Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The City of Thompson Falls is pursuing an increase to water and sewer rates for the first time in seven years. The City Council voted on Monday to pursue the increase. A public hearing will be held before the council makes a decision at its May meeting. The city is proposing an increase in the base residential and commercial water rate from $38.85 a month to $40 a month and $1.50 for each 1,000 gallons used. The current $38.85 monthly base rate includes 8,000 gallons a month. The proposed change also includes doing away with the vacation rate,...
Heron’s Monarch School may have abruptly closed its doors, sending students home early last fall, but there is still plenty of business requiring immediate attention. Parents and guardians of former students have recently filed a lawsuit against the school, Monarch founders and directors Patrick and Michelle McKenna, and employee Dawn Bristol; whose role is unclear as allegations state she was a business partner while she claims to have only served as an assistant to the McKenna’s. All are facing legal accountability for alleged adv...
The City of Thompson Falls is celebrating a major milestone of the Ainsworth Park project. The city was notified Tuesday that a $381,730 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) has been awarded for the project. "Projects such as yours help to promote and develop Montana's communities," Gov. Steve Bullock said in a letter to the city. The CDBG grant will be matched with more than $70,000 that has already been raised for the Ainsworth project. "This is wonderful," Mayor Mark Sheets. "It (the proj...
The status of the current environmental health crisis is no secret. Sanders County Solid Waste Refuse employees understand this crisis. They are jump starting Earth Day (April 22) with Beautification Days beginning this Thursday and recycle, recycle, recycle! County Solid Waste Refuse members encourage residents to take advantage of the recycling programs they will have available Thursday, Saturday and Sunday only. For those looking to get rid of unused paint, Thompson Falls refuse site on Airport Road will have a designated “Paint Swap: L...
Ainsworth Field Park has sat empty for years. You hear comments about what an eyesore it is, about how long it has taken to do anything with the park. And for just as long, a group of residents has been devoting hundreds of hours to how to develop the park. From fundraisers to planning, the committee didn’t give up on the dream of reviving Ainsworth Field. This week, the City of Thompson Falls was notified of a grant of almost $400,000. This, along with the funds already raised by volunteers, will allow completion of the entire project - not j...
Gray hair would seem to indicate wisdom derived from extensive life experience. It carries with it the added responsibility of setting a good example for the next generations and modeling behaviors that enhance a high quality of life in a Democracy. Are we succeeding in that duty as the elder citizens of this state and county? Have we taken this obligation to heart and dedicated our energy in its fulfillment? Or have we been dozing in the armchair of complacency and habit, satisfied to derive our opinions from a single information source, or do...
The Bad Actors Law is a Montana mining law that was passed because there was a pattern of irresponsible behavior by some Montana mining company chief officers. This pattern often resulted in major pollution and bankruptcy filings, while the officers moved on to the next mine leaving the costs and impacts on taxpayers. Hecla chose Phillips Baker as their CEO knowing he was the CFO of Pegasus Mining which implicates him in the cleanup disaster now costing Montana taxpayers millions for perpetuity. The communities near the Pegasus mines welcomed t...
Letter to the Editor, So Rep. Steve Gunderson and forty-nine other Montana Legislators think the Hecla Mining Company and its president Phillips Baker shouldn’t be considered in violation of the Montana Metal Mine Regulation’s “Bad Actor” provision? By chance, these wouldn’t be some of the same 50 Montana legislators that felt it was OK for the Montana Health and Human Services Deptartment budget to be axed to the tune of $54 million dollars? That $54 million dollars went to serve some of Montana’s neediest residents for things like home h...
Snow may still be on the ground, but last year’s wildfire season isn’t too far from memory. We have good news for Montanans, though. After years of negotiation, we have finally secured a deal that moves forward on much-needed forest management reforms. Montanans get it: a managed forest is a healthy forest. But decades of mismanagement, environmental lawsuits and excessive red tape have kept responsible forest management projects from moving forward on thousands of acres. There are many consequences to this delay, including increased risk of...
5 YEARS AGO • APRIL 11, 1968 PACK RIVER PURCHASES DIEHL LUMBER MILL Sale of the Diehl Lumber Co., one of Sanders County’s major lumber producers, to the Panhandle Lumber Sales, Inc. of Idaho, a division of the Pack River Lumber Co. of Sandpoint, was announced Tuesday by Stan Diehl, one of the firm’s owners. The sale was effective April 1. Diehl said no changes are planned in the mill’s operation and that he will serve as manager of the plant for Panhandle. His brother, Edwin Diehl, who was a partner in the firm, plans to remain in Plains...
GEORGE GOATLEY, Thompson Falls – “Keep your trash picked up.” KRISTIE BROWN, Trout Creek – “Be part of the cleanup and beautification effort. Encourage your kids to participate. Stop throwing things out the window and keep Montana clean.” SUE JOHNSON, Heron – “Don’t litter. I teach my kids not to throw anything on the ground in town and if you see something on the ground to pick it up, if it is not too yucky.” TAMI DENISON, Thompson Falls – ” We just moved here, so we use the county landfill. We really don’t know what’s going on yet” LEAH...
A Thompson Falls man was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana State Prison this week on charges of sexual assault and incest. Richard Grimm pleaded guilty in February to one count of felony sexual assault and one count of felony incest. The incident involving his granddaughter occurred in July 2017. Judge James Manley sentenced Grimm to 10 years in the Montana State Prison for sexual assault and 10 years for incest. No time was suspended from the sentences, which Manley ordered to run consecutively. Grimm was given credit for 78 days served in...
Dianna Tedrick was sentenced on Tuesday to a six-year suspended sentence with the Montana Department of Corrections, and ordered to pay restitution of $7,436.12. Tedrick was charged with felony theft and admitted to misusing funds while serving as bookkeeper for the Plains Community Ambulance. Court documents alleged that Tedrick made $3,009.12 in payments to Capital One from June 2016 to April 2017, and made unauthorized fuel purchases totaling $4427.06 between May 2014 and April 2017. Also in court on Tuesday, Theodore Gibson Jr., entered a...
Ambulances: Noxon, 4; T. Falls, 5; Plains, 4; H. Springs, 6; Dixon QRU, 1. Sunday, April 1 Civil standby for child swap, Plains. Suspicious male in Plains business. Person standing along Hwy. 200 waving arms, needed a ride to town, T. Falls. Cows out on Hwy. 382, Perma. Suspicious male knocking on doors in Plains neighborhood. Suspicious male dressed in black looking around Plains residence. Several juveniles standing in road refusing to let traffic by in front of the Fairgrounds, Plains. Arrest made for DUI on Hwy. 200, Plains. Domestic...
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Gregory Schifrin, 59, $55, speeding in a restricted zone. Steven Summerfield, 55, $85, no liability insurance, 1st offense. Kody Martin, 24, $185, criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. Kody Martin, 24, $175, criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Cheryl Adams, 57, $685 and 1day jail, driving under the influence of alcohol, 1st offense. Christopher Davis, 23, $200, night speeding. Ryan Peachey, 42, $55, speeding in a restricted zone. Jon Good, 24, $55, speeding in a restricted zone. Franklin Ross, 65, $...
Rob Christensen, Thompson Falls K-8 counselor, has been busy preparing seventh and eighth-grade students for the world of being manners-minded individuals. Since society places much emphasis on having good manners and proper etiquette, these are skills that students must have to become successful in life. Christensen has already taught multiple units on etiquette, addressing proper behaviors at restaurants, sporting events, public settings, and what is expected in the workforce. He also...
Dave Colyer’s Sinclair Gas Station might lose property value because it won’t be considered “waterfront property” after Farmer Street is fixed, said Plains Mayor Dan Rowan. Farmer Street has long been jokingly referred to as Lake Sinclair because the street constantly floods after heavy rainfalls and after snow and ice thaws. Rowan announced at last week’s town council meeting that a bid package for the first step in the Farmer Street repair is being worked on and will soon go out for bids. Farmer Street will be the first street to be worked...
It was a change from galas of the past for the Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) Foundation. Their usual venue at the Sanders County Fairground pavilion was still under renovation and repairs, and a change-up in entertainment was also sought. Donors and supporters of the foundation were invited to the $35 per-person dinner and a show at Plains Alliance Church Annex Building, Saturday, April 7. “I was searching the Internet for entertainment and reached out to a fairly big-name comedian,” explained CFVH Foundation Director Barry Fowler. “Su...
Emma Decker is only 6 years old, but she already knows what she wants to be when she grows up. Emma, the granddaughter of Dean and Bonnie Haun of Thompson Falls, wants to open her own coffee shop and bakery, which she plans to call Wake Up With Emma. While visiting her grandparents recently, Emma spent some time at Beagle's Bakery and Espresso learning tricks of the trade. The staff at Beagle's, owned by Heather Chavez and Steve Bruner, was happy to Emma as their apprentice. Steve and Sara...
Project ASCENT, brainchild of Thompson Falls K-8 counselor Rob Christensen, is holding a fundraiser on Saturday, April 14, at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Club in Thompson Falls. The “Camping is in-Tents” event, which begins at 6 p.m., will feature an authentic Cuban dinner, raffle prizes, silent and live auctions, a no-host bar and lots of fun. The money raised will help Project ASCENT fund its summer education program for 2018. Project ASCENT, which recently received its non-profit status, has the stated purpose to offer recreational opp...
Joseph Levi Marquardt, passed away Saturday, April 7, 2018 in Idaho. Joe was born August 4, 1981 to Janey and the late James Marquardt. He grew up in Sterling, Colo., and Thompson Falls, Mont. He loved to fish, hunt and spending time with his children London and Liam Marquardt and Levi Ries. Joe became ill from an aneurysm in 2015. He passed at the Hospice House in Idaho. Joe is survived by his mother, Janey Marquardt, of Thompson Falls; brothers, David (Teresa) Wilhite and family and Carl...
Greg died April 3, 2018, at his daughter's home in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. He was 79 and is survived by his only daughter, Susan Ramiro (Suzy), her husband, Kevin; grandchildren Malia and Jacob; brother, Tom Gummer of Anchorage Alaska, and sister, Elizabeth (Betsy) Babcock of Thompson Falls. Greg was born on October 9, 1938, in Missoula. He was the oldest child of Frank Allan Gummer and Frances Kernaghan Gummer. His father worked for the Forest Service and his mother had been a school teacher. He...
Sanders County Arts Council (SCAC) announces the final performance of Tapestry 2017-2018, our performing arts season. Twin Kennedy, energetic twin sisters, will set your toes tapping at the Rex Theatre in Thompson Falls beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17. The twins are two-time nominees of the Canadian Country Music Award and the Grand Prize winners in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Their fiddle and guitar harmonies, heartfelt songwriting and high-energy stage presence blend classical training with their country roots. Cashbox...
Members of the Sanders County Fair Board met with the Plains Lions Club last Tuesday evening to discuss options to the demolition derby insurance issue. “Both parties are diligent to finding a solution to the situation,” said Plains Lions Club President Duane Highcrane, who had initially been opposed to signing a waiver to be in the arena, but has reconsidered that option. Some of the club members have attended recent fair board meetings over the last few months after finding out that the county’s insurance company, MACO, is mandating that...
