Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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A 5-foot, 8-inch rabbit was seen walking about the E.L. Johnson Memorial Park, and although several were reluctant to approach him, it received a few hugs or high fives. The big bunny, aka Plains resident Logan Wall, 14, was part of the annual Plains Easter Egg Hunt put on by the Assembly of God Church on the Move and the Plains Lions Club Sunday afternoon. An estimated 130 children from nearly 1-10 years old took part in the egg retrieval event. "We love our community and we wanted to make...
Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) held another COVID-19 vaccination clinic over the weekend, administering more than 800 vaccines last week. At the hospital’s clinic on Saturday, 754 people received the Moderna vaccine, which requires two doses. According to Dr. Gregory Hanson, CEO of CFVH, the hospital has administered more than 5,000 vaccine doses with approximately 1,800 individuals being fully vaccinated. “It is a remarkable testament to the national effort to develop the vaccine and distribute it in just over the one year we have been deal...
Each year in April, residents begin to get a bit of cabin fever and wonder when the Thompson Pass road will be open, connecting the county with Idaho. The pass generally opens around Mother's Day weekend. Montana Department of Transportation crews are currently working to plow the pass. It is maintained up to mile marker 16 in the winter. The remaining miles of the pass road are used by snowmobilers and other outdoor enthusiasts through the winter season. Dave Bennett of Thompson Falls took the...
When she was first introduced to the GFWC (General Federation of Women’s Clubs) Thompson Falls Woman’s Club, she was presented as Margie Growl, as she had previously explained her last name akin to the sound of a lion. In fact, her name is Margie Rohwer, and she received an award in 2020 for serving her community through the women’s club for over 70 years. Rohwer joined when she was 21, in 1949, soon after moving back to the area with her husband, George. Rohwer has always been a big proponent o...
In the age where just about anything can be delivered to your doorstep in a couple of days, it's important to remember the importance of vital services such as medical care. My brother and I were born at Clark Fork Valley Hospital. When I was 8 and broke my foot in a snowmobile accident, Dr. Randy Lovell met us at his clinic on a Sunday to x-ray it and put a cast on. When my friend had an accident a few years ago that resulted in a huge gash on his forehead (also on a Sunday), the physician at the hospital that day said he could find a plastic...
The controversy surrounding guns is in the news again. It seems to happen at least once a year and almost always after a shooting involving multiple victims. And, as usual, the so-called assault rifles are the focus of the anti-gun activists. It’s odd to me that one weapon can command so much attention. I think it’s caused by confusion. It’s my belief that many in the anti-gun crowd simply don’t know anything about firearms and are not interested in learning. In many of these people’s minds, gu...
At Clark Fork Valley Hospital, patient safety is at the core of our mission. Recently, Rep. Denley Loge took a common-sense approach to protecting the health and safety of patients during this legislative session. Specifically, he helped stop House Bill 415, which would have prohibited your local hospital and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes) from requiring staff to be vaccinated. Hospitals in Montana are not required by law to require vaccinations, but most do. Vaccinations are a clinical best practice and a longstanding,...
Jim Elliott once again took to the pages of the Ledger to push the party line agenda of the new, progressive, Democrat party. Jim seems to think that everyone with a heartbeat and maybe some without a heartbeat should be able to vote as often as they like with no identification. He thinks the process of getting a photo ID is too complex for many prospective voters, but those same ID challenged individuals are able to comprehend the issues and can evaluate the candidates with no problem. Jim then tries to walk us through the complicated process...
6 YEARS AGO • APRIL 21, 1916 TIME TO CLEAN UP Spring is here, the snow has gone and the mud dried up, the annual season has again rolled around when it is full time for you to get out that garden rake and clean up the yard, prepare the ground for a little garden and burn up the trash that has accumulated during the winter. It is to be hoped that the mayor and city council will speedily lease or buy a small tract of ground, not too far from town that can be used for a city dumping ground. While it is true that old boards, paper, dead grass and...
TASHA ALBANO, Thompson Falls - “I feel so because you see more people out now, and it is not seeming as scary as people once thought it was.” MADYLYN MENZEL, Trout Creek - “I think that people in specific groups can become more comfortable. I think people with more health conditions should be staying inside.” JERRY MESSING, Thompson Falls - “I do, I can see it more. The virus is still around, and I think they are more careful.” MATT DOMBACH, Thompson Falls - “I believe, in our area people are becoming more comfortable. There are other parts o...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 2; Hot Springs, 5; Heron, 1; Plains, 9; Heron, 1; Noxon, 1; Dixon, 1. Monday, March 29 Fire, Trout Creek. Person missing, neighbors have not seen resident in about 10 days, dispatch entered as missing, not at residence or on property, car gone, T. Falls. Informational case, resident mailed altered/fictitious check, Plains. Informational case, Plains. Theft, sexual assault involving two juveniles, Hot Springs. Fire, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, Dixon. Suspicious activity, Hot Springs. Tuesday, March 30 Informational case,...
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Nicholas Edgecomb, 39, assault, $235. Michelle Turner, 25, day speeding, $20. Carol Homola, 48, day speeding, $20. Alexander Davis, 19, failure to carry proof of insurance, 1st offense, $85. Tamah Butchart, 56, day speeding, $20. Gavin Regalado, 18, possessing intoxicating substances while under 21, 1st offense, deferred imposition of sentence, $185. Nathan Feliksa, 18, possessing intoxicating substances while under 21, 1st offense, deferred imposition of sentence, $185. Hunter Rich, 18, possessing i...
Thompson Falls students were given a treat when they got to have their first assembly of 2021. The assembly was held to introduce a special guest, Supaman, aka Christian Parrish Takes the Gun. He is a Native American hip-hop artist who won the 2017 MTV VMA award, Nammy (Native American Music Award), North American Indigenous Image Award and the Tunney Award. The last of which he won seven times. He has also won other Native American music awards in both the United States and Canada for the...
A chipmunk snacks on seed in a bird feeder at Linda Elliott's Thompson Falls home. Elliott said she was expecting to photograph some birds in her feeder, but the chipmunk had stopped in for a visit....
For the seventh year, Trout Creek Community Improvement Association (TCCIA) held their community Easter egg hunt at the Trout Creek Community Park, Saturday at noon. Over 150 youths and their families participated, and well over 6,000 eggs were spread across the park field. The week before, between 10-20 volunteers filled those eggs with over 8,000 pieces of candy, and about 10 more put out the eggs Saturday morning. There was also a scavenger hunt for children over 13, where several objects...
February temperatures were quite a change from the mild January, with the average daytime high over 6 degrees below the historical average for February. Snow total of 42.4 inches was well above the average of 19.7 inches. Interesting that 4 out of the last 5 Februarys had snow totals more than twice the average. Total moisture for this water-year (since October 1, 2020) is 20.03 inches compared to 21.32-inch average (6% below average). For snowfall, we have 83.5 inches compared to 100.9-inch average (17% below average). The Poorman Creek...
Mike Larson, 71, died doing what he loved the most; catching fish. He left us on March 29, 2021, while getting in one last ice-fishing trip for the season. Mike revered fishing, but especially loved catching walleye in the summer and kokanee salmon in the winter. Most politely declined his invitations to fish with him because he took such a disciplined and intense approach to the sport. Between the 4 a.m. wake up calls, going out in all types of questionable conditions, and bringing empty... Full story
Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes continues with the third week total of 3,963 lake trout entries, which is the highest so far in the event. The lake trout final total for three weeks is at 11,125 with 168 anglers turning in at least one entry. It was a great Easter weekend for leading angler Kolton Turner of Kalispell. His basket was full with his limit of 100 fish all three days. His total is at 692. Jason Mahlen of Kalispell is second with 662 entries and Bob Turner of Kalispell is thi...
THOMPSON FALLS FRIDAY NIGHT LITES W L Hagedorn Land 57 47 Project ASCENT 53 51 Bernie’s Best 52 52 Lyght & Lyght 52 52 Two Rivers Strikers 50 54 Wobbly Ballers 48 56 Team Scr. Game: Project Ascent, 608; Scr. Series: Project Ascent, 1686; Hcp. Game: Project Ascent, 850; Hcp. Series: Project Ascent, 2412; Inv. Scr. Game: Ricky Hagedorn, 179; Scr. Series: Rob Christensen, 431; Hcp. Game: Ron Hawkinson, 237; Hcp. Series: Rob Christensen, 625....
Sanders County Commissioners met last week with members of the public and community organizations for a public hearing to assess community needs. The meeting included representatives from Mission West Community Development Partners (MWCDP), Sanders County Community Development Corporation (SCCDC) and Sanders County Community Housing Organization (SCCHO). The public hearing served as an opportunity for MWCDP, the regional lead, to inform the community on the status of funding for programs and projects related to community and economic developmen...
For the first time in several years, Thompson Falls had a community Easter egg hunt. Organized by Kellee Needles and First Baptist Church of Thompson Falls, "Easter Shell-ebration 2021" was held at the Thompson Falls Airport. The event drew nearly 40 children and their families and included corn hole, bowling, the egg hunt and other games. The egg hunt was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, "so the families could celebrate on their own Sunday morning," said Needles. During the main event, there were four...
It's a new soccer season and although the newest team didn't win either of its first two games, they didn't lose either. The Clark Fork Alliance U20 soccer team in Plains played its first two preseason games on Saturday at Amundson Sports Complex. Both games ended in ties, said Joshua Allday, the team's head coach, who is nevertheless optimistic for future games. The Plains team is part of the Wildhorse Youth Soccer Association, which is part of the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance, a combination of...
ICY WAKEUP – Plains Elementary School Principal Jim Holland takes his first chilly dunk of the day, complements of Skip Privett of the fifth grade and Title 1 teacher Gena Ferland. Superintendent Thom Chisholm (right) was next in the tank. Holland kept dry as the first seven students from kindergarten through sixth grade tossed a softball at the release lever some 10 feet away, but none of them caused a dip in the tank. After he was dunked by Privett and Ferlan, kids' names were drawn. This t...
As part of a national campaign to highlight the good works of retired servicemen and women, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) reached out to vets across the country in 2019. The initiative was sparked by interest in how they were still serving their communities, even after finishing their time in the military. This year, Still Serving, a campaign that honors veterans who continue to serve, recognized Joe Wagner, a retired Marine living in Thompson Falls. Having worked landscaping before,...
Call it “Pirk’s Place” from now on; after all it was one of Randy Pirker’s favorite places on earth and he deserves to have his name emblazoned on it for all to see, appreciate and, most of all, remember. The Thompson Falls Lady Hawks will re-christen the TFHS softball field as Pirk’s Place in honor of the late great coach Saturday at 1 p.m. before a doubleheader with visiting Bonners Ferry. Randy’s daughters Arikka and Stephanie, who both played for their dad as Lady Hawks, will be on hand for the dedication and first-pitch ceremony. T...
