Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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UPDATED JULY 13: The Noxon bridge remains closed after cracks in the structure were discovered during an inspection on Friday. Sanders County Commissioner Tony Cox on Saturday said the county is developing a plan to re-open the structure. A contractor, Neal Structural Repair, has been procured and will be working on repairs this week. NSR will work on a plan with the county and engineering firm Morrison-Maierle, who recently completed a study on the bridge for Sanders County. On Friday, commissioners declared a state of emergency in order to...
Noxon was bursting with community spirit for their annual Fourth of July celebration at the Noxon Bicentennial Park on Saturday. In February, a fire destroyed three businesses in Noxon - Toby's Tavern, Angry Beaver General Store and Noxon Mercantile. After the fire, many people wondered if the Independence Day celebration would continue. On Saturday, there was no question about Noxon's revival as hundreds of people gathered for the event. Along with showing off the community spirit, organizers...
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Frontier West have substantially completed work on the Flathead River – Perma Bridge project. The goal of this project was to rehabilitate the bridge that carries Secondary Highway 382 traffic over the Flathead River near Perma. Traffic control has been removed over the bridge. Crews will return later this summer to complete minor tasks and apply final pavement markings. Traffic control will be in place while this final work takes place. Travelers should expect intermittent single-lane t...
Last year driving through Paradise on the day the River Road East fire ignited, it was something I had never experienced. I have seen documentaries about fast-moving wildfires in other parts of the country, but watching sparks fly over Highway 200 and the growing fire cloud swirling across the mountain was just incredible. In 2021 when the Thorne Creek fire roared above Thompson Falls, I would sit every night and watch the fire creep across the mountains. Again, it was an eery, incredible sight to take in. It seems that we are getting more and...
The United Methodist churches of Plains, Paradise and Whitepine have welcomed a familiar face. Steve Hermes of Paradise recently took over as pastor for the three churches. Hermes' family lived in Alaska until he was 12, when they moved to the family ranch just east of Paradise. He went to seminary in 1984 and recently retired after 38 years of serving as a United Methodist pastor. Hermes moved back to Paradise two years ago with his wife Chris, who he met in college. "Every generation has to...
The Over the Hill Gang embraced the summer heat on Monday, enjoying a Baja Scramble round at River's Bend Golf Course. Winners of the scramble with a score of 31 were Dennis Gripp and Gary Moe. Al Luckow and Tom Pride combined for second place and Chuck Manry and Doug Deck placed third. Moe had a chip-in on No. 5, while Mike Normandin put one in off the green on No. 3. The putts were aimed just right on Monday as Rich Hooten sank the long putt on No. 2, Jens Jantzen on No. 3, Dave Garr on No. 6, Chandler Wilkenson on No. 7, Jesse Mack on No. 8...
The new Montana record largescale sucker was caught right here in Sanders County. Wade Merschat of Trout Creek landed a 6.72-pound largescale sucker from the Noxon Reservoir on June 19. "The river bottom is covered with suckers right now," the 12-year-old said. "I saw the big fish, threw my line out and got the perfect drift." He said he was only using 6-pound monofilament and the fish got into some tree branches when he was reeling it in, so he had to be careful not to break the line. Merschat...
Running enthusiasts from Sanders County took to the streets of Missoula on Sunday for the annual Missoula Marathon. Mike Lilly of Thompson Falls finished 129th overall in the full marathon and 19th of 100 in his age group of 30-39. He finished the 26.2-mile course in 3 hours, 31 minutes, 17.55 seconds. Thompson Falls graduate Jacob Naegeli, who now lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was 42nd in the same age group, finishing in 3:04:17.59. Marlaina Mohr, 66 of Thompson Falls, also competed in the...
The county will be buzzing this weekend as visitors and residents hit the highways for the annual Sanders Saleing county-wide yard sale event. The two-day yard sale event, hosted by the Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce, will run Friday and Saturday, featuring more than 80 sales throughout the county. Participants signed up to have sales in Heron, Noxon, Trout Creek, Thompson Falls, Plains, Paradise, Hot Springs and Lonepine. Chamber of Commerce President Dennis Spurlock of Alera Group in Plains said he’s excited to see what types of t...
Sanders County will take over the Hot Springs refuse site next month. The decision comes after the Hot Springs Refuse District voted in May to have the county take over the site and the county commissioners unanimously voted last week to take over the site. “I thinks it’s very positive for the community of Hot Springs,” Commissioner John Holland said. “It takes the pressure off of Hot Springs with having to make do with what they could afford and the county can offer more flexibility financially if something comes up.” Holland also said that...
There were acrobatics, a lion, fire, unicycles and smiles and cheers from circus fans of all ages Saturday in Thompson Falls. The Culpepper & Merriweather great combined circus returned to Thompson Falls on Saturday with two shows for community members. The circus comes to town every two years and is sponsored by the Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce. Hundreds of residents gathered near the football field at Thompson Falls High School for the event. The circus tent was raised at 9:30 a.m. and...
You don't need a plumber, until you do. You don't need a cup of sugar, until you do. You don't need an ambulance, until you do. We had a scare in our family last week which required my dad to take a trip to the hospital. My parents live between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek. Like many areas of Sanders County, you're at least 15 minutes from anywhere. The Thompson Falls Ambulance arrived quickly and got my dad to the hospital where he received excellent care. He is on the mend and everything will be fine. Every day when I drive out to my...
What is the secret to a long life? "Being born and raised in Montana, especially Paradise," according to Betty Meyer, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday. Five generations of family members joined the community in celebrating Meyer turning 100 on June 12. The event Saturday at the Paradise Center was filled with surprises and honors for Meyer. Family members came from as far as Colorado, Louisiana, California, Washington and British Columbia. After guests greeted Meyer and the party...
The Sanders County Pilots Association (SCPA) hosted their annual fly-in Saturday at the Thompson Falls Airport. More than 100 community members turned out to observe the planes, enjoy a pancake breakfast and even take a ride in an airplane. While the weather wasn't the best for flying on Saturday, nearly a dozen pilots braved the late spring storms to attend the Thompson Falls event. Another dozen volunteers helped run activities and cook breakfast. "I thought it went very well," said SCPA...
Residents are concerned over jet boat activity on Bull River west of Noxon. Though the activity is legal, one resident said allowing jet boats on the river is bad for the shoreline. On June 2, Paul Overman of Noxon witnessed five small two-seat jet boats go by his property on the Bull River. “We own a mile of shoreline and we’re in the process right now of trying to get permits for bank restoration,” Overman stated. “We’re losing our bank to natural causes, but the jet boats really wreak havoc on our shoreline. The Bull River isn’t a rocky, cl...
When does a day matter? When does an hour matter? Over the weekend I got to participate in a couple milestone birthdays. I attended Betty Meyer’s 100th birthday party at the Paradise Center. That same evening, I celebrated a close friend’s 50th birthday. Both milestones were worthy of joyous celebrations. As I drove home Saturday evening, however, it got me thinking about other milestones. We celebrate “big” birthdays such as your 21st, 40th of 100th, and anniversaries such as your first, 25th and 50th. For many people, each day is a milesto...
Many people look forward to retirement. There are plans to travel south for the winter months, relax, complete projects at home or just slow down in general. For John Gubel of Trout Creek, plans included walking more than 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. Gubel, who has lived in Trout Creek for almost 30 years, retired in 2020 after nearly 40 years with the U.S. Forest Service. His last post was as the District Ranger for the Cabinet District in western Sanders Cou...
After nearly a year of discussing changes and tabling the matter, the Thompson Falls City Council approved a first reading of the new zoning ordinance at Monday’s meeting. The changes to the city’s zoning ordinance included adding definitions of items such as daycares, apartments and other business and dwelling types, as well as clarifying acceptable uses. For example, the new ordinance bans adult-oriented businesses in the central business district. Also prohibited in the central business district will be manufacturing or cultivation of mar...
The primary election is over. While we didn't have many local races on the ballots in the primary, statewide and federal elections are heating up. Turning on a local television or radio station, you'll see even more aggressive ads for congressional candidates. Campaign signs will become more prominent on the Sanders County landscape as the general election nears. There's so much attention on the people running for office and political issues that sometimes we lose focus on the hard work that is happening right here in our communities. Every...
Sanders County voters headed to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in the 2024 primary election. Voters decided against conducting a local government review. The ballot issue failed in the county, as well as in Thompson Falls, Plains and Hot Springs. In the county, 2,369 people voted against the review, with 1,603 votes for. In Thompson Falls, there were 199 votes against the local review and 150 for. In Hot Springs, the measure failed with 69 votes against and 57 for, and in Plains, 191 people voted against the review and 96 for. Several...
Thompson Falls High School's class of 2024 received their diplomas last Saturday in front of family and friends. The ceremony was held on the football field at the high school. The class chose Amanda Stewart, a 2010 TFHS grad, as their guest speaker. Stewart, who is a singer and songwriter now based in Bozeman, has released two albums and recently traveled to perform in New York and Georgia. Stewart gave a speech that showed her vulnerability, just as do the songs she writes. She encouraged the...
Earlier this year, at the request of the city, the Department of Transportation extended the 25 mph and 35 mph speed zones in Thompson Falls. With that, there was a request to add speed radar signs that warn approaching motorists of their speed. The Thompson Falls Woman's Club has taken on fundraising for the speed radar signs, which run about $5,000 each. TFWC felt that the signs were so important that they started the fundraising effort as one of their community service projects. They have solicited donations from local businesses and...
A Plains man changed his plea on Tuesday in connection with a burglary at a dispensary earlier this year. Isaac Warnes entered a guilty plea before Judge John Mercer on Tuesday to one count of felony burglary. As part of a plea agreement, a second count of tampering with or fabricating evidence will be dismissed. The incident at Top Shelf Botanicals took place on January 18, 2024. Upon investigation by the Sanders County Sheriff's Office, the owern of the dispensary valued missing product at $10,870, amount taken from a safe at $17,313 and the...
The Angry Beaver General Store in Noxon is back in business after a February fire destroyed the store and deli in Noxon. With cleanup complete at the store site, owner Teresa Jackson opened a food truck last week. Blondeez Country Food Truckin will be open 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in Noxon. Jackson said she's also working on getting a temporary building in which to open a store with limited items. Patrons sampled items such as burgers, birria tacos and hand battered...
Volunteer Mindy Ferrell (left) hugs Renee Kovarik as they place flags on the gravesites of veterans at the Whitepine Cemetery on Friday. The cemetery will hold their traditional Memorial Day service Thursday at 7 p.m....
