Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The Sanders County Solid Waste Refuse Disposal District is gathering input from residents on proposed service charge increases to help pay for the new Thompson Falls transfer station. On June 20, the solid waste board voted to increase service charges to pay for the new transfer station, sheds and equipment, as well as the design and financing costs associated with the project. The proposed increase is from $125 per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) to $160 per ERU. The project is estimated at $5,089,800. The U.S. Department of Agriculture...
Hundreds of people will converge on Sanders County this weekend for the 13th Annual Sanders Sale-ing event. More than 60 yard sales, garage sales, moving sales and estate sales are planned for Friday and Saturday. Robin Hagedorn, with the Thompson Falls Main Street Committee, said that the number of sales are up this year and she expects a big crowd of buyers visiting the sales, from Heron to Dixon. With the $20 fee sellers pay, the Sanders Sale-ing group purchases advertising and lists all of the sales on the website www.Sanders-Saleing.com....
The town of Trout Creek transformed into the ATV Capital of the world last Saturday with the annual Cabinet Ridge Riders (CRR) poker run. Hundreds of riders took an 80-mile ride through the Kootenai National Forest for the event. Shelley Anderson, CRR treasurer, said 392 riders participated in this year's event, beating the group's previous record of 284 riders. Anderson said they noticed a lot more side-by-side vehicles this year, allowing the event to attract more families. When the event...
An arrest was made Monday in a string of recent thefts on the west end of Sanders County. Detective Martin Spring with the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said that one suspect was arrested. The name of the individual has not been released by SCSO or the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office. Spring stated the thefts began Sunday evening, June 16, and that the SCSO started receiving reports the next day. “We had 12 cars broken into and one car stolen,” he said, noting that the subjects involved stole a vehicle that was recovered in Moses Lake,...
The town of Noxon is getting ready for their annual Fourth of July celebration, set for next Thursday. Joyce Hilt, who helps organize the event, said that the volunteers who organize the event have been doing it for so long, everyone just steps up and helps out. “It all comes together great,” she said. The day will start with a veterans breakfast at the Noxon Senior Center. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Next up is the fun run, with 7:30 a.m. registration at the park and the runners taking off at 8 a.m. T-shirts will be ava...
Two white-tailed deer killed in Libby recently have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and local Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) staff say there are steps hunters can take to slow the spread of the disease. FWP Biologist Bruce Sterling said hunters need to be responsible when they dispose of carcasses, as CWD is spread not only by animal-to-animal contact but can also be spread through contaminated grass and soil. “This is a new endeavor for hunters,” he said. “You can’t just dump carcasses.” Hunters need to be responsib...
Monday was the last day to file for municipal elections in Sanders County, and only one race of council closed with more than one candidate filing. In Hot Springs, four people filed for two at-large council positions. Filing for the four-year terms were Crystal Graham, Renea Keough, Edwin Gail Weatherly and Mary Whitsett. In Thompson Falls, longtime council member Tom Eggensperger chose not to run for his position again. Ruth Cheney was the only resident to file for Eggensperger’s position in ward 3. In ward 2, Katherina Maudrone was the l...
The little church that keeps on thriving is celebrating its centennial on Sunday. Whitepine Community Church sits along Highway 200 between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek. The centennial celebration will include a church service at noon led by Pastor Jason Cox, followed by a potluck celebration. Methodist Bishop Karen Oliveto will deliver a message on Sunday as well. Church member Ruth Tucker said that everyone is invited to come and share memories at the church's centennial celebration. The...
A Thompson Falls family who live north of town had a unique interaction with a black bear. The Nygaard family had black bears join their 4-H pigs in the livestock pen earlier this week. The bear was captured on a game camera set up by the Nygaards' neighbor, Gary Backus. The bear was seen eating the pig food in the pen on Sunday. The family called Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) bear management specialist Kim Annis, who installed electric fencing around the livestock pen on Monday. Annis...
The Sanders County Yard Sale-ing event is scheduled for June 28-29. But residents got a jump start on cleaning out the clutter when the county sponsored the annual e-waste even last Saturday. The county collected 5,248 pounds of electronics at the event. Held at the Thompson Falls Transfer Site, residents brought everything from old computers, televisions, printers and copiers to weed eaters, cellphones and electric heaters. "Anything that can be plugged in, we'll take," said Shelly Mitchell, ow...
The Thompson Falls City Council again on Monday passed a first reading of revisions to the city Community Decay Ordinance. City Council member Lynne Kersten said that law enforcement and the city attorney had approached the city about vagueness in the current ordinance. The city’s community and public relations committee met to revise the ordinance and make it more specific and in turn easier for law enforcement to enforce. “There were problems enforcing the ordinance and we looked for something more specific,” Kersten said. “This was the res...
With the end of the school year comes a season of changes for the Thompson Falls School District. At the school board meeting last week, the board accepted the resignation of teachers Victoria Forkin and Jefferyanne Park-VonHeeder and approved the hiring of Amber Yates to teach kindergarten. Junior high teacher Kelly Wheeler and high school teacher Jeff Wheeler announced their retirement earlier this year. School Resource Office Bob Thornhill had previously said that he was retiring after the 2018-2019 school year. At the board meeting June 4,...
Just over the Montana-Idaho border, Avista has been working to complete upgrades at the Cabinet Gorge Dam overlook. The company recently replaced all of the grass at the overlook and planted new trees. Jason Pignanelli with Avista said that eight loads of topsoil were brought in the for the project. The overlook is open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (MST). The overlook includes parking for RVs and a restroom, but camping is not allowed. The overlook has a concrete walking path leading up to a...
Sanders County is helping residents with their annual spring cleaning. The E-Waste Event is set for this Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Thompson Falls Transfer Site. The county will collect old electronics – including televisions, computers, printers and other items – for free during the event, which they have sponsored since 2014. While the disposal is free, the county does charge $5 for CRTs (the old, large TV and computer screens that have tubes in them) and for commercial printers. Kathy Conlin with Sanders County said that the cou...
The county has a new tool to help control nuisance barking dogs. The county commissioners last Thursday unanimously passed the Barking Dog Control Ordinance. Several residents attended the Thursday decision meeting to express support and opposition for the ordinance. County Attorney Naomi Leisz and Sheriff Tom Rummel also were in attendance. Sheriff Rummel said he sees the ordinance as a tool for law enforcement to work with. “Before, we as law enforcement didn’t have any teeth to work with,” Rummel said. “This gives us a tool to talk to resi...
A Trout Creek man was committed to the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs for treatment on Tuesday until he is fit to proceed with charges. West Flockerzi is charged with attempted arson, assault with a weapon, assault on a peace office and two counts of criminal endangerment. In 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, Judge James Manley said Flockerzi is not to proceed on the charges at this time. Last November, Flockerzi allegedly went to the Lakeside Resort in Trout Creek, pulled out a gun and advised that he was going to burn the...
Construction is ahead of schedule on the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) project east of Thompson Falls, with completion scheduled for mid-August. That was the message from MDT and contractor LHC, Inc., at a public open house Wednesday in Thompson Falls. "It's going really well. LHC is doing a great job," said John Schmidt with MDT. Representatives from LHC and MDT spoke with the public about the project and answered questions at the open house. One of the questions they keep getting...
The Clark Fork Valley Elks is kicking off the summer season with some fresh faces and fresh ideas. Michelle Blackstone was recently voted in as Exalted Ruler for the non-profit organization. The exalted ruler essentially acts as a president for the group, which operates a bar and restaurant east of Thompson Falls. The Elks also hired local chef Mark Oquist as its bar manager. Oquist and Blackstone are working to freshen up the Elks menu. They are now offering fresh salads and soups throughout...
A Thompson Falls man pleaded not guilty to a drug charge in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday. Wesley Palmer faces a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to five years in prison on the felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Palmer was charged after a bag of what was thought to be meth was found at the Wild Coyote outside Thompson Falls in July 2018. Police reviewed video footage from the establishment, which allegedly shows the bag falling out of Palmer's pocket when he got up from a gambling machine, according to charging...
The Sanders County Commissioners are considering an ordinance that would help control barking dogs in the county and establish procedures for enforcing the rule. County Commissioner Tony Cox said that people have complained to the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) about nonstop barking dogs. The County Attorney, Naomi Leisz notified the commissioners that there is a law that the county could use, but it was not ideal. The proposal was then made for a local ordinance. The commissioners held a public hearing on May 2 and then another m...
If there's one thing you'll notice about Sanders County communities, it's that they will do anything to help those in need. At Thompson Falls schools, the Jobs for Montana Graduates (JMG) group was looking for a service project for the spring quarter. The students wanted to do a fundraiser for elementary secretary Diane Hedahl, who has been undergoing cancer treatment. The fundraiser they came up with was a little out of the ordinary – donkey basketball. JMG teacher Darcy Farlan said the s...
Voters in the Noxon and Hot Springs school districts cast ballots this week for open school board positions, with unofficial results coming Tuesday evening. Hot Springs voters also decided against a $30,000 levy for the school district. In Noxon, three candidates were vying for two open three-year positions. Tamra Weltz and Christopher Stough gathered 259 and 184 votes, respectively, and were elected to the school board. The third candidate, Andrew Chaboya Cabaccang, had 171 votes. Two other positions in Noxon were open for trustees...
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) recently completed its annual spring elk population survey, and Biologist Bruce Sterling said the hard winters in the area continue to take a toll on the local population. Sterling said they viewed 1,418 elk in the 121 hunting district, around Trout Creek, and 428 elk in district 123, south of Thompson Falls. In district 121, the 10-year average for total elk is 1,492. “This wasn’t a surprise,” Sterling said of the lower elk numbers. “Adults survived pretty good because winter isn’t as hard on them, but...
Law enforcement officers in Sanders County have a unique bond with local Special Olympics athletes. The athletes. “The athletes really look up to law enforcement,” Sanders County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy Brandi Jones said. Jones is taking over the Special Olympics Torch Run this year. The torch run is scheduled for Saturday, May 11. Runners, walkers, bicyclists and people on horseback will complete a relay from the state line to Plains (mile marker 75 on Highway 200) for the torch run, which has been around for 41 years in Monta...
Sometimes you just have to follow your dreams. After driving by the closed Thompson Grill restaurant almost daily, Todd and Ronda Wakefield of Thompson Falls decided to make Ronda's dream of owning a restaurant come true. Ronda said she has wanted to own a restaurant since she first started working in the business when she was 13. The Wakefields recently purchased the property from Thompson Grill owner Judson Shively and plan to open Two Rivers Grille and Catering next month. The Wakefields...
