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Independently owned since 1905
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A public meeting was held Tuesday evening for Plains residents whose groundwater has been affected by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) salt contamination. The meeting was organized by Kimberly Joner, a property owner whose water has been affected by the salt. The area impacted starts from the location of the MDT shop in Plains northwest of town. It then follows a northwest path between Lower Lynch Creek Road and Highway 200 to Lyla Lane. The meeting was led by Laura Alvey from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality...
If you are looking for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park's (FWP) office, you will have to head east of Thompson Falls, where they have recently relocated to a new building owned by Avista. The end of January, biologists packed up their items from the Forest Service building they were in and made the move to 5427 Highway 200. "We had been leasing the old place from the Forest Service," stated Ryan Kreiner, FWP fisheries biologist. "The Forest Service was interested in getting rid of the property...
Spring is here. While the snow has not disappeared from Sanders County, the melting process has begun, with temperatures hitting the high 50s this week. Residents and visitors have noticed the giant snow piles and ice jams in the Clark Fork and Flathead rivers, but county officials say flooding in the main rivers is not a concern at this point. "Looking at the historical records, the flows are a little below normal," Sanders County Emergency Manager Bill Naegeli said. With the forecast of warmer...
Thompson Falls Elementary students helped kick off the Beautification Days preparation last week with their annual poster contest. The Thompson Falls Main Street Committee has scheduled Beautification Days for April 25-27. The event is a way to do some spring cleaning in the community and help neighbors as well. The Main Street Committee judged the posters created by students in grades kindergarten through sixth, picking a winner from each grade. The winners' artwork will be displayed on the...
Spring has sprung in western Montana…finally. The warmer temperatures and long-awaited sunshine have boosted energy levels in all of us Northerners. We have been given the go ahead to get outdoors. The increase of outside activates such as going for a walk, bike ride, running or just hanging out with friends is a welcomed affair. As we spend the next several months enjoying ourselves, it is important for everyone to be aware. What we mean by aware is that drivers take extra notice of construction workers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, runners, p...
This was a very busy week in Helena. On the first day back, I presented HB 439 to the House Judiciary committee. This bill deals with fraudulent service animal usage. On Thursday, I presented four bills – HB 37, HB 38, HB 82, and HB 440 – to the Senate Transportation committee, and Friday I presented HB 282 to the Senate Judiciary committee. This bill takes away any possible sexual consent for anyone employed in an alternate adolescent facility with a resident of that facility. Along with the...
I am writing this on St. Patrick’s Day, the celebration of Irish culture enjoyed by all Americans no matter what their ethnic heritage. This is worth thinking about because when the Irish came to America they were vilified, just as are millions of Hispanic immigrants today. The Irish even entered America legally. They couldn’t much help it, there were no national immigration laws until the 1880s when legislation was passed limiting the number of Chinese who could come here. Individual sta...
Dear Ledger and this wonderful community I feel fortunate to live in: I’m inspired with great emotions beside awesome appreciation living in the northwest corner of Montana. This time of the year is inspirational, simpatico, exploding with newly perpetual life all around us. The beautiful contrast, white snow upon the darker rocks, boulders and stately mountains. It is like a tapestry of rich, multi-colored pictorial designs perfectly woven together by "His great hands." The flowing and still waters show darker shadows, darker reflections of d...
A recent resignation on the Noxon School Board precipitated the need for an appointment to finish out the term. Three candidates applied for the position. Full disclosure: I was one of those candidates. While disappointed I wasn’t chosen, I have every confidence the selected candidate will do an excellent job. I found the process to be very fair. The process started by advertising the opening 72 hours after the resignation as outlined by board policy. What perplexes me is why the board chose not to follow these guidelines when selecting a m...
5 YEARS AGO • FEBRUARY 15, 1996 WATER AND ICE CREATE HAVOC The impacts of rain, snowmelt, ice and raging water caused havoc across Sanders County last week causing a train derailment, massive flooding, property damage, road washouts and mud slides. Saturday, Thompson Falls Mayor Jerry Neal declared a state of emergency for his city as a horizontal mountain of ice lodged at the upper end of the Thompson Falls Reservoir, clearly in sight of the town. He feared the ice, which appears to be held i...
EARL LEWIS, Noxon – "I think we need to do something about the wolves, otherwise we won’t have any wildlife. The wolves even go into the bears' dens and kill their baby bears. It has gotten so bad in the woods that I quit hunting.” DAN DVOROZNAK, Thompson Falls – "They have to liberalize hunting regulations like the state of Idaho. The hunters can’t do it all. The trappers can. The season should be open year round.” ALAN RENARD, Thompson Falls –“They need to continue to be hunted because they don’t have any predators.” ANNA GRIEGO, Dixon – “Th...
Ambulances: Noxon, 4; T. Falls, 6; Plains, 3; H. Springs, 4. Sunday, March 10 Domestic disturbance, T. Falls. Fish & Game requested for a deer caught in a fence, T. Falls. Injured deer, Hwy. 200, Plains. Monday, March 11 Erratic driver, Hwy. 200, Paradise. Welfare check requested, Plains. Violation of protection order via social media, Noxon. Welfare check requested, T. Creek. Property dispute, Heron. Tuesday, March 12 Welfare check requested, H. Springs. Welfare check requested, Plains. Speeding vehicle, eastbound Hwy. 200, Eddy Flats....
In 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, Judge Deborah "Kim" Christopher ordered restitution and a two-year deferred sentence for a Hot Springs woman convicted of theft. Ayla Blasius was charged with theft of more than $4,000 from the Hot Springs Parent Teacher Organization while she was a board member for the organization. Blasius was sentenced to two years of probation and must pay the remaining restitution of $2,459.22 during that time. Also in court Tuesday, Jason Krick was sentenced to three years with the Department of Corrections...
A 44-year-old Plains man was found dead in his rented house around 3 p.m. Friday. Plains Chief of Police Shawn Emmett called it a “suspicious death” and immediately ordered an autopsy of Mark Legard at the Montana Crime Lab in Missoula. Emmett couldn’t release any additional information surrounding the death of the Plains man because the case is still under investigation. His body was discovered by his father, Pat Legard. Mark Legard had been the owner of Mark’s Barber Shop in Plains for several years. He lost his mother, son and a niece i...
Montana Highway Patrol Sheryl Clark, 64; operating without liability insurance, 3rd or subsequent offense, $585; day speeding, $20. Timmothy Warneke, 40; seatbelt violation, $20; driving while privilege is suspended or revoked, $286. Keely Cran, 21, basic rule, reasonable and prudent, 1st offense, $45. Liam Mcnamara, 24, operating without liability insurance, 2nd offense, $385; careless driving, $85. Timothy Patton, 45, day speeding, $20. Timothy Obrien, 27, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Anthony Henkel, 31, criminal possession of drug par...
The third Saturday in March has been dubbed National Quilting Day by the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. This year, National Quilting Day coincided with the culmination of First Lutheran Church's quilt project for Lutheran World Relief (LWR). Each year, LWR donates hundreds of thousands of quilts to those in need throughout the world. The Plains congregation completes an average of 25 quilts each year to the effort. Last Saturday, about a dozen women showed up to finish the last...
The Thompson Falls High School graduating classes of 1962-1966 and the class of 1969 will gather in June to celebrate their reunions. The group will gather June 28-20. That Friday, June 28, an informal get-together will be held at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge. Saturday, the class of 1969 will hold 50th reunion activities during the day. All classes will gather at the Elks Lodge beginning at 5 p.m. for pictures and a banquet. A farewell breakfast begins at 8 a.m. Sunday at Minnie's Montana Cafe. A written invitation and registration form...
The Plains Days committee got one step closer to firming up some of the events and made a decision on outside vendors at their meeting last week at the Dog Hill Bistro. Outside vendors have shown up at past Plains Days, but the committee decided to give local vendors first shot and a better deal. Erika Lawyer, the Plains Business Association treasurer, said they felt that the town has nonprofit and commercial businesses that can provide the same services as some of those from out town. “A solution to providing adequate service while honoring o...
Each year, the Knights of Columbus in Thompson Falls collect donations for their annual Tootsie Roll Drive. Members collected almost $2,000 last year to donate to local Special Olympics athletes. Ron Kazmierczak with the Knights of Columbus last week presented a $700 check to the Super Hawks and a $1,190 check to Little Bitterroot Special Services. Amanda Moseley with Little Bitterroot said they will use the donation a little differently this year. While some of the money will continue to...
On Saturday, March 16, David and Dorothy Lyght celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Their union began on March 15, 1969, at the Community Church in Thompson Falls. They have lived in Thompson Falls these 50 years and have raised four children: twin sons Tony and Trent, daughter Mindy and son Jeremy. Relatives from Helena, Kalispell, Bozeman, Hayden, Idaho, and Dayton, Nevada, as well as many local relatives attended....
Phyllis Adams, 81 of Poulsbo, Washington, passed away Wednesday, February 6, at home surrounded by family. She was born March 22, 1937, in Harlem, Montana, to Lauretta and Raymond Gable. Phyllis was raised in Thompson Falls, with three sisters (Helen, Rachel and Sheila) and a brother, Donald. She married Leon “Lee” Adams on June 6, 1953 in Thompson Falls. From there, they resided in Montana, Nebraska and Idaho. They moved to Poulsbo in 1967 where Lee took a position at the Keyport Naval Torpedo Station. Phyllis worked as a legal secretary for...
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The Trout Creek Community Improvement Association (TCCIA) doesn’t stay idle for very long. After just finishing up with the annual Cabin Fever Redneck Ball a few weeks ago, they are now transferring their energy into organizing their 6th annual Easter Eggstravaganza. “To make this event as spectacular as the last two years, we could use a little help,” Elizabeth Stender of TCCIA said. With more than 300 children attending last year’s Easter Eggstravaganza, the event is no small task. “We had over 6,000 eggs filled with candy and prizes” f...
Students from Hot Springs and Plains schools took a break from spelling and arithmetic to get a ride in the snow, compliments of Patrick Roy and his girlfriend, Kiyha Brost, both of Plains, who brought six Alaskan husky sled dogs to the schools. Roy and Brost spent about two hours last Thursday at Hot Springs Elementary School, where his dogs pulled a dozen second-graders from the class of Felicia Wickum, Roy's mother, on a path at the school. Two weeks ago, he took the dogs and one of his...
Sanders County 4-H members had a chance to fine-tune their Communication Days presentations for the final round, held Sunday at Plains School. Junior and senior 4-H members competed for prizes including Multi-County Camp scholarships, as well as a chance to attend 4-H Congress in Billings in July. In the junior division, the top presenters were Kara Christensen of the Hot Springs Wranglers and Mikiah Cook of Plains with the Southside Sparks. Christensen did a demonstration on perler beads, and...
