Flathead County

Plastics like the fibers in t-shirts and the abrasive beads in body wash are polluting rivers more than previously thought, according to researchers from the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station.

Flu season is well underway and as a result, some healthcare facilities in Northwest Montana are restricting visiting hours.

Kalispell Regional Healthcare announced Tuesday that children under age 13 won’t be allowed to visit Kalispell Regional Medical Center, The HealthCenter and Pathways Treatment Center after the facilities noted an increase in influenza admissions.

A controversial water bottling plant in Flathead County can continue operating. The county’s Planning and Zoning Department said Thursday that it’s been grandfathered into a newly expanded agricultural zone.

Opponents of Montana Artesian Water Company’s plans to commercially bottle and sell water near Creston had hoped the expanded agricultural zone, approved by voters last June, would block the company from operating.

The wife of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer has accused him of physically, verbally and emotionally abusing her in divorce papers filed in Flathead County.

Nina Koupriianova said Spencer abused her throughout their eight-year marriage.

About 100 people went to a hearing in Kalispell Tuesday in a lawsuit aimed at preventing a water bottling plant from producing and distributing its product.