Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The rain did not stop the fish from biting last Saturday when kids took their poles to Thompson Falls' State Park pond for the second annual Kid's Fishing Day. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) joined the Lolo National Forest Service in hosting the event. Young fishing enthusiasts were given two hours to land the largest rainbow trout to win a new tackle box outfitted with tackle. In the youngest age group (5-9 years), Tilly Kreiner landed the largest fish measuring in at 12 inches. Behind...
People are invited to the annual Wings and Wheels Fly-In at the Plains airport from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, where there will be an assortment of aircraft, a car show, contests, prizes and food. The fly-in is free and sponsored by the Sanders County Pilots Association, but for $5 people can have a breakfast of pancakes, ham, coffee and juice, said Nita Deardorff, one of the event’s coordinators. The fly-in alternates between the airports of Plains and Thompson Falls. Not too long ago a car show, coordinated by Todd Logan, was added to the f...
In an effort to improve a sewer pipeline in Thompson Falls that had been compromised by blockages from a root system, Planned and Engineered Construction, Inc. (PEC) from Helena was hired by the city of Thompson Falls to complete repairs. Public Works Director Neil Harnett said PEC implemented a cured in place pipe (CIPP) method of maintenance. CIPP is a trenchless method of rehabilitation to repair existing pipelines using a jointless and seamless pipe within a pipe that has the capability to rehabilitate 2- to 110-inch pipes. The process of...
The Sanders County Yard Sale-ing event is scheduled for June 28-29. But residents got a jump start on cleaning out the clutter when the county sponsored the annual e-waste even last Saturday. The county collected 5,248 pounds of electronics at the event. Held at the Thompson Falls Transfer Site, residents brought everything from old computers, televisions, printers and copiers to weed eaters, cellphones and electric heaters. "Anything that can be plugged in, we'll take," said Shelly Mitchell, ow...
Skeeter the clown made a surprise visit to Sanders County on Tuesday to spread excitement and joy for the upcoming Culpepper & Merriweather Circus scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, at the high school football field in Thompson Falls. Skeeter made her way down Main Street in Thompson Falls, stopping at local businesses to make balloon animals and tell jokes to anyone and everyone. Skeeter stopped at the library to browse for any circus-related books, her favorite. She also dropped off 55 free...
On Saturday, more than two tons of e-waste was gathered by the county for the annual recycling event. Shelly Mitchell and her crew from Oreo's Refining brought two trailers to fill with unwanted televisions, computers and other electronics. Mitchell told us how much work she puts into keep items out of the landfill. She strips down each piece of equipment by hand, even stripping much of the wires, to get down to the basics and sort out each nut and bolt. People were bringing old heaters, weed eaters, cellphones. It's amazing how much we as a so...
Zoning protects the value of one’s property. For example, if I purchase a piece of property and maintain it - keep it free from unsightly debris as broken-down vehicles, storage of items, clutter, etc., it also projects my neighbors from varmints and possible accidents. A community that enforces zoning laws, increases in value. For example, zoning requires a community to constantly monitor changes its’ residents make via improvements. If I want to make a modification, I notify the Town Hall so that their building inspector can approve and eva...
Ideological purity and consistency of opinion over time are two standards to which many Americans want to hold their political candidates. People want to elect candidates who think about things the way they do, sometimes it’s just about one or two issues, like abortion or gun control (whether pro or con), and other times it’s that people want their candidates to believe in everything they, themselves, believe in—no exceptions. People also expect that candidates do not change their opini...
HAPPENINGS IN THE EARLY CITY COUNCIL Excerpt from A Heritage Remembered by Lorraine Dufresne May 5, 1919 – Newly elected members of the council: Mayor S.A. Hurlburt; Aldermen, Andrew Peterson, Wilbur Coleman and W.A. Peterson; Town Attorney, A.S. Ainsworth; Town Marshall, J.H. Prouty; Town Clerk and Police Magistrate, W.A. Nippert. A special meeting was called before the June 2 meeting to consider placing of concrete sidewalks and installing a drinking fountain, which would cost between $150 and...
MARK VANHUSS, Thompson Falls – “When my kids were born. We have three biological kids ages 39, 38, and 36…three adopted kids ages 17, 15, and 13 and one foster child who just turned three.” STAN HOEKEMA, Thompson Falls – “When I came home from the Army after serving in Korea.” BILL LANDRY, a full-time RVer who lives with his wife at Birdland Bay for the summer – “I guess going to the Red Sox ballgame in Boston.” DENNIS HAUSIE, Thompson Falls – "The one that’s coming on its way. I’m looking forward to it.” LARRY WARNER, Thompson Falls – “W...
Ambulances: Noxon, 2; T. Falls, 5; Plains, 6; H. Springs, 4; Dixon QRU, 1. Sunday, June 2 Livestock on Hwy. 200, Perma. Trespassing, dumping of waste on neighboring property, T. Creek. Animal issue, Whitepine Creek Rd., T Creek. Suicide threats, Plains. Nuisance complaint, Plains. Protection order violation, T. Falls. Intimidation/harassment, Noxon. Theft from Town Pump, T. Falls. Monday, June 3 Fish and game requested, Plains. Broken window at Noxon Post Office, rock accidentally thrown by lawn mower at business next door. Possible theft, T....
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Amanda Wheeler, 31, operating with expired registration, $35; no liability insurance, 1st offense, $85. Erica Campbell, 40, driving while privilege is suspended or revoked, 1st offense, $45; no liability insurance, 1st offense, $35; operating a vehicle which has not been properly registered, $35. Montana Highway Patrol Andrew Bellinger, 34, seatbelt violation, $20. David Duval, 18, seatbelt violation, $20. Stanley Kendziorski, 30, no motorcycle endorsement, $85. Jimmy Melton, 55, criminal possession of d...
The Thompson Falls City Council again on Monday passed a first reading of revisions to the city Community Decay Ordinance. City Council member Lynne Kersten said that law enforcement and the city attorney had approached the city about vagueness in the current ordinance. The city’s community and public relations committee met to revise the ordinance and make it more specific and in turn easier for law enforcement to enforce. “There were problems enforcing the ordinance and we looked for something more specific,” Kersten said. “This was the res...
Artist David Miller of Plains (holding artwork) visited Trout Creek School in May to create a unique piece for the school. Miller visited all of the schools in Sanders County this spring, teaching and working with students. Trout Creek and Dixon schools were the final installments in Miller's project....
The Butcher's Nook in Plains held the grand opening of its new building Saturday and served an estimated 400 people throughout the day, said Jonathan Borntreger, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, Dan. The Borntreger brothers opened for business at the new site on the west side of Plains on Saturday at 6:30 a.m. and had a steady stream of people all day. "We were absolutely swamped. We had a very good day. We were very blessed," said Jonathan, who added that they had around the same am...
With the end of the school year comes a season of changes for the Thompson Falls School District. At the school board meeting last week, the board accepted the resignation of teachers Victoria Forkin and Jefferyanne Park-VonHeeder and approved the hiring of Amber Yates to teach kindergarten. Junior high teacher Kelly Wheeler and high school teacher Jeff Wheeler announced their retirement earlier this year. School Resource Office Bob Thornhill had previously said that he was retiring after the 2018-2019 school year. At the board meeting June 4,...
In February, Lynn Bierwagen filled the position of Probation Officer for Sanders County. At Boise State University, Bierwagen had a large focus on psychology and addictions counseling. While attending college, she worked in an alcohol and drug treatment center, with individuals coming out of the Idaho State Prison entering the program prior to being paroled. Since then, Bierwagen has held several positions where she worked with individuals with addictions or victims of crime, including working...
First in line to weigh and tag his hog was 10-year-old Remy Ryan of Plains. All 4-H market livestock must be weighed, tagged and registered in order to be auctioned off at the county fair Labor Day weekend. According to Juli Thurston, MSU Extension agent, the 2019 fair market sale is expected to include 47 hogs, three goats, three sheep and 21 steers....
Just over the Montana-Idaho border, Avista has been working to complete upgrades at the Cabinet Gorge Dam overlook. The company recently replaced all of the grass at the overlook and planted new trees. Jason Pignanelli with Avista said that eight loads of topsoil were brought in the for the project. The overlook is open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (MST). The overlook includes parking for RVs and a restroom, but camping is not allowed. The overlook has a concrete walking path leading up to a...
Myrtle is a snowbird who flees the frigid Montana air each fall and spends her winter in Sue Hechtman's laundry room. Each spring, when the sun warms up the back yard of Hechtman's Thompson Falls home, Myrtle eagerly returns to the back yard where she dines on grass, lettuce and fruit, and resides in an Igloo doghouse. Myrtle is an African Spur-thighed tortoise, also known as a sulcata tortoise. She's 40 years old and weighs about 100 pounds. Sue Hechtman, her human caretaker, has owned her sinc...
There's something special about products that sport the "Made in Montana" sticker. The Wayside Bar and Grill in Trout Creek has recently introduced their own version of Made in Montana with a homegrown menu addition...the "406 Burger." Chef Stefanie Martin is the creator, the mastermind behind the blissful burger. "I want to feed people something local," Martin said, "so I can tell you who grew it." The revelation came to her after attending a food show in Polson. The show focused on regional...
The Plains Town Council had a busy time last Monday, passing two resolutions and the first reading of a new ordinance, and discussed numerous items presented to them from the mayor’s report, including bad news on the E.L. Johnson Memorial Pool. Mayor Dan Rowan reported there’s a good chance the swimming pool will not open this season. Repairs got backed up to the end of July and with a lack of staff hiring at that point, Rowan said he was leaning toward keep the pool closed until next year. However, the Plains Lions Club opened the wading pool...
Maybe 8-Man football will be a good fit for Thompson Falls after all. Thompson Falls coach Jared Koskela accompanied 12 of his players to Butte last Friday through Sunday for the annual Montana Tech 8-Man Football Camp, and said he walked away from the Mining City feeling encouraged about what next fall – the Blue Hawks' first season as an 8-Man entity – may bring. "It was encouraging," he said. "We were a little behind the curve at first but, by the end, we had learned a lot about the 8-M...
It's Insanity, and it could be coming to a town near you. The Insanity junior and senior league softball teams, featuring several summering high school players from Thompson Falls, Hot Springs and Plains, have a full schedule of games for the next several weeks, culminating with the State tournament in Missoula July 12-14. The Insanity softball teams are made up of players from Ronan, Mission, Charlo, Plains, Hot Springs and Thompson Falls. The Mission Valley Softball Association, of which all...
