Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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In collaboration with Graybeard Films based in Austin, Texas, Whitefish Credit Union (WCU) has designed an authentic approach to stay connected to its community in the form of a series of short documentaries spotlighting long-standing credit union members. Each member's story is said to be approximately five minutes long. Two Sanders County residents were nominated by Thompson Falls WCU to be featured in the short films. Elizabeth Kozar, WCU brand marketing specialist, whose vision initiated...
The Sanders County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) met with Sanders County Commissioners last month to discuss the prospect of expanding the dispatch center and the Sheriff’s Office. Lieutenant Shawna Chenoweth, supervisor of the detention center and dispatch, and Sheriff Tom Rummel provided a basic outline of the construction plans. “It started with me wanting to expand dispatch,” said Chenoweth. She stated that they need more workstation consoles for dispatchers. From that, the SCSO determined a need to update and expand their systems to prepare...
Sanders County is preparing for an active celebration of the most patriotic holiday of the year, Independence Day. The weekend, each town will celebrate with various group events and festivities. In Thompson Falls, Ainsworth Park will host a Fourth of July celebration. According to Daniel Moore, owner of the Black Bear family of companies and chairman of Thompson Falls Main Street, Inc., the first major event to be held in the Ainsworth Park, after its official grand opening, will be an Independence Day celebration on July 3 and 4. The event...
Sanders County opened its doors last weekend for its annual county-wide yard sale event. Hundreds of people, including some from as far as Cody, Wyoming, hunted across the county at almost 100 yard sales. Some of the sales were done for personal reasons, and others benefited groups and organizations. One such organization was Friends of the Quilting House in Thompson Falls. The organization hosted a yard sale at the home members, Ginger Ward. Funds from the sale went into the organization's...
A friend recently reminded me about the Olympics coming up. He had been watching the Olympic Trials on television and was in awe of these athletes. They have trained their whole lives for these brief moments in Tokyo starting July 23. That dedication and commitment to their sports and to having that chance to compete for Team USA is unmatched by many athletes. It's not something many of us can compare anything to, for that matter. We'll all gather around our televisions and streaming devices later this summer to catch a glimpse at the...
Early this year, I made some predictions regarding what I expected under a Biden presidency. I just reviewed that article and found it interesting how many of those predictions have already come true. I thought mine was going to be a four-year forecast. I was wrong. The Biden administration has exceeded my low expectations. I set the bar at ground level, and they’ve managed to burrow under it. Let’s review just a few of the most recent examples. A curious reader can confirm the following wit...
We are all pretty much sick of politics, I think. At least I am, but I have been for quite some time, since Y2K, in fact. The shenanigans of those who govern us, from county commissioners to Senators, are as entertaining as they are disturbing. Altruism is not a common trait in the halls of government, while self-service and acrimony are. There is good news, though. Q-Anon is fading. Their prophecies have proven false and their proselytizing for belief in the “deep state” is waning quickly. It’s hard to hold up an idea that has shown itself unb...
7 YEARS AGO • May 2, 1951 FISHING REGULATIONS Pursuant to an order of the Montana State Fish & Game Commission, the following fishing regulations shall apply in Sanders County for the 1951-52 season. Regular Open Season: May 20 to November 15. Regular Closed Season: November 16, 1951 to May 17, 1952. Hours of Fishing: open from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., in all waters unless otherwise specified. The daily limit on all species of trout, char, whitefish and salmon shall be 15 fish, not to exceed 10 pounds and one fish. This daily limit shall not i...
ANGELA WILLIAMS, Thompson Falls - “An open house where the previous owners had left, or were evicted, and everything in the house was free because they didn’t want to pay to have it all moved.” KIM CATT, Thompson Falls - “The weirdest thing I have seen at a garage sale was chickens being sold.” NANETTE MAYFIELD, Bigfork - “When people start to release their old books that came from their grandparents or great-grandparents that came from 1894.” RICHARD MAYFIELD, Bigfork - “Some of the old tools that are 50-100 years old that you have no idea wh...
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Tina Wood, 48, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Andrea Bruce, 28, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Peyton Whiting, 17, night speeding, $20. Emily Montgomery, 23, day speeding, $20. Montana Highway Patrol Brody Black, 16, seatbelt violation, $20. Carol Sharp, 62, violation in a construction zone, $105. Victoria Brown, 30, day speeding, $70 Howard Rubin, 59, day speeding, $70. Eric Preston, 27, night speeding, $70. Suvankar Putrevu, 24, night speeding, $120. Motor Carrier Services Don Bauer, 66, failure to d...
Ambulance: Plains, 14; T. Falls, 6; Heron, 1; Hot Springs, 2; Trout Creek, 3; Paradise, 1. Monday, June 21 Stalking, T. Falls. General animal call or complaint, T. Falls. Theft, Noxon. Civil standby, Trout Creek. Animal other, Heron. Welfare check, Heron. Abandoned vehicle, Paradise. Theft, Plains. Protection order violation, T. Falls. Weapons offense, T. Falls. Child welfare/abuse, T. Falls. Tuesday, June 22 Disturbance, Paradise. Peron missing, T. Falls. Fire, Dixon. Person missing, T. Falls. Alarm-intrusion/holdup, T. Falls. Suspicious...
“Within 10 years, if there aren’t more hunters, there won’t be enough funds from license sales to pay for fish and wildlife conservation,” said Richard Cotte, a Sanders County resident and director of the new Connecting Heroes and Hunters branch of the First Hunt Foundation (FHF). Cotte spent much of his life in the military and has been a lifelong hunter. He is not the only one worried about the loss of the hunting culture in America, especially regarding its support of conservation. According to a study done by the National Shooting Sports...
The Thompson Falls Library is closed this week, through July 5, while some much-needed repairs are completed. The library is getting a new roof and needed to close while work is being completed. Crystal Buchanan, director of Thompson Falls Public Library, said the book drop would not be available during construction, but patrons will not incur late fees. Children participating in the Summer Reading Program can leave a voicemail at 827-3547 to let library staff know they met their reading goal for the week, or can report their progress the next...
St. Ignatius- Kenneth Melvin "Kenny" Torgrimson, age 97 of St. Ignatius, Montana, passed away at his home on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, with his daughter Melvina and his brother Darrel "Torgy" by his side. Ken was born October 18, 1923, to Gustave Adolph and Mabel Olson Torgrimson at their home in Dooley, Montana. The family moved to Noxon, Montana around 1933. Ken played in the high school band and basketball team for the Noxon Red Devils. He graduated in 1941. Ken joined the CCC and the U.S....
Every now and then I find myself stressed with my morning routine. Maybe I slept in or I have a lot of work scheduled on the calendar, but I notice a sense of frustration as I am rushed to get my “farm chores” done so I can get on with my day. Watering the gardens, planting seed starts, collecting eggs, getting breakfast to all the animals; this all needs to be done before the heat of the day hits. Not to mention, this is all happening before the coffee has even had a chance to kick in. I start to wonder why I decided to go this route. The who...
James Franklin Culligan, age 84, passed away on Sunday, June 27, 2021 at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains. Memorial services for James are pending. Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory....
A small group of Thompson Falls High School (TFHS) students began their summer break by diving into the world of filmmaking. In partnership with MAPS Media Institute, a nonprofit organization based out of Bitterroot Valley, students had the opportunity to participate in a five-day filmmaking camp. With assistance from MAPS film instructor Dan Molloy, the students wrote and produced their own film titled "Dragonfly." MAPS, originally known as Media Arts in the Public Schools, began in 2004 as an...
Mayor Mark Sheets is warning Thompson Falls residents to ration their use of water within city limits. This means absolutely no watering of lawns and “only a little hand watering of gardens to keep them alive,” said Sheets. Sheets explained that the pump for the big well is down, and the city is not sure when it will be fixed. According to Sheets, there have been issues with this pump in the past. The city put in a new control system for it and even replaced it. However, “for some reason it is drawing a lot of amperage which is causing the p...
Avista and nonprofit organization Project ASCENT have partnered to build a new playground in Noxon's Pilgrim Park. Working with Dakota Playground, Avista and Project ASCENT designed a space that will offer durability and ADA accessible features. An Avista press release stated that the playscape offers features for a broad age range while also adhering to Project ASCENT's mission to help children increase their awareness and understanding of their natural environment. "We're assembling from the...
Marie Errecart has been named as the new Plains High School athletic director. Mike Cole, the former long-time AD for Plains, released a statement last week announcing that he was stepping down and that Errecart has been enlisted as the new athletic director as of June 15. Errecart is a graduate of Plains and has been a teacher in the elementary system for several years, serving as coach for several junior high sports during her tenure. Cole indicated that he will remain with the Plains school system and that he plans on working as the Plains...
The new American Legion youth baseball team of Sanders County nabbed second place at the "Boys of Summer" tournament at Belgrade last week after being defeated by the Belgrade Bandits 10-2. "The boys were disappointed that they didn't win the championship, but I was pleased with their performance," said Jon Zigler, head coach of the Clark Fork Valley Riverdogs, the only American Legion team in Sanders County. The Clark Fork Valley Riverdogs were one of six teams in the weekend play. Zigler said...
Taking a break from the cutthroat competition of regular season play, the Tuesday Night Men’s league players instead went at it with a play format last week. Enjoying their pressure-free evening at River’s Bend the most, Big Sky Pantry golfers Bill Nolen, Howard Morkert, Mike Tessier and Scott Rasor won the friendly golfing battle. As part of the action Tuesday, Morkert claimed individual honors on three holes, rolling in the long putt on No. 3, putting his tee shot closest to the pin on No. 5 and hitting the long 55+ drive on No. 9, Steve Far...
It was all in fun, this round of Wednesday Night Men’s League golf. Enjoying a midseason break from league action with a play night after the Highlead team wrapped up the first half title last week, TRL team members Gene Wooden, Ben Mount, Jay Dowell and Joe Giegling won top honors in weekly play this time around River’s Bend. In hole play, Gary Thompson was closest to the pin in 3 on No. 2, Bernie Groshong chased in the long putt on No. 3, Chuck Manry was closest to the pin off the tee on No. 5, Ryan Ostwald collected long-putt honors on No...
A new day has dawned in Women’s League golfing at River’s Bend. With the first half of the season concluding the week before, the golfing ladies of Sanders County went out clubbing again last Thursday evening to start the second half of league action, which concluded with the team of Kim Sparks and Chris Kelly resting in first place. The winners of the first half, the team of Jeanne Holleran and Tina Wheeler shot the low gross of 109, while Kristy Beaty and Danice Toyias combined for the best team net of 70. Lana Nolen collected low ind...
Trae Thilmony is not only one of the best high school wrestlers in Montana, he is one of the best prep grapplers in the entire country. Thilmony's body of wrestling work and rewards earned during his outstanding career grew even more impressive in Florida last week. A two-time State B-C individual champion in Montana, the rising Thompson Falls senior wrestled as a member of the Montana Maroon team in the week-long 2021 AAU Scholastic Duals tournament at the expansive Orange County Convention Cen...
