News Now

Stay informed with the Daily Inter Lake's News Now podcast—your source for the latest headlines and breaking news from Flathead Valley and Northwest Montana. From boots on the ground interviews to local events, we keep you connected to the heart of your community. Brought to you by Northwest Montana’s longest-running daily newspaper: dailyinterlake.com. Explore more from the Daily Inter Lake’s podcast network! Deep Dive brings you in-depth stories from across our area. Keeping Score delivers a front row seat to Northwest Montana sports. And Side Tracks shares the stories behind Northwest Montana's local music, food, and arts culture.

  1. 3h ago

    43 Years in Bike Shops: Wheaton's Cycle's Hans Axelsen Interviewed Serena Carlson

    This spring, the Daily Inter Lake partnered with Kalispell Public Schools on Civic Voices, a news literacy course teaching Kalispell Middle School eighth graders the fundamentals of journalism. This August, six of those students returned as rising freshmen for a Storytelling Bootcamp, where they built on that foundation with hands-on interviewing and profile writing, telling the stories of six people shaping the Kalispell community.  In this episode, student Serena Carlson interviews Hans Axelsen, owner of Wheaton's Cycle, a Kalispell bike shop with a 108-year history. Axelsen talks about starting as a shop mechanic at 15 and working his way to ownership, why he left Colorado's Front Range for Montana as Denver's growth ate into his time to snowboard, and the eleven-mile bike commute he rode into work for years, winter included. He also breaks down the least glamorous part of running a bike shop: keeping inventory accurate across a quarter million parts. Serena's full written profile of Axelsen appears in the Daily Inter Lake on September 9. Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support 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.

    43 Years in Bike Shops: Wheaton's Cycle's Hans Axelsen Interviewed Serena Carlson
  2. 15h ago

    From Artist to Director: Glacier Art Museum's Alyssa Cordova Interviewed by Blaze Schultz

    This spring, the Daily Inter Lake partnered with Kalispell Public Schools on Civic Voices, a news literacy course teaching Kalispell Middle School eighth graders the fundamentals of journalism. This August, six of those students returned as rising freshmen for a Storytelling Bootcamp, where they built on that foundation with hands-on interviewing and profile writing, telling the stories of six people shaping the Kalispell community.  In this episode, student Blaze Schultz interviews Alyssa Cordova, executive director of the Glacier Art Museum. Cordova traces her path from aspiring artist to curator to museum director, why she left a larger institution in Southern California to come home to Montana, and what it took to keep a small nonprofit museum running through her first months on the job during the pandemic. She also talks about fundraising as a creative act and the challenge art museums face staying relevant to a generation that carries a screen in its pocket. Blaze's full written profile of Cordova appears in the Daily Inter Lake on September 9. Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support 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.

    From Artist to Director: Glacier Art Museum's Alyssa Cordova Interviewed by Blaze Schultz
  3. 1d ago

    Inside an 1891 Bank Vault: Princess & Buck's Beth Kornick Interviewed by Finley Kipp

    This spring, the Daily Inter Lake partnered with Kalispell Public Schools on Civic Voices, a news literacy course teaching Kalispell Middle School eighth graders the fundamentals of journalism. This August, six of those students returned as rising freshmen for a Storytelling Bootcamp, where they built on that foundation with hands-on interviewing and profile writing, telling the stories of six people shaping the Kalispell community. In this episode, student Finley Kipp interviews Beth Kornick, co-owner of Princess & Buck, a boutique in downtown Kalispell's first brick building - a former bank whose 1891 vault is now a photo booth. Kornick explains how she and business partner Kyle built the shop around what she calls customer avatars, the difference between what tourists and locals actually want to buy, and why she waited until she was 54 to open the store she had wanted since she started in retail at 14. Finley's full written profile of Kornick appears in the Daily Inter Lake on September 9. Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support 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.

    Inside an 1891 Bank Vault: Princess & Buck's Beth Kornick Interviewed by Finley Kipp
  4. 2d ago

    Free Rent to Fire Chief: Kalispell's Jay Hagen, Interviewed by Connor Greene

    This spring, the Daily Inter Lake partnered with Kalispell Public Schools on Civic Voices, a news literacy course teaching Kalispell Middle School eighth graders the fundamentals of journalism. This August, six of those students returned as rising freshmen for a Storytelling Bootcamp, where they built on that foundation with hands-on interviewing and profile writing, telling the stories of six people shaping the Kalispell community.  In this episode, student Connor Greene interviews Jay Hagen - the fire chief for the city of Kalispell, a job that traded emergency response for budgets, hiring, and strategic planning. Hagen explains how he backed into the fire service as a college student chasing free housing, what changed when he moved from a three-decade career in Seattle and Bellevue to a smaller department in Montana, and what he misses most about being a line firefighter. He also talks about recognizing his crews' best work, from water rescues to promotions, as the most rewarding part of the job. Connor's full written profile of Chief Hagen appears in the Daily Inter Lake on September 9. Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support 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.

    Free Rent to Fire Chief: Kalispell's Jay Hagen, Interviewed by Connor Greene
  5. Aug 31

    Columbia Falls Market's $1M Deadline, Century-Old Grandstands Rebuild, Glacier Oil Well Capped

    Host Taylor Inman covers the week's biggest headlines from Northwest Montana. Columbia Falls Community Market is racing to raise $1 million by Sept. 7 to buy the land it operates on, while Flathead County has picked an architect to rebuild the 118-year-old grandstands at the fairgrounds. Crews finished capping a leaking, century-old oil well near Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park, and operators say the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project is holding up despite a federal hiring freeze cutting its staff. Plus, Flathead Electric Cooperative's Roundup for Safety program awarded $10,000 to local search and rescue teams this round.  Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:44 - Columbia Falls Community Market's $1 Million Deadline 02:44 - Architect Selected to Rebuild Century-Old Fairground Grandstands 04:49 - Century-Old Oil Well Capped Near Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park 06:43 - Flathead Indian Irrigation Project Nears End of Season 09:11 - Flathead Electric Awards Roundup for Safety Grants Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support 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.

    Columbia Falls Market's $1M Deadline, Century-Old Grandstands Rebuild, Glacier Oil Well Capped
  6. Aug 28

    September 2026 Northwest Montana Events Guide: Songwriter Fest, Chainsaw Carvers & Live Music

    Host Melissa Wells rounds up the biggest events on tap across Northwest Montana this September, from the Whitefish Songwriter Festival and the 10th annual Clash of the Carvers in Libby to the debut of Treetop Volume 001 at Blacktail Mountain and a Fleetwood Mac tribute at the O'Shaughnessy. Along the way, catch a Nashville songwriter collaboration with the Glacier Symphony, a Phil Collins tribute at the Wachholz, a Chinese vegetable garden history talk at the Northwest Montana History Museum, and a save-the-date for Trego Heritage Day in October. Visit https://dailyinterlake.com/events/ and https://www.flatheadtickets.com/ to plan your event calendar this month! Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:20 - Whitefish Songwriter Festival 02:45 - Clash of the Carvers 03:46 - Trego Heritage Day (Save the Date 10/3) 04:35 - Treetop Volume 001 at Blacktail Mountain 06:07 - Montana Treehouse Retreat: Laura Gibson & Tin Finley 06:39 - Gold Leather and Lace: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute 07:07 - Feeding the Frontier: A History of Chinese Vegetable Gardens 07:35 - Artful Arrangements at Glacier Art Museum 08:00 - Chris Roberts at Whitefish Performing Arts Center 08:24 - Songwriters and the Symphony 08:46 - The Phil Collins Story The Whitefish Songwriter Festival returns September 18-20, filling stages and venues across Whitefish with songwriters from around the country. Friday kicks off at 2pm with the Songwriter Contest finals at the O'Shaughnessy Center, where 10 finalists selected from more than 100 entries compete for a $1,000 prize in each age bracket, followed by a late night band jam. Saturday brings coffee and conversation with the songwriters at 11am plus songwriter rounds throughout the day. Passes and details are available at https://WhitefishSongwriterFest.org. The 10th annual Clash of the Carvers hits Libby's Mineral Avenue September 10-13, with 20 international chainsaw carvers from as far as Germany, Moldova and Lithuania spending four days on their masterpieces. Quick carves are auctioned off Friday and Saturday, with the final auction Sunday at 2pm. Admission is free. Visit https://www.clashofthecarvers.com/ to carve out more information! Save the date for Trego Heritage Day on Saturday, October 3, from 10am to 5pm at The Blarney Ranch in Trego. The day includes a black powder demonstration, traditional archery, horse and wagon rides, pottery and basket making, gold panning, leatherwork, horsemanship demos and a pumpkin patch, celebrating the ranching, agriculture and logging history of the Tobacco Valley. Visit https://www.thehalltfs.com/heritagedays for more details! Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support 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.

    September 2026 Northwest Montana Events Guide: Songwriter Fest, Chainsaw Carvers & Live Music
5
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About

Stay informed with the Daily Inter Lake's News Now podcast—your source for the latest headlines and breaking news from Flathead Valley and Northwest Montana. From boots on the ground interviews to local events, we keep you connected to the heart of your community. Brought to you by Northwest Montana’s longest-running daily newspaper: dailyinterlake.com. Explore more from the Daily Inter Lake’s podcast network! Deep Dive brings you in-depth stories from across our area. Keeping Score delivers a front row seat to Northwest Montana sports. And Side Tracks shares the stories behind Northwest Montana's local music, food, and arts culture.

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