Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 1295
Hot Springs, Montana, may be a small dot on the map, but two veterinary technicians are in a select group. Tammy Marjerrison and Danielle Torgerson are in the middle of a program to become certified equine vet technicians. There are only five people in the state who have been through the program, so the two are in a select group. The American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians & Assistants program lasts six months and includes online course work and a required in-person lab....
Earlier this summer, in the June 13 edition of The Ledger, the Question of the Week asked people if they read the local newspapers. One of the six people said they read The Ledger. Other answers were getting news from friends or a spouse or a parent, or not paying attention to the news at all. It was a bit shocking to see those answers, but it was also a very good question to ask. Recently someone commented to me about that question of the week and didn't know why we asked it. It's a sobering statistic for local newspapers if only one person...
The Hot Springs football team is riding the wave of a three-game win streak. The team traveled to White Sulphur Springs, earning their third shutout in a row with a 59-0 win over the Hornets. “Our kids played really well. They played really good defense. A lot of the kids are really stepping up for us,” Head Coach Jim Lawson said of the Savage Heat, who are now 3-2 for the season and 1-0 in conference play. “Everybody is getting involved and we had a really good performance at White Sulphur,” Lawson said. He noted that Daniel and Weston...
Records were meant to be broken, and Saturday at Thompson Falls' home cross country meet, nearly every record was broken. "That kid from Plains almost caught up to the four-wheeler." That was the reaction of other competitors on Saturday as Simeon Costner of Plains tied the course record of 11 minutes, 17 seconds, at the 24th annual Thompson Falls cross country event. Sophomore Marina Tulloch broke the course record for the girls by nearly a minute. In the junior high girls race, Quinn Delaney o...
Sometimes I will go weeks without getting a letter to the editor. Other times, such as this week, there are several sitting in my inbox. There is something to be said for sitting down and putting thoughts together on paper (or in a word processor) and not just spouting off a few words on social media. It forces you to think about your words, compose complete sentences and try to get to a point. There are some weeks when I write my editorial at the last minute, scramble through paragraphs and then still wonder if I have made a point. Other...
Enrollment is up at Thompson Falls Elementary already this year, leading the school board to hire another kindergarten teacher at last Monday's meeting. Lacey Scharfe will join Angie Rackham as the second kindergarten teacher this year. Principal Len Dorscher told the school board Monday that they started with 19 kindergarten students but now have 26 and a total of 240 students in the elementary. The junior high has 66 students and the high school 184, which is down about 24 from three years ago, said high school principal Jodi Morgan. Also...
The Sanders County Democrats introduced the community to several local and statewide candidates on Sunday as they hosted a picnic at the Power Park in Thompson Falls. Mindy Ferrell with the Sanders County Democrats welcomed the crowd of about 50 people to Thompson Falls on Sunday. "We're so tired of partisan politics," she stated. Ferrell also asked those in attendance to make sure their neighbors are registered to vote as she handed out voter registration information. John Thorson of Plains the...
The Hot Springs football team suffered two tough losses at the start of their season, but when they started winning, they really started winning. The Savage Heat are sitting 2-2 on the season after the second straight shutout win last Friday. Hot Springs beat West Yellowstone 50-0 on their home field Friday. "They ran a different offense than we expected, so the first quarter we adjusted and pretty much went back to our base defense," Coach Jim Lawson said of the West Yellowstone game. "We were...
Members of the Clark Fork Valley Elks club joined first responders on a memorial ride through Thompson Falls last Wednesday on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The patriotic cruise went from teh Elks lodge to therural fire department and back to the lodge....
Over the weekend, we watched "The Fox and the Hound." I hadn't seen it in decades, and my friend and I remembered it as one of our favorite Disney movies. Seeing the movie again, it's pretty violent. There is also a lot of sadness, as was pointed out to me by a 12-year-old. It's still one of my favorite movies, however. There are lessons about coming from different backgrounds, about growing and changing, and about still being friends in the end. Or, at least, having mutual respect for each other. Copper and Tod grew up playing in the forest...
With fall just a few weeks away, Sanders County saw increased wildfire activity last week. On Wednesday, the human-caused Mile Marker 104 ignited five miles west of Dixon. Highway 200 was briefly closed as area firefighters worked to control the blaze. As of Tuesday, the fire was estimated to have burned 468 acres and was at 10% containment. The fire is being managed by the CSKT Division of Fire. No structures were threatened and no evacuations were ordered. Resources on scene included 10 smokej...
Voters in the Hot Springs School District will be mailed ballots this week as they once again are asked to decide on a proposed levy. The election is being rerun after results from a May 7 election - in which the $183,000 levy passed by three votes - were invalidated by a District Court judge when it was discovered that more than 125 absentee ballots were not mailed to registered voters. Residents sponsored two separate forums for the public to learn more about the proposed levy. The final...
As the smoke started rolling in last week, it reminded me that it's still technically summer for a few more weeks, and that it's still really dry out there. Last week we had two human-caused wildfires in Sanders County. The Mile Marker 104 fire near Dixon is nearing containment after burning nearly 500 acres. Then on Saturday there was a small fire outside Thompson Falls in the Cherry Creek area, near a popular swimming hole at the mouth of Prospect Creek. Fall is just around the corner and the nights are getting cooler. However, driving...
Noxon's first home football game came down to the last play on Friday as they beat the Valier Panthers 32-26. With less than a minute left in the game, the Panthers were within 10 yards of the goal line, but the Noxon defense boosted their efforts and forced a turnover on downs to stop the visitors. The Red Devils had the ball for the first drive but were unable to score early in the game. Valier returned their first possession for a touchdown and took a 6-0 lead. When Noxon got the ball a...
The Blue Hawk volleyball team got their first action on their home court last Thursday as they welcomed the Florence Falcons to Thompson Falls. Though the Hawks lost in three sets, Coach Sandra Kazmierczak is excited to see what the team accomplishes this season. The Hawks opened the season the week before at the Choteau tournament. "They did great there," Kazmierczak said. "We took seventh out of 15 teams and they played really good volleyball there." Coach Kazmierczak said that last week they...
The Sanders County Fair activities for 4-H members culminated Sunday morning with the annual livestock auction. After the market animals have been judged and the showmanship skills displayed, 4-H members lead their animals around the arena as businesses, organizations and individuals bid to purchase the animals. There were smiles - and some tears - as the 4-H members worked their animals for the last time while auctioneer Kevin Hill interviewed the youths and then led the bidding. The auction...
Members of the Thompson Falls Woman's Club gathered last week with the Sanders County Commissioners, Thompson Falls Mayor Rusti Leivestad, city council members and representatives from the Thomspon Falls Police Department and Sanders County Sheriff's Office to mark the achievement of the Woman's Club in raising funds for a speed radar sign for the city. Gussie O'Connor of the Woman's Club said that $5,500 has been raised so far, enough to purchase one of the radar signs. She stated that club...
I wasn't expecting to spend all weekend at the fair. My mom and I judge 4-H cooking, baking and cake decorating on Thursday. It's tradition. This was our fourth year, and it's great to see the kids come back each year and be more open and comfortable with their interviews and their cooking skills. And it's become tradition for me to work with my pal Heidi in the beer booth on Friday night. It's a great way to see all sorts of people, make new friends, and help out the Sanders County Fair Foundation, which is a nonprofit that helps the fair...
The Clark Fork Valley Hospital Foundation has been hosting a golf tournament fundraiser in Plains for 17 years, but this year was extra special for the foundation, the tournament and the people involved. The golf tournament was renamed the Barry Fowler Memorial Golf Classic this year in honor of the late Barry Fowler, who died in December 2023. Fowler began working at the hospital in 2002 and along with running the CFVH Foundation, he was a past coach of the Plains golf team. Teams, sponsors...
The Thompson Falls sewer project got some national attention last week. Andy Berke is the Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Berke came to Thompson Falls last week from Washington, D.C., to check progress on the city's wastewater project. Berke said the goal of RUS is to help rural America get the infrastructure they need. "These are projects that help communities thrive and grow," Berke said. He added that he was visiting RD-funded...
The Sanders County Fair kicks off this week, but local 4-H members got a head start on the competition with the dog project show and competition on Sunday. Ten youths competed with their canines Sunday evening at the Trout Creek home of dog project leader Bailee Patten. "I have so enjoyed working with your kids," Patten told family and friends gathered for the competition. "They have done a phenomenal job this year." First up for the dog competition was agility. Level 1 participants led their...
I very vividly remember my first day of kindergarten. My mom took me to school, walked me to Mrs. Garrison's class in the dorm building, started to walk away, and I burst into tears. I think the only way she got me to stay was by having my friend Brooke distract me. I still get those same first-day-of-school jitters when I start a new project, go somewhere I've never been or even when I pick up the phone to conduct an interview. It always turns out just fine and I'm happy for new experiences and new acquaintances. As kids go back to school this...
Members of the Noxon Fire Department, with help from firefighters from Thompson Falls and Heron, assembled and installed a new 8-foot by 10-foot climbing wall in the playground at Noxon School on Saturday. The booster club purchased the equipment a couple years ago, and the volunteers stepped up to get it installed, said Jim Byler with the Noxon department. The volunteers were treated to a steak dinner to thank them for their work....
A new report recommends the full replacement of the Noxon bridge. The Sanders County Commissioners hired engineering firm Morrison-Maierle to complete a study on the bridge and provide information on what is needed to rehabilitate the bridge. The study was in process prior to inspectors finding two cracks in the bridge structure in July. The study was completed and presented to the commissioners in August. “We strongly recommend the County consider a full replacement for the Noxon Bridge,” the study states. “The bridge’s deteriorating conditi...
The Hot Springs School District is again asking voters to approve a $183,000 levy, but the school board on Monday approved a budget for the 2024-25 school year. The budget passed unanimously on Monday does not include the levy funds. The school will seek $100,000 in funding from the Impact Aid fund, a federal program which “reimburses school districts for the lost revenue and additional costs associated with the presence of nontaxable Federal property,” according to the program website. If that funding is received, the school would end the com...
