Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The Sanders County Democrats earlier this month invited a group of panelists to discuss election integrity. “Elections: Integrity and Involvement” was attended by about 30 community members on January 14 at the Paradise Center. Mindy Ferrell is the chairperson for the Sanders County Democrats and welcomed the speakers. First to speak was Jesse Mullen, a candidate for Secretary of State, who discussed election integrity in the state of Montana and the training that elections staff undergoes. “We have to do more work as a state and even withi...
The Blue Hawk wrestling team got a good look at some of the Ted Kato competition on Friday as they hosted a mixer at Thompson Falls High School. Thompson Falls welcomed Priest River, Cascade, Eureka, Fairfield and Fort Benton to the Friday competition. There were plenty of matches for the boys and girls. Max Hannum had a match against Dillon Connelly of Valier on Fridday, pinning Connelly in the first period. He went on to pine Colby Crowell of Cascade as well on Friday. Hannum nearly had a...
The Blue Hawks traveled to Superior on Saturday for a pair of wins on the court. The Lady Hawks took on the Bobcats first, winning 58-38. Both teams were a little slow out of the gate, with the Hawks scoring just 10 points in the first quarter to Superior's 4. The Hawks kept their lead in the first half while they worked to find their groove and were up 21-12 at the half. The Hawks found that groove in the second half, coming out with more energy and sinking baskets. Solveig Nygaard put up two...
by Annie Wooden and Shannon Brown It's so cold people look forward to getting a fever. It's so cold I saw a Greyhound bus and the dog was riding on the inside. It's so cold the sheep want their wool back. However you put it, it was cold in Sanders County last weekend. While much of the nation last week was under weather alerts, Sanders County experienced the biggest snowstorm of the season followed by some record-breaking cold temperatures. Schools, athletic events and businesses were affected...
Some Sanders County school districts received email threats late Tuesday, but law enforcement says the threats are not credible. Administrators at Thompson Falls and Hot Springs schools received bomb threat emails around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Thompson Falls Superintendent Bud Scully said he did not see the email until the morning because it went to his spam folder. Scully said the threat was not credible. “We notified law enforcement and the Montana Attorney General has been notified as well,” Scully said Wednesday. “We do everything we can to keep...
The failed sewer system in Paradise is creating frustrations for at least one resident. At the Sanders County Board of Health meeting last Wednesday at the courthouse, Seth Beech expressed concerns about property he owns in Paradise. Beech owns a lot in Paradise on which there were two existing dwellings and to which he added a trailer in December 2023. "I understood I had usage of that septic because it encroaches over the property line," Beech told the board of health. A dwelling on Beech's...
I'm not sure you can put enough "r"s in the word "Brrr" to fully capture last weekend in northwest Montana. It was fascinating to watch the temperature go lower and lower. Saturday morning, as the thermometer was hovering at -21, I was one of the only people venturing out. I wanted to make sure the office was toasty and delivered water and heaters to some friends whose pipes had frozen. There were not many people out and about. I worry about the animals in the cold — the wildlife and the farm animals and stray dogs and cats. They were all hunke...
Ainsworth Park in Thompson Falls is getting an upgrade thanks to a donation by a local company. At Monday's meeting of the city council, held in the junior high gym and attended by more than 30 people, Mayor Rusti Leivestad announced that Montana-Dakota Services, Inc. (MDS) of Thompson Falls is donating more than $100,000 for playground equipment for the park. The playground equipment will include two separate installations, with a large structure on one side of the park and some equipment suita...
After a relatively mild holiday season weather-wise, winter came to Sanders County this week, with more than 6 inches of snow reported in some areas. Road crews were busy clearing streets for residents as one business owner said they couldn't shovel fast enough on Thursday. School has been canceled in Thompson Falls, Noxon and Trout Creek for Friday, Jan. 12. The Thompson Falls wrestling team will not be traveling to Choteau and the Blue Hawk basketball games in Eureka set for Saturday have...
Sanders County businesses have been awarded funding to purchase electric buses. A press release on Monday announced that Thompson Falls, Trout Creek and Dixon schools will benefit from the Clean School Bus Program grants. Funding for the buses is from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). “In rural Montana, school buses are the vital link between families and the nearest school—and it’s critical that these buses are safe, up-to-date, and efficient,” said Senator Jon Tester. “I’m proud to see my bipartisan infrastruct...
The first Friday of January brought a handful of children to the Thompson Falls Public Library for an hour of creativity. The first Friday craft hour has been happening at the library for about a year. Last week, kids created penguins out of styrofoam balls, markers, paper and googly eyes. The creativity didn't stop there, and after the penguins were done kids created Pokemon balls, basketballs, Minions and snowmen. Sunday Dutro started the first Friday craft time in coordination with the...
We're journalists, so we're curious. When we heard about the National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day event at Plains School, my reporter asked if I knew the history of the day. I didn't, so I started doing some research. It's a fantastic idea to honor law enforcement with a day and show them how much they are appreciated. It takes a special person to put your life on the line, not to mention the hours law enforcement works and the daily situations they encounter. So when I was doing my research, I stumbled upon the website...
Two Thompson Falls students were the best in their age group and are moving on in the Elks hoop shoot competition. Quinn Nichols and Tristan Kelly of Thompson Falls won their respective age groups at the Western District competition, held last weekend in Polson. The two qualified for the state competition. Nichols won the age 8-9 division for the girls and Kelly the boys' age 12-13 division. Lou Hannum of Trout Creek placed second among boys age 10-11, as did Dani Hill of Noxon for girls in...
Montana legislators voted last week to not have a special session. A majority of at least 76 legislators was needed to approve the call for the special session. Only 55 legislators (54 Republicans and one Democrat) approved the call, including 37 in the state House of Representatives and 18 in the state Senate. Sanders County legislators Bob Brown and Paul Fielder voted in favor of the special session and Representative Denley Loge voted against the special session. The Montana Freedom Caucus, a group of 21 Republican legislators (including...
There are certain things in life that you just have to figure out. We learn to problem solve, especially in a rural area. If you can't get leeks or curry at the grocery store, you learn to improvise. We also have a lot of people here who are experts at random tasks. There are people who can hem pants or fix small car issues with ease. I like being prepared. I like knowing what I'm getting into. If I am going somewhere new for an interview, I will look at the directions several times to make sure I know where I'm going in case there is no servic...
Three Blue Hawk football players have been selected for the Class B All-Star game. This will be the 77th year for the Montana East-West Shrine Game, which will be played June 15 in Billings. Max Hannum and Braxton Dorscher were selected to play for the West, and Nick Tessier was selected as an alternate. All are seniors at Thompson Falls High School....
First responders in Noxon brought a little Christmas magic to the community last Wednesday with a parade through town. Fire chief Jack Byler organized the parade with five fire trucks and an ambulance adorned with holiday lights and decorations. Byler said it was the first year for the parade, but they will do it every year. The Noxon Fire Department hosts pancake breakfast fundraisers throughout the year. Byler said the money from the fundraisers is put back into the community, and not just in...
It's time. This week we are focused on the time counting down to 2024. Remembering the moments in 2023 and being hopeful for the next year. There's so much energy put into this final week. Did you go on that trip? Did you make good on those resolutions? Did you have the courage to try something new? Every second is precious. We all experienced loss and had to overcome struggles in 2023. We all experienced joy and friendships. There were moments we hoped would never end and moments we couldn't wait to get out of. What's important is that we are...
Playing a sport at the college level is a big accomplishment. Being a two-sport athlete takes a lot of time and commitment. Getting to play two sports in college with your sister is a special, rare experience. Megan Baxter is a junior at Carroll College in Helena and plays on the school golf team and the junior varsity basketball squad. This year, the 2021 graduate of Thompson Falls High School gets to play both sports with her little sister Ellie, a freshman at Carroll. The Baxter sisters are...
It’s been difficult getting in the holiday spirit this year. With no snow, it feels more like a cold fall than winter. But as we were putting together the Holiday Pictorial, the holiday spirit hit me. I was going through photos from the past year, visiting with advertisers and spending some time reminiscing about all that we’ve accomplished this year. Christmas is different when you don’t have small children around. The excitement shifts from Santa and presents to traditions and gatherings. I’ve been trying to shift my holiday focus to the trad...
The Savage-Horsemen wrestling team brought home plenty of hardware from the Buzz Lucey memorial tournament in Eureka last weekend. Drew Carey finished a champion on Saturday, pinning Flahead’s Brett Chivers in 1 minute, 54 seconds in the championship match. Carey pinned his way to first place, with none of his matches reaching the third period. Carey first pinned Polson’s Daniel O’Roake in 2:45 before making quick work of Ryle Sheppard of Florence, pinning him in 1:04. Carey won his semifinal match against Brayton Fitch of Flathead in 3:34...
Rusti Leivestad presided over her first council meeting as mayor of Thompson Falls on Monday. The meeting was held at the Sanders County Courthouse before an audience of about 40 community members. Prior to the meeting, Carrie Gardner with Great West Engineering provided details about updates to the city's Capital Improvements Plan. Gardner met with the various departments in the city to determine project priorities. A public survey is also available on the city's website through the end of the...
One of my favorite experiences is hearing about Sanders County from someone new to the area. If you grow up here, you tend to take for granted the mountains, fresh air, daily wildlife sightings and outdoor opportunities. One of the most memorable of those experiences was when a friend from Pennsylvania visited in 1998, the year I moved home from Texas. He was just amazed at the beauty of the area and how we could fish almost literally out our back door. Most recently, I met someone at the fair who had just moved here from Spokane. She immediate...
The Blue Hawks hosted what was almost a mini-tournament last Thursday, welcoming five schools for a mixer at Thompson Falls High School. Florence, Bigfork, Mission, Arlee and Eureka traveled to Thompson Falls to compete. While no team scores were kept, Hawk Coach Mike Thilmony said it was good to see competition from throughout the division. The Hawks have five wrestlers on the girls' team this year. Jaden Bewick got a win Thursday against Kayden Dillard of Arlee. Desanie Bewick, Veronica Vega...
Thompson Falls was jingling with holiday spirit over the weekend with the annual Christmas on Main Street festivities. On Friday, Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce sponsored a holiday stroll, inviting businesses to stay open and offer treats and specials to community members. At the Sunflower Gallery, strollers could get crafty with reindeer candy cane ornaments or gnome ornament creations. The gallery, which features local artisans, also offered a hot cocoa bar with a variety of toppings, and...
