Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The Wild Coyotes howled but Highlead held onto the lead in Wednesday Night Men’s League golfing action at River’s Bend last week. Wild Coyote players Gary Thompson, Mike Normandin, Howard Morkert and Steve Clark put together their rounds to arrive at the low team gross of 174, while Highlead golfers Chadd Laws, Jesse Mosher, John Mosher and Steve Fairbank posted the low team net of 141. Highlead continues to lead league standings with 68.5 points while First Security Bank and Hagedorn Land Surveying are tied for second with 64 each. As he oft...
Too hot, too dry, too soon. The 2021 wildland fire season could very well turn into one of the longest campaigns in modern firefighting history if this area does not receive a break from the seemingly unending heat wave residents have been suffering through for several weeks now. As a result of the situation, Sanders County remains under Stage 2 fire restrictions and the current fire danger is rated at Extreme in all parts of the county. The organization in charge of more than 10...
Competitive in-person running is back. After more than a year of virtual runs where folks competed against each other only by the clock due to the COVID-19 pandemic, real-life, real-time running events are finally back. As a result, Clark Fork Valley Running Club officials indicate there are two traditional, in-person upcoming runs scheduled in Sanders County. A Pediatric Cancer Run/Walk will be held in Thompson Falls with two options for runners July 23-24, and the 42nd annual Huckleberry 5K Run will be run in Trout Creek August 14. The...
Kristy and Danice are still in first place but Jeanne and Tina appear to be stalking them, waiting for the chance to make their move. Jeanne Holleran and Tina Wheeler shot the low team gross of 98 in Thursday Night Women’s League action last week, closing to within 7.5 points of the league-leading duo of Kristy Beaty and Danice Toyias. Kelly Wheeler and Barb Petteys put their handicaps into play to grab weekly low net honors with a 59. The Wheelers, although of no relation, dominated individual play with Tina Wheeler shooting the low gross o...
It was as easy as 1-2-3 for Easy Street Autoworks. Taking a break from hard-core league play last week, Easy Street Autoworks golfers Ron Beaty, Dave Garr, Jens Jantzen, Charlie Hooten and Rusty Haggard combined for a net score of 60 to win the 1-2-3 night of play in Tuesday Night Men’s League action at River’s Bend. Leading everyone around the Bend this time, Brian Foster fired a straight-up 39 for the low gross score while Howard Morkert used his handicap to arrive at the best low net of 29. In other Tuesday highlights, Kade Pardee was clo...
Contrary to what the science books tell us, the dinosaurs are still here, roaming God’s green earth, patrolling the fairways and greens of River’s Bend Golf Course. Proving to be not quite extinct just yet, Ron’s Running Dinos, one of the longest-running teams in Thompson Falls league golfing history, fossilized their standing in Wednesday Night Men’s League play by combining to win a friendly game of 1-2-3 last week. With endangered species sauropods Dan Kier, Bruce Sterling, Jesse Mack, Carter Meyer and Ryan Craven doing the scoring, the Din...
The real fireworks waited until after July 4 this year. Sparked by several thunderstorms carrying little precipitation but lots of lightning, over a dozen new forest fires sprang to life in Sanders County the morning of July 7, and several of them grew large quickly. Viewing the larger picture in western Montana and northern Idaho, the local fires are part of a huge wildfire bust which is ongoing across the entire Pacific Northwest and other parts of the country. Recognizing the complexity of...
If you didn't believe it before, believe it now – the wildfire situation in Sanders County is dire. Recognizing the danger presented by additional fire starts when several large fires are already burning in the area (see other story), the Sanders County Commissioners have elected to enact Stage II fire restrictions across the county beginning Saturday, July 17. Under Stage II guidelines, the building, maintaining, attending or using of a fire or campfire is prohibited; smoking, except within a...
Shooting the low team net of 65, Kristy Beaty and Danice Toyias jumped into first place in the second half of season play in Women’s League golfing action at River’s Bend Thursday. Chris Gross and Kim Pardee won low team gross honors with a 98 as Pardee shot the low individual gross of 43. Toyias had the low individual net of 29. In hole play, Tina Wheeler was closest to the pin in 4 on No. 2, Laura Ganatos rolled in the long putts on Nos. 3 and 6, Lana Nolen was closest to the pin off the tee on No. 5, and Barb Petteys sent the long drive of...
You read that right, it’s Bary with one “r,” and he’s hoping to lead his Moore Oil team to the promised land of Wednesday Night Men’s League golf. Calculating out the low individual net of 30, captain Bary Moore and his Moore Oil team finished last week’s round sitting in first place in the second half of league play with 26.5 team points. Highlead is currently in second at 24. Led by the almost-scratch golfing of Ryan Ostwald, who shot the low individual gross of 38, Rick Hagedorn, Kelly Kovarik and Bernie Groshong joined forces with Ostwal...
w team gross, Montana’s Best Builders the low team net and Easy Street Autoworks took the second half lead in Tuesday Night Men’s League golfing action at River’s Bend last week. Feed-N-Fuel golfers Ryan Ostwald, Mike Normandin, Kelly Kovarik and Steve Clark totaled 172 strokes to claim the low gross team honors, while Best Builders Sean Kelly, Nathan Snead, Tom Holleran and Brian Foster grabbed low net honors with 144. Ostwald earned individual low gross honors with a 38 and Steve Fairbank posted the low net of 32. Easy Street Autoworks leads...
Don’t look now but high school sports are already sneaking up on us. Back to almost-normal after more than a year of dealing with COVID-19 and the myriad ways it affected prep sports, the Montana High School Association has released official dates for the start of the fall seasons. The MHSA indicates that cross country and volleyball seasons can begin with practice Friday, August 13, while Montana football teams can hit the field beginning Saturday, August 14. The All-State Cross Country State Meet will be held in Missoula October 23, the A...
Unfortunately, my NIL is probably worth nil. This name, image and likeness (or NIL) discussion that is going on with college sports since the Supreme Court ruled in the athletes’ favor and against the NCAA last week has got me thinking: Should I try to profit from my name, image and likeness? Theoretically, I could make out like a bandit, but I will more likely end up more broke and disappointed with myself than I already am. But perhaps I should at least think a little more seriously about this, the potential profit versus the almost c...
Marie Errecart has been named as the new Plains High School athletic director. Mike Cole, the former long-time AD for Plains, released a statement last week announcing that he was stepping down and that Errecart has been enlisted as the new athletic director as of June 15. Errecart is a graduate of Plains and has been a teacher in the elementary system for several years, serving as coach for several junior high sports during her tenure. Cole indicated that he will remain with the Plains school system and that he plans on working as the Plains...
Taking a break from the cutthroat competition of regular season play, the Tuesday Night Men’s league players instead went at it with a play format last week. Enjoying their pressure-free evening at River’s Bend the most, Big Sky Pantry golfers Bill Nolen, Howard Morkert, Mike Tessier and Scott Rasor won the friendly golfing battle. As part of the action Tuesday, Morkert claimed individual honors on three holes, rolling in the long putt on No. 3, putting his tee shot closest to the pin on No. 5 and hitting the long 55+ drive on No. 9, Steve Far...
It was all in fun, this round of Wednesday Night Men’s League golf. Enjoying a midseason break from league action with a play night after the Highlead team wrapped up the first half title last week, TRL team members Gene Wooden, Ben Mount, Jay Dowell and Joe Giegling won top honors in weekly play this time around River’s Bend. In hole play, Gary Thompson was closest to the pin in 3 on No. 2, Bernie Groshong chased in the long putt on No. 3, Chuck Manry was closest to the pin off the tee on No. 5, Ryan Ostwald collected long-putt honors on No...
A new day has dawned in Women’s League golfing at River’s Bend. With the first half of the season concluding the week before, the golfing ladies of Sanders County went out clubbing again last Thursday evening to start the second half of league action, which concluded with the team of Kim Sparks and Chris Kelly resting in first place. The winners of the first half, the team of Jeanne Holleran and Tina Wheeler shot the low gross of 109, while Kristy Beaty and Danice Toyias combined for the best team net of 70. Lana Nolen collected low ind...
Trae Thilmony is not only one of the best high school wrestlers in Montana, he is one of the best prep grapplers in the entire country. Thilmony's body of wrestling work and rewards earned during his outstanding career grew even more impressive in Florida last week. A two-time State B-C individual champion in Montana, the rising Thompson Falls senior wrestled as a member of the Montana Maroon team in the week-long 2021 AAU Scholastic Duals tournament at the expansive Orange County Convention Cen...
Batting the ball around, scoring lots of runs and having tons of softball fun; that was what the Thompson Falls-Noxon Blue Hawks were all about this past spring. With the numbers to back him up, Hawk coach Jared Koskela says his girls had an enjoyable season in 2021, one they should be proud of. The Hawks earned their first Western B-C divisional tournament berth in 10 years this spring, although they bowed out in two games at that tourney in Florence. The Hawks had defeated Plains-Hot Springs 2-1 in a tight playoff game at Pirk’s Place in T...
Thompson Falls' Riley Wilson and Noxon's Dylan Vigil of the Thompson Falls-Noxon Blue Hawks and Plains' Skylar Bergstrom of the Plains-Hot Springs Trotters, all seniors, have earned spots on the 2021 Western B-C All-Conference softball team. Wilson, Vigil and Bergstrom were all honored as second team selections by vote of the Western B-C coaches following the regular season of play. The Thompson Falls-Noxon program is coached by Jared Koskela and Dani Crowe is the head coach for Plains-Hot...
Justin Morgan has the killer instinct in distance running and has proven that fact several times over the past calendar year. He seems to have a little, okay maybe a lot, of that extra stuff required that it takes to kill the competition, be that on the composite track, out in the hills on trails or in the asphalt-paved urban environment of road racing. Taking to the streets of Helena for the men's open 5K portion of the annual Montana Governor's Cup Marathon Saturday, Morgan absolutely killed...
Tina and Jeanne are at the head of the class of Women’s League golfing at River’s Bend so far this season and their play last Thursday was expectedly exceptional once more. Staying ahead of the pack in team standings, Tina Wheeler led all players with the low individual gross of 50 while teammate Jeanne Holleran added up the low individual gross of 32. Putting their efforts together, the Wheeler-Holleran duo completed play with the low team gross of 103, while Kim Sparks and Chris Kelly combined for the low team net of 71. In hole play, Kel...
Noxon Quik Stop golfers slipped past Montana’s Best Builders and into the Tuesday Night Men’s League lead last week at River’s Bend. Quik Stop finished the evening of play with 152 points while the Best Builders are now one point back at 152. In other Tuesday action Feed-N-Fuel linksters Gary Thompson, Mike Normandin, Ryan Ostwald and Kelly Kovarik joined forces to shoot the low team gross of 179 while Internet Kitchen players Carter Meyer, Don Lake, David Reedy and the Unknown Golfer teamed up to shoot the low net of 138. Brian Foster captu...
Keeping their team in first place in the standings, Highlead golfers Chadd Laws, Jesse Mosher, Pete Bugnatto and Steve Fairbank put their efforts together to shoot the low team net of 149 in Wednesday Night Men’s League play at River’s Bend last week. Highlead leads the league with 164.5 points while Hagedorn Land Surveying is currently second with 154. Rising to third in the standings with 148.5 points, First Security Bank (Ben Mummert, Bill Nolen, Michael Scharfe and Dan Whittenburg) shot the low team gross of 181 Wednesday. RT Brown ear...
There is a certain draw to archery, beyond the bullseyes and the shooting for score. Archery may not be for everyone, but it is a sport that tends to end up drawing in a lot of folks, and being a constructive hobby, especially for those who like to take their game into the hunting season for added bonus points. What's more, it can become a bonding experience between like-minded individuals from all walks of life. Taking advantage of dry albeit slightly windy weather at times, the Montana State...
