Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Two Sanders County sheriff's deputies were awarded with the Medal of Valor at a ceremony last week. Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke presented deputies Lanny Hensley and Tim Kelly with the awards at the Sanders County Courthouse on Thursday evening. About 30 law enforcement officers, members of the public and family members attended the ceremony. "As sheriff, March 18, 2023, is a day that will forever haunt my memory," Sheriff Funke said. "But it is also a day that could have been much worse,...
A man who was a prisoner during the Vietnam War certainly had a captive audience last week as guest speaker at Whitepine Grange 102. The room had a stillness of quiet for nearly 1.5 hours as Navy veteran Rod Knutson talked about his time as a POW of the North Vietnamese after his F4 Phantom jet was shot out of the sky during a bombing run in October 1965. "There were all kinds of guns shooting at us, it was utter chaos," said Knutson, who was the radar intercept officer - the back seat position...
Sanders County Commissioners held a meeting with members of the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) last week to discuss bridges, speed limits and road chipping. Presiding officers were Dan Rowen, District 1, Anthony Cox District 2 and John Holland, District 3. . The Noxon Bridge was discussed when Commissioner Tony Cox brought up the issues of safety and overall age of the bridge. “The bridge was built in the 1920s and has metal cracks in places. It has been rehabilitated in the past,” Cox said. A velocity patch was put in when the Tro...
A trumpeter swan paddles through broken ice at a pond on the Holland Ranch north of Plains....
My favorite show growing up — and still one of my favorites now — was Little House on the Prairie. I love the idea of small communities supporting themselves and each other. When there was a barn raising, everyone showed up for the work and the celebration. When it was time for the harvest, everyone would gather for a large meal after the harvest was done. Food brings us together. In times of sickness or distress or in times of joy and celebration, there is always a meal to share. Think about when a family suffers a loss or an illness. Peo...
Taking exception to Mr. Elliott’s column on the 14th of March Mr. Elliott’s lamentations of the Republicans of old falls flat on its face in every aspect of those who have lived and learned and seen our political and judicial processes of our elected officials in D.C. become more and more perverted as the two parties became incestuous seemingly right under our eyes. Mr. Elliott further laments how the Republican Party has been taken over by a radical right movement we call MAGA, inspired by former president Trump during the 2016 pre...
Dear Editor, Schools set protocols for improving mental health (March 14, 2024). Although I appreciate the positive attention to this topic and the implementation of counseling sessions, school assemblies, and motivational speakers, I wonder if we are getting to the root of the problem or just putting out the fires. Should we not return to the foundation of education and approaches that improve our mental health in the schools and the community? Should we not return to teaching our children the skills they need to be successful members of a...
Before moving here, we lived in a tourist trap of a town at an elevation of 4200’ in the mountains outside of San Diego, California. We’d get more snow there in one night than we’ve ever gotten in an entire season here in Thompson Falls, but the trouble was as soon as it snowed you couldn’t leave your house. The citiots, as we called them, appeared in droves blocking traffic for 20 miles in both directions and turning the hour-long commute into a three-hour crawl. The problem was our sweet little town with zero traffic lights and two stop si...
THOMPSON FALLS IN THE YEAR 1894 There was a newspaper published in Thompson Falls in 1894. It was called the Weekly Montanian. H.A. Hendricks was the publisher. The Montanian went out of business, and shortly after the new County of Sanders was established, the Sanders County Ledger appeared (1905). We make comments from its columns: Advertisements then appearing were: J.A. Allen, “Fine Kentucky and Monongahela Whiskies,” Joe Webber, “Boots and Shoes,” Preston’s Livery and Feed Stables, Barnes and Lutton, “Wines, Liquors and Cigarettes,...
DEBORAH LOVELESS, Plains - “Bread because I make my own” DAVID FALK, Thompson Falls - “Bread, it smells much better.” DAN PARKS, Thompson Falls - “Bread, because of all the memories.” JIM GOFORTH, Trout Creek - “Bread, especially if Mom made cinnamon rolls.” CAROL MORRIS, Trout Creek - “Bread, because it smells like home baking.” MELISSA RUNKLE, Thompson Falls - “Bread, because I have allergies....
Montana Highway Patrol Boyd Smith, 32, seatbelt violation, $20. Ridge Whiting, 22, day speeding, $70. Consuelo Green, 22, speeding in a restricted zone, $105. Michael Normandeau, 50, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Ethan McCoy, 23, night speeding, $20. Steven Morris, 40, seatbelt violation, $20. Cathrine Cavazos, 41, seatbelt violation, $20. John Bivens IV, 28, night speeding, $20. Brayden Good, 21, night speeding, $20. Christian Reyes-Fried, 18, failure to stop when school bus stopped, 1st offense, $535. Gary Rogers, 57, seatbelt...
Ambulance: Plains, 9; T. Falls, 8; Hot Springs, 3; Paradise, 3; Noxon, 1; Dixon, 1; Trout Creek, 1. Monday, March 11 Assist miscellaneous, Plains. Motor vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Threats, T. Falls. Parking problem, Hot Springs. Assist miscellaneous, Plains. Parking problem, Hot Springs. Theft, Plains. Road hazard/blockage, Plains. Harassment/privacy in communication, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, Plains. Livestock, Paradise. Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Abandoned vehicle, Plains. General animal call/complaint, Plains. Tuesday, March 12...
Theodore Gibson made an initial appearance on Tuesday before Judge John Larson for a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, entering a plea of not guilty. A jury trial was scheduled for July 15, 2024. As detailed in the affidavit filed with the court, on February 10, Sanders County Sheriff’s Deputy Corey Wheeldon responded to the Barber Shop Bar in Hot Springs following a report of a male entering the bar with a firearm and waiving it at patrons. Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Zachary Rehbein also responded, arriving on scene prior t...
Photo by Darrin Kern Thompson Falls High School celebrated their prom earlier this month, with Kinzie Cox and Brayden McJunkin (above) crowned as king and queen. The theme of the prom was Alpine Allure with decor of pine trees and garlands of cedar boughs....
James D. Brown, age 80, a longtime rancher at Whitepine, born May 1, 1943, passed away March 17, 2024. A memorial service will be held this Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Thompson Falls Christian Church, corner of Haley Avenue and Church Street, after which burial will take place at the Whitepine Cemetery. A luncheon will follow at the Whitepine Mennonite Church, 3719 Highway 200. A full obituary will be published in next week's Ledger. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's honor may be made to Sanders County Coalition for...
Sanders County students were treated to a special concert last week. JumpinJazz Kids musicians are a traveling trio from Boulder, Colorado, that recently started touring the Northwest. "This performance is directed at entertaining youth. We did a performance at the Paradise Center on Sunday for adults. We were just jazz performers there. JumpinJazz Kids is what we call our school performances," said founder Mark Oblinger. Plains High School student Jourdin Bonberger said his mom, Ricki Bullock,...
After months of gathering information, the committee to report the pros and cons of starting a sanctioned soccer team between Plains and Thompson Falls Schools presented to the boards last week. Thompson Falls School Board approved having a soccer team next year, to a packed room of parents, students and other interested parties from Plains and Thompson Falls. Those opposed to having soccer as a school sport were concerned with it interfering with the football fall schedule. The vote was 6-1 in...
Step Up to Clean Up is the theme for the 2024 Thompson Falls Beautification Days project. Students at Thompson Falls Elementary, Trout Creek School and Trout Creek Adventist School decorated posters following the theme, which were judged by community members last week. "This year marks the 22nd year of the event," said Beautification Days coordinator Joni Mosher. One poster from each grade, kindergarten through sixth, was chosen to be made into flyers that will be displayed throughout the town...
Nearly 40 wrestlers from Plains, Hot Springs and Thompson Falls qualified to compete at the Little Guy Wrestling State competition at Polson Friday and Saturday. The Sanders County teams were among a dozen teams and some 300 wrestlers at the Western Montana Little Guy Intervalley Tournament at Superior Friday and Saturday. Plains, Hot Springs and Thompson Falls had teams at the competition, which went from 9 a.m. until about 6 p.m., finishing with the beginner class. Fifteen wrestlers from...
Spring is nearly here and the Plains Beautification Committee is wasting no time in making plans to help residents in need. Members of the committee had their first meeting at the Century 21 Big Sky Real Estate office in Plains last Wednesday evening to start planning for the spring Beautification Day Cleanup, scheduled for Saturday, May 18. "This is a great program. It helps neighbors and community members with projects that they can't otherwise accomplish on their own," said Lana Dicken, one o...
As math enthusiasts around the world celebrated Pi Day on March 14, students at Trout Creek Adventist School took their appreciation for the mathematical constant to new heights. From reciting digits of pi to baking delicious pies, the school's Pi Day festivities were a hit among both students and parents. Serena Overbeck, a standout student with a remarkable memory, wowed the crowd by flawlessly reciting 64 digits of pi from memory. Akilah McKell, Amy Ficklin, and Samuel Overbeck were the next...
Several basketball players in Thompson Falls and Plains were honored recently with All-Conference designation. Lady Hawk Gabi Hannum, a sophomore, was named an All-State player in District 7B, as was junior Hawk Bryson LeCoure. Solveig Nygaard and Hannum were named to the girls’ first-team All-Conference list and Addi Pardee made second team All-Conference. Blue Hawks Nick Tessier and LeCoure were named first team All Conference, while Sam Burgess earned second team All Conference honors. Horseman Darren Standeford was also named to the f...
The warm weather invites us to open up the windows to clear the air in our stuffy homes. The season of cleaning is upon us. Some will scrub top to bottom making sure all the old dust collected in corners is removed. This can be refreshing for the habitants of the house. It also gets rid of stored energies that need to be flushed out. This clearing is good for everyone in the household. Stagnant air and energy can cause fatigue, breathing problems and even emotional unrest. The clearing goes deeper than scrubbing the cobwebs from the ceiling, th...
It is hard to believe that one year has passed since this first Mortgage Minute article came out. It has been fun working this up every month. I would like to thank those who encouraged me to write the article, those who provided ideas, and those who have helped review and fine tune each article that has come out. Back in March of 2023, there was optimism that mortgage rates would drop from the average 30-year rate of 6.85% that was prevalent at that time. A quote that I had in that first article from bankrate.com stated “Depending on what t...
by UM News Service Snowpack this winter continues to be at an all-time low across several river basins in western Montana, indicating that this year could see water shortages, according to recent projections from the Montana Climate Office. The MCO is based at the University of Montana in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. MCO produces daily summaries of drought conditions for the Upper Missouri River Basin (UMRB), Washington, Oregon and Idaho to help state and local governments make timely and informed decisions about...
