PFAS testing results, Glacier wrestling lawsuit & campaign to remove Kalispell mayor

This week on News Now, Daily Inter Lake reporter Taylor Inman covers the biggest headlines shaping northwest Montana — from new environmental findings in Flathead waters to major legal battles and political controversy in Kalispell.

New statewide testing found no evidence of PFAS “forever chemicals” in Flathead Lake or the Flathead River, making them the only Montana waterbodies tested that showed no signs of contamination. The findings come amid growing concern over PFAS exposure and fish consumption advisories across the state.

A federal judge has ruled that a Title IX lawsuit involving alleged sexual assault and hazing within the Glacier High School wrestling program can move forward to trial. The lawsuit accuses Kalispell Public Schools of retaliating against a parent and student who reported concerns to authorities.

Plus, an effort is underway to recall Kalispell Mayor Ryan Hunter following controversy surrounding his tie-breaking vote on the city’s land use plan. Supporters of the recall claim Hunter violated public trust, while the mayor says the accusations are politically motivated.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Hello and welcome to News Now. I'm your host, Taylor Inman. We're going over the week's biggest headlines for Northwest Montana. Testing by state wildlife officials in 2023 found no evidence of so-called forever chemicals in the Flathead River and Flathead Lake. Out of 14 sites tested, the Northwest Montana water bodies were the only ones that showed no signs of PER and polyfloral alkyl substances, better known as PIFAS. Widely used in manufacturing since the 1940s, the long-lasting chemicals have built up in water, soil, and animal tissues across the country. Recent studies have linked exposures of high levels of PFAS to increased risk of reproductive defects, development delays, and some cancers in humans. In spring 2023, state officials tested tissue samples taken from fish in 14 water bodies to better ascertain the statewide risk of PFAS exposure. Biologists caught 10 white fish and nine rainbow trout near the Old Steel Bridge, as well as four lake trout and ten white fish in Flathead Lake near Summers. All 33 fish tested negative for 40 different PFAS compounds. A variety of popular sport fish caught in the 12 other locations tested positive for PIFAS, with the highest concentrations found in samples taken from the East Gallatin, Missouri, and Yellowstone Rivers, and Fort Peck Reservoir. Fish in the Clark Fork River, Lake Helena, Nelson Reservoir, and Prickly Pear Creek also tested positive for PIFAS. An investigation by Montana PBS found that Governor Greg G. Inforte's office suppressed the results of the testing and delayed producing a report with updated fish advisory consumptions until late April 2026. The final consumption advisories related to PIFAS were much looser than the limits originally recommended by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in an unpublished 2024 draft of the report. While fish and local water bodies tested negative for PIFAs, fish consumption advisories remain in effect for other potentially dangerous chemicals. Lake trout and Lake Whitefish and Flathead Lake may contain mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, a man-made chemical banned in 1977 that has since been linked to cancer in humans. The state recommends eating no more than 1 to 12 lake trout and no more than 1 to 7 whitefish per month. Exact amounts depend on age, sex, and medical background as well as the size of the fish. The state has also recommended limiting consumption of fish caught in the Kooteny and Clark Fork Rivers, the Fifth Street instance and fire ponds in Libby, Cabnet Gorge, Thompson Falls and Knox and Rapid Reservoirs, and Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge. Lakes in Northwest Montana with fish consumption advisories include Lake Kukanouska, Lake Mary Ronan, McGregor Lake, Whitefish Lake, Seely and Swan Lakes in the Swan Valley, Bowman, Harrison, St. Mary, Upper Two Medicine, Waterton, and McDonald Lakes in Glacier National Park, Cliff Lake in the Jewel Basin, Lee Lake in the Cabinet Mountains, and Upper Cold Lake in the Mission Mountains. Advisories vary based on the size of the fish and the age and sex of the person consuming the fish. Visit fwp.mt.gov slash fish for more information and to view a full list of consumption advisories. A federal judge denied a request to end a Title IX lawsuit against Calisbell Public Schools, stemming from sexual assault allegations involving the Glacier High School wrestling team in 2022, ruling that there is enough disagreement about key facts that the case should go to trial. Parent Kirk Nance and his son Clifford, a former Glacier High School wrestler, are suing Calisbell Public Schools for allegedly retaliating against them for reporting allegations of sexual assault and hazing on the wrestling team during the 2021-2022 school year. In an order filed April 28th in U.S. District Court in Missoula, U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston denied the district's request for summary judgment, which is a request to have the judge toss a case out without trial. The ruling means that the court sees enough evidence on both sides that a jury should decide the outcome. The court found that material factual disputes remain regarding the basics of Kirk Nance's retaliation claim. He alleges that he shared sexual assault and hazing allegations with the Calspell Police Department and school officials and faced retaliatory actions by the district, including being barred from attending wrestling practices and from being on school property. Clifford Nance reportedly received reduced coaching and a pushback on a request to transfer to another high school's wrestling team, which was originally denied by former Glacier Activities Director and Assistant Principal Mark Denahy. In its request for summary judgment, Calisbell Public Schools argued that the Nances do not have enough evidence to prove the district retaliated against them. The district maintains it acted in the interest of student and staff safety. The court order cites an email from the school district's Title IX coordinator, Sarah Cole, that states that assistant glacier wrestling coach Garrett Melton's behavior after the reports of alleged sexual misconduct, quote, could have been perceived as retaliatory, and suggested that he should no longer be an assistant coach. The district responded that the email does not name the Nance's, does not admit Melton was retaliating against them, and was written after Kirk Nance says the retaliation had started, according to court documents. The judge also highlighted the timing between Kirk Nance's reporting and the school district's actions. The order says Kirk Nance reported the allegations to police and school officials on January 9, 2023, and that the district took several actions in the days that followed. Facts the plaintiffs argue support their claim that the response was tied to their reporting. The order says Kirk Nance was protected by Title IX when he reported alleged sexual misconduct to police and alerted school officials. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits schools receiving federal funds from sex-based discrimination and is meant to protect people who report incidents or concerns from retaliation. The district argued that even if Kirk was outspoken about the allegations, staff did not know about his role in reporting it before the district restricted his access to school property. The judge disagreed based on the police report and emails to school officials. In the order, the judge also noted that a jury could view several alleged actions as the kind of negative response that might discourage somebody from speaking up, such as banning Kirk Nance from practices in school property, and the treatment that Clifford Nance says he experienced with the team. Callispa Public School Superintendent Matt Jensen called the ruling disappointing and said the district looks forward to having a jury resolve the case in an emailed response to the Interlake. He said procedural decisions of this nature are not uncommon in cases like this, and that the specific matter centers on a parent's interaction with other families' kids and district employees. Jensen later added that, quote, we have a responsibility to address these types of adult behaviors and promote a safe and orderly environment for students and staff. Individuals who disrupt school operations or inappropriately insert themselves into the matters concerning other families' kids should expect reasonable restrictions on their access to school property. Gliven law firm is also handling a separate lawsuit filed by another former Glacier student wrestler on December 16, 2025, in Yellowstone County District, accusing the school district and two former employees of negligence. Avery said the firm is awaiting the school district's response to that litigation. Helena lawyer John Dubeck of Dubeck, Pfeiffer, and Stoar is handling yet another lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Missoula in 2023 by the parent of a Glacier High School wrestler, also alleging negligence in training staff and supervising students during team travel, according to the Daily Montanan. An effort is underway to oust Kalispell Mayor Ryan Hunter. The newly formed Political Action Committee, Recall Mayor Ryan Hunter, is seeking to remove Hunter from office before his term expires. The committee, which has two official members, is drafting a petition to collect enough signatures to trigger a recall vote. The committee's founder, Calispell resident Ryan Burner, said the push stems from Hunter's tie-breaking vote in April to adopt Kalispell's land use plan, despite concerns from some residents, fellow counselors, and the city attorney about a potential conflict of interest. Berner argued that Hunter broke a campaign pledge to make fair, responsible, and transparent decisions after listening to residents and stakeholders by voting on the issue, citing a candidate questionnaire Hunter completed that was published in the Flathead Beacon. He alleged that Hunter violated his oath of office and committed official misconduct, both of which qualify as grounds for recall under the Montana Recall Act. Hunter deemed the accusations absolutely false and said that the effort is not based on any decision he's made as mayor. The committee registered with the state in April, though Burner launched a Facebook account under the same name in January, the month that Hunter took office and weeks before the vote on the land use plan. Hunter said, quote, this is about people who are upset with the outcome of November's election, and they want to overturn that election, and that's not allowed under the law. He said he is prepared to take whatever legal action is necessary to ensure the people's vote from November is respected. The issue that Burner's campaign is hinging on surfaced during a January work session dedicated to reviewing the city's new land use plan. Hunter supported a written request from his employer, the Flathead Land Trust, to remove an area west of town from the city's future growth boundary because of migrating sandhill cranes. Counselor Judd Fisher later accused Hunter of helping draft the letter in an allegation Hunter repeatedly denied. Hunter cited with city staff's recommendation to keep the boundary unchanged, but sought additional guidance from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The state agency then sent a letter to City Hall recommending that the land be designated as an area of concern, citing its importance as a stopover for tens of thousands of migratory waterfowl. Before the land use plan that included the designation was adopted, City Attorney Jonna Preble warned Hunter that voting on the measure could pose a problem. Hunter defended his decision to vote, saying that he has consistently disclosed his employment with the nonprofit, and that neither he nor the organization would receive any financial benefit from designating the area as environmentally sensitive. Hunter said that critics argued that designating the area would affect property values and make it easier for the Flathead Land Trust to conserve land there. He rejected the claim, saying that property value does not affect the nonprofit's ability to operate. He said several other maps in the land use plan, including ones that identify moose, bear, and elk habitat, have not been found to affect property value. Berner said he started the Facebook page after monitoring Hunter's conduct in office. The page featured AI generated content about the campaign, including one since deleted video that appeared to show an AI generated Hunter referring to himself as a grifter. The video was deleted to better align with the formally established committee's direction, according to Berner. Before that, he said the page was more informal and exploratory. Hunter was elected mayor in the November municipal election, beating out counselor Sid Dowd and local entrepreneur Kisa Davison. Hunter received 2,933 votes, followed by Davison with 2,668 votes and Dowd with 1,793 votes. Before the petition can be circulated, the Flathead County Election Department must ensure it meets all statutory requirements, according to election administrator Paula Buff. She said they are not reviewing it for substance. If approved, the committee will have 90 days to collect signatures from at least 20% of registered voters at the time of the 2023 municipal election. At that time, Calispo had just over 16,000 registered voters, meaning the campaign must gather a minimum of 3,277 signatures, according to Buff. Burner expects to meet the threshold using trained volunteer circulators who will canvas door to door and in highly trafficked public areas. Burner, a U.S. Army veteran, resides in Ward 3 and has lived in Calispo for three years, though he has said that he's called the Flathead Valley home on and off for years. He told the Daily Interlake he works in business consulting and sales. The committee treasurer, Amber Emory, is based in Eureka. But Berner said that state law doesn't require political action committee treasurers to reside in the same municipality as the office being recalled. 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 stories were written by Daily Inner Lake reporters Haley Smalley, Jack Underhill, and Hillary Matheson. 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.