Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Ballots are being turned in for school board races throughout the county, with May 4 as election day. The Sanders County Elections Office reports that dozens of ballots have been returned as undeliverable. “If you have not received your ballot, please call us,” said Bobbi Christenson, Election Deputy for the county. The elections office had received more than 450 ballots returned in the mail. Ballots are most often returned because voters have not updated their mailing address. Voters can visit the office at the Sanders County Courthouse or cal...
The parents of one child celebrated something that parents hope they'd never have to deal with. Matt and Nicole Feliksa held a party at the Butcher's Nook in Plains last Saturday afternoon as a belated April 4 birthday bash for 15-year-old Sam and to celebrate the success of his recent heart operation that now enables him to lead the more normal life of a growing teen. "I'm going to do as many sports as I can, maybe even martial arts," said Sam during his party, where nearly 50 friends and...
The Sanders County Fair Commission welcomed its two newest members last week and took time during the two-hour meeting at the pavilion to fill them in on recent activities and upcoming events. Brian Crain of Plains and Ted Forkum of Heron were selected by the county commissioners to fill vacancies by Roberta Smith of Thompson Falls and Milanna Shear of Hot Springs. "The reason I wanted to be a board member on the fair commission is that I grew up going to the Sanders County Fair, and know how...
Sanders County Commissioners last week approved a planned RV campground project by the Wild Coyote Saloon. The site is being called Prospect Creek Camping and RV and will be located on the Wild Coyote Saloon property about seven miles up Highway 471 outside of Thompson Falls. The proposed park will surround the saloon itself and will include 15 RV campsites with full hookups, five cabins and 19 campsites without hookups. The commissioners approved the project on April 20, but with conditions. Some of these included removing several dilapidated...
The Town of Plains has taken its first steps toward a beautification project of enhancing the E.L. Johnson Memorial Park, starting with the planting of five large trees. Rick Jennison hauled the trees from his tree farm in Ronan recently, finishing up last Sunday. Jim Henry of Plains, who went to high school with Jennison, helped with the project. The trees ranged from 18-25 feet in height and included two red maples, two Norway maples, and a sycamore. The trees are all about 20 years old and...
When The Ledger first started publication, the owners would take the copy to Missoula on the train, and produce the articles and pages at The Missoulian. Then they would return to Thompson Falls on the train with the printed papers. The process probably took a couple days. The newspaper in its first year was four pages. Each week, Ledger reporters conduct interviews, take photographs, attend meetings and events and seek out news. On Mondays, they finish writing their articles and file stories. While we used to process articles on a computer and...
Of late I have been watching wild turkeys mate. It’s not that I am particularly interested in their personal lives, but as I have been cleaning out culverts on my road, they have been practicing their intimate moments about 50 feet from me, so it’s hard to ignore. Also hard to ignore (and actually more interesting) is to watch the toms compete for the attention of their potential mates. At first, they seem to do it solo, in this case in the middle of a newly seeded pasture. Why they would str...
In response to Keep Business Local (April 22, 2021): As a member of the Thompson Falls Booster Club board, I wanted to respond to the concern recently brought up about the booster club not selecting local businesses as suppliers for some of our merchandise. To be clear, we have not had an official vote on this issue, but we are considering it. This is not a decision we will make lightly, and we are reviewing it from many different angles in the hopes of finding the best possible solution for the students we support. One of the largest issues...
THOMPSON FALLS From Architectural and Historical Surveys “Thompson Falls is the last town on the Northern Pacific railroad aspiring to be the outfitting point for the Coeur d’Alene mines,” wrote a correspondent to the Weekly Missoulian in April 1884. Because the railroad tracks beyond Thompson Prairie came closer to the mouth of Prospect Creek, eventual settlement occurred three miles west of the station along the bank of the Clark’s Fork River and near the waterfall that gave the settlement its name. Knowledge of the Prospect Creek route a...
TRINA AUSTIN, Trout Creek - “No, I would not because I am not as dedicated to exercise as I should be.” COOPER MILNE, Trout Creek - “If I were to ever run in a marathon, it would be with my sister and if it was for charity.” PEYTON ELLUL, Thompson Falls - “Yeah, probably for a charity.” CHRISTY OVERMAN, Heron - “Yes, I feel that it is good to support fundraisers.” CHRISTA RUTLEDGE, Thompson Falls - “I would not run a marathon, but I would run a 5K or a doable distance.” JASON CLEMONS, Libby - “Yes I would, if the purpose was for a fundraiser....
Ambulance: Plains, 7; T. Falls, 6; Trout Creek, 4; Hot Springs, 2; Noxon, 2; Dixon, 1. Monday, April 19 Assist miscellaneous, Plains. Coroner called, T. Falls. Fire, T. Falls. Trespass, Hot Springs. Livestock, T. Falls. Business contact, T. Falls. Alarm-intrusion/holdup, Hot Springs. Animal complaint, Paradise. Assist motorist/citizen, Plains. Informational case, Plains. Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Informational case, T. Falls. Tuesday, April 20 Assault, Noxon. Juvenile runaway, T. Falls. Business contact, T. Falls. Fire, T. Falls....
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Joseph Kinney, 49, driving while suspended, 2nd offense, $325, 2 days in jail; operating without insurance, 3rd offense, $535, 10 days in jail. Philip Salvatore, 47, operating without insurance, 1st offense, $85. Aaron Brown, 33, aggravated driving under the influence, 1st offense, $1085, 2 days in jail; operating with expired registration, $35. Craig McIntyre, 75, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Tyler Beazer, 21, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Bryce Henning, 22, night speeding, $70. Del Crawford, 38, s...
Two men pleaded not guilty to felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs during their initial appearance in the 20th Judicial District Court on Tuesday. The charges were filed after Ryan Tuff and Lawrence Sweet were in a car pulled over for speeding through Thompson Falls on March 7. Upon contacting Tuff’s parole officer, the police were given permission to search the vehicle. A white powdery substance was found in the vehicle. The passenger of the vehicle was Sweet, who was also on parole. Judge James Manley set their trials for Oct. 25. A...
The coach of the Clark Fork Alliance Soccer U15 team wants to win, but that’s not his top priority. For Dave Wrobleski, what is important is how the kids play, that they practice good sportsmanship, and that they learn the game. “We’re not headed for the world cup, but learning team skills, communication, handling adversity, and working hard will help them all their life,” said Wrobleski, whose coed team lost to Kalispell’s Flathead Valley United 5-0 Saturday and was defeated by Flathead...
Northern Lights Inc. (NLI) recently broke ground on a new warehouse in Trout Creek. Construction is expected to be complete by early this fall on the 4,374 square foot building. The new facility will have a small office, restroom, additional indoor storage for materials, additional indoor parking for equipment and vehicles, and a vehicle washing station on one end. NLI will remove the existing building when construction is complete. St. Clair Construction is the general contractor for the project, but NLI stated that many of the subcontractors...
Mission West Community Development Partners (MWCDP) hosted a bi-annual meeting with partnering counties last week in Plains. It is the first meeting MCDWP has held under their new and expanded name change. The meeting served as an opportunity to provide regional updates and discuss new funding resources. Jim Thaden, MWCDP Executive Director, told the regional partners that abundant resources are available. “Funding has really opened up because of COVID-19,” Thaden said. “There’s new money coming available to help rural communities.” He said t...
Spring turkey season is upon us, and hunters of all ages will be getting out into the woods to try their hand at procuring their own birds. Once the fowl is brought down, most hunters will simply breast it out and be done with it, but a nice bird may be brought back to be mounted. The cost of doing so can be high, yet the process is something most people can do at home. Once learned, the simple do-it-yourself tail fan-mount can be transferred to use with several other game birds, including grouse and pheasant. The procedure is simple; once a...
John Mason Gallaher, 70, of Thompson Falls passed away in Missoula, Montana, on April 25, 2021. John was born in Ashland, Kentucky, on October 10, 1950, to Sara and John Gallaher. He is survived by Dottie (Paul) Gallaher, Carl Wiseman, Elizabeth Moore, Pandora Marble, and Dorothea Gallaher. He is also survived by nephews Shane (Dana) Moore, Shannon (Nadia) Moore, Brian (Ai) Moore, Edward (Wendy) Smith, Tyrone Marble and Craig Gallaher; as well as his nieces Donna (Rick) Miller, Paula (Jimmy)... Full story
SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. THEN 5. TEL 8. EPI 11. EAGAN 13. EMU 14. CLAY 15. TRAPA 16. NBC 17. LENA 18. EDEMA 20. ARE 21. EMIR 22. HONORIFIC 25. ELABORATING 30. CALIPER 31. LEU 32. TRENT 33. ASPIC 38. IDA 41. TENSEST 43. CELEBRATION 45. BLASTULAE 48. BAAL 49. RMA 50. SABER 55. RACE 56. ANI 57. AILED 59. IEEE 60. CAN 61. RABBI 62. EDD 63. TEE 64. SASS SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. TET 2. HARE 3. EGAD 4. NAPE 5. TENANT 6. EMBROIL 7. LUCERNE 8. ELEMI 9. PANIC 10. IYAR 12. NAM 14. CLEF 19. AHRE 23. OAR 24. IGUANA 25.... Full story
Alongside any artist's work, a unique story of how each piece was crafted, closely follows. The same runs true for a new installation at the Sunflower Art Gallery in Thompson Falls. The birdhouses, as some may have seen sitting on the railing outside the gallery, are made by Ted Lockwood. A native Montanan who grew up in Polson, Lockwood is now a retired Seeley Lake resident. His passion for woodworking has led to the creation of the birdhouses. Each one taking on its only individuality and...
As part of their Armed Forces Initiative, the nonprofit organization Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) will be hosting a Spring Turkey Dual Skills Camp in Thompson Falls. BHA has partnered with Patrol Base Abbate, a nonprofit organization whose physical patrol base is located in Thompson Falls. The camp will run April 29 to May 2 and according to Morgan Mason, Armed Forces Initiative Coordinator for BHA, he will be bringing 20 veterans from across the country to take part in the skills camp. Mason says he has spent the last three months...
Members of the Paradise Center sometimes have to look at the big picture to get things done, but sometimes that big picture is a very big mural. The panoramic photograph of the mountain setting behind the Paradise Center was attached to a custom made frame on the wall in the center where a railroad display fills half the room. The mural, a photo taken by Plains resident Cheri Seli, was made up of three to five of Seli’s digital images that she shot two years ago. The mural, which was 34 feet, 3...
Don't call it the Thompson Falls Invitational anymore, call it the Gary Thompson Invitational from now on. Since his name is pretty much synonymous with Thompson Falls golf anyway – being as he coached the boys program to its only State B title in 2015, and has been a guiding light for Hawk golfers as their mentor for countless years – Thompson watched the annual prep tourney played at River's Bend be renamed in his honor at a special ceremony at the event two years ago. That honor is well des...
Literally hitting a cold streak in Anaconda last Thursday and dropping two games there, the Thompson Falls-Noxon Blue Hawks warmed up considerably Monday, taking a two-run lead into the bottom of the sixth inning before dropping a 6-5 decision to the Plains-Hot Springs Trotters in softball action at Plains Monday. Still hoping to be one of the Western B-C teams to qualify for the upcoming divisional tournament in Florence May 20-22, coach Jared Koskela and his Hawks host Loyola for a...
Hoping to set a precedent for Tuesdays to come, the Easy Street Autoworks foursome of Dave Garr, Rusty Haggard, Charlie Hooten and Ron Beaty carded a 33 to win the Tuesday Night Men’s League kickoff scramble last week. In other highlights of the first Tuesday of the 2021 season, Sean Kelly made the long putt on No. 3, Dave Petteys was closest to the pin on No. 5, Howard Morkert converted the long putt on No. 6, Shawn Wilkinson was closest to the pin on No. 8, Cody Mosher smacked the long drive on No. 9 and Bill Nolen hit the long 55+ drive o...
