Week of November 28, 2024
Week of November 28, 2024
Nick Lawyer was born at Clark Fork Valley Hospital, and 43 years later, he is stepping into a leadership role for the community medical facility. Lawyer will take over as chief of staff for the medical staff at CFVH in 2025. Lawyer recently completed the Healthcare Excellence in Leadership Program (HELP) through the Montana Medical Association, gaining valuable leadership skills that he is excited to use in his new position. "It's billed as a leadership development course for medical leaders,...
The 2024 Christmas on Main Street parade grand marshal has been busy since moving to Thompson Falls in 2022. You may have met Rob Viens through his choral group, the Clark Fork Valley Singers, but he's involved in many projects throughout the community. The Sanders County Chamber of Commerce chose Viens as the grand marshal to lead the community parade next weekend. Chelle Mitchell, secretary for the chamber, nominated Viens for the honor. "He directs music for the Thompson Falls Main Street...
Levi Sterling Laird appeared before Judge Molly Owen on Tuesday, making his initial appearance on three felony counts of sexual assault. Laird’s attorney, Nicholas Aemisegger, advised Judge Owen that Laird was not prepared to answer to the amended information filed recently as the supporting affidavit had not been filed, which charged Laird with two additional counts of sexual assault. Laird did enter his not guilty pleas to the original three counts. Judge Owen set this matter for an arraignment on the additional two counts for December 10...
Ronda Wakefield of Thompson Falls was recently honored as the Montana HR Leader of the Year by the Montana State Council of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). "It honestly was a complete surprise, right up until the time they said my name," Wakefield said of the honor. "It was an incredible honor to be recognized with such an amazing group of HR professionals. I consider myself so blessed, not a day goes by that I dread going to work." Wakefield was one of nine nominees for the...
It was a full meeting for the Plains School Board last Monday, when several students were recognized for special feats and new school hires were approved, but the meeting began with a teacher rebuking a board member for allowing personal feelings to interfere with a school program. Shop teacher Kyle Mitchell told the board that the school had the opportunity to hire Trista Brown at the October meeting to begin the SkillsUSA junior high chapter, but did not because of a "low turnout by the board...
Montana Highway Patrol Melody Struna, 62, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Maximilian Faller, 66, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Candace Farler, 62, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Brent Wiegele, 38, failure to carry/exhibit proof of insurance in vehicle, 2nd offense. Shane Hughes, 41, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Scott Nelson, 61, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Jake Giffuni, 33, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Saylen Nielsen, 37, stop sign violation; driving a motor vehicle while...
It was a one-woman crusade to help make Plains parks a cleaner place for residents and visitors, especially the four-legged kind. Cori Kerner spent four days on her "Dollar Days Sale" fundraiser at the Sanders County Fairgrounds pavilion last week. Her goal was to raise money to purchase several dog waste dispensers for the greenway along Railroad Street and the town's two parks. The sale reached just over $1,000 by Saturday and after her four-day sale, Kerner was able to raise almost $1,400 to...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 9; Plains, 8; Hot Springs, 7; Trout Creek, 2; Paradise, 1; Heron, 1. Monday, November 18 Automated alarm call, Trout Creek. USFS campground check, T. Falls. Fire, Paradise. Fire, Paradise. Civil attempts, Trout Creek. Civil attempts. Motor vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Civil attempts. Other law violations, Plains. Civil attempts, Noxon. Other law violations, Plains. Livestock, Perma. Motor vehicle crash, Heron. Motor vehicle crash, Heron. Civil standby, T. Falls. Road hazard/debris on road, Plains. Suspicious activity, T....
With the end of fall sports, local athletes are being honored with All-Conference and All-State status. This year for 7B Thompson Falls-Plains soccer player William Grenda was named All-Conference first team, with Andrew Wrobleski earning second team, and Zac Palacios earned an All-Conference honorable mention. In 11-man football, Thompson Falls senior Bryson LeCoure was named first team and All-State, with Bryson McCormick earning second team status. Ian Myers earned first special team as a kick returner. For volleyball, Plains senior Teagan...
The Mission Bulldogs hosted their annual all-star volleyball game to raise money for the local food bank, bringing together nine schools. Plains, Mission, Ronan, Hot Springs, Polson, Arlee, Charlo, Two Eagle River, and first year participants, Thompson Falls. Bringing together 22 athletes split into two teams, the Lights were coached by Thompson Falls' own Sandra Kazmierczak and the Darks were coached by Charlo's Rhondell Volinkaty. "I was nervous at first when they asked me to be a coach, but...
Living in rural areas often means facing isolation, a challenge disproportionately affecting senior residents. Maintaining an active lifestyle is crucial for health and fulfillment and is particularly vital for our senior community. This is why Whitepine Grange is making a significant difference. Local seniors are finding renewed energy and connection through Joy of Movement fitness classes. Supported by the Rural Life Initiative of the National Grange and Pfizer, these free classes are led by 71-year-old Jan Manning and professional...
OVER THE HILL GANG W L Leftovers 29 15 Mixed Nuts 25 19 Fun Team 24 20 Roll’n Along 18 26 Com’bak Kids 18 26 Jokers Wild 18 26 Team Scr. Game: Leftovers, 911; Scr. Series: Fun Team, 2591; Hcp. Game: Mixed Nuts, 1101; Hcp. Series: Mixed Nuts, 3153; Mens Inv. Scr. Game: Ron Beaty, 215; Scr. Series: Ron Beaty, 598; Inv. Hcp. Game: Ron Reedy, 254; Hcp. Series: Ron Reedy, 688; Wms Inv. Scr Game: Wendy Kelley, 183; Scr Series: Wendy Kelley, 498; Inv. Hcp. Game: Anita Brown, 255; Hcp. Series: Ginny Flewelling, 702. INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE W L...
RYKER WHITTENBURG, Thompson Falls - “If the turkey is 10 inches put it in the oven at 10 degrees for 10 minutes.” WYATT SWEDBERG, Thompson Falls - “Put it in at 40 hundred degrees for 400 minutes!” MILO MACDONALD, Thompson Falls - “We have ham, but put it in the oven for six hours at six degrees!” KAMRI WOOD, Thompson Falls - “In the oven at 34 degrees for 10 minutes.” SAGE PRESTON, Thompson Falls - “In the oven for two minutes at three degrees until it's a little hot." CASEN KIRKLAND, Thompson Falls - “In the oven for 10...
Garrett Brown, Noxon Elementary Interviewed by Karen Thorson This was a year of "firsts" for Garrett Brown, age 11, in the fifth grade at Noxon Elementary School. This is the first hunting season in which he is an actual hunter, and this was his first time to create a work of art with melted crayon as his medium. Given his interest in hunting it is no surprise that the subject matter for his art creation is a bugling bull elk, his favorite animal. Melted crayon, he says, is his favorite medium...
The Plains Woman's Club once again took to their sewing skills in an effort to help make a brighter Christmas for Sanders County children. Eight members of the club gathered at the United Methodist Church in Plains to sew Christmas stockings for the Sanders County Coalition For Families (SCCFF) after their club meeting on Friday afternoon. The volunteers included Shirley King, Deb Cleveland, Donna Maughlin, Janet Brandon, Linda Zirelli, LeeAnn Hafner, Samantha Bebb and Julie Thomas. Not all...
Last Saturday more than 30 volunteers gathered at the Community Congregational Church to put together 76 Thanksgiving baskets for 235 people of the Sanders County community. "They get everything for a typical Thanksgiving dinner, and each basket has $100 to $140 worth of food," said Ron Reedy, who helped prepare the volunteers. Reedy went on to say that while the number of baskets is going down each year that's not something to worry about, rather something to be happy about. "We have never...
Thalia Rowan-Prayer Nelson was born at home in the early morning of October 29, 2024, to father and mother, Chase and Nikki Nelson - residents of Noxon. The family - including new big brother, Lachlann - was visiting the East Coast in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, at the time of the birth. Mother and baby are healthy and in love. "We share our joy and blessings with all in Sanders County," the family...
Montana State University Extension’s Pesticide Education Program will host the Columbia River Basin Watershed Pesticide Tour from Dec. 9 to 12. The tour is supported by MSU Extension agents and will stop in Anaconda, Philipsburg, Missoula, Thompson Falls and Kalispell. The educational opportunity is designed for homeowners, small acreage owners, ranchers, farmers and private pesticide applicators across the area. The goal of the tour is to improve water quality by giving applicators the tools and knowledge to reduce pesticides entering the...
A turkey searches for just the right fruit in a tree west of...
Noxon School Seniors High Honor Roll: Maygan Swanson, Mia Vogel, Jillian Shell, Samuel Christensen, Maria Pelobello. Honor Roll: Shamus Wheeldon, Kaelene Kelly, Owen Ramsey, Patience Morris. Juniors High Honor Roll: Ian Brown, Isabella Buchanan, Chance McDaid, Marianna Herra, Nathan Hutfles, DJ Ringleka, Zachary Storaasli, Gage Todd, Haylee Wiedeman, Ricky Williams. Honor ROll: Shane Murray, Emma Swanson, Elizabeth Vehar, Lottie Williams. Sophomores High Honor Roll: John Cooper, Finn Duffy, Elloria Jensen, Bran Parrish, Fletcher Segura. Honor...
The Sanders County bookmobile will be featured on an upcoming episode of “Backroads of Montana” on PBS. The episode will premiere Monday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. The show has aired on Montana PBS since 1991, and the crew travels across Montana visiting unique people and places. According to a press release, “every month in Sanders County, the Bookmobile makes the rounds to every community in its northwest region. We roll along with this library on wheels as it reaches bookworms of all ages.” Bookmobile director Jessica Gayton said she had a...
A cast of 28 local actors and a crew of nine are preparing for the best Christmas pageant ever. It says so in the name of the production, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical.” The musical will be presented at three events throughout the county in December and is being coordinated by Rob Viens of Thompson Falls, the Stage and Musical Director. “My first experience with the play was in 1992 and everybody fell in love with it,” Viens said. The play is based on the book by Barbara Robinson, from which she created a stage...
SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. BEAM 5. TABES 10. TATE 14. ALLO 15. ABAMP 16. AGED 17. TEGU 18. TINEA 19. BRAD 20. TAALS 22. DAR 23. TIARA 24. DATELINES 27. TAB 30. TAR 31. TAE 32. TPA 35. ORATED 37. TUB 38. MAIL 39. TORUS 40. MAS 41. SACCO 42. AMEN 43. POI 44. MACHOS 45. LAD 46. TED 47. RAG 48. ETA 49. SERENADES 52. TABLA 55. REC 56. SABER 60. OLEA 61. TAPED 63. BARI 64. MOAB 65. STOMA 66. IBIS 67. EELS 68. POSED 69. NECK SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. BATT 2. ELEA 3. ALGA 4. MOULD 5. TAT 6. ABIDER 7. BANAL 8. EMERITUS 9. SPA 10. TABIS 11. AGRA 12. TEAR 13. EDDA 21....
50 YEARS AGO • SEPTEMBER 12, 1974 CITY TO BUY PARKING LOT Purchase of the four lots on which the county garage is located behind Gambles Store (now True Value) has been authorized by the City Council with annual parking fees paid by local merchants providing about two-thirds of the funds. The cost of the four lots is $10,000. The payments will be spread over a five-year period with the city allocating $700 annually from federal revenue funds and another $1,300 coming from rental charges paid by merchants. The city will receive title from...
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is how everyone practices gratitude. For some people, it’s Thirty Days of Gratitude, and they will name one thing every day they’re thankful for, with no overlap. For others, they say just one thing they’re grateful for before tucking into their Thanksgiving Day meal. Gratitude is so often underrated. We practice it only when reminded by a holiday that’s effectively the celebration of an oppressed people. But gratitude as a daily practice can be so healthy. After my miscarriages, when I was in a...
I’ve always found Mr. Jim Elliott’s articles in the “Montana Viewpoint” section interesting, though not for the reasons one might expect. It’s not because he offers any particularly insightful perspective on Montana or shares any meaningful wisdom from Sanders County-Trout Creek. In fact, Mr. Elliott’s viewpoints rarely, if ever, align with the views held by most of the Trout Creek community—about three-quarters of whom would likely disagree with him. What’s clear is that his commentary is consistently slanted and partisan....
This month I was asked to participate in the post election audit process for the county. I’ve been on the other side of the table for every part of local elections, observing everything from voting machine testing to ballot counting by machine and hand counts, to recounts and audits. But I’ve never been anything more than an observer. With the post election audit, the Secretary of State’s office literally rolls a dice to determine which races and which precincts will be hand counted. Then the local elections office has election workers...
As Black Friday and Travel Tuesday approach, the buzz around travel deals and exclusive perks grows louder. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement, hoping to score the vacation of your dreams at a bargain price. But the reality is that most of these deals—offering perks like cruise credits, pre-paid gratuities, or specialty dining for two—do not deliver massive savings. In most cases, they amount to maybe a couple of hundred dollars off. Cruise lines and Resorts are masters of marketing, often shifting their incentives to create...
