Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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As I sit here writing this, my mom is sitting at the conference table in the back of the Ledger reading pages. She comes in and edits for me on Tuesdays. Also today she brought me a jug of water from the ranch (I live in town and well water is just tastier) and she took my dog for a walk. Normally she brings me some sort of delicious soup or leftovers (today she didn't, but I'll let that slide). Moms do all sorts of things for their kids that they don't get enough credit for. Sometimes it's the little things, and sometimes it's the bigger...
The Sanders County Historical Society is having some fun with its main exhibit at the Old Jail Museum in Thompson Falls this year. The museum is featuring generations of toys in 2023. "Toys: Remembering Our Childhood" offers a look back at games, dolls, trucks and other toys through the early 1980s. "It just makes you smile," expressed museum director Vonn Briggs, noting that the exhibit will attract young and old alike. Briggs said that she and Sherry Hagerman-Benton were cleaning the basement...
Thompson Falls elementary students celebrated reading last week with a special assembly. To honor the end of the GFWC Thompson Falls Woman's Club's Running Start program, a ceremony was held at the school on Friday. Marsha Hart with the Woman's Club said the program went very well. She noted that several community members volunteered to read to students in kindergarten and first and second grade during the month of April. Kindergarten teacher Amber Yates led the celebration on Friday. "We had...
The Thompson Falls City Council met for its monthly meeting on Monday, and the packed meeting room left standing room only. Kim Annis, Bear Management Specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), gave a short presentation on the steps to become a Bear Smart community. Council member Katherine Maudrone had presented information to both the council and the Community and Public Relations Committee of the council about possibly pursuing the program. Annis said the program’s goal is to increase human safety and decrease conflicts where b...
Montana’s Best Builders narrowly hung on to their Tuesday night men’s league lead last week, standing in first place with 45 points and team members Kevin Sparks, Sean Kelly, Doug Czerwinski and Mike Thilmony combining for the low team gross of 182. NLC Inc. is close on their tails in second place with 43.5 points, and team members Bill Nolen, Howard Morkert, Craig LeCoure and Marcus Thomas shot the low team net of 147. Doug Robichaud had the low individual gross of 39 and Thilmony shot the low net round with a 33. Nolen was closest to the pin...
The Wild Coyote team of Gary Thompson, Mike Normandin, Howard Morkert and Steve Clark howled to the win last Wednesday with a low team gross of 170 in league play at River’s Bend. The Coyote team sits in first place with 54.5 points. Whitefish Credit Union’s Rusty Sharp, Wally Gibe, Randy Hojem and Chuck Manry combined for the low team net of 143. Clark had the low individual net round of 31. RT Brown had a stellar evening on the course, shooting the low individual gross of 38 and garnering two chip-ins, on No. 2 and No. 8. Paul Flemmer als...
The Over the Hill gang kicked off the 2023 league on Monday, welcoming 25 golfers to River’s Bend in Thompson Falls. Russ Wood had the only chip-in for the day, on hole 7, while Bruce Sterling shot the low men’s gross of 40 and Larry Eddy had the low net of 34. Kristy Beaty had the low net for the women with a 39. Dave Garr was closest to the pin in two on No. 1 and also had the long putt on No. 6. Gary Thompson had the long putt on No. 7 and No. 2, Scott Garr took that honor on No. 8. Barb Wooden sank the long putt on No. 9 and had the lon...
Less than 50% of Sanders County voters returned ballots for local school and special district elections this week. Ballots were tallied at the Sanders County Courthouse on Tuesday evening. Of the more than 9,800 registered voters in the county, 4,171 voted in this week's election. Three school districts had asked voters to approve levies, with the Noxon High School technology fund being the only one to pass on Tuesday. The high school levy for $15,000 yearly for five years was renewed, with 430 votes for and 382 against. The Noxon elementary...
There was something different in last week's Ledger, however, no one really noticed. Last week, I wrote an article using artificial intelligence (AI) software. A friend of mine from California visited recently and asked if I had ever used AI in the newspaper. I gasped and said of course not, that all our content was created by us. I then explained how the thought of AI freaks me out a little. Will it make my job obsolete as a journalist? Will no person ever write an original thought again? The short answer, in my opinion, is no. My friend sat...
A local floral and gift shop is under new ownership. Connie Weber took over Farmhouse Blooms in Thompson Falls last month. The shop on Main Street offers a variety of fresh blooms and plants, as well as gifts and organic tea. Weber recently moved to Thompson Falls with her family. She grew up in Missoula and has lived in Montana her whole life. She worked as a high-risk obstetric ultrasound technician and had a great career, but said eventually her family decided to move to Thompson Falls. The...
Men’s league is back in the swing of things at River’s Bend Golf Course, with the Montana’s Best Builders team of Kevin Sparks, Sean Kelly, Nathan Snead and Russ Yeager shooting the low team gross score of 184 last Tuesday and leading the standings with 23 points. Custom Ventures team members Scott Pardee, Ty Pardee, Marcus Thomas and Craig LeCoure had the low team net of 148, while Scott Pardee had the individual low gross of 39 and Bernie Groshong’s 31 was good enough for low individual net. Scott Garr was closest to the pin on No. 17 and...
First Security Bank is off to an early lead in Wednesday night men’s league play at River’s Bend Golf Course. Team members Mike Baxter, Ben Mummert, Bill Nolen and Mike Thilmony shot a combined gross of 165 last week and the team is sitting in first place with 28.5 points. Baxter had the low individual gross round of 36 and Thilmony the low individual net of 30. Wild Coyote golfers Gary Thompson, Mike Normandin, Howard Morkert and Steve Clark shot the low team gross of 144. Ricky Hagedorn smashed the long drive on No. 18, Bruce Sterling was...
The annual effort to do spring cleaning projects around the City of Thompson Falls was held last week. Beautification Days is a community-wide effort to clean up community areas and assist residents with cleaning their yards. The event began Thursday with various school groups walking through Thompson Falls picking up trash. Thompson Falls High School students divided to conquer both sides of the highway, as well as city streets above the railroad tracks. The groups filled several large trash...
There are many people in Sanders County who do a lot for others and never ask for any recognition. It's time to start recognizing those people. Let's start with Angie Lowe of Thompson Falls. I went to school with Angie and have known her most of my life. One of the things I most appreicate about her is how she is true to herself. I also really appreciate that she is direct and you never have to wonder what she's thinking. She's one of the hardest working people I've ever met, and this year will celebrate 23 years with the Town Pump corporation....
LACEY BEAUCHAMP, Plains — "A pair of Silver bran jeans that was worth over $100 and I got a killer deal on them." DONALD LORD, Plains — "I like finding NFL jerseys. My favorite team is the 49ers." JENNIFER ENCINAS, Plains — "Hats. I like colorful ones like the one I have on today." LACEY KINSER, Thompson Falls — "Mostly things that catch my eye. I like things with wildlife or outdoor colors. I've worked here since 1991 so have seen a lot." MELISSA HAUGEN, Thompson Falls — "One time I bought a pair of jeans at a thrift store and in it was a cho...
Each year, the Dixon community rallies for the annual Bison Stampede, a fundraising event for the Dixon School. Saturday marked the ninth year for the event. Community members, students and staff participated in a fun run and community breakfast on Saturday. The running event consisted of a 10k, 5k and 1-mile fun run. The 10k race started first, with just one runner at the start line, Bruce Genzel. Dixon teacher and track coach Jason Ries gave Genzel a big high-five as he started the course....
Thompson Falls band and choir students showcased their work last weekend at the District Music Festival in Missoula. Students who received superior ratings now will practice for the State Music Festival, scheduled for May 5-6 in Missoula. “The students did amazing,” said band and choir teacher Brittany Nichols. The concert band received superior ratings and the high school choir excellent ratings for their group performances. Those moving on to the state festival include Kael Brown and Alek Sweeden, who performed an alto saxophone and tru...
Less than 50% of Sanders County voters returned ballots for local school and special district elections this week. Ballots were tallied at the Sanders County Courthouse on Tuesday evening. Of the more than 9,800 registered voters in the county, 4,171 voted in this week's election. Three school districts had asked voters to approve levies, with the Noxon High School technology fund being the only one to pass on Tuesday. The high school levy for $15,000 yearly for five years was renewed, with 430...
Montana legislators voted this month to ban TikTok. The legislation states that "TikTok's stealing of information and data from users and its ability to share that data with the Chinese Communist Party unacceptably infringes on Montana's right to privacy." The bill also accuses TikTok of failing to remove "dangerous content that directs minors to engage in dangerous activities," then goes on to describe those activities, such as attempting to climb stacks of milkcrates, pouring hot wax on a user's face and cooking chicken in NyQuil. Now, kids...
Ballots will be mailed later this week for county school and special district elections. Sanders County Election Administrator McKenna Wallace said ballots will be mailed April 14 for the May 2 election. The election is being held by mail, so ballots will need to be mailed back by voters, or dropped in a drop box at the Sanders County election office. Heron Park District is the only special district with an election this spring, with one four-year park commissioner term open. Jodee Goetz and Deborah Lyman have both filed as candidates for that...
Last year, it seemed as though there was some sort of bear conflict in the area just about every day. Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff was busy taking care of issues and trying to educate property owners how to reduce conflicts. The majority of conflicts last year, as in most years, were due to trash or chickens not being secured properly. I got to know FWP bear expert Kim Annis pretty well last year, and it didn't take me long to learn her key phrase of making sure garbage is secured "inside a structure with four walls, a roof and a door." More...
Sanders County Commissioners last week approved sponsoring a grant that will support restoration efforts on the Vermilion River near Trout Creek. The Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group (LCFWG) approached the county about sponsoring the $50,000 planning grant available from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). Commissioners voted 2-1, with Tony Cox and John Holland voting in favor of the grant and Dan Rowan opposing. During a prior meeting about the DNRC grant, questions were brought up about the grant money as revenue affe...
The Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group (LCFWG) approached the county last week, asking commissioners to agree to sponsor an application for a planning grant from the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). The grant would help fund the continuation of the Vermilion River restoration project. Green Mountain Conservation District voted last September to apply for the grant and the application was approved by DNRC. However, GMCD voted at a meeting this month to not accept the funding. “We had a vote on the project and the majo...
A body found on private property near Whitepine is presumed to be a missing Thompson Falls man. Sanders County Sheriff’s officers, along with Sanders County Search and Rescue and Thompson Falls Police Department conducted a search on Saturday and found a deceased man near where Steven Huff’s truck was discovered late last month. Sanders County Coroner Patrick Barber said the deceased is presumed to be Huff, though the county is waiting for a positive identification from the state crime lab. Barber said the death appears to be due to exp...
The editorial cartoon (at right) this week got me thinking about what we're willing to give up. It's Lent, but I doubt a lot of people gave up eggs. They are a pretty basic food staple that everyone buys. With the prices going up, people are still buying eggs. There are some substitutes, but applesauce and bacon isn't really the same as eggs and bacon. People adjust. Just like when gas was near $4 a gallon. There were still plenty of cars on the road. Some people adjusted by getting rid of their big trucks and SUVs. I got a smaller car and am...
