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Brian Sipe recalls when the noted rifle barrel maker Les Bauska told him: “If you want to starve to death, become a gunsmith.” So, naturally, Sipe became a gunsmith.

Then in 1990, he parlayed his skills into the rifle barrel business, starting Montana Rifleman with “about $200” to his name. But one by one, the rifle barrels began pouring out of his shop and that $200 grew some fat. Nearly 20 years later, Sipe’s barrels can be found across the world, on rifles with household names like Remington and Bushmaster.

And this year, prompted by concern over how the Obama administration will affect federal gun laws, business has gone through the roof. People are stocking up on firearms, Sipe said. Montana Rifleman, located on Montana Highway 35 outside of Kalispell, has already churned out more than 100,000 rifle barrels this year. In past years, the total was closer to 70,000-80,000, Sipe said.

“We’re not a hobby barrel maker anymore,” Sipe said.

The Flathead Valley, and Montana for that matter, has a rich history of barrel and gun manufacturing, boasting names like the Bauska family, the Sipe family and, more recently, the Sonju family. The Sonjus have formed a sister company to their Sonju Industrial, which manufactures aerospace parts.

Breaking News

Three felony charges were filed against Kalispell state Sen. Greg Barkus Wednesday after his alleged driving of a boat under the influence of alcohol led to an Aug. 27 crash on the shore of Flathead Lake that injured him, his wife, Congressman Denny Rehberg and two of his staff members.

Charging documents revealed a blood test taken one hour and 45 minutes after the accident by Kalispell Regional Medical Center showed Barkus had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.16, twice the legal limit. Four hours after the accident, a test administered by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks revealed Barkus’ BAC at 0.12.

Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan charged Barkus with felony criminal endangerment for knowingly engaging in “conduct that created a substantial risk to of death or serious bodily injury to others,” referring to the passengers on the boat. The charge carries a maximum term in state prison of 10 years and/or a maximum fine of $50,000.

Check back with the Flathead Beacon for updates.

Update

Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg and his staff member, Kristin Smith, were released from Kalispell Regional Medical Center on Monday after suffering injuries in a boat crash near Bigfork four days earlier.

Dustin Frost, Rehberg’s state director who was also in the accident, remained at the hospital with a serious brain injury.

“Everybody’s optimistic that he’s going to recover,” Erik Iverson, Rehberg’s former chief of staff, who spoke with reporters in the days after the crash, said in a Monday conference call. Doctors continue to monitor the pressure on Frost’s brain and Iverson said he did not believe Frost, a native of Sunburst, has regained consciousness since the accident.

Kalispell state Sen. Greg Barkus, who was driving the boat, and his wife, Kathleen, have not released any statements as of press time, but Iverson said he has spoken with both of them and they remain in stable condition. Barkus has hired an attorney, Todd Glazier of Kalispell, to represent him. Glazier has not returned a call for comment as of this writing.

Salazar, Baucus, Tester Talk Transboundary Environmental Threats

BLANKENSHIP – Standing near the bridge below the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead Rivers, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday he hopes there can be some type of designation protecting Glacier National Park and the Flathead Basin from upstream natural resource development in place by next year.

“Where we have to aim is for an international covenant between the United States and Canada that will protect the Flathead water basin,” Salazar said, flanked by Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, who brought the Interior Secretary to the North Fork in order to get a firsthand look at the pristine beauty of the rivers which comprise part of the borders of Glacier National Park. [more]

From the Flathead Beacon

With cameras in hand, advocates for single-payer health care ambushed U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., last week. Led by Russell Mokhiber of singlepayeraction.org, activists followed Baucus down an alley near the Kaiser Family Foundation in downtown Washington, D.C., yelling questions as he was pulling into the building.

[more]

From the Flathead Beacon

MARION, Mont. – Down this rutted gravel road, 40 miles from the nearest incorporated town and 20 miles from a post office, loyal patrons of “America’s Most Remote Brewery” are tipping back beers and trying to cope with loss.

They are losing their beloved watering hole.

Owners Gary and Clydene Bultman recently announced that Lang Creek has quit brewing beers and is selling off its remaining inventory, bringing an end to one of the oldest and well-known breweries in the state.
[more]

Officials from Plum Creek Timber Co. announced plans Monday to permanently close its Pablo sawmill. The company said the fate of sawmills in Columbia Falls and Evergreen is uncertain, giving a 60-day notice of possible layoffs to employees at both mills and saying future operation would be based on economic conditions and performance.

The company issued notices Monday to 87 employees at the Pablo facility, as well as to 69 workers at its Evergreen sawmill and 130 employees at its Columbia Falls sawmill.

Rick Holley, Plum Creek president and chief executive officer, said in a press release that the cuts were again the result of waning demand for wood products because of the troubled housing market. [more]

Speaker: “Everybody is watching Montana"

Business people at last week’s new energy conference were proof that even in Montana – home to scores of extended cab pick-up trucks and John Deere tractors – there’s room for alternative energy.

In recognition of Earth Day, Citizens for a Better Flathead sponsored a full-day conference titled, "Repowering the Flathead for a New Energy Economy.” [more]

Missoula and Billings still on top 100 growing cities list

Populations continue to climb in many of Montana’s fast-growing regions – just at much slower rates than recent boom years.

“Basically the same areas that have been growing since 2000 are still the ones growing, although it’s slowed down quite a bit,” James Sylvester, with the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, said.

Economic downturn has cut growth by as much as half in many of these areas, Sylvester added, largely because of the economic downturn.

Flathead County’s population grew by nearly 2 percent between 2007 and 2008, according to population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau last month. The report puts the number of residents here at 88,473. That’s 14,002 more people than were counted here in the 2000 census.

Gallatin County’s 3 percent growth rate, up to 89,824 people in 2008 from 87,243 the year before, was enough to earn it a spot on the list of 100 fastest-growing counties in the country last year. Ranked at number 98, Gallatin’s growth was significant – but still sedate compared to first-placed St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana, which grew by 12.8 percent.

Billings and Missoula also claimed spots on a top-100 list, placing 70 and 80, respectively, in the ranks of fastest-growing metropolitan areas. Billings’ population grew by about 2,500 people or 1.7 percent to just more than 150,000 residents, while Missoula saw 1.6 percent growth to about 107,000 residents. [more]

From the Flathead Beacon

At a subdivision northwest of Kalispell, local Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers are busy building a duplex. Nearly every day they’re working, someone walks onto the site to ask for a job.

“They see building activity so they’re literally stopping to ask if we have a bid out,” Patti Gregerson, executive director of Kalispell’s Habitat for Humanity branch, said.

With construction jobs scarce, many workers see an active build site as an opportunity in a difficult time. The construction industry is struggling. Housing starts are down drastically, and competition for jobs is stiff. When contractor Terry Kramer recently bid on a remodel on Whitefish’s Town Pump station, eight other contractors, including two of the state’s largest, jumped in the mix, too. “Nobody used to bid for junky little jobs like that,” Kramer said.

As a result, hundreds of independent contractors – carpenters, plumbers, roofers, and the like – have been left without work. And, because they don’t pay into the program, they are also without any unemployment benefits. [more]