Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The community of Paradise doesn’t have a bona fide town government or its own law enforcement, but a group of residents decided something needed to be done to clean up their home and to do so invited an assortment of county officials – commissioners, county attorney, law enforcement, county sanitarian, and the fire district chief – to help them achieve that goal. The residents created a group called the Paradise Action Committee last year and made a pact in an effort to help clean up some of the trashy places around the community, espec...
January went out in a fury last weekend as a winter storm brought bitter winds and several inches of snow to Sanders County. The flags lining the Gallatin Street bridge in Thompson Falls (above) were active in the high winds, while vegetation was quickly frozen in time (top) with the dropping temperatures. Ten-day forecasts predict temperatures will remain well below freezing....
UPDATE: Blackfoot confirms the work was completed at 11:42 p.m. Wednesday evening and all systems are again operational. Blackfoot customers from Thompson Falls to Noxon may see a short disruption in phone and Internet service late Wednesday. Blackfoot spokesman Wil Anderson said the disruption will be up to 10 minutes, and will occur between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 5 a.m. Thursday. In December, a fiber line east of Thompson Falls was damaged due to weather. The maintenance Wednesday evening will "add redundancy to minimize future service...
Not quite as smart as I might look, I, John Hamilton, The Ledger’s sports guy, have decided to take a shot at editorial writing and offer my opinion on the national holiday vacation day idea, referred to as Democracy Day. Usually limited to the play pages, I would like to offer a few other ideas about this proposed election day holiday that I hope will contribute to a discussion, here on the opinion page. Let’s start with the rationale for enacting such a proposal. If it came to pass, what other holiday would be more important? We could hav...
For more than five years, Thompson Falls resident Maggie McGillis and her sixth-grade daughter Callie, have been praying for their dream to come true. With some newly gained momentum, it just might be in their favor. Callie took her concerns to the Thompson Falls School Board on Monday, and on Wednesday she joined 100 other Montana families in Helena to speak to the legislature about supporting Senate Bill (SB) 140. Passing of this bill would require the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) to...
The Republican controlled Montana Legislature is changing its rules in order to forbid the posting of “legal reviews” on the legislature’s website. This is good news for Representative Greg DeVries, (R-Jefferson City) who has introduced a bill to abolish Montana’s compulsory education requirement. (Where was this guy when I was in grammar school?) Legal reviews were notes attached to bills that pointed out that there might be a good chance that a bill might, say, violate the Montana Constit...
Dear All, This past week saw a big increase in activities. House bills are now showing up in the Senate committees and Senate bills have even progressed to the House floor. The Senate met on Saturday and the House will be meeting next Saturday if the current schedule holds true. Two bills that I presented this week to the Judiciary Committee were HB 242 and HB 282. HB 242 limits use of cell phones while driving in an active work zone to try and protect the workers from distracted drivers. HB 282 is meant to protect students or residents in any...
5 YEARS AGO • JANUARY 30, 1969 WINTER STORM LASHES COUNTY OVER WEEKEND Sanders County residents were continuing Wednesday to dig out from the worst storm of the winter which occurred Saturday night and Sunday morning when a heavy snowfall was accompanied by strong winds and temperatures which dropped to below zero. While traffic was almost at a standstill Sunday morning, conditions were never as bad as they were to the west in Idaho and eastern Washington where roads were completely closed. Schools are operating on schedule. Attendance here Mo...
STEVEN HARDY, Plains – “No, I didn’t this year. I’ve gotten it the last five years and I have gotten sick. I thought I’d try something different this year and it seems to be working in my favor.” JAMES GAYTON, Missoula – “I did because I’ve had the flu during spring break as a kid and don’t want that to happen again. It was a very sick experience, and to be sick on my week off. One of the first dark chapters of my life.” DIANA DOYLE, Thompson Falls – “I usually do, but this year did not. We just didn’t get anywhere to get it. I think it is a...
In 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, John Harp entered not guilty pleas to three counts: driving under the influence of alcohol, fourth or subsequent offense, a felony; misdemeanor driving while license suspended or revoked and misdemeanor operating without an interlock device. Harp was arrested Jan. 5 after Sanders County Sheriff's Office and Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) responded to a vehicle versus building crash at Town Pump in Plains. Judge Deborah "Kim" Christopher set a trial date of May 20 for Harp. Also Tuesday, Kip Courville en...
Ambulances: Noxon, 4; T. Falls, 8; Plains, 6; H. Springs, 3. Sunday, January 27 Montana Highway Patrol drove up on a truck in the ditch with footprints going away, suspected DUI, Hwy. 135, Paradise. Structure fire, Hwy. 200, T. Creek. Property damage/criminal mischief, someone drove through fence and drove around on a field, H. Springs. Welfare check requested, T. Falls. Monday, January 28 Suspicious activity, individual wearing a skeleton mask walking around Plains neighborhood. Vehicle racing up and down roadway at H. Springs High School....
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Robert Croft, 61, violation of restrictions imposed on probationary drivers license, $135. Holly Blood, 35, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Logan Ward, 30, night speeding, $70. Tamara Ingrum, 45, no liability insurance, 4th or subsequent offense, $85. Beau Ulvick, 38, night speeding, $20. Montana Highway Patrol Lucas Comerford, 16, night speeding, $70. Ronald Quaring, 54, seatbelt violation, $20. Clinton Hooser, 34, seatbelt violation, $20. Kellie Jo Erwin, 41, failure to have a child under 6 years old and l...
Dear Editor, I am in favor of moving forward with Phase I and II of the wastewater project. I would like the City Council to vote in favor of this and would like to encourage everyone in favor to send a note or email to City Hall, by the end of this week, expressing their support. The wastewater project is needed to help address the septic problems that are happening and will continue to happen. These are things that we know for sure: 1. If you eat, you have to poop. 2. Septic systems on the hill are failing and there is not enough room on...
I feel the need to express how much I enjoy the bi-weekly columns written by Blaine Blackstone. The topic and content of his January 31 commentary was spot on. When we are being daily bombarded with unsubstantiated rhetoric from our biased press, his viewpoint is a breath of fresh air. I find it amazing that our congressional leaders, Speaker of the House Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, and Senate Minority Leader Schumer have a total of two years work experience between the three of them. Senator McConnell did work two years for a...
} rightFrontDrive.setPower(-1);. No, The Ledger did not make a mistake. This computer programming, called "coding," would make sense if you were a robot, or member of Thompson Falls' robotics club lead by Falls High School science teacher and robotics coach Eric Nygaard. "Collectively, this is the best we've done in our five years competing," Nygaard proudly said of his robotics team, who placed second in Helena earlier this year and earned thirteenth out of 33 competitors late last month at...
In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, the General Federation of Women's Clubs FWC Thompson Falls Woman's Club assembled and distributed Vial of Life kits. Each kit contains three items: a form for your medical conditions, allergies, medications, emergency contacts, etc. that you complete; a baggie or pill bottle with the Vial of Life label in which to store the form on or in your refrigerator; and a decal for your front door directing first responders to look for...
Members and leaders of the Sanders County 4-H program helped to host the Biennial 4-H Legislative Breakfast and Citizenship Seminar in Helena on January 20-22. 4-H members Lydia French, Chloe French and Jacob Hutchins attended the event. Lydia was chosen as one of the youth coordinators. This year, a majority of legislators attended the Legislative Breakfast to learn about the 4-H program in Montana, including local Representatives Bob Brown and Denley Loge. Members also met and participated in...
Local land managers, fish biologists, watershed workers and contractors are rolling up their sleeves in 2019 to improve the health of several area streams, including Fishtrap Creek, Crow Creek and Graves Creek. Stream health will be improved by implementing projects identified as high priority by the Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group (LCFWG). The LCFWG is a non-profit organization, funded primarily through grant and hydropower mitigation funds, that has worked with private landowners, natural resources agencies, local government and other non-pr...
June Irene Sanks was born in a small farm house near Hinsdale, Montana, on July 23, 1929, and passed away on January 17, 2019, at St. Luke Long Term Care Facility in Ronan, Montana. At the age of four, June's family left eastern Montana and made their way to Sanders County and found a home on the western end of Eddy Flats, east of Thompson Falls. She rode the bus for 12 years to school and graduated from Thompson Falls High School in 1947. June committed her life to following Christ at an early...
Terry William Molzahn passed away Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Plains, Montana after complications from cancer treatment. He was 65 years old. Terry was born April 5, 1953, in Rockford, Illinois, to Maynard and Janet Molzahn. He attended Fontana High School in Fontana, California. In 1971, Terry married Linda Williams. They had three children together, Wade, Lorena and Ethan. They divorced in 1986 and Terry welcomed daughter Lairen with girlfriend Betty. In 1991, he married Julie Goodspeed Molzahn....
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The AARP Tax-Aide Program provides free help in preparing and electronically filing Federal and State income tax returns for low to moderate income taxpayers. This service is free to taxpayers of any age. All volunteer tax preparers are trained and certified through the IRS and must sign a confidentiality agreement. While there is no specific income limit, the program does have limits on the types of returns that the volunteers prepare. Returns will be prepared beginning the first week of February and by appointment only. Plains Senior Center...
Longevity matters, and Sanders County employees were honored for their time in service last week. Employees were recognized for creating "a great place to work, where we want to stay and have a good time while we are here," County Commissioner Tony Cox said while giving a sincere thank you to each employee for serving the public. Shirley Kinkade with the Sanders County Extension Office topped out the honorees with 25 years of serving the county. Her supervisor, Juli Thurston, presented Kinkade...
The City of Thompson Falls has received a grant to help upgrade the city pool. The $75,000 grant came from Montana State Parks, and the city will match the grant funds for a total project cost of $150,000. Thompson Falls Mayor Jerry Lacy said upgrades will be made to the concrete deck around the pool, as well as to plumbing, showers, fencing, lifeguard chairs and other improvements. City Clerk Chelsea Peterson said the project will go out to bid soon, and the city hopes construction will start as soon as the weather allows. Lacy anticipates...
Empower Montana came to Thompson Falls High School January 28. The program was first recommended by student Trinity Godfrey and counselor Jodi Morgan after a walkout supporting a positive school atmosphere. Empower Montana is focused on creating a more just and inclusive society by developing youth and adult leaders who work to end mistreatment, correct systematic inequalities and strengthen communities across Montana, as stated on their website empowermt.org. The program was included in the students’ schedules in two half-day segments. The f...
