Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Blackfoot Communications has completed the effort to bring fiber to Thompson Falls. Construction on the Thompson Falls project began in 2019 and the Plains project began in 2022. Public Affairs Manager Chris Laslovich said that more than 650 miles of fiber optic cable is in the ground between the Thompson Falls and Plains project, and that number should be at 800 miles of cable. The Sanders County project includes nearly 3,000 service connections. So far, Blackfoot has invested $27 million in the Sanders County project, with the final number...
Nearly 70 residents attended a public meeting last week regarding U.S. Forest Service land known as "The Orchard." The consensus among most residents was that they want the land left alone. Kaniksu Land Trust, Sanders County Community Development and the Plains/Paradise Ranger District presented the meeting, asking for input on what to do with the 150-acre parcel of public land off of Columbia Street north of Thompson Falls. The land borders the current mule pasture trail system. The Orchard project's goal is to develop multi-use recreational...
Thompson Falls City Council member Raoul Ribeiro was sworn in as interim mayor on Monday. Ribeiro, the City Council president, will serve as mayor until the council appoints a new mayor. Jerry Lacy resigned from the position earlier this month. The city is now accepting letters of interest from residents interested in serving as mayor. The council will appoint a new mayor, who will then serve through 2024, the end of the term for which Mark Sheets was elected in 2020. To serve as mayor, a person must have been a resident of the city of...
The regular season ended last week for the Sanders County 6-man football teams, and now they can look ahead to the playoffs. Hot Springs clinched the top spot in the West and will play host to Valier this Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first round of the playoffs. Noxon narrowly missed the playoffs, ending up No. 4 in the West. The top three teams advance to the postseason. Noxon was originally scheduled to play Hot Springs in the final regular season game of the year, but the Savage Heat forfeited...
Sanders County Commissioners chose a new coroner on Monday. Greg Davis, who has served as a deputy coroner for more than six years, was chosen to fill the position after Coroner Patrick Barber resigned earlier this month to accept a position as a deputy with the Sanders County Sheriff's Office. Commissioner Tony Cox said that Davis had the experience and the qualifications and had been performing the duties under Barber. "Pat has been very, very good for the office," Cox said of the former...
“I have been doing good and going the way my doctor wants it … what you have to be doing is be strong, be and think positive, and take it day by day.” This was written in a thank you card to our church last year by Lacey Kinser. Lacey lost her battle with breast cancer last week, and I thought of this card she had sent and how positive it was, despite what she was going through. If you shopped at Little Bitterroot in Thompson Falls, you probably met Lacey. She always greeted customers with a smile and was a hard worker. She loved the Blue...
Cancer Network of Sanders County (CNSC) switched up their fall fundraiser this year, holding the event at the Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls. About 100 attendees enjoyed a prime rib dinner and a Phantom of the Opera themed event with variety of fundraising activities. "This is completely amazing," CNSC President Shelly Bertrand said during Saturday's fundraiser. "I could never ask for a better turnout for one of our fundraisers." Bertrand introduced her fellow board members and noted that since...
NorthWestern Energy began lowering the drawdown of the reservoir above the Thompson Falls dam on Friday. Once the level is 16 feet below full pool, crews will work to replace wooden flash board on the main dam (left)....
Voters in Hot Springs and Thompson Falls will choose city council representatives this fall. The municipal general election is set for November 7. Sanders County Election Administrator McKenna Wallace said that ballots will be mailed October 18. The elections in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs will be held by mail. Ballots can be delivered to the Elections Office on Main Street in Thompson Falls across from the courthouse, or mailed. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted. In Thompson Falls, three council...
Our job as a newspaper is to inform our readers, to be leaders of information in local communities. I get a lot of random questions from people every day. Most of the time, if it’s something we’ve written about, I’ll end my answer jokingly with “I read it in The Ledger.” It’s true, though. Looking back on more than six years owning a newspaper, there’s a lot of random knowledge in my brain that I never would have learned if I wasn’t reading the newspaper or covering local events and meetings. The 2023 Local Newspaper Study provides eviden...
Sawtooth EMS will begin serving the Heron area next week. Sheriff Shawn Fielders told The Ledger on Tuesday that the sheriff’s office has agreed to dispatch the private ambulance service within the boundaries of the Heron Fire District. “We got a tremendous amount of comments both ways,” Sheriff Fielders said. “What it boiled down to was what was the best service for the community.” Fielders stated the target date is October 15 for dispatching to Sawtooth. He said a few tests have already been completed, with more scheduled for this week. He...
Local district rangers provided Sanders County Commissioners an update of the Plains/Thompson Falls and Cabinet districts last week. Former Thompson Falls resident Dan Castillo is back in the area with the Forest Service, serving as interim ranger for the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District until a new ranger is hired. Previous District Ranger David Wrobleski accepted a new position within the agency. Castillo has worked for the Forest Service for 25 years, with the last nine as a timber contracting officer for the Lolo National Forest. Casti...
If you don't believe in global warming, go to Hot Springs on a Friday night and watch the Savage Heat football team. With a 64-6 win over Lima last Friday, the team sits at 6-0 for the season and has outscored their opponents by more than 200 points total. Hot Springs has scored 262 points and their five opponents this season (one win was due to a forfeit by Gardiner) have combined for just 51 points. "We're definitely getting better," Coach Jim Lawson said over the weekend. "I like what I'm...
The other day I was walking through Rose Garden Park in Thompson Falls with my trusty sidekick Walter the Jack Russell Terrier when I got a text from a friend that said "What are you looking up at?" The truth is, I'm looking up a lot these days. The colors in Sanders County are beautiful. This is my favorite time of year. When you need a sweater in the morning and an extra blanket in the evening, but the days are sunny, warm enough for just a t-shirt and perfect for looking up. This magic time in northwest Montana is awesome because everyone is...
by Annie Wooden and Shannon Brown The crisp fall air and changing colors of the local landscape have inspired local shop owners to roll out special fall creations. Pumpkin spice gets much of the attention during the fall season, but there are plenty of other options for fall treats and treasures to be found throughout Sanders County. MORE THAN PUMPKIN SPICE As you drive up to Beagle's Bakery just west of Thompson Falls, your fall experience starts with a big maple tree whose leaves have already...
by Annie Wooden and Skye Hill The Plains Trotters are rising through the ranks of District 7B volleyball. Last week, the Trotters added another win to their record as they took down the Troy Trojans in three straight sets at home on September 26, 25-12, 25-10, 25-16. Game night last Tuesday was the 18th birthday of senior Marissa Young, and the Plains player said the win was the best part of her day. "It felt so good," Young said following the game. "We've been working really hard in practice....
The Clark Fork Soccer U19 girls added two wins to their perfect season last week. They put on an impressive performance against the Whitefish JV girls last Tuesday at home with a 9-2 win, then traveled to Stevensville on Saturday where they won 4-2. So far this season, the Clark Fork girls have scored 54 goals total and have allowed just 10 total of their opponents. Claire Wrobleski leads the team with 18 of the 54 goals. The boys also won at Stevensville on Saturday, 1-0, improving their...
There was a lot of soccer in my life last week. On Monday I went to Plains to watch the Clark Fork girls play Columbia Falls. The Clark Fork teams consist of young men and women from throughout the region and is considered a club sport because it hasn’t been approved by any Sanders County school boards. Then on Saturday I watched kids from age 3 to 12 play various games in Thompson Falls for a full day of fun. There were teams from throughout the county. Plains, Thompson Falls, Hot Springs and Trout Creek competed, as well as Superior. There w...
Thompson Falls youth soccer hosted Plains, Hot Springs, Trout Creek and Superior on Saturday for a day of competition. U-6, U-8, U-10 and U-12 teams took the fields....
Sanders County Coroner Patrick Barber has accepted a new position within the county. Beginning October 16, Barber will take on the role of deputy for the Sanders County Sheriff's Office. "Being in law enformcent has been a long-term desire of mine and when this opportunity came up I felt it was a good way to fulfill that desire and serve the public in a great capacity," Barber said. "It was a tough decision. People have been very supportive in this transition." Sanders County Commissioners are...
The Sanders County Fair Board met last week to recap the 2023 fair. More than a dozen community members showed up to the board meeting last Wednesday at the fairgrounds. “It was a very challenging summer for us,” board chairman Randy Woods stated. “We had a hard time finding summer help and some of the fences didn’t get fixed right and coolers didn’t get fixed.” Woods also stated the fair had issues with a phone line that affected an ATM. He also noted that the River Road East Fire prompted some people to not show up, though there was no thre...
As work continues on phases 1 and 2 of the wastewater project in Thompson Falls, there's a new highlight. Thompson Falls High School students worked last week to complete a mural on the side of a sewer lift station that sits just above the railroad tracks between the East and West ramps. Teacher Micah Grossberg and his Art 1 class took advantage of a late-summer warm day last Wednesday and painted the mural that depicts a series of pipes. The students spent the entire school day first prepping...
I was at the Sanders County Fair every day this year for various reasons. On Thursday my mom and I judged entries in the 4-H Home Ec building, Friday I volunteered for the Fair Foundation in the beer booth, and Saturday and Sunday I was there covering various events for the newspaper. I felt like I was at the fair a lot this year, though definitely not as much as the 4-H families and vendors. The Sanders County Fair is pretty special in that admission is still free and the grounds are still covered in grass. The $10 daily parking fee is more...
In a law enforcement career spanning 28 years, you're bound to learn a thing or two. On Sunday, Sanders County law enforcement, friends and family members celebrated the retirement of Lieutenant Shawna Chenoweth. "I've done so many different things and learned so much," Chenoweth told the group of about 50 people who gathered at the Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls on Sunday to commemorate the occasion. Chenoweth was joined by her husband Darrell and her son Garrett, who was 14 months old when she...
At the beginning of the summer, I wouldn't have really dubbed myself a Taylor Swift fan. But watching what she has done with her Eras tour has been pretty incredible. The singer could gross nearly $2.2 billion from this tour. I chatted with some locals who went to her concerts, and the consensus is that what she has done is incredible. Getting up on stage to perform for three hours a night, with multiple shows in each city, is pretty incredible. What's even more interesting is how she has turned her singing career into a very profitable...
