Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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For the first time ever, the newly revived Whitepine Grange held a craft fair in their hall. The organization has been reaching out to the community, asking if any group wanted to rent out the space. Lori Smith answered the call and helped organize the fair. The event had 11 vendors, due to the limited space, but according to all who participated, it was just enough to be a nice event. "Everybody says this is a great place to have it," said Jan Manning, president of the Whitepine Grange....
A Plains girl and her father were given the hunting opportunity of a lifetime, getting to stay at the Boone and Crockett Club's Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch near Dupuyer, Montana, and hunt for her first deer on one of the surrounding ranches. Karissa French was one of five first-time hunters selected for this year's First Hunt on the Front event through the First Hunt Foundation. This was the third year the organization has held the hunt, and it brought in families from across Montana to...
Every year several churches and community members work together to help ensure every family has a meal for Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving Baskets program started over 17 years ago at Thompson Falls Community Congregational Church and has spread to incorporate numerous businesses and churches working together. The church now acts as the home base of the event. David Reedy, one of the event's original organizers, has described it as "quite an operation." Gary and Jan Thompson have lived in the...
XAVEAN KINSMAN, Trout Creek - “First you have to put it in the oven!” CAMRYN EATON, Trout Creek - “You juice the turkey, then you put it in the oven, then you take it out.” GARRETT MURRAY, Trout Creek - “You juice it, then you have to cook it, then you have to wait until that red dot comes out and then take it out and then enjoy.” BOBBIE MCKENZIE, Thompson Falls - “You stuff it then you put it in the oven and then you take it out!” AVA BROWN, Trout Creek - “You put in the oven and then you take it out and that’s it!” CAYDENCE ETIENNE, Nox...
Two men involved in a single-car accident in May pleaded not guilty to numerous charges. They appeared Tuesday in 20th District Judicial Court before Judge James Manley. According to charging documents, Jesse Spegal and Joshua McKnight were in the vehicle when it crashed. Spegal fled the scene and McKnight was seriously injured in the wreck, according to charging documents. Drug paraphernalia and drugs were found in the vehicle and a bag found on McKnight tested positive for methamphetamine. Law enforcement also found numerous firearms and...
The Plains Ladies Auxiliary VFW Post 3596 was formed in 1939 and began sending care packages at the beginning of World War II. Every year since, the group has been sending packages to soldiers overseas during the holidays. According to group president Deborah Davis, in the past the packages used were big metal coffee cans, but over the years postage prices and shipping restrictions have limited the group to medium sized post office boxes. "My husband served 17 years in active duty and received...
I love yard sales. One of my favorite things to do is to walk around collections of old stuff to see what I can find. I have found that something I tend to do is stop and look at paintings. Of all the things in the sale, these are probably my favorite. I have a habit of finding gems in the rough, often looking at a piece of art and thinking, “something about that is important.” I then stare at them for a while. If it is a real painting and not a print, I will often get it, especially if it is cheap. A good painting that speaks to a person is...
The City of Thompson Falls is beginning to look at some zoning issues but needs help from the community. They are looking for two people from Thompson Falls to participate on the planning board. These individuals must not be elected officials and need to live within city limits. This will allow the city enough people to assess zoning as well as an annexation ordinance. Interested residents can contact City Hall at (406) 827-3557. During their meeting last Monday night, the city council met with...
JUDY BERTRAM, Thompson Falls - “My favorite food for Thanksgiving is turkey because it’s so darn good!” JESSE MOSHER, Thompson Falls - “Green bean casserole. I don’t know why, I just love it.” ANN DONALDSON, Thompson Falls - “My mom’s homemade sweet potato casserole. We only make it one time a year.” PATTY KARDOKUS, Heron - “Stuffing, because it’s a good hardy dinner.” BECKY YODER, Thompson Falls - “Sweet potatoes. I like them plain, not necessarily in a casserole. Just plain fired sweet potatoes.” LILLI CUPP, Noxon - “Homemade mashed potatoes...
For over 10 years the Shakespeare in the Schools program has been bringing high quality productions to numerous rural schools in the state. The program is a branch of the Montana Shakespeare in the Parks program out of Montana State University. It presents a different play every year and is generally a condensed production of a longer play. Many of the plays chosen are Shakespeare's more famous or popular ones. The play presented on Tuesday was a fun and comical performance much enjoyed by the...
GAIL SOPER, Plains - “My father who was in the Navy and my husband who was in the Army and the service that they did for our country.” SONYA WHITE, Plains - “Reminds me of all the veterans that I drive. I drive for the DAV. They are so interesting with all their stories because they all have unique paths." GINGER GOERTZ, Trout Creek - “On Veterans Day I think of all the vets that aren’t getting what is due to them. I wish the government would do more for our veterans.” MATTHEW LINDSAY , Thompson Falls - “Jack Dempsey Mercer. He was my great...
After waiting for a couple months, students from the Trout Creek School had a painting returned to them that they had the privilege of naming last year. The painting of a horse, done by Joint Operation Mariposa artist Dave Williams, is one of a set of five military branch-themed pieces to be featured in several schools in the county. Each one will link a military unit from a corresponding branch to a school in Sanders County. Previously, Plains was linked with a unit of the U.S. Coast Guard,...
Bebe Townsend, Thompson Falls - “I say any time before Thanksgiving is too early.” Terry Holo, Trout Creek - “Before Thanksgiving!” Lisa Smith, Thompson Falls - “I think its too early before Halloween.” Beth CaRter, Trout Creek - “Right after Halloween is way too early.” Betty Jo Handford, Thompson Falls - “After Thanksgiving is a good time for Christmas decorations.” Kathleen Mathers, Plains - “I think it’s too early to put up Christmas decorations any time before Thanksgiving....
A mud and rock slide following rainstorms cut off Thompson River Road last week. The call for first responders came in about 2 p.m. Friday. According to Forest Service civil engineer Jesse Hunter, no one was injured in the slide, which occurred seven miles up Thompson River Road and covered the road in two places, each about 50 feet wide and up to four feet high. The slide occurred after significant rain throughout the day, and Hunter believes it could have been caused by several factors,...
After months of planning, the Trout Creek School finally presented its students with a new archery program. This was made possible by two grants provided through the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) and a large donation by the Cabinet Ridge Riders (CRR). The total cost of all the materials, including 11 brand-new right-handed and one left-handed Genesis compound bows, a bow rack, six targets, 120 arrows and a backdrop net was $3,145. CRR donated a large portion of that, pulling $1,145...
A man from Heron pleaded guilty to nine charges brought forth by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) last Monday, October 18. Alfred Bridges admitted to three counts of unlawful possession of game, fish or furbearers; two counts of unlawful use of equipment while hunting; one count of a license, permit or tag offense; one count of hunting over the limit and one count of hunting during a closed season. According to Cheryl Copperstone, Deputy County Attorney for Sanders County, Bridges is actually facing 11 charges, with two still pending....
This time of year draws many out into the wilderness for hunting, fishing, hiking and more, especially in Sanders County. It is easy to lose track of time and one’s whereabouts due to the surrounding natural beauty, loss of light late in the year and enrapturement in what one is doing. This is the time when accidents happen, and people find themselves lost in the wilderness. The National Park Service estimates that over 2,000 people get lost per year in North America, and many Search and Rescue (SAR) professionals say that number is far g...
Montana history is ripe with stories of the many families who braved the elements and trekked northwest into the mountains. These hardy folk sought to colonize the wild, and to scratch out a living from it. Many of their descendants still call these mountains home, and teach their children to hunt, just as they were taught to, and their parents were taught to. These traditions live on in several families throughout Sanders County, and many names like Hill and Bierwagen still come to mind when...
Every year Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) teams up with Avista and the University of Idaho to gillnet and capture numerous fish from the Noxon and Cabinet reservoirs for analysis. This partnership program has been happening for over 20 years and aims to add information to the toolbelts of fisheries biologists. They use this data to monitor fish health, mercury contamination, fish numbers and other stats. According to fisheries biologist Jason Blakney with FWP in Sanders County, this...
Robert Foreman, Thompson Falls - “To actually go to Alaska and go on a moose hunt.” Tyler Battles, Thompson Falls - “A caribou hunt in Alaska.” David Spratley, Thompson Falls - “I would like to go on a grizzly hunt here in northwest Montana.” John Bennett, Thompson Falls - “Mountain goat somewhere here in northwest Montana.” Gin Weber, Plains - “Elk hunting in Whitepine, where my father shot three elk one season accidentally back-to-back on a hunting trip. My dream hunt would be to bag one there also.” Seth Alexander, Thompson Falls - “A...
Elizabeth Riffle of Thompson Falls, a woman charged for stealing from a local business in Thompson Falls in 2019, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in 20th Judicial District Court. She admitted to the felonies of theft of a common scheme and unlawful use of a computer. The plea came after a long discussion by the parties before Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher on Tuesday. Prior to the court date, a plea agreement had been signed by all parties except Riffle’s attorney, Kirk Krutilla. Krutilla argued against the plea, having concerns that the dolla...
The Thompson Falls City Council officially accepted council member Ruth Cheney's resignation on Monday and welcomed a new member. Colleagues expressed their sadness that Cheney decided to step down, but excitedly accepted Hayley Blakney to fill the vacant position. Blakney was the only applicant but was enthusiastic to get involved. She has lived in Thompson Falls for seven years and is a clinical social worker. Blakney said she lives near Cheney. She first became interested in local matters aft...
During the regular Sanders County board of health meeting last Wednesday, several members of the community stood to give a presentation requesting that alternative COVID-19 treatments be given more serious thought and presentation to the local public. They also questioned the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccinations. The group, led by Kate Hardman, handed out information packets compiled from many months of collective research. In those packets, the group cited side effects and questions of the vaccines, as well as the information...
Angela Pesqueira, San Jose, California - “I would think it would be an amazing experience that one would have no words for, although I feel more comfortable with my feet planted on the ground.” Del Smith, Plains - “No. I wouldn’t want to blow up.” Alice Uribe, Plains - “I don’t think I have no business going to space.” Darcy Farlan, Thompson Falls - “No! The trip going into space would be fabulous, it’s just that return trip.” Malachi Grounds, Thompson Falls - “No, because I’m afraid of heights!” Gary Hensley, Thompson Falls - “No, I wou...
Bruce Linguanti, from New York, was pulled over two weeks ago and arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Sanders County. He pleaded guilty to a second offense DUI during this week’s 20th District Judicial Court before Judge James Manley. He was sentenced, as per the plea agreement, to one year in jail with all time suspended, and was given six days credit for time served. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,000, a surcharge of $85 and $150 in prosecuting fees....
