Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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It doesn't matter if it's a fire, a drought, beetles, or some type of disease, it's the role of the Plains Ranger Station's Genetic Restoration Program to keep the woods from disappearing. That's where Val Walker comes in and her 2018 season is just getting started. Walker, the senior Genetic Resources Forester in Plains, and her staff are responsible for making sure there are trees for the future by caring for the 123-acre Plains Tree Improvement Area (TIA), nicknamed the "tree farm," along...
Despite the freezing temps and wind chill, warm-fuzzy feelings were present at the Trout Creek Easter Egg-stravaganza. "We have some pretty tough Montana kids. We had over 240 kids registered – just shy of last year's numbers when the weather was better," said Liz Stender, whose efforts with Trout Creek Community Improvement Association (TCCIA) help to put on the annual Easter egg hunt, "it was too cold for little fingers to do arts and crafts and cookie decorating, but they didn't let the c...
Members of the Plains Business Association have big plans for Plains Day this year, including making the annual festival a three-day event and including nearly 20 events scattered over the weekend of June 1, 2, and 3. "I am excited. I think that there's a lot of community partners involved and when that happens good things are bound to happen," said Erika Lawyer, treasurer for the Plains Business Association, the overall sponsor of Plains Days. This is the first time it's been a three-day...
Bears are emerging from dens across northwest Montana, and residents are reminded to remove food attractants from their properties to avoid conflicts. Montana is home to grizzly bears and black bears that roam the mountains and valley floors from spring through late fall before denning in wintertime. Starting in mid- March, bears begin emerging and move to lower-elevation areas seeking food. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks encourages residents to "Be Bear Aware" and remove attractants by April...
Area agencies are making an effort to share knowledge and strategies for keeping Sanders County safe. City and county law enforcement agencies are working with local schools, starting conversations about preventing incidents and preparing action plans in case something catastrophic happens here. Next week, Sanders County Coalition for Families will bring together representatives of local agencies for training on domestic violence issues. And area emergency services personnel hold mock training incidents or step up to help in situations such as...
Political wisdom; “Never put in writing what you can communicate by speaking, and never speak when you can make your point with a wink and a nod.” Which is worse, Russian interference in American elections or secret American special interest groups doing the same? Well, of course it’s the Russians because the special interest groups are at least American not to mention bread and butter to the politicians of one political party or another. The reason why the latter are not the subject of congr...
Proposed copper mines in the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness area. Why would anyone harm the best we have in our Northwest corner? A beautiful high mountain paradise, full of wildlife, birds, flowers, trails that leave a big Wow! Pristine streams of water and waterfalls. Water is a life-giving gift. The Clark Fork River being downhill from the proposed mines has had enough mining damage from the Butte and Anaconda mines dumping their worst toxic waste into the river for 135 years plus the dams. The Clark Fork deserves protection. Please help...
Editor, In our Constitutional Representative Republic [not Democracy as popularly misunderstood due to decades of disinformation] we use the democratic process of citizen vote election of representatives. By Constitutional mandate all elected representatives and officials are required to pledge an oath to Uphold and Defend the Constitution of the United States. We send, via election, representatives to our State Legislatures and Congress to uphold and defend the Constitution because we hard working everyday citizens can’t be there to do it o...
5 YEARS AGO • APRIL 6, 1948 GUNDERSONS SELL SKOGMOS Sale of the Skogmo Clothing store to a new, still-to-be formed local corporation effective April 20 was announced Tuesday by owners Gary and Betty Gunderson. Stockholders in the new corporation will be Dean and Liz Margelin, State Rep. Chris Stobie and his wife, Ruby, Herb and Juanita Stobie, K.A. and Gladys Eggensperger and Jim and Middie Frost, all of Thompson Falls. Gunderson who is retiring from the clothing business after more than 35 years, will continue to reside in Thompson Falls. Gun...
ERIN WILSON, Trout Creek – “I would say probably for the House of Representatives. I think that society is not being represented accurately. There is too much self-interest. I’m an independent, fiscally conservative voter. I vote the issues, not the party.” CHRISTY CHEVRON, Missoula – “Maybe I would run for a local city council. More change can come about locally. That’s the place to start in your own area.” KELSEY GLYNN, Missoula – “I never thought about running for office but if I did run, it would be for the city council or a state office....
Ambulances: Noxon, 5; T. Falls, 8; Plains, 4; H. Springs, 4; Dixon QRU, 1. Sunday, March 25 Domestic dispute, H. Springs. Erratic driver, driving slow, Hwy. 200, Plains. Jewelry missing from vehicle, Plains. Property damage, neighbor cutting trees, Paradise. Open burning, Plains. Arrest made for aggravated DUI, Hwy. 200, Dixon. Smell of burnt plastic and rotten eggs coming from neighbor residence, Plains. Vehicle out of gas along Hwy. 382. Monday, March 26 Vehicle vs. power pole, Plains. Person walking around possibly carrying a pistol,...
Montana Highway Patrol Shane Ellis, 40, $20, seatbelt violation. Michaela Lerch, 18, $65, speeding in a restricted zone. Adam Davis, 35, $20, seatbelt violation. David Swope, 33, $20, seatbelt violation. Gabriel Gamboa, 15, $20, seatbelt violation. Wesley Randolph, 39, $85, no liability insurance, 1st offense. Shane Brown, 43, $75, no liability insurance, 1st offense. Shane Brown, 43, $225, failure to give notice by quickest means, 1st offense. Shane Brown, 43, $45, careless driving. Rebel Hamilton, 22, $85, failure to have child under 6 yrs....
"Connie Gunderson is a once-in-a-lifetime student," says local dog trainer Jan Manning. Gunderson and her dog, Mel, recently accomplished something none of Manning's students have ever done, "and we're talking about thousands of people and dogs over 30 years," she adds. Two weeks ago, "Team Gunderson" (Connie and Mel, a mixed-breed herding dog) competed in a dog obedience trial in Bozeman. In three days of competition, they earned two prestigious American Kennel Club awards: a Companion Dog...
With the filing deadline past for local and state elections and the June 5 primary a couple months away, the Republican and Democrat Central committees are also in the midst of electing precinct committee members. Bobbi Christenson with the Sanders County Election Office said that the county Democrats have opted to appoint their committeemen and committeewomen, while the Sanders County Republican Central Committee has opted to allow voters to choose their precinct representatives by election. The precinct’s Republican committeeman and c...
Thompson Falls students in kindergarten through sixth grade are getting a little extra encouragement in reading. The Running Start program, sponsored by the Thompson Falls Woman’s Club, began this week with the students at Thompson Falls Elementary. Each year, Principal Len Dorscher leads the students on a playground run. But this year, Mother Nature had other plans and a late snowstorm canceled the run portion of the event. Karen Gustavsen with the Woman’s Club delivered a book to each child in grades K-6 on Tuesday, and Dorscher said he wou...
Gregory (Greg) A. Johnston of Cody, Wyoming died March 28, 2018. Greg was born in Hot Springs, Montana on March 22, 1953 to Ed and Lucy Johnston. Greg was raised in Thompson Falls, Montana where he attended all 12 years of school, graduating in 1971. While in Junior High and High School, he worked part-time at the Gambles Hardware Store in Thompson Falls. He also worked for several ranches, cut and sold firewood, painted fences and tied flies for a tackle company. From a very young age, Greg was...
Diabetes affects people of all ages, but it occurs more often in older adults. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than one in every four Americans over the age of 65 has diabetes. Managing diabetes can be tough, but support from health care providers, diabetes educators, community resources and friends and family can make it much easier. The first step to better managing diabetes and high blood sugar is to learn more about it. Clark Fork Valley Hospital, Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, the Medicare Quality Innovation...
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For the second consecutive year Charlie Woolley nabbed top honors in the pinewood derby competition at the LDS Church in Plains. With his "Lyman #2," Woolley was undefeated in his five heats with his fastest time at 3.678 seconds at the 2nd Annual LDS Pinewood Derby Friday evening. Woolley's slowest time was 3.696, faster than all the other cars. Woolley was one of four adults and four kids in this year's pinewood competition, which was open to anyone in the community. The rules for the...
The Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District plans on prescribed burning in several areas when the correct conditions are met, either this spring or in the fall. Planned prescribed burn units are a combination of those created by timber harvest activities and others intended for ecosystem benefit. The treatment of fuels created by timber harvest is mandated by law and fire is the primary tool used to reduce slash loading and to prepare sites for tree planting and/or natural regeneration of trees. Prescribed fire for ecosystem benefit is intended t...
The town of Dixon is preparing for a stampede of bison this Saturday – or so the event’s name suggests. The stampede is actually the 4th Annual Bison Stampede Fun Run that invites area runners, joggers, and walkers to help raise money for improvements on Dixon’s school campus that is nearly 100 years old. Participants can join the excitement and run in a 5 kilometer race, 10 kilometer, or the 1 Mile Run for Fun. Once the races are finished, a pancake breakfast will be served. The entry fee for the 5k/10k is $25. There is no charge for child...
Call it weekend softball getaway. The Thompson Falls Lady Hawk softball team will be on tour this weekend, heading to Anaconda for a game Friday afternoon and then staying the night before heading to Deer Lodge for a doubleheader Saturday. "It should be a good team-bonding trip," coach Jared Koskela said. "We will play the game in Anaconda, maybe take in a movie together that night, stay in the wrestling room at the high school and then head to Deer Lodge for our games there the next day. It...
For a while there, Michele Bangen thought she was watching a bad movie and not witnessing her Plains-Hot Springs Trotters playing a softball game. It all happened in Florence Thursday during the Falcons' 17-1 win over the Trotters. "It was like I was watching the movie 'Space Jam,'" she said. "It was as if a monster came and stole all our defensive skills. We just could not seem to field the ball there for a while." Bangen said pitcher Kassidy Kinzie was doing her job. "Kass had them hitting...
The track and field season got off to a running, jumping and throwing, and oh yeah, vaulting start at the Jim Johnson Invitational in Frenchtown March 27 and three of Sanders County's four high school teams were there to usher in the new season. Of those county teams in Frenchtown, the Thompson Falls boys and the Plains girls enjoyed the most early season success, as the Hawk boys scored 61 points to pull down third in team scoring, while the Plains girls posted 53 points to take fourth on their...
Montana-bred but Iowa-tested. Five of Thompson Falls' best youth wrestlers competed for Montana teams in a national duals tournament in Des Moines, Iowa last week, and coach Mike Thilmony, who coached one of the teams for Montana in the event, says the experience could not have been any more positive for each and every one of them making the trip. For those in the know about the sport, Iowa is considered the epicenter of American amateur wrestling, the place where the competition is generally...
