Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 475
A judge on Tuesday dismissed a case against a Kalispell woman. Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy dismissed the deliberate homicide charge against Rachel Bellesen. with prejudice, meaning charges cannot be brought against her again. She was charged last year after admitting to fatally shooting her ex-husband, Jacob Glace, outside Paradise on Oct. 8, 2020. Bellesen appeared in the Sanders County Courthouse on Tuesday with her attorneys, including Lance Jasper, who filed the motion to dismiss in April 2021. In her decision, Judge Eddy...
Jesse Spegal pleaded not guilty to numerous charges in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday. According to charging documents, May 8 first responders reported to a motor vehicle crash where a driver was trapped inside their vehicle and a child was severely injured. The male driver of the other vehicle, identified as Spegal, fled the scene. Drug paraphernalia was found in and around the vehicle, as well as firearms. He is now facing charges of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, criminal possession of dangerous drugs with the intent to...
Montana has already seen numerous House and Senate bills passed regarding wildlife management in the year 2021. Several of these have involved wolves. District 13 Rep. Paul Fielder of Thompson Falls has weighed in on a few of these. The representative comes from a career of wildlife biology and brings that knowledge with him to speak on the new legislation. According to the federal delisting regulations for wolves, which were established when the local wolves found themselves on the endangered species list, there needs to be about 30 breeding...
A Noxon firefighter is recovering after being injured responding to an explosion near Noxon last week. According to Rachel Peterson, when first responders arrived on scene May 17, they had no idea several storage containers on the property were housing munitions and reloading supplies. During a second large explosion, volunteer firefighter Aaron Helmbrechts suffered extensive burns to his upper body. The Noxon Volunteer Ambulance was on site and was able to render aid. LifeFlight was called, and Helmbrechts was taken to Coeur d'Alene. Peterson...
I have always been an explorer. I spend every waking free minute I have going into the wilderness, driving old dirt roads and investigating anywhere I haven't already been. During these travels I get the opportunity to see a lot of country. Two weekends ago I spent a large portion of my day up and down several Forest Service roads around Thompson Falls. What I saw disheartened me and frankly made me mad. Within just an hour Sunday afternoon, I saw at least four fire pits still smoking. Now, these were not recently out and smoking. These were...
There are probably few years that will compare to the challenges faced this past year. This goes for Sanders County seniors graduating from high school over the next couple of weeks. A Thompson Falls High School alum remembers another challenging year. Joyce Jacobson, formerly Joyce Baker, attended Thompson Falls schools and graduated 78 years ago, in 1943. Her graduation took place over a month earlier than planned, as the school board elected to hold graduation May 13, during their May school...
An explosion in Noxon early Monday had several residents calling 911. Around 7 a.m., residents heard a large explosion southeast of town. A structure located at 10 S. Clarks Addition Lane had caught fire. Ammunition stored in the building began going off. Minutes after the first explosion, a second explosion went off and then several smaller ones, a Noxon resident who took photos of the massive plume of smoke coming from the property. According to the Montana Cadastral system, the 20-acre...
After a 13-month post as Commander of a squadron, Peter Haynes, a 1996 graduate of Thompson Falls High School, is moving on with the U.S. Navy. The change of command ceremony was held at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. During the change of command ceremony, Haynes was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. According to Haynes, the ceremony is unique among the services in that the command change is so immediate. Haynes said that this is because traditionally in the Navy, sea ships needed...
Charee Fielders, Plains - “You’re going to make mistakes. Your friends are going to make mistakes. Support them, but don’t follow them down that road. Learn from your friends’ mistakes.” Carrie Hudson, Thompson Falls - “Always believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to fail.” Stan Cook, Thompson Falls - “Don’t rush into any relationships, try to control your finances and focus on your future.” Brian Warrington, Plains - “You can do whatever you want in America if you put your mind to it. Don’t always believe the news.” Will Shelton, Thre...
Jeriko Smith-Roach appeared via Zoom in Sanders County Judicial District 20 Court Tuesday to plead not guilty to the charge of sexual intercourse without consent. According to charging documents, a reporting party called the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office March 28 to report a crime. The reporting person lives in California and said that a Snapchat friend of hers who lives in Sanders County, Montana, was speaking about being raped by Smith-Roach. Smith-Roach’s trial has been set for Nov. 15. A Libby man pleaded not guilty to charges of bur...
The Trout Creek Backcountry Horsemen (TCBH) are looking for new members. The group was started four years ago by Doc Milham and began with over 30 member families and eight individual members. Currently, the group has dropped to no more than six or seven active members. The TCBH is a chapter of the nationwide organization, Backcountry Horsemen of America (BHA) which has over $12,500 members across 13 states. The group holds training courses for both children and adults and provides special...
In April, Tom Collins of Plains became the city judge for every city with a court in Sanders County. He started with Plains in 2018. Then, he became the city judge for Hot Springs in January 2021. When the Thompson Falls job came open after Judge Don Strine's retirement this year, Collins was hired for that vacancy. Collins moved to Plains from northeastern Wyoming. He earned an MBA at the University of Missoula and a doctorate of ministry from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He then...
Samantha Otto, Trout Creek - “I make my bed every single day because it is the most rewarding aspect of a hard worked day.” Mindy Lyght, Thompson Falls - “I don’t pay attention to whether I make my bed in the morning or not.” Victoria Hartin, Falls City, Washington - “Yes! Because if you start with making your bed, that is one task you have completed that day. Even if you get nothing done, you can come home to a fresh made bed.” Elaine Taylor, Trout Creek - “I do, because I might get back in it if I don’t.” Jesse Barret, Priest River, Idaho...
A Thompson Falls woman had her deferred sentence revoked on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to violating her parole. Jennifer Flemmer was arrested Oct. 4, 2019, on a warrant. During that arrest, according to the charging documents, objects she carried tested positive for methamphetamine and drugs were found on her person. She then faced the charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, to which she was sentenced to a three-year deferred sentence with the Department of Corrections. She appeared back in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday...
For the month of April, students at Thompson Falls Elementary participated in the annual Running Start reading program. The program started at the beginning of April with a run around the school playground led by Principal Len Dorscher. In the program, presented by the Thompson Falls Woman's Club, students read chapters or books depending on their reading proficiency, and then log those and turn them in. After reaching 21 books or chapters, a participant got an entry into a drawing for a...
The Thompson Falls City Council this week discussed purchasing a security system for Ainsworth Park’s Veteran’s Memorial. “There’s so much money wrapped up down there and we need to do it for our veterans,” council member Shawni Vaught said at Monday’s meeting. The council is considering purchasing two cameras to oversee the area. After contacting a possible company to hire, Big Sky Networks, they were surprised to learn how affordable it would be to have a system put into place. The installation, with one camera, was quoted to cost $1,524...
On Wednesday, April 28, seven high school volunteers gathered at the Thompson Falls Public Library to help organize books for the book sale that weekend. "They probably saved us many hours of work," said Crystal Buchanan, the library director. The sale involved books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks and more. Items were sold either individually or in bags and the sale stretched into the next week, as hundreds of books had been collected for the sale throughout the year. Maggie Leaver, one of the...
After holding meetings in Clark Fork Valley Hospital's building two for six years, COVID-19 forced changes at the hospital compelling Blue Heron Karate to find a new home. The hospital required a new respiratory illness clinic, and took over the home health department, which was then moved into the space that was being used by Blue Heron Karate. After the shuffle and some searching, the two sensei paired up with the Mountain Path Dance/DanceXplosion studio to share some space. The sensei, or...
Since 1968, Patti Jones-Bernhardt has been collecting early 1900s vintage clothing. Jones-Bernhardt grew up loving Model A Fords, having learned to drive in one. She also taught her daughter in one and will be teaching her granddaughter to drive in one this summer. She loves vintage cars and said, "I love everything fast!" Jones-Bernhardt worked for NASA as what she called a "bean counter." She managed the budget for the section of NASA that worked on reentry heat shields. "I'm a mechanical...
Kelsey Wallace, Thompson Falls - “Just go with the flow of it and take one day at a time, because that’s really all you can do.” Sarah Stover, Thompson Falls - “Cherish every moment, because it goes by fast.” Tara Hertel, Thompson Falls - “A lot of people are going to try to give you advice on how to parent, but you just got to trust your own gut. You know what’s best.” Natalie Thompson, Trout Creek - “As a young mom, the only way to be a good mom is to get guidance from the God who created us all.” Deena Brigham, Vancouver, Washingt...
Thompson Falls High School Principal Dan Schrock submitted his resignation during Monday’s school board meeting. The notice was a surprise to most in attendance. Schrock, who was hired last summer, said he is pursuing other opportunities. “I have had a good time here, and I am very proud of what I have been able to do here, but I am moving on professionally. I stand by what we have been able to achieve in Thompson Falls over the last year. It has by no means been an easy year," said Schrock. “I’ll miss the kids the most.” The board also acce...
"I was trying to reacclimate with life, and I knew that was something I wanted to bring to other veterans," said John Torres, a retired Marine infantryman, while he was outdoors on his family's land. The Torres family homesteaded on Eddy Flat near Thompson Falls in the late 1880s, and he recently became the caretaker of the property. Having served in combat and in the military, Torres is familiar with PTSD and the strain that tolls the minds of many veterans, even one that was never injured...
Sanders County Commissioners last week approved a planned RV campground project by the Wild Coyote Saloon. The site is being called Prospect Creek Camping and RV and will be located on the Wild Coyote Saloon property about seven miles up Highway 471 outside of Thompson Falls. The proposed park will surround the saloon itself and will include 15 RV campsites with full hookups, five cabins and 19 campsites without hookups. The commissioners approved the project on April 20, but with conditions. Some of these included removing several dilapidated...
TRINA AUSTIN, Trout Creek - “No, I would not because I am not as dedicated to exercise as I should be.” COOPER MILNE, Trout Creek - “If I were to ever run in a marathon, it would be with my sister and if it was for charity.” PEYTON ELLUL, Thompson Falls - “Yeah, probably for a charity.” CHRISTY OVERMAN, Heron - “Yes, I feel that it is good to support fundraisers.” CHRISTA RUTLEDGE, Thompson Falls - “I would not run a marathon, but I would run a 5K or a doable distance.” JASON CLEMONS, Libby - “Yes I would, if the purpose was for a fundraiser....
