Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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At the Thompson Falls School Board meeting on Monday, GEAR UP liaison Penny Beckman detailed the budget for the upcoming year. Beckman said that the school district will receive just over $101,000 in GEAR UP funding this year. Beckman outlined the GEAR UP plan for the 2018-19 school year, which includes supporting programs including Robotics and the Ecology Project International trip in the spring. GEAR UP also has helped the school purchase 25 Chromebook computers for the English and history classes this year, as well as graphing calculators f...
The process to update the county’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan has begun. The plan, which includes strategy to reduce impacts of natural and manmade hazards in the county, must be updated every five years in order for the county to remain eligible for disaster funding from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). The public is invited to provide input on past hazard events and how to mitigate the effects of events such as wildfire, flooding, severe weather, railroad accidents and other hazards. The county received a $50,000 FEMA H...
With less than a week until Election Day, the Sanders County Clerk and Recorder’s office is busy. Sanders County has 8,580 registered voters. Clerk and Recorder Nichol Scribner said that more than 60 people have come to the local office to register after the Oct. 9 close of regular voter registration. Sanders County issued 4,820 absentee ballots, and as of Tuesday, Scribner said that 2,945 (61 percent) had been submitted to the Clerk and Recorder’s office. Absentee ballots can be returned to the Clerk and Recorder’s office through 8 p.m. on Tu...
A routine traffic stop last Friday turned into an individual being arrested for having a "substantial amount of meth," according to Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel. Deputy Roy Scott stopped a vehicle on Highway 28 near Hot Springs for a traffic violation at just after 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 26. During the course of the stop, Sheriff Rummel said in a statement that Scott observed indicators that the vehicle may be transporting illegal drugs. Further investigation revealed methamphetamine and...
Hunters took to the field last weekend across northwest Montana for the opening weekend of the general deer and elk season. Amid unseasonably warm temperatures, harvest rates were down at four of the five check stations in Region 1. At the Thompson Falls check station, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) checked 320 during opening weekend, the same number as the 2017 opening weekend. Overall in Region 1, FWP staff checked 2,632 hunters, 150 white-tailed deer, 10 mule deer and 19 elk for a harvest rate of 6.8 percent. FWP Wildlife Biologist...
Sanders County election officials are warning voters about misinformation in mailings. Sanders County Clerk and Recorder Nichol Scribner said that information in a recent pamphlet mailed by the Republican National Committee (RNC) was incorrect. The RNC pamphlet reported that ballots needed to be returned by Monday, Nov. 5 at noon. However, Scribner clarified that ballots, including absentee, can be submitted until 8 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 6). The pamphlet also states that ballots “received by the board of elections no later than 1...
Thompson Falls schools kicked off Red Ribbon Week activities on Tuesday with a "Donut Do Drugs" event at the high school. Students signed a banner that read "Graduation Matters – I'm Drug Free!" pledging to stay drug free. The students were also given donuts and red wristbands for making the pledge. Counselor Jodi Morgan said the event was to help students make a commitment to not do drugs. Grant money from the Graduation Matters program sponsored the donuts, and Flathead Valley Chemical D...
Design plans are being finalized for the second phase of a project to repair a portion of Blue Slide Road that washed out earlier this year. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and construction contractor GSI are finalizing the design plans for the project. Once the plans are approved, construction can begin, according to Brandon Coates of consulting firm RBCI. Coates said that work is expected to be completed this year, but will depend on weather. A culvert at Cougar Creek, about 9 miles west of Thompson Falls on Blue Slide Road,...
Noxon High School senior Kali Murray invited the public to get creative with old bras for a good cause. About 10 people attended Murray's Bras for a Cause event at the Noxon fire hall on Sunday, bringing old bras to decorate. Murray was raising money for the Cancer Network of Sanders County. She has received about $140 so far, she said. Murray's mentor is Roberta Smith of Trout Creek, a cancer survivor. Smith told Murray that she had seen similar bras for a cause events at large galas on the...
Thompson Falls Mayor Mark Sheets turned in his resignation at Monday's city council meeting. "It's not a health issue, it's a time issue," Sheets said as the council voted to accept his resignation. The council then decided to advertise and accept new applications before appointing a successor for Sheets, but left the meeting with one letter of interest in hand. Jerry Lacy, who last month retired as the city's Public Works Director, expressed interest in the mayor position Monday night. "I'm...
Candidates for local political races gathered over the weekend to share their views with the public. Two candidate forums sponsored by The Sanders County Ledger allowed candidates to answer moderated questions, as well as questions from audience members. The first forum was held Friday at The Paradise Center and moderated by Thompson Falls High School Principal Rich Ferris. About 30 people attended the forum. The second forum was Saturday at The Rex Theatre in Thompson Falls, with Thompson...
Representatives from Montana's 11 Grange traveled to Thompson Falls last week to conduct their annual business. "We're very happy to be in Thompson Falls," said Marilyn Johnson of Kalispell, the master (president) of the Montana State Grange. Last Thursday, she addressed the delegation of about 40 members and guests. Johnson has been master of the state organization for nine years. She said that 22 years ago, she served eight years in the position, and she is in her first year of her second...
The Thompson Falls Beautification Days Committee recognized three properties last week for their efforts to keep Thompson Falls beautiful. Three Thumbs Up awards were presented last Thursday by committee members Robin Hagedorn, Rita Lundgren and Kathy Conlin. Each year, the committee awards an institution property, a business and a residence with an award. "It lets them know how much the community appreciates them keeping their property so beautiful," Lundgren said. "The award can be given for...
Late last Wednesday, the civil trial against the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization came to a close with $35 million being awarded to a woman who was sexually abused by a member of the church as a child. “This is a case about protecting children,” attorney Neil Smith said in his closing argument on Sept. 31. “Their childhood was destroyed by a known child molester and by a church that let them down and violated the law.” The jury awarded Alexis Nunez $4 million in compensatory damages and $31 million in punitive damages, finding that Watchtowe...
On Tuesday, Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher sentenced Jeffrey Hernandez to a two-year deferred sentence with the Department of Correction on the charge of misdemeanor DUI, first offense. Hernandez was also sentenced to 10 days in the Sanders County Jail for criminal possession of dangerous drugs (methamphetamine). Hernandez was arrested Jan. 4, 2018, after his pickup struck a state snow plow at Blue Slide Road and Birdland Bay Road near Thompson Falls. A Kalispell man made his initial appearance in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, ple...
A member of the Hot Springs Elementary Parent Teacher Organization has been charged with felony theft following an investigation into alleged unauthorized transactions from the organizations’s bank account. Court documents filed this week allege that Ayla Blasius made 58 unauthorized charges totalling more than $4,600 between October 2017 and August 2018. The maximum penalty for theft, a common scheme felony, is up to a $1,500 fine and up to three years in prison. The charges were filed afer a former PTO board member reviewed the bank s...
Safety is a priority at Thompson Falls Schools, Superintendent Bill Cain reported at the board meeting Monday evening. With that, the administration is looking at the buildings. “There are some things that are outdated,” Cain said, including the fire alarm systems at both the high school and K-8 campuses. The phone system at the school also serves as a paging system in an emergency, Cain said, noting that sometimes that paging may not be loud enough to be heard over alarms at the campuses. The school is in the process of installing new fire ala...
Wednesday evening, the civil trial against the Jehovah's Witnesses organization came to a close with $35 million being awarded to a woman who was sexually abused by a member of the church as a child. The jury awarded Alexis Nunez $4 million for her injuries, finding that Watchtower New York, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (CCJW), the Thompson Falls congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Nunez's mother, Ivy McGowan-Castleberry, were negligent in the case. The jury also awarded $31 million in punitive damages ($30 million...
The Sanders County Fair Board met last week to review the 2018 Fair and Rodeo, and the feedback and financial reports were mostly positive. The fair brought in just under $240,000 this year. While additional expenses were being approved at the fair board meeting on Wednesday, the fair board, manager and county commissioners were confident that the Sanders County Fair and Rodeo would end the year ahead financially. The fair board meeting offered the board a chance to critique this year’s fair. One issue of confusion for fair goers this year w...
A Hot Springs man entered not guilty pleas on Tuesday to charges stemming from an alleged domestic disturbance earlier this month. Erich Ochsner pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of partner or family member assault and resisting arrest, and felony charges of assault on a peace officer and threats and other improper influence in official and political matters. According to charging documents, Hot Springs Police Department responded to a report in which a neighbor said Ochsner reportedly “drop kicked” a female. According to doc...
A major source of funding for the first phase of the Thompson Falls wastewater treatment project has been secured. The city council on Monday accepted a letter of intent to meet conditions for $4,419,870 in loans and grants from USDA Rural Development (RD). The city sewer project includes updates to the wastewater collection system, connecting residences and businesses above the railroad tracks to the city sewer system and abandoning existing septic systems. The total cost for the first phase of the project will be $6.68 million. In addition...
As the fall bear archery season ends Friday and the rifle bear season begins on Saturday, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is reminding hunters and recreationists to be bear aware. FWP Game Warden Troy Hinck said this week that a collared grizzly bear is being tracked in the upper portion of Thompson River. “Grizzly populations are expanding into places where people may not expect to see them,” Hinck said. He noted that the grizzly seen in the Thompson River area came from the Selkirk Mountains in Idaho. This spring, a grizzly was cap...
As an employee of Microsoft for more than 20 years, one of Daniel Moore's favorite parts of the job is mentoring interns. "It was so satisfying to watch them grow and become something more," Moore said. He's hoping to take that experience and apply it to a new project in Thompson Falls. Moore and his wife Marlaina recently purchased the Black Bear Inn in Thompson Falls. The Main Street building was built in 1908 and throughout its history has housed various businesses, including a hotel and...
A Spokane man was sentenced Tuesday in connection with a traffic stop earlier this year in which methamphetamine was found in his vehicle. Jeremy Mundy received a three-year deferred sentence with the Department of Correction on a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, and was fined $250 on a misdemeanor charge of no insurance. Two other counts against Mundy were dismissed. On Feb. 27, 2018, Mundy was pulled over for expired tags from Washington, according to court documents. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer responding...
In court on Tuesday, Judge Deborah Kim Christopher sentenced Julie Goodwin to a 5-year suspended sentence with the Department of Corrections. Goodwin’s original plea agreement had been rejected. Goodwin pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge, felony driving under the influence (third offense) and driving while licenses was suspended or revoked. Goodwin received the five-year suspended sentence for the theft charge and was ordered to pay restitution of $4,123.31. The DUI charge came with five months in the Sanders County Jail and the driving wh...
