Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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If there's one thing you'll notice about Sanders County communities, it's that they will do anything to help those in need. At Thompson Falls schools, the Jobs for Montana Graduates (JMG) group was looking for a service project for the spring quarter. The students wanted to do a fundraiser for elementary secretary Diane Hedahl, who has been undergoing cancer treatment. The fundraiser they came up with was a little out of the ordinary – donkey basketball. JMG teacher Darcy Farlan said the s...
Voters in the Noxon and Hot Springs school districts cast ballots this week for open school board positions, with unofficial results coming Tuesday evening. Hot Springs voters also decided against a $30,000 levy for the school district. In Noxon, three candidates were vying for two open three-year positions. Tamra Weltz and Christopher Stough gathered 259 and 184 votes, respectively, and were elected to the school board. The third candidate, Andrew Chaboya Cabaccang, had 171 votes. Two other positions in Noxon were open for trustees...
"Even some CPR is better than no CPR," Tiny Wheeler, Thompson Falls Ambulance volunteer, continuously repeated. She and six other ambulance crew members trained Thompson Falls students in grades fifth through eighth on compression-only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) last week. Wheeler commented that the ambulance is part of a training program that encourages public knowledge of CPR. She presented statistics that clearly indicate that the more people knowledgeable in CPR, the more likely...
We've written before about how great our communities are at supporting each other. Fundraisers, donations for food banks or those who have been affected by sickness. Fundraising websites such as GoFundMe are gaining popularity, but we're also seeing more national headlines about those sites being used by scammers. In New Jersey, a couple helped raise more than $400,000 which they were going to give to a homeless veteran. It turned out to be a scam. Most of the money was refunded, but it still makes us hesitant to donate to an online source....
May 6-10 is National Teacher Appreciation Week and all teachers in Sanders County certainly deserve many thanks. The ranking of beginning pay for teachers in the fifty states and the District of Columbia has Montana teachers ranked 51st……dead last. That makes it exceedingly hard for our rural schools to recruit new teachers. It also shows why so many teachers trained at Montana colleges and universities go the large city systems in our state or leave Montana for a job. It would be nice if parents and school board members this week would exp...
Dear Editor, I read with interest your recent editorial expressing your goals to combine small-town journalism with a forum for differing local opinions. Both are respectable and laudable goals to be sure. It got me thinking about the general role and objectives of a small-town paper in this world of instant, bombarding technology where tweet-bites have us turning our heads and raising our eyebrows, where the tone of national news has become droning tirades. It is generally refreshing that this local paper is a counter-point; it is our...
Editor, Another “dog whistle” opinion piece by Blaine Blackstone is enough. The latest Street Smart assault, dated April 25, 2019, is a paraphrased rant, sounding like a Fox News infomercial. Blackstone wrote a glossed over misrepresentation of what Mueller actually reported, while not mentioning the constraints of the ‘special counsel’ guidelines. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, over half the population (55%) want to get to the bottom of the un-redacted Mueller Report and not rely on Attorney General Barr’s totally misleadin...
Some friends wanted me to continue writing about the Mueller investigation, it’s outcome, and the impact of Attorney General Barr’s recent testimony. Quite frankly though, I’m bored with the whole thing. In my opinion it’s over. The Democrats in D.C. will keep it on life support because it’s really all they have to work with (especially in light of the April jobs report!). Now it’s just painful to watch. Especially when I heard Senator “Stolen Valor” Blumenthal comment that Barr lacked integrit...
1 YEARS AGO • MAY 8, 1919 IMPROVING LARGE RANCH The Clarksforks Land and Cattle Co., of which H.A. White is manager are preparing to do considerable development work on their large tract of land east of town on Woodlin flat. Mr. White has opened up a camp and has two tractor plowing outfits in operation at this time, a number of teams and expects to have another tractor working by the end of the week, and seed at least 1,000 acres to alfalfa during the summer. It is the intention of the company to stock their ranch, which comprises some 5,000...
CHERYL CRAIK, Thompson Falls – “My mother passed away at the age of 101. She didn’t smoke or drink, and was a vegetarian for 55 years. She was a Christian and people lover. She was small and people called her ‘tiny.’” COLIN DYKSTRA, Miles City –“I was adopted at birth so I don’t know my birth mother, but my folks are great. They were loving and being a Dykstra, I was held to a high standard. I love my mom and dad who taught me how to work by taking me to work with them.” SANDRA FRIESZ, Thompson Falls – “My mother was wonderful. You could as...
Ambulances: Noxon, 1; T. Falls, 6; Plains, 8. Saturday, April 27 Intimidation/harassment, T. Falls. Animal issue, T. Falls. Welfare check requested, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, Hwy. 56, Noxon. Civil standby requested, Noxon. Road hazard/blockage, Hwy. 200 at Thompson River, T. Falls. Animal issue, Hwy. 200, Eddy Flat. Arrest made for aggravated DUI, T. Falls. Disturbance, T. Falls. Sunday, April 28 Assault, T. Falls. Disturbance, Plains. Theft, Plains. Concern for child welfare, T. Falls. Welfare check requested, Plains. Monday, April 29...
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Kelly King, 51, operating without liability insurance in effect, 2nd offense, $385. Lanette Macfarlane, 27, night speeding, $20. Johnathon Tifft, 17; criminal trespass to property, $185 and 1 day jail; disorderly conduct, $125. Thomas Arnold, 57, passing in no-passing zone, $85. Montana Highway Patrol Michelle Mesa, 32, operating without liability insurance in effect, 1st offense, $85; stop sign violation, $45. Timothy Patton, 46, seatbelt violation, $20. Raylene Rider, 37, day speeding, $20. Ned Vasquez, 62, d...
by Ed Moreth Kenton Pies is not being discouraged by critical comments of his steel horse on the Plains greenway and he's almost a third of the way through his second horse. But that doesn't mean he didn't listen and evaluate the criticism, which mostly centered around the thickness of the neck. In defense of his work, he said horses have different proportions and has dozens of photographs to illustrate his point, including some that display a thick neck, like on his prototype steed....
The sixth annual Noxon School car show was held last week under sunny skies. Dozens of cars filled the school parking lot for the show, which is organized by former principal Rik Rewerts. Donations were gathered for a scholarship fund for students pursuing an automotive trade....
Nearly 100 people showed up at Plains High School Monday evening to check out the school's Art Exhibition 2019, where 52 high school students showed their artistic talents. Three hundred and fifty-three pieces of art ranging from a one-inch long ceramic package of toilet paper by junior Mason Gannarelli to a nearly five-foot tall can of Mountain Dew by Chris Jones, a freshman, who also had a two-foot wide cardboard replica of Wall-E, a Disney movie character. Jones had 10 pieces in the show....
Doug and Lori Cooper of Trout Creek were awoken to the sound of their smoke detector and the smell of smoke last Thursday morning when the clean-out from their wood burning stove caused nearby materials to catch fire. From there, the flames quickly spread. According to the Coopers, they, along with their pets, survived the flames with no injuries. The lower level of the two-story home received extensive damage directly from the fire, while the upper level received damage from smoke and heat....
Pete Morkert passed away suddenly on Thursday, May 2, 2019, due to injuries sustained in an auto accident just north of Nephi, Utah. He was 14 days shy of his 72nd birthday. Pete was a beloved husband, father, brother, and friend to all. He had a heart of gold and showed it every day. He was born May 16, 1947 in Missoula, Montana, to Edison and Marjorie Morkert, the fourth of five children in his family. On July 2, 1995, Pete married Kim Adams which made his life and family whole. Their family...
Clearwater Properties agents in Noxon recently presented donations of more than $5,500 to local non-profit organizations. "Community donations in rural communities can make a big impact to the organizations' recipients and we are thrilled to help with those needs," agent Greg Raymond said. Agents Jeannette Carr, Mark Smith and Raymond distributed the donations to Community Service Fellowship, Noxon Senior Citizens Center, Heron Rural Fire Department, Heron Community Center, Trout Creek Senior...
Give mom an early Mother’s Day present and support the Cancer Network of Sanders County (CNSC) with the Music for Mom event, scheduled for this Saturday. Dave and Deb Oliver will host the event, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre in Thompson Falls. Music for Mom kicks off the fundraising season for CNSC, with all proceeds going to the local organization. There is no charge for admissions, but donations will be accepted. “This annual event is one of the major fund raisers for us,” said Kathy Miller with CNSC. “We depend heavily on dona...
SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. Trances 8. Eerie 13. Remorse 14. Knave 15. Appropriated 19. Or 20. Cee 21. Ebbed 22. Fri 23. Ear 24. Nile 25. Erie 26. Sterilize 30. Crees 31. Akita 32. Barest 33. Pony 34. Pona 35. Ebbing 38. Valet 39. Yards 40. Panoramas 44. Egis 45. Vigo 46. UNH 47. She 48. Namur 49. DKR 50. OD 51. Fit as a fiddle 55. Rajab 57. Modeled 58. Eddas 59. Abscess SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. Traces 2. Repeat 3. Ampere 4. Nor 5. CRO 6. ESP 7. Serenity 8. Eked 9. End 10. RA 11. Ivories 12. Eeriest 16. Ibiza...
From Sneakers to The Sawtooth, the building in the heart of Noxon has seen a lot of changes throughout the past 20 years. Now, it carries the name Noxon Mercantile & Café. Chris and Amy Klaschik purchased the vacated building a few months ago, in February, and are hoping to make some changes to what Noxon has to offer for both locals and tourists. "We will cater to guests from out of state, but are hoping to serve the community also," Amy stated. "We just want to make sure we have what the peopl...
The Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District plans to utilize technology to help them battle blazes, thanks to an FM Global grant of $2,494. Staff members of FM Global, a mutual insurance company, presented Chief James Russell an award certificate representing the funds given to the firehouse last week. Russell will use the fire prevention grant money to buy four computer tablets, which will help them collect information in the district's area of responsibility on such things as road access, water...
Recently, some members of the Cabinet Forest Collaborative (CFC), a local subcommittee of the Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Coalition (KFSC), visited the area of the Cub Creek fire and logging operations are underway. Most of the area inside the fire perimeter burned in a mosaic of moderate intensity, mixed in with skipped areas. These areas are already sprouting a healthy-looking growth of grass, helping to hold the soil in place. Forester Shawn Morgan of Thompson River Lumber, which purchased...
What better place to practice for the State B meet than at the stadium where that meet will be held? Getting a good look at the facility where many of the Blue Hawks will hopefully return to May 24-25 for the State B meet, Thompson Falls athletes competed in the annual Archie Roe meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell Saturday. Given that the Archie Roe is one of the bigger meets of any track and field regular season in Montana and includes schools of all size classes in the state, Hawk head...
The Thompson Falls golf team has been busy playing, getting ready for the State B tournament. In preparation for that big event, coach Mike Bates and his linksters have been playing through on courses across western Montana, at the Loyola Spring Fling at Canyon River in Missoula last Tuesday, at the St. Regis Invitational at Trestle Creek Thursday, and finally, at the Division 3 tournament at Old Works in Anaconda Tuesday. As he has all season, junior Ethan Brown led the Hawk boys in the Spring...
