes were cast for Maxwell, bringing the total Republican vote to 1,276. With only 35% of Flathead County residents casting votes in the primary, Evans well may be able to close the gap between her and Sprunger in the general election. Even closer races can be expected in House Districts 3 and 4, which collectively encompass Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and the North Fork area. In House District 3, Derek Peachy earned 817 of the 1,518 votes in the Republican primary to beat out challenger Kathy Mitchell. Another 1,506 votes were cast for incumbent Debo Powers, the sole Democrat in the race. Powers secured 51.7% of the vote in the 2024 general election, winning by fewer than 250 ballots. Sean Pandina upset the status quo in neighboring House District 4, ousting incumbent Lynn Bennett by a margin of more than 500 votes. A total of 1,350 votes were cast in the Republican primary, compared with 1,076 votes for the sole Democrat Paula Koch. Bennett said she sees her impending departure from the Montana House as a beginning rather than an end. She said, quote, I don't own that spot. It's a two-year commitment to serve the community, but there's other ways to serve. End quote. Other Republican candidates to emerge victorious from contested primaries on Tuesday include Jim Riley, a businessman running for House District 6, and Steve Gunderson, a former state representative from Lincoln County in the running for Montana Senate District 1. Riley earned 67% of the vote in his district to secure the nomination over Arthur Dunn, while Gunderson beat State Representative Neil Durham and Libby entrepreneur Vincent Backen with 53% of the vote. The only contested Democratic race in the region occurred in Montana House District 1. Dakota Adams won 62% of the primary vote compared to Roberta McCans's 38%. For races in Flathead County, incumbent Sheriff Brian Haino easily shrugged off his Republican opponent in Tuesday's primary, clearing the way for his third term in office. With 17,841 votes, Haino topped challenger Evie McCaylan, who came away with 2,303 votes, according to unofficial results posted on Wednesday morning. Haino and Kahalin were the only two candidates to launch bids for the position of sheriff this election cycle, meaning that Haino will run unopposed in November. Haino said the results were, quote, just an honor and that he's ready to drive forward these next four years. He said the decision of the Flathead County Republican Central Committee to back Kahalan, a retired law enforcement officer from Maryland who now lives in Marion, initially worried him. But the community support and campaign donations he received following the committee's endorsement of Kahalin allayed his concerns. Kahalan congratulated Haino on his win in a statement provided to the Interlake. She also thanked her team and supporters who carried her through the election. She said, quote, this is a tough race but worth every minute. I'm proud of the clean campaign we ran throughout this process, focusing on the issues and not personal attacks. Integrity is what truly matters in any campaign, and this is what guided mine, end quote. In the Republican race for Flathead County Clerk and Recorder, Sheena Sterling defeated Cheryl Holman by nearly 3,200 votes, according to unofficial results. Holman was also backed by the local Republican Party, and Sterling worried how it would affect the race, but Sterling said she declined to go through the vetting process needed to secure the Flathead County Republican Central Committee's endorsement. Sterling said she disagreed with the direction it was going in and found it unusual for the committee to meddle in local primary races. As with the sheriff's race, only two Republicans filed for the clerk and recorder position, meaning Sterling will run unopposed in November. Sterling described herself as ready to grab the reins. The last 22 years of working in the clerk and recorder's office, which includes eight years as the chief deputy, have prepared her to plunge into action, she said. She thanked the voters of Flathead County, her family, and her staff for supporting her campaign. In the contested Democratic race for Flathead County Commissioner District 1, Nathan Dugan came out on top with 5,621 votes according to unofficial results. His opponent Colton Little came away with 2,871 votes. Dugan will face Republican incumbent Brad Abel and independent candidate Casey Momquest in November.

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A Whitefish Tourism Town Hall last week addressed concerns about air and car travel impacting summer visitation and presented an overview of the future of parking in Glacier National Park. Glacier Park International Airport will suspend service from Mondays at 6 p.m. through Fridays at noon between July 6th and July 31st to repair the runway. Zach Anderson, Explore Whitefish Executive Director, told meeting attendees that the suspension of services will hurt a lot of locals because about 85% of the inbound and outbound traffic are residents. Whitefish Mountain Resort Marketing Director Matt Gabos said the resort is concerned with July being the meat of the summer. He said everyone was aware of the airport project heading into the summer, but no one foresaw the rising price of gas, which could cause a little bit of a challenge for those who would opt to drive into the area. Summer season weekend operations started at the resort over Memorial Day weekend. Seven-day operations start June 13th and run through Labor Day. Closing day is September 20th. The snow bus will run every day when the resort is open. Summer resort visitors should take note of trail detours during the Flathead National Forest Big Mountain Fuels Reduction Project. With trees down and equipment out, trail closures and reroutes are in place all day, regardless of the presence of active work or the location of good huckleberries, according to officials. The tree work being done from Chair 2 toward the Inspiration Ski Slope is expected to create terrain that is more similar to the Good Medicine Glades area. The Summit Nature Center at the resort for the second year will be impacted by Federal Forest Service budget cuts. The Nature Center will open June 13th and will only operate Wednesday through Saturday. Current resort lodging reservations are trending behind last year, although the resort has 17 weddings booked this summer. Gabo also reflected on the winter season, saying that Whitefish Mountain Resort fared better than neighboring ski areas in Sand Point, Idaho, where they saw slopes go from 100% open to 30% open. There was about 70% of average snowfall, although that's more reflective of the summit rather than the base. Gabo said unlike most years, there were no deep freezes, which was a boost for visitation. In Glacier National Park, Superintendent Dave Romer shared information about a future transportation plan. This summer reservations are required to ride the parks going to the Sun Road Shuttle. Three-hour timed parking will be implemented at Logan Pass. Most shuttle reservations will be available at 7 p.m. the day prior. The Park Service plans to hold more public meetings this summer on a future transportation plan to be implemented in 2027, provided that it gets federal funding for proposals to add more parking areas, shuttles, and staff. The preliminary plan would add 540 to 600 new parking spaces at lower elevation west and east hiker hubs. He said the North Fork area would not see any shuttles, although Bowman Lake parking could be optimized. He added that due to its sensitive alpine environment and designation as a historic resource, Logan Pass will not see expanded parking. Thanks for joining us. News Now is a podcast from the Daily Interlake. We're proud to be the largest independent newsroom in Montana and the longest continuously published newspaper in the region. Today's story is written by Daily Interlake reporters Haley Smalley and Hannah Shields, as well as Whitefish pilot editor Kelsey Evans. To read more of these stories, visit dailyinterlake.com. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss an episode of the pod. Everybody stay safe and have a great week.