Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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At the Thompson Falls School Board meeting on Monday, Superintendent Bill Cain said that the school again received the GEAR UP grant in the amount of $102,000. “If you took that out, our school would look very different,” Cain said. “The professional development and opportunities for kids are awesome.” Cain commended the school’s GEAR UP liaison, Penny Beckman, for her efforts. The U.S. Department of Education awarded Montana a seven-year, $28 million GEAR UP grant last year. Montana also was awarded the grant in 1999, 2005 and 2011, according...
The Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge on Sunday honored local law enforcement personnel and thanked them for their service. The Elks provided lunch for about 40 people, including law enforcement officers from throughout the county and their family members. Each officer was presented with a certificate of appreciation by Elks Exalted Ruler Michelle Blackstone and Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel. "We wanted to recognize law enforcement. They do so much and deserve a lot more recognition than they...
Ashley Devol-Haun has joined the staff at the MSU Sanders County Extension Office as administrative assistant. Devol-Haun took the position after the retirement of Shirley Kinkade, who held the position for 26 years. “Shirley had great notes and checklists and was super helpful,” making the transition easy for Devol-Haun, a 1999 graduate of Thompson Falls High School. She lives in Thompson Falls with her husband Jon and three children. “We’re really excited to have her here,” county extension...
Ransomware impacted the server at Thompson Falls Schools last week and the school and law enforcement agencies are working to resolve the problem. The event was discovered last Wednesday, September 4. The school contacted local law enforcement, who then contacted other agencies to assist. Superintendent Bill Cain said they also contacted their insurance company and legal advisors regarding the matter. Cain said they have been working nonstop with experts on the data security event. It was not clear as of Tuesday if any data had been taken from...
Sanders County Public Health joined with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana this week to promote offer a convenient way for parents to get their kids vaccinated. With school starting, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Care Van came to schools in Noxon, Trout Creek and Thompson Falls on Monday, then visited Plains and Hot Springs on Tuesday. Lisa Richmond and Karen Morey with Sanders County Public Health said they were focusing on vaccinations for kids starting school, as well as promoting the MT Teen...
The City of Thompson Falls received one bid for the Thompson Falls pool project At the Thompson Falls City Council meeting on Monday, Mayor Jerry Lacy said that one bid was received for the project. The bid came in at $163,00, which was higher than the $150,000 anticipated. The city received a grant from Montana State Parks earlier this year for $75,000 and the city had to come up with $75,000 in matching funds. City Clerk Chelsea Peterson said that following donations have been received: $25,000 from the Frisbee Morbella Foundation, $5,00...
Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher denied a request to lower bail for homicide suspect Danielle Wood on Tuesday. Wood appeared at the Sanders County Courthouse with her attorneys, Eldena Bear Don’t Walk and Ashley Morigeau. Wood is charged with deliberate homicide in the May 2, 2018, death of Thompson Falls resident Matt LaFriniere, with whom Wood had a child. Wood pleaded not guilty to the charge earlier this year. Bear Don’t Walk had asked the court to reduce Wood’s bond to $100,000. She stated that Wood was not a flight risk. “She did not fle...
In 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, bail was set at $10,000 for Scott Ward of Hot Springs. Ward was arrested August 3 on charges of criminal engenderment and fleeing from or eluding a peace officer. A Sanders County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrested Ward during a traffic stop on Highway 200 that began west of Dixon. Ward allegedly was pursued by the deputy for approximately 10 miles with speeds up to 114 miles per hour. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a trial date of January 21, 2020, for Ward, who pleaded not guilty to the charg...
Debbie Wilson wants to help people plan for the future. And she wants people to know that she is there for them, even if they decide not to work with her. The Thompson Falls resident recently opened her Edward Jones office on Main Street. "I'm always an educational resource," Wilson said. "I'm local an I'm open. If you have questions, come see me." Wilson's father was a CPA and the youngest of 13 children. Her mother emigrated from East Germany when she was 17. An only child, Wilson saw how...
School reunions often include celebrations of 50 or even 60 years. Getting to 100 is a major milestone. On Saturday, the Dixon School celebrated 100 years of educating students. Hundreds of graduates, teachers and community members joined the celebration. The day kicked off with a pancake breakfast at the senior center, put on by the local firemen. About 20 classic cars and trucks gathered on the lawn near the basketball court for a car show. Joyce Decker Wegner is a retired Lake County...
The Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce welcomed new teachers in the school district during the chamber's August luncheon last week. "We welcome all the new teachers and we applaud you for coming to Thompson Falls," said chamber member Rita Lundgren of Lundgren Chiropractic and Wellness Center. Amber Yates is a new kindergarten teacher in the district. The first-year teacher from Ennis has a special connection with another new hire. Band and music teacher Neil Harbel noted at the luncheon that...
Though Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has not been detected in any deer in Sanders County, "it's something we need to take seriously." That was the sentiment of Neil Anderson, Wildlife Program Manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Region 1. Anderson spoke to about 30 residents in Trout Creek last Wednesday to talk about the CWD cases in the Libby area and what hunters here can do to help stop the spread of the disease. Anderson said there have been six confirmed cases of CWD in deer...
With the City of Thompson Falls moving forward on the wastewater treatment project, crews from Great West Engineering have been in town working on the project design and engineering. Property owners in phases one and two of the project — which include properties on the hill from the west end of town to Grove Street — were sent postcards in the mail asking them to call or go online to set an appointment with Great West Engineering. The firm will meet with property owners to discuss the location of existing sewer service and septic tank loc...
UPDATE: According to FWP, the special CWD B licenses sold out in two hours this morning. Licenses went on sale at 8 a.m. and were all sold by 10:13 a.m. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is holding public meetings across Sanders County to discuss Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) after a sixth deer was detected with the disease in Libby. The latest white-tailed deer to test positive was a road-killed doe collected along U.S. Highway 2 near Flower Creek. The Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado,...
The Rex Theatre is a Thompson Falls landmark. When a building is 80 years old and has as rich a history, it earns landmark status. Doug and Karen Grimm bought the theater in 2002 and worked on it for two years before opening it to the public. It served as a movie theater primarily and is home to live music, dance performances, plays, political forums and other events. Though new movies aren't shown at the theater anymore, memories of Christmas movies, getting a candy cane from Santa and first dates surface as you walk down the aisles. Doug and...
The Thompson Falls Masonic Lodge presented checks to the Thompson Falls, Noxon and Trout Creek schools last month. The Masonic Lodge had established a trust to support a Bikes for Books program with local schools. In recent years, the money has helped the Masons donate bikes and Kindles to reading programs. The Masonic Lodge property on Columbia Street in Thompson Falls recently sold, and the Masonic Lodge members decided to close the trust. They divided the money between the three schools....
Forty years is quite a milestone for any event or relationship. Especially when it's an event that brings thousands of people to a small Northwest Montana town. And even more so when it is run exclusively by volunteers. Friday through Sunday, vendors, food booths and a variety of performers will entertain visitors at the 40th annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek. Each year since 1986, artists have been chosen to develop a logo for the festival. Local artists including Craid Waldron, Sarah...
UPDATE: Mayor Jerry Lacy notified The Ledger today that the pump has been fixed and residents and businesses can resume normal water usage. The city had asked residents to cut back on usage while the pump was being fixed. The City of Thompson Falls is asking residents and businesses to cut back on water usage after a pump in one of the city’s wells failed. Mayor Jerry Lacy said that he discovered the issue late Monday when he noticed decreased water pressure at his home. City staff investigated and found that a submersible pump for one of t...
Two Trout Creek men were injured when the small airplane they were flying in crashed into trees along Blue Slide Road. "Things didn't turn out like we planned. We were extremely lucky," said Jim Williams, who was in the plane with Jim Craik. Williams was treated at Clark Fork Valley Hospital for a back injury and was released last Friday. Craik broke his shoulder blade and a rib in the crash and shattered one vertebra. He underwent surgery to fuse a shattered vertebra at St. Patrick Hospital in...
Huckleberries will take a back seat to other fruits on Saturday evening at the Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek. The pie eating contest commences at 7:30 p.m. at the main stage, and organizer Sarah Dramstad is hoping for an even bigger turnout than last year, when the contest had 43 entrants. “It was so fun,” Dramstad said. “I wouldn’t have thought that pigging out would be that entertaining.” She noted that last year, Thompson Falls Superintendent Bill Cain challenged some of his students in the competition, and one toddler sat on her da...
Driving through the Highway 200 construction project east of Thompson Falls this spring and summer has offered views of cranes, excavators and crews scaling rocks. The mesh fencing being constructed looks like oversized chicken wire, but as The Ledger found out this week, there's a lot that goes into securing rocks and the fencing. Montana Department of Transportation project manager Ryan Paulsen and Kevin Cichy with Triptych Construction of Oregon provided more details about the rock fall...
Trout Creek resident Webb Brown announced his candidacy in the 2020 election for the state Public Service Commission (PSC). Brown told The Ledger this week that he is ready to give back to the state by using the expertise he has garnered through his business career. "This is something I can do to contribute," Brown said. If elected, Brown said he will focus on consumers and keeping energy rates reasonable. "It's a balance," he added, "and we have to consider the business aspect as well." Brown,...
Avista has initiated the construction of the Cabinet Gorge Dam Fishway (CGDF), expected to be complete in the fall of 2021. This is part of Avista’s compliance with its federal operating license and the Endangered Species Act to provide safe and effective passage of the threatened bull trout traveling from Lake Pend Oreille to their spawning tributaries in Montana. Construction of the CGDF is the result of more than 20 years of research and testing to determine how best to move migrating bull trout over the 208-foot-tall Cabinet Gorge Dam, a...
Crews will begin paving the roadway next week at the Montana Department of Transportation (DOT) project to improve a 2.7-mile stretch of Highway 200 east of Thompson Falls. Traffic delays will be similar to those seen recently by travelers, with 10- to 15-minute delays expected and one lane of traffic from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Traffic will return to two lanes in the evening. The wildlife crossing underpass bridge has been installed and most of the wildlife fencing has been set. Paving is expected to begin the week of July 29 depending on weather....
The Montana Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments in an appeal of a $35 million judgment against the Jehovah’s Witness church. Last October, a jury awarded Alexis Nunez $4 million in compensatory damages and $31 million in punitive damages. Nunez claimed that she was sexually abused by a member of the church as a child. The jury found that Watchtower New York, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (CCJW), the Thompson Falls congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Nunez’s mother, Ivy McGowan-Castleberry, were negligent in the...
