Kalispell Standoff, Bear Warnings and Big Mountain Fire Funding

Taylor Inman breaks down five major stories shaping Northwest Montana - from a tense standoff in Kalispell to bears pushing into town as the huckleberry crop comes up short.

A suspect is in custody after Kalispell Police responded to reports of a man threatening violence on Airport Road. 43-year-old Brian Weidner was taken into custody without incident after negotiations, with help from the Northwest Montana Regional SWAT Team and the Flathead County Sheriff's Office and now faces a felony intimidation charge.

Northwest Montana is seeing a below average huckleberry crop this year, and as natural food sources get harder to find, bears are moving into lower elevations and closer to homes. Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear conflict specialists say securing garbage, bird feeders and fruit trees now can prevent costly encounters later, and they're asking anyone with a bear concern to call early.

Big Mountain Fire District is receiving its first infusion of cash from the newly established Big Mountain resort tax, funded entirely by visitors paying a 3 percent tax on goods and services at Whitefish Mountain Resort and surrounding businesses. The district was handed a $395,000 check this month, money that's already gone toward hiring additional firefighters.

Flathead County Library has kicked off a $35,000 study to figure out how to raise $13 million for a new Kalispell branch. The current library has until 2033 to move out of its First Avenue building, and trustees are eyeing a site at Kalispell Center Mall for a 40,000 to 50,000 square foot replacement.

Hungry Horse News is marking 80 years since Mel Ruder printed the paper's first edition out of a rented room on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls. Ruder, known for his photography, went on to run the paper for more than three decades from the log cabin still standing at Highway 2 and 40 today.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 1:24

Hello and welcome to News Now. I'm your host, Taylor Edman. We're going over the week's biggest headlines for Northwest Montana. A suspect is in custody after the Kalispell Police Department responded Monday afternoon to reports of a man threatening violence. 43-year-old Brian Widen of Kalispell was taken into custody without incident following negotiations and is being held in the county jail on a pending felony intimidation charge. Authorities had urged the public to avoid the 1800 block of Airport Road while law enforcement officers operated in the neighborhood. The Northwest Montana Regional SWAT team was called in to assist. When law enforcement personnel contacted Widener, he reportedly threatened them with violence. Felony intimidation is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine. Following Widener's arrest, city police officials thank the Flahead County Sheriff's Office for its help, along with the public for avoiding the area. Caspa Police Chief Jordan Venezio wrote in a Tuesday email to the Daily Interlake that no additional information was available. Northwest Montana is experiencing a below average huckleberry crop this year, and as natural food sources become harder for bears to find, they are increasingly moving to lower elevations in search of alternatives. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks bear conflict specialists are asking for the community's help to reduce potential conflicts. Bear in Lion Conflict Specialist Justine Valiers said that they've responded to an unusually high number of calls this season. As fall approaches and bears enter hyperphagia, a time when they actively seek out extra calories to prepare for winter, specialists expect that call volume to increase. Securing common attractants such as garbage, bird feeders, and fruit trees can help prevent conflicts before they arise. Bears are resourceful and highly food motivated, but actions like storing garbage in bear-resistant containers, temporarily removing bird feeders, and protecting fruit trees with electric fencing can greatly reduce the chances of bears lingering in developed areas. Being proactive about securing bear attractants can make a big difference, because even if you haven't had a bear visit before, there's always a chance one could pass through, according to Valiers. Valiers also encourages anyone experiencing a bear-related concern to get in touch with fish wildlife in parks as early as possible. She said early calls allow them to respond quickly, help secure attractants, and provide guidance. While huckleberries are scarce in some places, other productive patches remain. In these areas, bears may be especially protective of the food they found. When recreating a bear habitat, carry bear spray where it's easily accessible and know how to use it. Stay alert and watch for signs of bear activity, especially in areas with limited visibility. Travel in groups, keep members close together, and avoid traveling at night, dawn, or dusk. Make noise to avoid surprising a bear, especially in dense vegetation or near running water. And steer clear of carcass sites or areas with scavenger activity. Big Mountain Fire District and several area nonprofits are receiving the first influx of funds from the newly established Big Mountain Resort Tax. Visitors to Whitefish Mountain Resort and adjacent businesses pay a 3% resort tax on goods and services. The tax collected over the last year totals about $1.5 million. Big Mountain Resort Area District residents voted to implement a resort tax in January 2025. The resort district follows the same boundaries as the Big Mountain Fire District, which includes residential areas off Big Mountain Road north of Big Mountain Trailhead. As the managing entity of the funds, Big Mountain Resort Area District board members presented Big Mountain Fire District with a $395,000 check this month to support additional firefighters. Within their 2026-2027 preliminary budget, the resort district set aside $560,000 for grant requests, which will go toward nonprofits and infrastructure. Rounding out the budget is just over $338,000 of cash reserves, as well as $143,900 in administrative expenses. 5% or $75,000 will go toward property tax relief. For comparison, 25% of Whitefish's resort tax goes toward property tax relief. According to Ron Benton, chair of the resort district, the grants are yet to be determined, but some of the entities considered are Dream Adaptive Recreation, Glacier Nordic Club, Firewise, Whitefish Ski Patrol, Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation, and Housing Whitefish. Benton and other residents of Big Mountain are proud to be catalysts. He said that any dent made for emergency services, fire protection, and workforce housing is huge. He said, quote, the perception that this is a wealth transfer for people who work three jobs to get their season passes is not reality. We're trying to preserve and increase ambulance and fire services. Big Mountain Fire District Chief Ben Duvall said the department hired three firefighters in the last year. In addition to himself, the fire district now has the ability to ensure three or on staff at all times, in addition to preventing frequent overtime. The new staff have brought the area up to par with increasing fire insurance standards and higher demand. He noted that the department's response to accidents on Big Mountain is a benefit to the people who pay the tax. Deval said by the time the department receives a patient from ski patrol, the likelihood of utilizing air transport is low. Typically, the department can transport patients to the hospital in about the same time or faster than by helicopter, depending on the location. It's also common for Big Mountain alongside the City of Whitefish to provide mutual aid, extending their reach toward Eureka and elsewhere, according to Tom Sado Fire District board member. Outside the operations and reach of the resort tax and fire district, property owners on Big Mountain, the largest of which being the resort, pay for round-the-clock security, helping to round out emergency assistance on the mountain. Because Big Mountain is outside the City of Whitefish limits, it falls under the Flathead County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction. According to Sado, this means response times from the county can take up to an hour and a half. Overall, the board and surrounding residents are excited for their work in implementing the resort tax to come to fruition. Flathead County Library has kicked off a study to assess its $13 million fundraising goal for a new Kalisbell branch. The library system hired Brand Ray, a Minnesota-based fundraising consultant for nonprofits, to conduct a $35,000 capital campaign readiness study over the next five months to identify the best way to meet its fundraising goal. The study was paid for with a grant from the Flathead County Library Foundation. A series of groups and one-on-one interviews with past donors, community members, local businesses, and foundations will be conducted the week of October 5th, known as Summit Study. The public is also invited to share their feedback by October 9th through a short online survey, which can be found at Flahead County Library.org under the About Us and Capital campaign tabs. The study will evaluate the short and long-term economic climate, identify possible challenges, and collect public comments. Fundraising recommendations based on the study will be presented to the Flahead County Library Board of Trustees, and a campaign is expected to launch after the study is completed. The Calisbell Library has until 2033 to move out of its current location at 247 First Avenue East. Library trustees are eyeing a property at the Kalispell Center Mall to build a new 40,000 to 50,000 square foot building. Costs for the project are estimated at $19 to $28 million, which includes $3 million to purchase the property and up to $25 million for construction. Other funding sources include $750,000 from the county, $50,000 in grants, a $200,000 foundation seed gift, and a potential bond for $8 million to $14 million. When Mel Reuter founded the Hungry Horse News in 1946, his plan was to start a newspaper in Columbia Falls, which didn't have one at the time, and then sell it five years later. The Hungry Horse News is celebrating 80 years with a special insert in this week's edition of the paper. A Navy veteran and Eagle Scout, Reuder was 31 years old, and Gladys Shea was his first employee. They started in a rented space on Nucleus Avenue. Chris Rayon, who was the mayor, owned a liquor store and radio shop and carved out a space for Reuder. When the liquor shipment came in, Reuder helped unload the booze, and rent was $25 a month. Dorothy Downen, who was just a youngster at the time, recalled that he also had a library at his office and she'd go there to get books as the city didn't have a formal library. Reuter was paid $15 a month's salary as the librarian. The first edition was printed on August 8, 1946, and featured a photo of an exploratory well rig drilling boar samples for the Hungry Horse Dam in the South Fork of the Flathead. Reuter, who was renowned for his photography, developed the four by five sheets of film from his speed graphic camera using a chest of drawers. Back then, a single picture cost about $8, according to Reuter, which was very expensive for the time. Still, by 1947, he was renting up to seven photos on the front page. Reuter didn't stay in the rented space for long. He had a log cabin built at the intersection of Highway 2 and 40 on the hillside. It was completed in December of 1947 and remains the newspaper's home today. Reuter had a fantastic eye for photography, and many photos were obviously posed, yet he still had a knack for making them look natural. His photos were incredibly sharp, a testament to his skill, but also to the excellent lens attached to the camera. He used the same setup through most of his career, only downgrading to a slightly smaller medium format camera in 1975, just three years before he sold the newspaper in 1978. Read this full story about Reuter and other key figures in the past and future of the Hungry Horse News at hungryhorse news.com. 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 reporter Jack Underhill, Report for America reporter Hannah Shields, Whitefish Pilot Editor Kelsey Evans, and Hungry Horse News Editor Chris Peterson. You can read the full versions of these stories at 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.