Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Voters in Plains and Hot Springs cast ballots Tuesday for municipal elections in which they each chose a mayor and town council members. Sanders County Elections staff released the unofficial results late Tuesday. The results will be validated during a canvass of ballots next week at the courthouse. In Plains, voters elected mayor Dan Rowan to another term. Rowan received 193 voters and Michael Brinson received 90. Plains voters also elected town council members on Tuesday. Joel Banham received 61 votes for the Ward 1, Seat 2, position. George...
It's going to be a busy week for Thompson Falls High School. The Blue Hawk volleyball team, who captured the District 7B championship last weekend at St. Ignatius High School, now host the Western B divisional tournament. Divisional volleyball matches will be played Thursday through Saturday, but that's not the only action Thompson Falls and the Blue Hawks will see this weekend. The Blue Hawk football team hosts Belt for the quarterfinal playoff game Saturday at Previs Field. Thompson Falls... Full story
Thompson Falls was blooming with festive spirit last Saturday. Thompson Falls Community Trails hosted their annual Trick or Treat, Move Your Feet fun run, which was followed by the Thompson Falls Chamber's Fall Festival at Ainsworth Park. Fun run organizer Kathy Conlin said the event, which started and ended at NorthWestern Energy's Power Park, saw 41 participants. The top male finisher was Alessi Rolando, who crossed the finish line in the 5K run in 20 minutes, 52 seconds. Sarah Polmounter was...
Fred Young Park had a lot of spooky celebrities – monsters, zombies, werewolves, dinosaurs, and vampires, and plenty of hot dogs, compliments of the Plains Lions Club, which has put on their Halloween Weenie Roast for more than 60 years. Lions member Marvin Tanner guessed there were more than 150 people at the annual event, which included roasting hot dogs over an open fire and costume contests for kids and adults. Some banded together for a group theme, such as the Rehbein family, who d...
Our Sanders County sports teams have had a rough couple of years. The pandemic forced some teams to cancel their seasons spring 2020. This year the teams have still had to adapt to not only closures and rescheduling within their own schools, but throughout the state. It's been a constant state of unknown for our athletes, coaches and fans. As the fall sports seasons begin winding down, I hope our athletes take these lessons of overcoming and adapting and learn to apply that as they grow up and enter the world as adults. Things don't always go...
The governing board of the Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Coalition (KFSC) has voted unanimously to support a legal defense of the Forest Service Ripley project. This vote represents the strength and importance of the collaborative process the group is dedicated to. The KFSC represents a diverse mix of forest users, including environmental groups, that work together to seek solutions to forest management issues. A fundamental reality we all recognize is that the ample public lands that surround our communities are suitable for a diverse mix of us...
“Life’s not multiple choice” is a favorite catchphrase for educators who don’t like multiple-choice test questions. The phrase is repeated as bedrock logic, but if you examine it even briefly it turns to sand. Truth is, we make endless choices daily, and we demand even more choices in everything we do. In fact we have so many choices to make, that according to various folks who study this kind of thing, choosing becomes really stressful. Furthermore, once we’ve made a choice we feel compelled to invest a lot of emotion in defending it, even if...
I recently traveled around Washington state with Gigi for a few days, all the way out to the ocean and back. Gigi was often the navigator. She gives advice in a calm, clear voice, and most of the time she knows where she’s going. When she doesn’t — which isn’t often — she still remains composed and continues giving directions. I, on the other hand, get confused when Gigi and I don’t know where we’re going, and when I’m confused, the last thing I want or need is someone giving me directions — especially if I’m trying to concentrate on driv...
7 YEARS AGO • OCTOBER 31, 1951 LOGS TO GO THROUGH WEEKSVILLE RAPIDS About 700,000 feet of sawlogs are to be put through the Weeksville Rapids on the Clark Fork River near Plains soon by Thompson Falls Lumber Co., it is reported by Arden Davis, superintendent. The logs are to be floated through a few at a time to avoid jams on the jagged boulders in the river and then will be caught in booms below to be towed by Terry Payne down to the sawmill, a distance of about 20 miles. Tows of 10 to 15 miles on the river are not uncommon for the c...
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,...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 4; Plains, 6; Hot Springs, 1. Monday, October 25 Theft, Trout Creek. Motor vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Welfare check, T. Falls. Civil attempts, Trout Creek. Civil attempts, T. Falls. Civil attempts, T. Falls. General animal call or complaint, Plains. Motor vehicle crash, Plains. Suspicious activity, Heron. Tuesday, October 26 Automated alarm call, Dixon. Civil attempts, T. Falls. Civil attempts, T. Falls. Automated alarm call, Plains. Protection order violation, Trout Creek. Theft, Plains. Welfare check, Hot Springs. Fire,...
Montana Highway Patrol Jonathan Cook, 33, operating without insurance, 1st offense, $285; speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Dominic Taylor, 27, operating without insurance, 1st offense, $285; seatbelt violation, $20. Andrew Larion, 23, day speeding, $70. William Russell, 41, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Kim Roberts, 80, failure to stop for a school bus, $135. William Russell, 41, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Rhonda Byler, 35, seatbelt violation, $20. Kayla Nouque’, 21, day speeding, $20. Samuel Sacchi, 58, seatbelt violation, $...
As a board, the Sanders County Board of Health (BOH), would like to respond to questions recently presented to the Sanders County Commissioners (SCC) with respect to COVID-19 and positions adopted by the BOH. Montana law charges a BOH among other duties with “protecting the public from the introduction and spread of a communicable disease or other conditions of public health importance.” We take that responsibility seriously, and strive to keep up on the research concerning COVID and how it can affect Sanders County. We feel most Sanders Cou...
'Tis the season to be spooked and what better place for it to happen than at a funeral home, including a skeleton hearse driver. For the last 12 years, the owners of Sunset Hills Funeral Home and Crematory in Plains have opened up their business to provide residents a chance to get out of the cold and have some treats. "It was a great night full of fun and interesting costumes and smiling faces. It was great to see so many families come in together and parents enjoying it as much as the kids,"...
MON. NITE GALS W L Nascar Freaks 18 10 Dangerous Dames 18 10 Talk of the Town 17.5 10.5 Dolls with Balls 13.5 14.5 Rock’n Bowl 11 17 Bye 6 22 Team Scr. Game: Dangerous Dames, 461; Scr. Series: Dangerous Dames, 1258; Hcp. Game: Talk of the Town, 651; Hcp. Series: Talk of the Town, 1897; Inv. Scr. Game: Linde Pavlik, 178; Scr. Series: Kerry Schwarz, 464; Hcp. Game: Marshanna Drop, 263; Hcp. Series: Marshanna Drop, 683. BOWLING BEAUTIES W L Lane Blazers 20.5 7.5 The Dinkers 17.5 10.5 Sunflower Gals 17 11 Aspire PT 10.5 17.5 Elliott Realty 10.5 1...
In the wake of the pandemic, people saw empty shelves, increased prices and a break in the supply chain. Montana State University (MSU) Extension Office in Sanders County saw the struggles the community was continually facing as people turned to preserving their own food to help get through the challenging times. The extension officers for the county saw a need in the community and stepped in to fill it. "When the pandemic started, the shelves were pretty bare for a while," said Jeanette Allday,...
May 11, 1937 – October 22, 2021 In loving memory Joan Marie Huff was born May 11, 1937, at Snohomish, Washington, to parents, Elizabeth (Legocki) and Willis S Hough of Sheridan, Wyoming. She had one brother, Willis. Her father died when she was six and so the three moved to Washington D.C., then to Atlanta, Ga., when her mother remarried. After that marriage ended the three returned to Walla Walla, Washington. In October 1947 Dana Irwin became Joan's "Daddy" and the blended family included a s... Full story
Harley Leroy Huntley was born July 10, 1937, in Sturgis, South Dakota, to Darold L. Huntley and Ruth I. Eckenrode. He passed from this life on August 23, 2021, in Thompson Falls in the care of Cherry Hills. Harley is survived by his half-brother, a half-sister, nieces, and nephews. Harley migrated with his mother to Thompson Falls at a very young age, approximately two years old. He attended local schools and participated in athletics. Upon graduating from High School in 1955, Harley left his fa... Full story
December 28, 1936 - October 31, 2021 In loving memory Gary Lee Draszt was born to Marion (Lee) and Joseph Charles Draszt on December 28, 1936, in Plentywood, Montana. His parents farmed in Sheridan County then moved to the Whitepine community northwest of Thompson Falls in the spring of 1935. J.C. Draszt rented, then purchased, the Alvers ranch along Big Beaver Creek where eldest son Kenneth would put up the hay crop. December 24, 1937, the Draszt family moved into a log cabin on the property... Full story
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...
Multiple vehicles spun out of control crossing the Big Beaver Creek bridge between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek on Tuesday morning. A truck rolled, taking out a power line, and a separate truck and trailer jackknifed while first responders attended to the first accident. Witnesses and first responders attributed these accidents to ice on the bridge....
Ready to start the holiday season by getting creative? The theme for the annual gingerbread contest, sponsored by the Sanders County Historical Society Old Jail Museum, is “Christmas is Coming.” Think about adding some spice to the holiday season by participating in the 24th annual competition, which will be part of the Thompson Falls Christmas on Main Street celebration December 4 and 5. “You’ll find a festive escape from the hustle and bustle of the shopping season, exploring at your own pace numerous creations,” museum officials said in a...
Montana State University Extension will host a series of webinars this fall related to COVID-19. “COVID-19 Conversations with Montana Experts” will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on four separate Tuesdays, November 2, 16 and 30 and December 14. They are free and open to the public. The webinar series will feature doctors, researchers and other health care experts from across the state discussing topics such as virology, immunization research, lab testing, health communication, vaccine hesitancy and other public health topics. According to web...
The Thompson Falls Blue Hawks finished the regular season 9-0, but the Hawks are not done with their season by any means. Thompson Falls hosted the Circle Wildcats Saturday at Previs Field, running away with a 55-6 victory. Hawk Coach Jared Koskela said his team has been looking forward to the quarterfinals since last season. The Hawks made it to the quarterfinals in 2020 and 2019 and lost both games. This Saturday, however, they will be on their home turf with extra motivation and confidence....
