Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Thompson River Lumber (TRL) was privy to a special guest Tuesday morning, as Montana's Republican U.S. Senator, Steve Daines, made the mill one of his stops between Kalispell and Libby. Daines donned a TRL hardhat and was joined at one of the county's largest employers by county commissioners Carol Brooker and Tony Cox, Sen. Jennifer Fielder and Rep. Bob Brown. They were led on a walkthrough of the facility by TRL vice president Dan Claridge. The tour touted the safety procedures and perks for e...
Montana game wardens completed an investigation into significant wildlife violations that resulted in severe penalties for a pair of Trout Creek residents. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks launched an investigation October 2015 into alleged residency violations involving Derek Ricks and Cheryl Coon Ricks of Trout Creek, Montana. The investigation, led by former Polson Game Warden and current FWP Region 6 Warden Captain Ron Howell, FWP Game Warden Tom Chianelli and FWP Region 1 Investigator Brian Sommers, evolved into a larger case that included...
The winter snow that brought several inches, and in some areas feet, of snow last weekend has residents continuing to plow and shovel their way out. On Sunday, a tree fell along Highway 200 west of Thompson Falls, backing up traffic near the Rimrock. According to the National Resource and Conservation Service tracking, the Lower Clark Fork region's snowpack is 125 percent of normal, and 119 percent in the Kootenai region. And as of Tuesday, the area had received almost 200 percent of normal...
The filing deadline for special district elections was Feb. 12, and a candidate has filed in all but one opening in Sanders County. In Dixon, Mary T. Zelonis was the sole filer for a three-year term on the rural fire board. Michael Hardin filed for Heron Rural Fire District’s open position, and Bruce White was the lone candidate to file for Hot Springs Rural Fire District. George Krueger filed for a three-year term on Noxon Rural Fire District, with James Henry filing in Plains/Paradise Rural Fire District and Philip Lewis filing for T...
This week, we were hit with some of the coldest temperatures of the season. Waking up to below-zero temps makes us want to stay snuggled on the couch all day with a blanket, cocoa and some Lifetime movies. The colder temperatures remind us to make sure pipes are properly maintained, that we clear sidewalks and driveways, and remember to wear our spikes on the icy roads. It also reminds us to take care of our furry friends. Local ranchers are tending to their herds of cattle as calves are being born. We’ve seen plenty of deer and other w...
They were dumb and dirty drunkards, they did not love America, they worshipped a foreign god, they took jobs from native born Americans, they were illiterate and terrorists to boot, and it looked like they would soon outnumber the American populations in many cities. And, in fact, like a nightmare come true, in a few short years they were indeed running some of the biggest cities in America. They were the Irish and they were not loved. Help wanted notices were qualified by stating, “No Irish n...
Editor, If your doctor diagnoses you with cancer, do you seek a second opinion? Good, that’s what you should do. But if you seek 99 more opinions and 97 of 100 doctors say you have cancer, who do you believe? On top of that, all your non-doctor friends are telling you about their personal experiences. Your brother had a mole once, but he’s ok, so you should be ok. Your sister’s friend’s mother had cancer and she’s dead, so since you’re not dead you don’t have cancer. Who do you listen to? The 97 well-trained doctors who say you have cancer and...
5 YEARS AGO • FEBRUARY 22, 1968 FUTURE HOSPITAL NEEDS EYED AT PLAINS SESSION Approximately 150 Plains and Thompson Falls citizens attended a meeting Friday night in the Plains school sponsored by the Sanders County Citizens Committee for a Hospital when a proposed new hospital in the Plains area was discussed. T. Millar Bryce, committee chairman, said, “We have started a campaign for a new hospital and will continue it until the voters decide the issue.” He pointed out that Missoula after it gets its new hospital, now in the planning stage wil...
JORDAN JOHNSON, Alberton – “Sometimes just by looking at them. You can usually tell if they are sketchy.” TANNER NEWELL, Eureka – “Get to know them.” ZACH MORKERT, Thompson Falls – “I think it is how they present themselves, that says a lot.” LEIGHA CREW, Thompson Falls – “I can tell by how they talk about others. If they are constantly badmouthing people, they are probably going to bad mouth you, too.” LARRY LACK, Thompson Falls – “When they look you in the eye. If they don’t, you can bet there’s something behind that.” LISA SCHULTZ, Tho...
Ambulances: Noxon, 1; T. Falls, 5; Plains 8; H. Springs, 7. Sunday, February 11 Malfunctioning railroad crossing gate, T. Falls. One vehicle slide-off on Hwy. 28, H. Springs. Disabled vehicle on west ramp, T. Falls. Suspicious vehicle parked under train trestle, Hwy. 135. Domestic assault, H. Springs. Disturbance at Plains residence. Monday, February 12 Prowler at H. Springs residence. Horses out on Blue Slide Rd., T. Falls. Theft of gun and cash from building, T. Falls. Large rock blocking westbound lane of Hwy. 200 at Weeksville Cr., Plains....
Lara Aldridge appeared in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to a felony theft charge. According to charging documents, Aldridge served as secretary and bookkeeper for the Hot Springs Rural Fire Department between 2014 and 2017. In August 2017, documents report that the fire department was made aware of an overdraft on their checking account, then discovered that Aldridge had written unauthorized checks. Aldridge wrote checks to herself, Little Bitterroot 4-H and Lone Pine Alumni Association, according to court...
Montana Highway Patrol Maria Caldwell, 38, $160, improper passing. Diana Macmanus, 31, $185, criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. Willie Pope, 59, $85, basic rule, reasonable and prudent, 1st offense. Katelin Miller, 30, $70, day speeding. Andrew Flora, 33, $70, day speeding. Kevin Koberle, 49, $55, speeding in a restricted zone. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Chace Johnson, 42, $435 and 3 days jail, partner or family member assault, 1st offense. David Brightman, 34, $20, day speeding. Brandon Fish, 40, $85, operating a vehicle which h...
Guitarist, singer and story teller Andy Hackbarth will perform in Thompson Falls this weekend. Hackbarth is playing Saturday, Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre. This is the first performance in the second half of the Tapestry 2017-2018 season of the Sanders County Arts Council. Through instrumental selections and short stories, this award-winning Spanish/classical guitarist pays homage to the father of classical guitar, Andres Segovia. He engages audiences in the much-loved resonance of the acoustic guitar and guides listeners on an...
CHINESE NEW YEAR in Hot Springs was filled with canine masks, streamers on poles, Rube Wrightsman with a cannon and the traditional Hot Springs dragon reserved for the holiday....
Poetry is much more than rhyming words. Three students from Thompson Falls High School recently competed in the Poetry Out Loud Regional competition in Missoula. The competitors had to memorize and recite two poems for judges. The poems had to be selected from those available to conestants on the Poetry Out Loud website. One poem had to be written before the 20th century and one needed to be 25 lines or fewer. Senior Kole Stone, senior Cody Williams and freshman Gabriella Pallister attended the...
They have a way with words. And unique methods of poking fun at one another. Members of the group with the gift of gab, known as the Toastmasters, aren't the type to let things go unsaid. So, when they had the chance to gather at an open-to-the-public event, words were not minced giving honors to a special member of their group. Hal Vosin was recognized last week, but it was not to accept more ribbons, plaques or trophies to add to his impressive Toastmasters awards shelf. Vosin was celebrated...
Although it is a distinguished club, with 352,000 members worldwide, a Toastmaster is never far from a friend. Even when traveling abroad. The Thompson Falls and Plains Toastmasters held a special presentation, Thursday, entitled "Tales of Far Off Places." A small group of interesting listeners joined the scheduled speakers at Thompson Falls Public Library to hear about what it means to give in to wanderlust as a Toastmaster. Member Lynne Kersten opened the meeting with a few inspirational...
In 1917, Carl and Oreta McCaughin celebrated Christmas with a new baby girl, Anita. One hundred years later finds Anita Wise (who goes by Carol) going strong and continuing to share her birthday with the baby Jesus. Nearly 20 members of her family traveled to the Clark Fork Valley Hospital Long Term Care in Plains to spend last Christmas and celebrate her 100th birthday party with Carol, who opened presents and visited with relatives that came from around the state to share the experience with...
Thelma (Virginia) Butler, 90, went to be with the Lord on January 31, 2018, surrounded by her family and friends. Virginia was born July 31, 1927 in Boone County, Mo., and grew up there until the age of 7 when her father came to Hot Springs to work for her Uncle Noble LaRue at the Hot Springs Mercantile. She graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1945. She immediately started working in Hot Springs for Holt Motor Sales and later for Cobeen Conoco Service, Ashcraft Lumber Co., City Drug Store, Hot Springs Mercantile and eventually...
Lucas Fuhrman, a junior, earned second-quarter honor roll honors at Thompson Falls High School. Fuhrman was not listed in last week’s Ledger....
Thirty years ago, during the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, Plains resident Erich Buljung earned a silver medal in air pistol marksmanship. As the Winter Olympics are in full swing, he seemed a perfect fit for a "Getting to know you" story. When I arrived to interview Buljung at his business, the Dew Duck Inn, I was in for a surprise. Let's just say he is the most modest person I have ever met. I mean that to the deepest extent - "ever" met. Before I even asked a question, I was greeted by Buljung...
Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) and Humana have come to an agreement to offer a Medicare Advantage Program in 2018. With that, CFVH and its Family Medicine Network offices and providers will be listed as a participating healthcare facility. The contract is retroactive to January 1. Medicare enrollees had until February 1 to choose a primary care provider. “We learned that Humana Medicare was being marketed to Sanders County residents, despite the fact that CFVH was not a participating provider with them,” Carla Neiman, CFVH Chief Fin...
With spring (hopefully) just around the corner and boating season not far behind, the Sanders County Aquatic Invasive Plants Task Force continues to study and work to decrease the aquatic invasive species in the Noxon and Cabinet Gorge reservoirs. The task force was formed in 2008 after Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) was discovered in Noxon Reservoir in 2007. Initially, 247 acres of dense EWM in Noxon and 117 in Cabinet were found, and the plant was spreading at a rate of 9.8 percent a year,...
Probably the biggest difference between a professional ballet class and the one that started in Plains two weeks ago is the "potty breaks." The beginner ballet class is part of the Plains After School Program, put on each Thursday by Heidi Schulze and Cassie Ducept. Every few minutes in last week's class, one of the 27 girls asked to use the restroom. The rest of the time, they were learning basic ballet moves and showing their own dance skills. "Many little girls dream of being a beautiful...
PABLO – And the Horsemen ride on. Perhaps a little under the radar for a team with such an impressive 18-3 record, the Plains Horsemen won second place in the district 14C tournament last week and will ride on into the Western C divisional tournament in Hamilton Thursday as one of the darkhorses in that tourney, which is packed with high powered teams from across western Montana this season. And for as many good teams as there are in the draw for the Western C, the Horsemen appear to be on the f...
