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A bighorn sheep ram wanders past the Sanders County Fairgrounds and heads west near the Clark Fork River. Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife biologist Mike Ebinger said the mature male is likely a member of the St. Regis Cutoff Herd, which travels from the St. Regis area north toward Plains. Ebinger said bighorn sheep sometimes leave their core area on forays, and rams exhibit that behavior at a much higher frequency than ewes. He said that while forays themselves are not surprising, the time of...
It was certainly a good news bad news situation for the Town of Plains last week. Mayor Dan Rowan was notified that the town received the deed for the 10 acres for their new sewer lagoon site. Things were looking up. Then, the mayor got news that only three companies bid on the construction of the new lagoon — not a bad thing in itself — but they were all over $6-million. “I got to celebrate for a few minutes, then I got word of that,” said Rowan, who added that even with receiving $7.3-million in grants, they don’t have enough in the budge...
While funding agencies want the Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise to start work on the new sewer system, those in opposition continue to voice disapproval and would like the project halted. "Everybody gets carried away and you guys start making plans buying land and all this kind of thing, but people still need to vote. It's still my understanding that two-thirds of the people from Paradise do not want this," said LeeAnn Overman, who has attended nearly all the meetings and is generally...
A person planning to view the Art on the Walls student exhibit at Clark Fork Valley Hospital will see two first time projects from Plains High School. Students from Kristen Cole's art students from 7th grade to seniors have been working on their projects for months and some were putting in their finishing touches up to the day of turning them in this week to the Paradise Center's arts committee, headed by Joy Nelson, who said they'll be displaying the art the following week. Each county school w...
The Plains School Drama Club set the stage for its upcoming play, "A Little Piece of Heaven," scheduled for January 27 and 28 at 7 p.m. both evenings in the school's new gymnasium. It took Terri Henry, the school's drama coach, and Cathy Emmett, the assistant drama coach, and sophomore Alexander Horodyski, who portrays Jared Havens in the play, more than five hours Saturday to erect the setting for the play. Most of the cast members couldn't help with the set-up because of illness or previous en...
One of the last remnants of Christmas in Plains disappeared Sunday as the Plains Lions Club removed the holiday ornaments along Railroad Street. "This is a nice sunny day for this," said Dave Helterline, one of four Lions to take down the decorations. Helterline has been putting up and taking down the ornaments since joining the club over 64 years ago. He said they've seen some bad weather when putting up the decorations in November, but even worse at times when removing them in January. "We've...
Dan Rowan was sworn in for his second term as mayor last Thursday, even though he had been scheduled to be sworn in as the county's newest commissioner the same day, which he had postponed because he was having second thoughts on leaving as mayor, something he had wrestled with for weeks. Rowan was pleased when appointed the temporary position on November 23, but some Plains residents were unhappy that he was leaving his post, especially after he had just won the election for the second term,...
Moments before midnight on New Year's Eve, more than 100 people ventured out onto the deck of Paradise Hall at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort to brave the 10-degree temperature and to see a few minutes of brilliant illumination against a black sky. This is the first year a New Year's fireworks party was held exclusively for lodging guests, which the resort did this year because of the lingering COVID situation. "We hope to open it up again next year for everybody, but we just have to wait and see,"...
It was announced at a special Plains Town Council meeting that bids are going out to build the town's new sewer lagoon with the council voting unanimously to give the winning contractor an additional month to complete the project. Shari Johnson, the town's contracted engineer, briefed the mayor and town council last Wednesday about potential problems with the construction of the lagoon with regard to a possible delay of needed materials. In Johnson's briefing, she believes an additional month wo...
Even with Christmas vacation looming and the students' attention span fading fast last week, the teachers at Plains Elementary School were able to get the subject of science across and make it fun with the school's very first "Science Day." And they got a little help from a high school physics class. The 300 feet of elementary school halls were jam-packed with a vast variety of science material, intermixed with a touch of Christmas. The kids put their artistic talents to work for a portion of...
Hunting season is officially over, but that didn't stop two Plains couples from taking to the woods in search of their quarry. Instead of rifles, they were armed with saws in a quest for the perfect Christmas tree. Brad Stacey and his wife, Diana Reetz-Stacey, cut down an eight-foot Douglas fir about 12 miles northwest of Plains in the Sheep Gap area. The couple paired up in their search for a tree for the second consecutive year with Marc and Ellen Childress, who have been getting their tree...
There weren't many agenda items on the monthly Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise meeting last week. The four board members present met at the Paradise water pump house and authorized the purchase of just over $400 for computer equipment and discussed the structure of the future meeting agendas. The meeting lasted a little over an hour, but the board's work continued the following day at the courthouse in Thompson Falls, where board members Terry Caldwell, Don Stamm, Dewey Arnold and...
With snow flurries steadily coming down, Santa Claus traded in his sleigh for a 1962 Pontiac convertible and Rudolph for driver Ken Saner of Plains. The Plains Christmas Extravaganza, which has also been called the Family Fun Community Christmas Event, kicked off Saturday in downtown Plains with a Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District truck, followed by the 4-H South Side Sparks Club singing Christmas carols, Marv and Margo Tanner in their vehicle with a big red bow on the front and Santa. The...
Paradise dipped in holiday spirit Sunday when a grouchy old miser proclaimed his contempt of Christmas. Much of his life was apparently wrapped in his disdain for the holiday, but within 90 minutes at the Paradise Center, Butch Murdock changed his tune, as per the script of his character, Ebenezer Scrooge. "Christmas Carol" has been seen on television many times and many versions, but this was the first time it was done on stage by the Paradise Players, but even then, it was done with a bit of...
It could have been the battle of the century in Plains - Santa Claus versus the Grinch - at the one-room log schoolhouse. But the Grinch's heart did its growth thing and played nice with the kids - most of the time. This was the second year for Santa and Mrs. Claus to listen to the kids' Christmas wishes and hand out toys at the old schoolhouse along Railroad Street. While the Claus' gave gifts, the Grinch gave the kids candy canes and periodically chased them about on Saturday. This was the...
The flags might have been worn out, but the patriotism of the men and women who handled the unserviceable ensigns last week was not. Fourteen veterans from all five branches of the military gathered in the rear parking lot of VFW Post 3596 in Plains last Tuesday to take part in the annual flag retirement. The veterans took on a somber and reserved stance as they placed Old Glory in barrels of the flames that slowly transformed the splendid red, white and blue into gray and black ashes. "We honor...
For the second consecutive year Sanders County will be represented on an elite soccer team in Missoula. Ava Lawyer and Claire Wrobleski, both of Plains, were recently selected to play for the Missoula Strikers, which is considered a premier soccer team that competes throughout the state, as well as against teams from Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and California. "I had confidence in myself. I tried my hardest, but I was surprised and excited," said Lawyer, who received an email two weeks ago that...
Sanders County Commissioners Glen Magera and Tony Cox selected a temporary replacement for outgoing Commissioner Carol Brooker last week after interviewing candidates the previous week. Plains Mayor Dan Rowan will be taking over as the interim commissioner in January after he resigns his post with the town. Five people, including Rowan, applied for the commissioner position: Daphne Boles and Mike Hashisaki, both of Plains, and Greg Hinkle and Daniel Moore, both of Thompson Falls. More than 300 people signed a petition in favor of Hinkle, a Repu...
The Cancer Network of Sanders County (CNSC) raised $1,610 in its annual Chinese Lantern Launch fundraiser, selling 161 lanterns at the Sanders County Fairgrounds Saturday night, but every cent will go right back into the community, said Shelley Bertrand, president of the nonprofit organization. More than 60 people spent time at the fairgrounds Saturday to send their heart warming messages handwritten on the lanterns to lost loved ones. Once the event got underway, it looked like the dark night...
Montana Highway Patrolman Steve Spurr wasn't working an undercover job along Railroad Street on Saturday. Donned in a bright red suit, snowy white beard and brass-framed spectacles, Spurr transformed himself to Santa Claus and handed bags of goodies to kids in front of Mountain West Clothing. For an hour and a half, Santa Spurr listened to children tell him they were good - he always got a quick confirmation from parents - and letting him know what they want for Christmas. "I love doing this,"...
Pat Barber of Trout Creek was appointed as the Sanders County Coroner by Commissioner Glen Magera at the courthouse on Wednesday. This is an interim position that goes until the November 2022 election cycle, but Barber said he will be throwing his name into the hat at that time. "I am looking forward to serving Sanders County with compassion, understanding and professionalism," said the 57-year-old Barber, a retired Coast Guardsman who spent most of his career on rescue helicopters. The county c...
The Plains Lions Club put up their Christmas decorations along Main Street a week early, not to spread holiday cheer earlier, but to make sure everything was working. After putting them up the lights in 2020, the club found several that weren't working and couldn't get them all fixed until they were well into the season. Nevertheless, Steve Spurr, club president of the Plains Lions Club and member of six years, hopes to make the town more festive and putting out the decorations puts him in an...
When Sir Isaac Newton formulated his law of gravity over 350 years ago after seeing an apple fall from a tree, he probably didn't envision raw eggs being tossed from a roof to validate his findings. Nevertheless, for the last three decades at Plains High School, raw eggs have been sent to their doom in the name of science. The students of Carl Benson's physics class are learning Newton's Principia Mathematical Philosophiae Naturalis not with apples, but with their annual Egg Drop Project. One...
by Ed Moreth It was a cold and snowy morning, but that didn't stop the members of VFW Post 3596 from paying tribute to military veterans, past and present, in a ceremony at Plains Cemetery on Thursday, Veterans Day. "We gather here today at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 2021 to place this wreath in remembrance of those who have served this great nation before us, to honor those who now serve this great nation, and to salute those who stand by them in times of peace...
The Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise had its first meeting with its newest members and immediately voted for new board officers. Terry Caldwell was voted as chairman, along with Janice Barber as vice chairperson, Janie McFadgen as secretary and Dewey Arnold as treasurer. Each vote was unanimous. Retired school teacher Don Stamm was first nominated as treasurer, but declined. The hour and a half long meeting was held once again at the Paradise water pump house. One of the main purposes...
