Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The deadline to enter county and state races was Monday, and additional candidates have entered the contests. The District 1 Sanders County Commissioner seat is open this year, and Carol Brooker of Plains has filed for re-election. Paul Fielder has also filed for the position. Fielder, of Thompson Falls, is the husband of Montana senator Jennifer Fielder, a Republican who represents Senate District 7. For the newly combined position of Sanders County Clerk and Recorder / County Treasurer / Superintendent of Schools, current clerk and recorder...
Forget what is shown in the movies - glitz, glamour and expensive venues – nothing beats a small town high school prom. And the lengths some went to in order to make it a special night prove it is not about the money spent, but the memories made. For many, prom was the first "dress up like an adult" affair, the first time in high heels, the first time borrowing the family car, or the first time not having a before-dark curfew. A lack of open salon seats locally had many young ladies doing e...
A Sanders County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a call in the early hours of Saturday morning regarding a vehicle struck by a train. Montana Highway Patrol arrived on the scene to take over shortly thereafter. Theresa Campbell of Trout Creek had been trying to move her vehicle from the railroad tracks when the oncoming locomotive hit about 1:30 a.m. She was transported to Clark Fork Valley Hospital with multiple injuries....
Usually when news hits on a national level, Sanders County is not involved. But, according to Verizon Wireless’s map of downed service areas, parts of the county joined other major cities in the U.S. in an outage of service. New York, Los Angeles and Portland were some of the areas reporting service problems similar to customers in Plains and parts of Thompson Falls, as of Sunday. The outages continued sporadically throughout Monday and Tuesday. Many county cell phone users go through the no-contract service, Straight Talk. Most of these c...
March can be hard to handle. While signs of Spring are making their way through the last of the snow mounds, it’s still cold and some of us are just waiting for the snow to melt off the fairways so we can start working out the kinks in our golf game. For years, I’ve been saying I need to get away in March, just to take the edge off of those last weeks of winter. This year, my buddy and I took a quick trip to Phoenix to get some sun. We were mostly looking forward to seeing new places and making new memories. What I found is that I love our hom...
Scandinavians: In Search of the Soul of the North, by Robert Ferguson, (Overlook Press, 2016) This is a good read on its titular topic, if you’re up for page-and-a-half paragraphs and 150-word sentences, all stuffed with literary allusions, European history, and wanderings into psychological analysis. In truth, you need some extra motivation to get through it. Bleak winter weather sets the right mood, as would a melancholy personality, which is in fact what the author suggests Scandinavians possess, at least in popular lore. He wants to know w...
PIONEERS AND EARLY SETTLERS OF PLAINS, MONTANA Researched by Ann Miller William Bruce Russell William Bruce Russell was born Dec. 23, 1864 near Binghampton, NY, to William C/G Russell of Hartford Conn., and Roseltha Clarke of Windsor, NY. His parents were married March 25th, 1863 Binghampton, NY. Roseltha died giving birth to William and he was raised by an Aunt. The following is taken from a sketch written by William’s son W.B. Jr.-William’s early years were spent in school and working in the timber of the area. At the age of sixteen, he dec...
MARILYN LAWRENCE, Thompson Falls — “If anybody can, he can.” HEATHER MILLS, Thompson Falls –“I’m hopeful for everyone’s sake. I really don’t want a war.” CHERYL FRASER, Thompson Falls – “I think that Trump needs to be very careful because Rocket Man is very deceptive. He’s making a deal with the devil. I wouldn’t believe him for anything.” JAMES LACER, Thompson Falls – “Yes he could because he has a backbone.” WAYNE KIMBERLY, Thompson Falls – ”I hope so. Try to get him to back off on nuclear weapons. The Clintons gave them all the information...
A man accused of inappropriately touching his 15-year-old granddaughter while on a camping trip was sentenced to the Department of Corrections by District Court Judge James Manley on Tuesday. Christopher Barry pleaded guilty to felony sexual assault. Judge Manley sentenced Barry to 10 years with the Department of Corrections with 7.5 years suspended, and ordered Barry to pay $3,698.81 in restitution. Barry was charged after the assault that occurred on a camping trip at the Fish Trap Campground. Barry’s attorney, Peter Leander, had argued f...
Ambulances: Noxon, 1; T. Falls, 6; Plains, 5; H. Springs, 3; Dixon QRU, 4. Sunday, March 4 Vehicle slide-off on Hwy. 200, Dixon. Violation of no trespass order, T. Falls. Motor vehicle accident with injuries, H. Springs. Monday, March 5 Damage to street sign in H. Springs. Vehicle slide off on Baker’s Grade, H. Springs. Animal welfare check, T. Creek. Individual receiving online threats, Plains. Coroner requested, Plains. Vehicle stuck on a bridge on Thompson River Road. Tuesday, March 6 One vehicle rollover accident with injuries, Plains. E...
Montana Highway Patrol Kory Johnson, 27, $235, $64 restitution, reckless driving. Kory Johnson, 27, $75, 2 days jail, possession of open alcoholic beverage container in motor vehicle. Kory Johnson, 27, $285, driving while privilege to do so is suspended or revoked. Robert Payne, 78, $105, speeding in a restricted zone. James Ratzlaff, 58, $70, day speeding. Charles Greer, 47, $85, basic rule, reasonable and prudent, 1st offense. Michael Doutrich, 39, $20, seatbelt violation. Lawrence Smoot, 51, $85, speeding in a restricted zone. Michael...
Students at Plains High School became more ready for the outside world of employment last week after completing an evening of practice interviews with more than a dozen business men and women. Nine seniors took part in the annual Jobs for Montana's Graduates (JMG) Mock Interview at the school with 14 people from Plains and Amy Laws, a teacher at Thompson Falls Elementary School. "They did very well. It was highly successful and good for them," said Nicole Cockrell, who took over as the JMG...
Kyle Jewkes, manager of the Rimrock RV Park in Thompson Falls, has been fishing since he moved to the area in October. Jewkes caught this 42-inch, 34-pound pike last month at Finley Flats. "It's the largest fish I ever caught," Jewkes said, adding that he had to wait for it to ice up to catch anything....
Winter migrant birds are out with early spring arrivals. Friends of Scotchman Peaks presents “Winter Birds” Saturday, March 24, at the Heron Community Center. The program starts at 9 a.m. After a brief chat explaining some birding handouts, the group will visit field sites. The group will examine riverside, wetland and timbered edge habitats in pursuit of spotting birds of prey, waterfowl, woodpeckers and songbirds. In addition, they will seek roosting birds, owl pellets, tracks, sign, and listen for vocalizations. The class is free to the pub...
For those photography enthusiasts who want to share their images, but might be a bit shy of being criticized, you might want to consider joining the Sanders County Photography Enthusiasts, headed by Brittany Riddle of Plains. Riddle started the Facebook photo organization more than a year ago, but in January, she decided to add the "52-Week Challenge Group," where hobby photographers can display their work and discuss it without any fears of disparagement. She presently has 116 members in the Sa...
Kickin’ butts and taking names – that’s what students at Noxon Schools will be doing Tuesday, March 20 for National Kick Butts Day with the help of Sanders County Tobacco Prevention and a special guest speaker the following day. The national event will have students around the country learning about the harmful effects of tobacco use, as well as committing to stay tobacco free. Traditionally, students in the National Honor Society (NHS) arrange a slew of hands-on activities for students in the district to learn about the dangers of tobac...
Delmer Lewis Garrison, 90, passed away peacefully of natural causes on March 5, 2018 at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains. Del was born May 30, 1927, in Thompson Falls, Mont. (the last year of the Ford Model T). He spent some of his younger years in Taft and Saltese, and attended school in Thompson Falls. Del married Margaret (Peggy) Helterline on September 20, 1956 at St. James Catholic Church in Plains. Together they lived in Plains where they raised their family and enjoyed many happy... Full story
December 17, 1951 - February 28, 2018 On a nearly perfect day in Quartzsite, Ariz., David was called home to be with the Lord while doing what he did every day – helping other people. David Lee Kayser was the first born of six children to Don Kayser and Maryann Meyer. He was big brother to Terry Kayser and Mark Kayser of Heron, Mont.; Donna Huddleston of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; Warren Kayser of Magalia, Calif.; and Leslie Nafus of Marino Valley, Calif. Born and raised in Chico and Portola, Calif., David and his wife Susie married in 1977 and m... Full story
Removal of the historic Heron bridge began Monday afternoon. The plan is to remove the bridge in sections, with the middle being the first to go. After hours of preparation in securing the bridge, welders were suspended in four corners to free the 120-foot long, 48,000-pound mid-section. The lower four corners were separated first, then welders climbed to the upper corners to free the section entirely. Dick Anderson Construction is handling the bridge removal with Montana Department of...
Research by the Washington Post noted that public speaking was a person's top phobia, but that didn't stop a group of kids from showing their oratory skills at the annual Sanders County 4-H Communication Finals Day. Sixteen kids from five 4-H clubs competed in the finals, which ran from 1 p.m. until about 4:30 p.m. at Plains School Sunday. The top presenter in the senior division was Rachel Wrobleski of the South Side Sparks in Plains for her demonstration titled "20,000 Stinging Insects and...
James Kent Sinclair, 62, took his first breath in Heaven at 8:00pm on Thursday, March 8th, 2018, at his beloved cabin at Glacier Bible Camp in Hungry Horse, MT. Jim passed peacefully and pain free, after doing one of his favorite things, working at camp. He took his last breath on earth as he was holding hands with his bride of 43 years, Renee'. Jim was born November 2, 1955 to Clarence and Ruth Sinclair (Beddingfield) in Medford, Oregon. Jim's early life was full of cap guns, baseball,... Full story
"I love God and America, that's why I'm doing this. This memorial needs to happen," said Zach Whipple-Kilmer, who donned an acoustic guitar to deliver renditions of patriotic songs at the Elks, Saturday. He and other veteran-supporting citizens filled the Elks Lodge to help raise funds to construct a veteran memorial at Ainsworth Field. While the Ainsworth project has been in the works for some time, organizers noted that the idea for a veteran memorial was in the cards since the planning...
At the Thompson Falls City Council meeting on Monday, members unanimously decided to continue pursuing funding for upgrades needed for the city pool. The city will apply for a grant through Land and Water Conservation to help with improvements. Mayor Mark Sheets noted that the pool’s decking is heaving due to weather and the construction upon silt. In a 2008 bid, Susic Construction estimated $50,000 to bring things up to par. The most recent estimate put the improvements at $90,000. City Clerk Chelsea Peterson noted that she was in the midst o...
Stop for just a second and notice your surroundings. Almost everything you see is some form of art; from the clothing design you are sporting to the colors of your surrounding walls, from the design of your furniture to the style of your hair, from the music you sing to the vehicle that transports you. Art is more important than many people realize. Without artists, our lives would be lacking in many ways. Therefore Krystal Murphy, Noxon High School (NHS) art teacher, is supporting aspiring...
Hot Springs is a town steeped in rich history. From native tribes to hardy homesteaders to tinsel town hideaway and the current colorful mix of people, the township has revolved around the warm mineral springs of its namesake. The Hot Springs Artists Society will celebrate Hot Springs history, with help from the archives of LaRue Museum, with a photo exhibition entitled, “Way Back When.” The group shared that the pictures will demonstrate the culture and diversity of that slice of Montana and invite residents and out-of-towners to take tim...
