Your Best Source For Sanders County News
Your Best Source For Sanders County News
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The first metal horse of Plains is done, but creator Kenton Pies now has a bigger hurdle to get over – funding his project. "It's quite a relief to have it finished. It's a joy, but I have changes to make on the rest of them – artists are never satisfied," said the 85-year-old Plains artist, who created a steel horse that he hopes will be a sample of the future "Wild Horse Plains" herd, which will be located somewhere along the greenway. Pies started working on the prototype horse last Sep...
The Dixon Cemetery is all but forgotten by most people, but there's one Plains couple that wants to make sure that the military veterans buried there are remembered, at least once a year. The cemetery, situated on a high bluff about one and a half miles southeast of Dixon, is mostly overgrown with weeds. Some of the headstones have fallen over; a couple of them are in crumbles on the ground. Of the near 70 people buried there – those that are visible – a handful are unmarked and only 10 gra...
The Sanders County Fair Board signed two major contracts at last week’s May meeting in preparation for this year’s fair. The board unanimously voted to sign a two-year contract with Powder River Rodeo, which has entertained local crowds for more than 30 years, and a one-year contract with the Sanders County Concessions Group. Don Burrell, president of the nonprofit concessions organization, said they were surprised that the board switched from a percentage to a flat fee. Burrell said his group was under the impression that they would pay the fa...
Betting on the horses is a long tradition in America, but gambling while on horses is part of the Wild Horse Plains Backcountry Horsemen Poker Run, held last weekend at the Historic Jones Ranch, nearly 10 miles northwest of Plains. One hundred and fifty-eight riders registered for this year's 11-mile poker run Saturday, but when the trail dust settled, Jacob Byrne of Kalispell won the big prize with four aces, taking home a custom made horse breast collar by Ron Rude of Plains. Second place went...
Volunteers last weekend might have made a small dent in "Project Clean-Up Days," but they got a big appreciation for their efforts, according to Plains Mayor Dan Rowan, who coordinated the project with council member Sandy Chenoweth. About 50 volunteers Friday and Saturday went to the homes of two dozen residents to clean up yards, mow lawns, and haul away unwanted materials cluttering the neighborhoods. By 5 p.m. Saturday, the town lot across the street from the fire department had a stack of...
I am one of those strange people who read newspapers cover to cover every week. Something about local newspapers just seem to be a hidden reflection of the community that is the heart of small towns. Do I immediately find value or meaning in what I read? No, not always. That’s what the internet and social media are for – immediate relevance. Local newspapers are more like reading chapters in a multi-generational novel. In TV terms “A sweeping saga of many generations as they pass thru time and place.” Confession: I’ve read every line of the det...
Plains High School student Charlie Rehbein considers himself a bona fide Trekkie, which was evident at the school's 2018 Art Exhibition last week when he displayed his "Star Trek Captain's Chair," a rendition of Capt. Kirk's bridge chair on the Starship Enterprise. Even a "Don't Touch" note on the chair didn't stop some people from asking to sit in it, which seemed to please Rehbein even more. "I am a big fan of Star Trek and I wanted to do something from the show," said the sophomore, who stood...
The commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle Division visited Plains Sunday to take a look at the progress and evaluate the erosion situation at the town's Wastewater Treatment Plant at the end of Helterline Drive. Col. Mark Geraldi spent part of the day looking over the two sites where riprap was placed to halt erosion by the Clark Fork River. A crew was still working on the second site while the colonel was here. Since the previous Sunday, the Corps of Engineers and contractors...
Paint the town red has taken up a new meaning in Plains, although it will include a variety of other colors, now that Rick Harter and Ilene Paulsen are doing large murals on the outside wall of the Garden Gift & Floral. They might even be giving the term starving artists a new meaning because they're doing it for free. The two Plains residents are painting murals on four 180-square foot spaces on the west side of the flower shop concrete wall in an effort to help beautify the town. The two...
Members of the Plains Town Council signed off on the first reading of the proposed amendments to the Decay and Junk Vehicles Ordinance at last Monday’s May meeting at City Hall. Council members spent little time in the discussion phase before unanimously voting in favor of the proposed ordinances, which will be covered under Title 7’s Health and Welfare portion of the Municipal Code of the Town of Plains. “I wish you a lot of luck. I tried to get this done 20 years ago,” Plains resident Tom Charlton told the council members at the meeting...
The Plains Mini Mermaids had a big finish last weekend when the group fulfilled their goal of completing a 5K run – 3.1 miles – at the Amundson Sports Complex. More than 30 people joined the 14 members of the Mini Mermaid Running Club for their Family Fun Run Saturday, marking the end of the six-week program and as a trial run for the Plains Days run, which will be sponsored by the club, said Gena Ferlan, the chief organizer and one of five club coaches. The run started and ended at the old airp...
In the most recent round of Mother Nature versus the Town of Plains it seems the town is losing, but not giving up. With a heavy snow pack, warm weather and strong currents, the river has come within 130 feet of the Wastewater Treatment Facility's UV treatment structure and the river hasn't shown signs of slowing. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) arrived at the site Monday with an excavator and an army of dump trucks to place tons of large jagged rocks along the shoreline of the town...
Bringing the ghost of an ex-wife isn't good for a healthy marriage, especially when it leads to the death of the present wife and the return of her ghost. That's what happened to Charles Condomine in Paradise over the weekend in the comedy play Blythe Spirit by the Paradise Players. Nearly 100 people attended the performances, held at the Paradise Center Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when a cast of seven demonstrated their acting skills. It was the first time on stage for Bethany White of Dixon,...
Open burning season in Sanders and Mineral counties ended April 30, and burn permits are now required until fire season begins. Starting May 1 and continuing until conditions are no longer favorable for safe burning, permits are required to burn yard debris or logging slash. Depending on which jurisdiction one is in, burn permits are available at your local U.S. Forest Service, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, or from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes office in Ronan. For people wishing to burn in Sanders...
After 11 years, Plains Judge Joe Eisenbrandt has decided to hang up his robe, but not because he wants to – it's doctor's orders. The 74-year-old Eisenbrandt took a fall on the ice a couple of months ago and suffered a serious head injury. He said that although the CT scan shows improvement, he's decided to retire as the Plains and Hot Springs City judge, a job he's held since 2007 when he was first appointed the job at Plains by then Mayor Dan Bates. The Hot Springs post was added a short t...
by Ed Moreth The Town of Plains is looking to make the community a bit nicer looking for Plains Days and at the same time help people who can’t always help themselves. “Project Clean-Up Days,” nicknamed “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” by Plains Council Member Sandy Chenoweth, is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 18, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 19. Volunteers will meet at Fred Young Park at the start of each clean-up day. Children under 18 must be either accompanied by a parent or have a signed waiver. Mayor Dan Rowan...
Fashion shows don't normally include a decorated pillow or a stuffed snowman, but both were present at the annual Sanders County 4-H Fashion Revue and Patchwork Parade at the Assembly of God Church in Plains Sunday. Tressa Lyscio of the South Side Sparks Club of Plains, received a purple ribbon in the senior division of the needlework class for her crocheted snowman, one of four entries that got her the top ribbons and a nomination for the 4-H Congress. It took the 17-year-old Lyscio 43 hours to...
The Lions will be back in the derby business, but this time as guests, rather than co-sponsor of the demolition derby at the Sanders County Fair. “We can pull this off and you’ll be covered by insurance,” Sanders County Fair Manager Chris McGuigan told Plains Lions Club President Duane Highcrane at April’s fair board meeting last Wednesday. McGuigan and Sanders County Commissioner Carol Brooker have been working with Maaco, the county’s insurance company, for months to get the Lions covered for the demo derby. The good news to the Lions Club ca...
Baldy Mountain Tire has moved operations and is open for business. The tire company, owned by Jon Hochstetler and his son Tony, broke ground on the new space along Highway 200 on the west end of Plains last October and in March were ready to go. The new facility is 6,600 square feet, more than five times the space as their former site on the other end of town. Jon and Tony are not rookies in the tire trade; they started their business seven years ago and attract customers from inside and outside...
The importance of having access to high-speed broadband Internet has never been greater for Montana students. When they graduate and enter the job market, they will need a deep knowledge of technology and the ability to learn new skills quickly. Technology is increasingly used in all aspects of student learning. Educators in Montana have made it a priority that our schools have first-rate access to Internet. A real gap exists today between students who have access to all the Internet has to offer, and those who live in areas that are lagging...
Kids and senior citizens got the chance to help military veterans after one veteran came up with a brainstorm to help aging veterans honor passed veterans. Each year for Memorial Day, members of VFW Post 3596 place American flags at the gravesites of veterans at Plains Cemetery, a task that isn't always easy for the members – average age 72 – to create a hole at each grave for the wooden flag staff. Instead of having to make a hole in the sometimes hard ground, this year they will only have to...
Explore the world of fly fishing, from Honduras to Alaska, Dubai to Africa, without leaving Sanders County, during the 12th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour, coming to the Rex Theatre in Thompson Falls on April 28. This is the first year the international film festival has landed in Thompson Falls, and it promises to be an entertaining and informative evening for folks who enjoy fly fishing or even just watching a good film. “The stories are compelling, and the locations are stunning,” said Reg Crawford, a project leader with Panhandle Trout Unl...
The Paradise Center got off to a big start with its railroad display after three avid model train hobbyists gave an all-day workshop at the center Saturday, teaching local volunteers how to get train track down on a custom-made table. By 4 p.m., John Thorson, serving as the engineer of the inaugural run of the "Paradise Northern Pacific," the group was watching the HO train go around the track. Bill Taylor, Larry Brumback and Kirk Thompson, all from the Bitterroot Valley, volunteered to teach a...
"It's a soccer palooza," said Erika Lawyer, who had two boys and one girl in an all-day soccer competition at Amundson Sports Complex in Plains Saturday. Twenty-three teams from Helena, Kalispell, Missoula, Polson, Frenchtown, Whitefish, Libby, Stevensville, Hamilton, and Sanders County gathered at the complex for the competition, which ran from 8:45 a.m. to about 6:45 p.m. The competition included four teams from Sanders County, a coed U14 team, a girls U11, a boys U11 and a coed U18 team....
Snow may still be on the ground, but last year’s wildfire season isn’t too far from memory. We have good news for Montanans, though. After years of negotiation, we have finally secured a deal that moves forward on much-needed forest management reforms. Montanans get it: a managed forest is a healthy forest. But decades of mismanagement, environmental lawsuits and excessive red tape have kept responsible forest management projects from moving forward on thousands of acres. There are many consequences to this delay, including increased risk of...
