News Now

Taylor Inman covers 3 major stories shaping Northwest Montana - from Sam Forstag’s win in Montana’s western congressional district to an invasive mussel shell found in Whitefish Lake.

Chapters:
 00:00 - Intro
 00:07 - Sam Forstag Wins Montana’s Western Congressional District
 02:49 - Eureka Shooting Leaves Deputy and Woman Dead
 05:18 - Invasive Mussel Shell Found in Whitefish Lake

Democrat Sam Forstag won Montana’s western congressional district, becoming the first Montana Democrat elected to the U.S. House in more than three decades. The final tally from the Montana Secretary of State’s office showed Forstag with 132,003 votes to Republican Aaron Flint’s 122,694. Political observers disagree on what the win means for the state, and Forstag says he plans to work with the rest of Montana’s delegation on shared priorities like public lands. Republicans kept control of both houses of the Legislature with slightly reduced margins, while Democrat Paula Koch won House District 4, which includes parts of Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

Two Lincoln County residents are dead following an alleged shooting spree near Eureka on Oct. 30. Lincoln County Deputy Ryan Terpsma and Merrisa Walker died in the shooting, and an Eureka police officer was injured. The accused, Matthew David Dye, was taken into custody after a chase on U.S. 93 and a roadblock surrender, and a 7-year-old girl was recovered unharmed. Dye later died in custody on Nov. 4. The Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s request.

A Whitefish Lake Institute sample from the Whitefish City Beach boat dock captured half of a nonviable invasive mussel shell, identified by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks laboratory on Oct. 21. More than 120 microscopy and 85 eDNA samples have since tested negative, though state officials say negative results do not rule out mussels in the lake. Montana remains one of 10 states free of invasive mussels, and private dock owners are asked to check their docks and report anything suspicious.

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Taylor Inman hosts this week's News Now with four of the week's biggest headlines from Northwest Montana. A Lincoln County judge found probable cause to hold a Troy High School student following alleged threats that closed the school. Flathead County Commissioners approved the final plat for the first phase of Territory 1889 near Lakeside in a 2-1 vote. Columbia Falls received an $8.5 million grant for 29 affordable apartments for seniors, and Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves and Nathaniel Rateliff were announced as 2027 Under the Big Sky headliners. 

Find election coverage at dailyinterlake.com/news/local-elections, events at dailyinterlake.com and the festival lineup at underthebigskyfest.com. 

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Taylor Inman goes over the week’s biggest headlines for Northwest Montana. A bat found dead in the St. Mary area has tested positive for white nose syndrome, the first confirmed case inside Glacier National Park, while conservation groups say Glacier maintenance projects appear on a leaked Park Service cut list. General big game season opens Saturday, Oct. 24, with Chronic Wasting Disease sampling and game check station details for hunters. Plus, Jason Robinson’s hitchhiking snowboard film Mosey premiered in Whitefish, and the Bigfork Food Bank brings a monthly mobile pantry to families in Creston. 

 00:00 - Intro
 00:07 - White Nose Syndrome Confirmed in Glacier National Park
 03:41 - Glacier Maintenance Projects on the Park Service Cut List
 05:42 - Big Game Season Opens in Northwest Montana
 07:12 - Mosey, a Hitchhiking Snowboard Film, Premieres in Whitefish
 09:07 - Bigfork Food Bank Brings a Mobile Pantry to Creston 

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

This week, host Taylor Inman covers the biggest headlines from Northwest Montana, including a deadly shooting in Kalispell, a standoff and arrest in Whitefish, another delay for the Territory 1889 resort near Lakeside, and a rare bacterial disease detected in wildlife in Glacier National Park.

One person was arrested following a shooting in Kalispell that left a 19-year-old man dead and three others injured. In Whitefish, a suspect surrendered after a standoff involving multiple law enforcement agencies and a K-9 unit.

Also this week, Flathead County officials delayed approval of the first phase of Territory 1889 over compliance issues, while Glacier National Park officials confirmed tularemia in snowshoe hares and a beaver. Park officials are advising visitors to take precautions around wildlife.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:07 Whitefish standoff ends in arrest
00:55 One dead, three injured in Kalispell shooting
02:03 Territory 1889 resort approval delayed again
04:09 Tularemia detected in Glacier National Park wildlife
06:40 Outro

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Daily Inter Lake reporter Taylor Inman was at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell for President Donald Trump’s Wednesday, Oct. 14 rally, speaking with attendees as they waited in line for the doors to open.

The rally was one of several late campaign stops ahead of the 2026 midterm election, held in a county where about 65% of voters backed Trump in 2024. Republican Aaron Flint, who is facing Democrat Sam Forstag in a western Montana congressional race considered a toss-up, was the guest of honor. Gov. Greg Gianforte, Reps. Troy Downing and Ryan Zinke and Senate candidate Kurt Alme all spoke ahead of the president.

Trump took the stage around 7:30 p.m., about an hour and a half behind schedule, and spoke for roughly an hour. He touched on Montana’s timber industry, the Colstrip power plant, a planned military testing range in the state, tariffs, inflation and the war with Iran. He closed by urging the crowd to vote in November.

In this episode, hear from the people who came out to see it.

Read Hailey Smalley's report from the event.

Voting in Montana: the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check your registration status, find your polling place and review ID requirements at votemt.gov, the Montana Secretary of State’s official voter information site. For questions about late registration or absentee ballots, contact your county election office.

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Host Taylor Inman covers four stories from Northwest Montana this week. A Flathead Valley man faces a felony charge after allegedly biting a deputy near Kalispell, and the Forest Service begins screening a proposed Columbia Mountain tramway. Mineral County is still waiting on three patrol vehicles from a supplier facing fraud allegations in multiple states, and Flathead County receives a roughly $2.5 million federal grant to expand its Crisis Assistance Team. 

Chapters:

 00:00 - Felony Charge After Deputy Bitten Near Kalispell
 01:38 - Forest Service Screening for Columbia Mountain Tramway
 03:07 - Mineral County Patrol Vehicle Fraud Allegations
 07:00 - $2.5 Million Grant for Flathead County Crisis Assistance Team 

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Host Taylor Inman covers this week's biggest Northwest Montana headlines - a Trego man's self-defense grizzly bear shooting, County Attorney Travis Ahner's bid for a district court vacancy, a dismissed federal lawsuit over EPA Superfund disclosure, approval for the first phase of the Territory 1889 development in Lakeside, and Whitefish musician Ethan Thompson's breakout moment on The Voice. 

 Chapters:
 00:00 - Intro
 00:08 - Trego man shoots grizzly bear in self-defense
 01:25 - County Attorney Travis Ahner seeks district judge vacancy
 03:38 - Federal judge dismisses Columbia Heights EPA lawsuit
 05:15 - Territory 1889 luxury development approved in Lakeside
 07:59 - Whitefish musician Ethan Thompson advances on The Voice 

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

October in the Flathead Valley comes with lederhosen, ghost stories, haunted hayrides and a dog costume contest. Host Melissa Wells has the full rundown of this month's events, from Oktoberfest in Whitefish to Peter and the Wolf with the Glacier Symphony. 

Listen now and find every event at DailyInterLake.com/events.

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Host Taylor Inman covers this week's biggest Northwest Montana headlines - a new emergency bear ordinance in Columbia Falls, a Governor and EPA-led tour of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Superfund site, PacifiCorp's process to sell the Bigfork Hydroelectric Dam, and a proposal for inflatable dams on St. Mary and Lower St. Mary lakes. 

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Columbia Falls passes emergency bear ordinance
03:09 - Governor, EPA tour Columbia Falls Aluminum Superfund site
08:08 - Bigfork Hydroelectric Dam up for sale
10:39 - Inflatable dams proposed for St. Mary and Milk River systems

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Host Taylor Inman covers this week's biggest Northwest Montana headlines - a contentious Mineral County sheriff standoff over missing patrol vehicles, the Montana Supreme Court's decision to uphold a Kalispell murder conviction, a small plane crash landing at Polson Airport, and a GoFundMe for a Columbia Falls woman recovering from a grizzly bear mauling.

Link to Aubrey Scott's GoFundMe: gofundme.com

 Chapters:
 00:00 - Intro
 00:07 - Mineral County sheriff standoff over missing patrol vehicles
 03:20 - Montana Supreme Court upholds Kalispell murder conviction
 08:04 - Cessna crash-lands at Polson Airport
 09:11 - GoFundMe launched for grizzly bear mauling victim 

Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support

A big thank you to our headline sponsor for their continued support of News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair. They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com

Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us!

Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.