Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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UPDATED May 25: The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) will open one lane of alternating traffic on Blue Slide Road (S-472) over the Memorial Day weekend (May 24 - May 29). * Construction has gone well so far and crews have been able to get a 10-foot wide lane open before the holiday weekend,” said MDT District Construction Engineer Bob Vosen. “It will take a couple more weeks of work before we can get two lanes open.” * Construction will not take place over the holiday weekend but w...
Trout Creek's afterschool program has accomplished a lot in the short three months they have been meeting. Not only have they taken on community service projects, but they have also learned the importance of being respectable U.S. citizens. Liz Glackin has teamed-up with Tara Menzel to provide a structured learning environment for kids outside of the classroom. Flower boxes have been built for the local senior center, books have been written, songs have been composed, family trees have been...
Sanders County Tobacco Prevention Specialist Sandra Gubel is recognizing "World No Tobacco Day." The global event theme is "Tobacco Breaks Hearts," highlighting the link between heart disease and tobacco use. On Thursday, May 31, Gubel has organized "Walk Around the Sanders County Courthouse Block" to combat the ill effects tobacco has on many lives. Gubel hopes to encourage people to "walk more for exercise, as well as to quit tobacco, if they use it." "Come walk around the block," said Gubel....
It is always reassuring to know that when you have an emergency, help is just a phone call away. Tina Wheeler of Thompson Falls EMT Services is doing everything she can to make sure the community has trained responders ready when needs arise. Emergency responders “are not the first ones to do CPR,” she stated. “Something has already happened, and we are the second ones to be involved.” Therefore, Wheeler feels it is so important to have community members trained in CPR, first aid and automated external defibrillator (AED) equipment. Wheeler...
GOING BACK – Thompson Falls graduates continue the tradition of walking through the elementary school encouraging youngsters to graduate from high school. Thompson Falls graduation ceremony is scheduled for May 27 at 3 p.m....
Are you a Dutch oven enthusiast? Becoming and Outdoors-Woman (BOW) will be hosting a Dutch oven cooking class designed for beginners and masters alike. Colleen Sloan, a Dutch oven expert and cookbook author, will share recipes, tips, tricks and trades of the cooking method Saturday, June 2 at Thompson Falls State Park, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing most of the day. Those who attend the event will receive a complementary Dutch oven. Products to help make the heritage-cooking skill successful will be available for purchase. Prior to...
Thompson Falls Jehovah’s Witnesses organization has been ordered by District Court Judge James Manley to release all internal documents, reports, investigations and testimony pertaining to reported childhood sexual abuse instances originating from April 2004. Nix, Patterson & Roach, LLP (NPR) are legal representatives for two plaintiffs, Alex Nunez and Holly McGowan, who claim to have been sexually abused by Maximo Nava Reyes, a member of the congregation when they were children. They state that elders (those appointed to oversee the c...
School elections this week included school board positions in Thompson Falls and Noxon, and levy measures in the Trout Creek and Noxon school districts. In Noxon, Lars Swanson and Justine Fanning were elected to the school board with 192 and 168 votes, respectively, and David Pafford (who ran unopposed) retained his seat. The fourth position is a Noxon School Board representing Trout Creek position. No one filed for the position on the Trout Creek ballot, so it was for write-in candidates only. There was a three-way tie for this position...
Elk counts are in. According to Bruce Sterling, FWP Wildlife Biologist, Hunting District 121 has seen a slight decline in elk numbers. This year, Sterling tallied 1,468 elk in comparison to 1,586 last year. He stated that although this is a difference of 118 elk overall, it is not too concerning and could be a product of surveying error. When broken down, the numbers reflect 1,144 cows versus 1,260 last year. Calves came in at 218 this year in comparison to 164 in 2017. Lastly, 61 spike and 39 brow-tined elk were counted versus last year at 86...
The trout are climbing, the trout are climbing, the trout are climbing! Well, they were until high water forced the ladder to close April 30. According to Ryan Kreiner, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Fisheries Biologist, the ladder is closed when water flows reach 50,000 to 60,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). As soon as these levels normalize, the ladder will be back in action. The recently reopened Thompson Falls fish ladder, Montana’s tallest at 48-vertical feet, has seen some action as trout begin their annual travels up the Clark F...
Artistic Image Salon in Thompson Falls has just hired a cosmetology master. Melissa Totzauer is no stranger to the business. As a 34-year licensed cosmetology veteran, she has been both operator and owner of a salon and cosmetology school in Kalispell. "Teaching gave me an opportunity to learn and teach new techniques and work with new products," said Totzauer, addressing how her teaching experience has helped her stay up-to-date in the cosmetology business, allowing her to deliver clients...
Nathan Burwig certainly has a bright future ahead of him. Thanks to his hard work, determination and willingness to accept challenges, he is ready to take on the world. Burwig is a Thompson Falls High School junior, whose maturity is at a level far beyond that. He has plans, and he is taking control of his destiny. Recently, Burwig was accepted into a Montana Apprenticeship Program (MAP) focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs at Montana State University (MSU) in...
Beautification Days may be over, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to clean up. Thompson River provides many locals a wonderful place to recreate and needs some tidying up. Sanders County Flycasters are organizing a Thompson River Clean-Up and are asking for help in gathering debris and garbage from the roadway and riverbanks. Volunteers are asked to meet at the junction of Highway 200 and Thompson River Road, Saturday, May 5 at 9 a.m. to kick-off the event. “We always get a great response as far as volunteers, and we really appreciate the...
Noxon High School senior Caitlyn Hagen teamed up with resident Laura Jones and art teacher Krystal Murphy to execute a "Paint and Pop" event recently. Hagen's version of the ever-famous "Paint and Sip," is basically the same idea, just without alcohol. In addition to painting and keeping art alive in the small community, there were goodies for sale and a live auction that went on during breaks. The scene Hagen taught aspiring artists to paint was a lighthouse silhouette, with a sunset backdrop....
Each one of us has extraordinary gifts, talents and abilities. Why should a disability hold anyone back from being allowed to show the world what they are made of? The Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run will take place this weekend in Sanders County, celebrating individuals who are not willing to let their disability hold them back. According to Roy Scott, Special Olympics organizer for Sanders County, the “Flame of Hope” torch will begin its journey through Montana at Highway 200, mile marker 0 (Montana/Idaho state line), starting betw...
Although Sanders County has not had flooding waters yet this spring, you can be sure high-water marks will be reached soon. According to U.S. Forest Service Hydrologist Craig Neesvig, flooding tends to begin when night temperatures reach above freezing and daytime temperatures remain consistently warm. So far spring temperatures have been on the cold side, resulting in slower snowpack melting rates. According to the upcoming week's forecast, those cool temperatures appear to be ending. When...
High school students from Thompson Falls spent spring break touring Central Europe acquiring a personal, first-hand experience of the role Nazis played in the region's history. For 10 days, eight students embarked on an unparalleled adventure touring the Berlin Wall, Reichstag, Berliner Dom, Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Jewish Memorial, Jewish Museum Berlin, Jewish Historical Institute, Palace on the Island, Chopin Park, Old Town Warsaw and the Barbican, Auschwitz and Birkenau (Auschwitz II) M...
According to the calendar, it is time to start planting that garden. Mother Nature is sure to grace us with warmer weather and with any luck, a plentiful growing season. After a summer of weeding, watering and encouraging those crops to grow, harvest season will be here before we know it. Preserving the harvest is the number one way to reward yourself throughout the year for a job well done. Enjoying summer’s bounty throughout the winter months is as nourishing as it gets. Unfortunately, sometimes the job of canning can be an intimidating o...
History, it's what paved our way to becoming who we are. Tracing our ancestry is easier to do than ever before. We have the internet to help guide our research, as well as mail in DNA sampling. And now, Plains and Thompson Falls libraries possess the works of former Thompson Falls resident Ann (Sloan) Miller to help trace lineages created in Sanders County. Miller was passionate about research. She spent many, many years researching and compiling information to complete "Pioneers & Early Settler...
Encouraged by a vision of living in a community that is welcoming, aware and supportive of mental illnesses, a Mental Health Local Advisory Committee (LAC) has formed and is dedicated to “making a difference across Sanders County for our communities’ mental health.” In celebration of May’s designation, “Mental Health Month,” the committee has been hard at work preparing “Strong Communities, Strong Sanders County,” their premier presentation addressing overall mental health, awareness, issues, gaps, needs and support systems within our comm...
Like many state-funded programs, the Western Montana Mental Health Center (WMMHC) budget is tight. And it recently got tighter when reimbursement rates were cut. The total annual budget, backed by the state and counties, for WMMHC is $41 million. This year, the program saw almost a 10 percent decrease in funding; an estimated $4 million cut. But that is not going to change the quality of service they provide. “I am very hopeful for the future of Sanders County,” stated Abby Harnett, Executive Director for Sanders and Lincoln County WMMHC. “Ther...
Heron’s Monarch School may have abruptly closed its doors, sending students home early last fall, but there is still plenty of business requiring immediate attention. Parents and guardians of former students have recently filed a lawsuit against the school, Monarch founders and directors Patrick and Michelle McKenna, and employee Dawn Bristol; whose role is unclear as allegations state she was a business partner while she claims to have only served as an assistant to the McKenna’s. All are facing legal accountability for alleged adv...
The status of the current environmental health crisis is no secret. Sanders County Solid Waste Refuse employees understand this crisis. They are jump starting Earth Day (April 22) with Beautification Days beginning this Thursday and recycle, recycle, recycle! County Solid Waste Refuse members encourage residents to take advantage of the recycling programs they will have available Thursday, Saturday and Sunday only. For those looking to get rid of unused paint, Thompson Falls refuse site on Airport Road will have a designated “Paint Swap: L...
Rob Christensen, Thompson Falls K-8 counselor, has been busy preparing seventh and eighth-grade students for the world of being manners-minded individuals. Since society places much emphasis on having good manners and proper etiquette, these are skills that students must have to become successful in life. Christensen has already taught multiple units on etiquette, addressing proper behaviors at restaurants, sporting events, public settings, and what is expected in the workforce. He also...
After taking some time off, one of the most beloved sporting events in Noxon’s history has returned. Donkey basketball is making a comeback Friday, April 20, 6-8 p.m. in the Noxon High School gymnasium. This must-see event features students, staff and community members perched atop a stubborn ol’ donkey while trying to put the ball through the hoop. Laughter, camaraderie and fun is sure to be shared by all who attend. Proceeds from the event will help fund travel for Noxon’s Business Professionals of America national competitors. They will...
