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The City of Thompson Falls is creating a Capital Improvements Plan (CIP), and is looking for the public’s input on what projects should be considered. This week, the city sent flyers home with Thompson Falls students regarding a (CIP) survey. The survey is available online at www.cityofthompsonfalls.com, or at city hall. According to City Clerk Chelsea Peterson, the CIP is a budgeting and financial tool that will be used by the Thompson Falls City Council for maintaining and improving capital facilities such as streets, water systems, the s...
The Sanders County Commissioners on Monday downgraded the fire restrictions in the county, moving from Stage II to Stage I. Cooler temperatures and precipitation throughout the area earlier in the week prompted the move, according to the resolution signed by the commissioners. The move to Stage I removes the “hoot owl” restrictions, which prohibited use of internal combustion engines, welding of open flame from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., as well as operating motorize vehicles off designated roads and trails. With Stage I, campfires are also allowed in...
Sanders County Coroner Kathy Harris has been charged with two felonies. Harris is charged with one count of elder exploitation and one count of exploitation of an older person, incapacitated person or person with a developmental disability. Harris, of Thompson Falls, made her initial appearance in court on Tuesday before 20th District Judicial Judge James Manley, pleading not guilty to both counts. According to documents filed by the Montana Attorney General’s office, the state Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Department of J...
Two defendants made their initial appearances in court Tuesday on drug charges stemming from a traffic stop Aug. 10. Steven Ely, from Ronan, is charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute, a felony, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Ronald Clapper, from Elmo, is charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute, as well as criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a misdemeanor. Montana Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop along Highway 200...
Attorney Naomi Leisz of Trout Creek will be the only candidate on the ballot for Sanders County Attorney this fall. Earlier this month, current county attorney Bob Zimmerman withdrew his bid for re-election. Because the race is non-partisan, state law required the county to open the race for 10 days. Interested parties had until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 23, to file for the position. According to Sanders County Clerk and Recorder Nichol Scribner, no one filed for the position. Ballots for the Nov. 5 general election will be mailed Oct. 12....
The small rainfall earlier this week from a summer storm help slow the progression of the area wildifre season. Officials in the Kootenai National Forest took precautionary steps and wrapped the Gem Peak Lookout and the popular warming hut below the lookout to protect the structures from any fire. The Rampike Fire is burning near Gem Peak in Idaho, and is estimated at 2,000 acres. Officials wrap the structures in foil to keep sparks and embers from getting in. In 2017, the same action saved the Cougar Peak lookout as the Deep Creek Fire burned...
The Thompson Falls Chamber welcomed Superintendent Bill Cain and the new Thompson Falls School staff to the August luncheon last week at Big Eddy's. Cain said he is excited for the school year to start, and that he is proud and honored to be in Thompson Falls. "We promise that not only will your child be safe, but they will leave Thompson Falls Schools and be ready for the world and to take on what's next," Cain told the chamber crowd. New staff this year include Andina Markuson in first grade...
NEXT STEPS - Garrett Strine and Bob Rice of NorthWestern Energy install benches at the Veteran's Memorial at Ainsworth Park. Linda Rocheleau reported that people who want to honor veterans can still purchase bricks for the project. For more information, contact Rocheleau at 827-4002....
It was a full flight at River's Bend on Saturday for the 10th Annual Avista Charity Scramble. The 18 teams played a four-man scramble and raised money for Western Montana Mental Health Center (WMMHC) of Sanders County. The tournament set a new record for fundraising, with just more than $21,000 raised through entry fees, silent auction items, raffle tickets and sponsorships. On the course, the men's team of John Beckman, Luke Beckman, Brian Eckoff and Josh Wylie rallied for first place with an...
The Over the Hill Gang anted up on Monday at River’s Bend, adding a friendly game of poker to regular golf play. The golfers took their scores on the odd holes (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) for a poker hand. The winning hand was four 6s, and the pot was split three ways between John Pritzkau, Ray Marshall and Mike Smith. Chip-ins went to Mike Gillmore on No. 5, Bruce Haflich on No. 6 and Barb Wooden on No. 1. In the pay for par competition on No. 4, winners were John Mosher, Rick Kendall and Dave Garr. For pin prizes, Haflich was closes to the pin on N...
The hottest days of the summer didn't stop hundreds of visitors from descending on Trout Creek for the 39th annual Huckleberry Festival. The heat was good for the ice cream sales, said Debb McNary, festival chairperson. She said that the festival food booth ran out of huckleberry ice cream and had to borrow from the Trout Creek Community Improvement Association booth. Before the festival was over, both booths had gone through more than 200 gallons of huckleberry ice cream. The Trout Creek...
Sanders County Attorney Bob Zimmerman decided last week to withdraw his bid for re-election. Zimmerman withdrew from the race on Monday, the last day he was able to do so, according to Sanders County Clerk & Recorder Nichol Scribner. Naomi Leisz was the other candidate on the ballot from the June primary. Scribner said that because this is a non-partisan race and Zimmerman and Leisz were the only two candidates on the primary ballot, state election law requires the county to open the race for...
Work to install a new culvert under Blue Slide Road, where a creek flooded earlier this year, will begin after Labor Day. Representatives of the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and GIS Engineering held an open house at the Sanders County Courthouse last Thursday to update the public on the project to provide a long-term solution for the roadway. Bob Vosen, MDT Missoula District construction engineer, said the work to install a new culvert will take four to six weeks. Vosen said the new culvert will be 5 feet in diameter, whereas the...
Authorities with the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office, the state Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation continues to investigate the death of Thompson Falls resident Matt LaFriniere. Sheriff Tom Rummel released a statement on Facebook last week, addressing speculation and comments on social media. “A lot of evidence has been collected and submitted to the Montana Crime Lab in Missoula and it takes time to process this evidence,” Rummel wrote. “As this is an open investigation we are not allowed to release any of our...
Tyler Robinson was sentenced Tuedsay in 20th District Judicial Court on charges stemming from the burglary of a Heron residence in 2015. Robinson received two five-year deferred sentences with the Montana Department of Corrections, one for a felony burglary charge and one for a felony tampering with physical evidence charge. Judge James Manley ordered the sentences to run consecutively. “He is being given a second chance to do right by these people,” Manley said in court Tuesday. The judgment also includes $43495.99 in restitution. The cha...
School is just a few weeks away, but summer is just about started for boaters and other river enthusiasts in Thompson Falls. Work to replace steel stanchions at NorthWestern Energy's Thompson Falls dam began earlier this summer. High flows from the spring runoff forced NorthWestern Energy to release steel spillway beams to allow for water, debris and logs to pass safetly through the dam, according to dam foreman Noel Jacobson. In order to replace those beams, the reservoir had to be drawn down....
More than 600 people from all across the Northwest filled Noxon's Pilgrim Park over the weekend for the 9th annual Big Sky Blues Festival. Festival organizer Lorne Riddell said everyone was having a good time and he was getting a lot of positive feedback from performers and guests. "I love the blues. I'm having such a good time," said Kathryn Davis of Missoula, who had never been to a blues festival before. Davis enjoyed Sheri Roberts Greimes and her "hot, smoking Janis Joplin voice." Brenda...
The Sanders County Arts Council (SCAC) is gearing up for the annual Tapestry performing arts series. This year, the SCAC will present six performances. Karen Thorson with SCAC said that performers are chosen through the Montana Performing Arts Consortium. The consortium hosts a conference early in the year allowing presenters from across the state, including SCAC, to preview performers. Thorson said that the conference this year had about 17 performers. “To see how the audience responds to a performer is really important for us to make our c...
Continued hot, dry conditions prompted Sanders County Commissioners to impose Stage I fire restrictions throughout the county early this morning. Near Hot Springs, the Garden Creek Fire has burned an estimated 184 acres, primarily on Bureau of Indian Affairs land. According to the Sanders County Wildland Fire Information page on Facebook, the fire is located near the boundary with the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest. The Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes...
A thunderstorm came through Sanders County late last week, with lightning sparking small fires throughout the county. In the Hot Springs a fire in Garden Creek had burned about two acres as of Tuesday, with a 10-person crew in that area. Two other small fires were being managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Near Thompson Falls, a fire in the Cherry Creek area was reported early Sunday morning. The fire, called the Lynx Fire, was held to about one acre by firefighters. A fire in the...
Hot summer days and cool cars came together for the Cool Summer Nights car show in Trout Creek over the weekend. Lakeside Motel and Resort welcomed 54 entries at the event. Charlie Shelor of Trout Creek won first prize for his 1965 Pontiac GTO. Second place went to Rick Blomdahl of Troy with his 1935 International truck, and third went to Ron an Elizabeth Petrie of Thompson Falls with a 1941 Ford pickup. Gift card prizes were sponsored by Blue Ribbon Auto in Missoula. Participants and...
A defendant entered not guilty pleas in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday to four counts stemming from a March 24 crash on Highway 135. Julie Goodwin pleaded not guilty to theft, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving while license is suspended or revoked, and driving without a seat belt. According to charging documents, Goodwin was taken to Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains after the crash, where she told a Montana Highway Patrol trooper that she was drunk, and the trooper noted that Goodwin did not remember the...
You never know who is going to walk through your door. At The Ledger earlier this month, a gentleman walked in wanting to review the newspapers from 1980. The newspaper has volumes of past editions. The man, Jon Rose, grew up in Missoula and was a member of the band Just Ducky. He was looking for an article about his band playing in Hot Springs. Just Ducky was booked to play the Hot Springs prom on April 29, 1980. Rose said the band was a punk rock band, but he said their agent booked them for t...
Trout Creek will go back in time with the annual Cool Summer Nights car show at the Lakeside Resort. The event will feature cars, trucks and motorcycles from all eras. Jake Rostker with the Lakeside said he’s excited about the weekend and the warm weather forecasted for the Cool Summer Nights. He noted that the previous two years, the car show was met with rainstorms. He’s expecting as many as 50 classic vehicles this weekend, with temperatures predicted in the high 80s. Registration for the event is 5-8 p.m. Friday, with the car show starting...
A Plains woman was ordered to pay restitution of more than $7,000 in 20th District Judicial Court yesterday after pleading guilty to exploitation of an older person. Earnie Tempero was the caregiver for a man in his 60s in Plains in 2016 and 2017. Plains Police Department began an investigation in August 2017. As a result, Judge James Manley on Tuesday sentenced Tempero to a five-year suspended sentenced with the Department Corrections, and ordered her to pay restitution of $7,399.19. Court documents had alleged misuse of an ATM card and...
