Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Sanders County is committed to tackling the blueweed problem that appears to be gaining momentum. According to Judson Shively, Sanders County Weed Department Supervisor, the county had recently teamed up with Lincoln, Missoula and Ravalli counties in forming the Blueweed Task Force. They spent four days removing the noxious weed from various areas throughout the county. "We're spraying county roads and state highways, gravel pits, shop yards and pull outs" Shively said addressing what the...
It didn't have the most cars, but it had the most variety since it began, said Bryan Spellman, who volunteered to register the 2019 Local Yokels' Car and Truck Show Saturday at Ripples Ice Cream Parlor and NAPA Auto Parts in Plains. Twenty-three cars and trucks and one motorcycle registered for the show, which was free to enter and free admission. Tom Peterson, owner of Ripples, started the event four years ago for local people to show their vehicles. For the first show, Peterson was said to hav...
It was a smooth evening for the Thompson Falls City Council, with every action item on the agenda gaining approval to move forward. Those items included a Memorandum of Understanding that the City Council will oversee and take care of the development on the Veterans Memorial at Ainsworth Park, which includes laying brick and other updates. Another agenda item was beginning submission for grants to move forward with future wastewater projects. Applications are due by May 2020 and take about a year for an approval meeting. This timetable pushes...
The grand marshals for the 40th Huckleberry Festival are Kathy and Jim Hill. Kathy has been the vendor chair for the festival for the past 22 years, she retired from these duties last year. Both she and Jim were very surprised and honored to be named the grand marshals for the 40th Annual Huckleberry Festival parade. Kathy was born in Festus, Missouri and grew up in the Detroit area. She moved around extensively with her first husband (Michigan, Las Vegas, Houston, New Mexico). Kathy's first...
Recently, we had the opportunity to visit the East Coast with a friend who is a native of New York. It was interesting to go back with her and see a different part of the country that is so foreign to us. The busy streets and the billions of people are a bit much for small-town Montanans. It was fun to visit, but it was great to come home and drive over Thompson Pass, only passing one car on our return. While on a layover at the airport in Boston, we started chatting with an airline representative. This woman had never been to Montana and was s...
As I watched our new drug store owners tussle with insurance companies (been there) as they took over this past week, it reminded me how tough it can be to run a small business, especially in a small town. And as I watched, and heard reports, of their efforts to work through the difficulties, even to the point of offering home delivery, I was reminded how different it is when the business owners are part of the community, not just a corporate entity. We are fortunate that, as Doug Shear retires, we have another local taking the reins. I wish...
Representative Justin Amash, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, may be the most principled man in American politics. Unfortunately, he is most likely going to wind up in the ash bin of principled politicians, most of whom sacrifice their career and their influence for the small pleasure of being able to sleep well at night. Amash recently left the Republican Party to become an Independent. He believed that unquestioning loyalty to a political party had led to Congress ceding its Constitutional powers...
9 YEARS AGO MERCANTILE COMPANY GOPHER CONTEST OVER Boys turn in about 2000 tails The gopher contest, sponsored by the Thompson Falls Mercantile Company closed this week and the boys in the contest turned in about 2000 tails. Ray Austin won the first prize, a fishing pole and reel valued at $8.50 with 922 gopher tails. Billy Eplin was second with 411. Fred Turk, third. Each of the boys, aside from the grand prize received about a dollars worth of fishing tackle for their efforts. They were all very much enthused over the hunt and hope that...
LONA COLLINS, Thompson Falls – “Gardening. I’m mostly home bound. I like everything. I have flowers this year. I’m right by the dog trail and do hike and enjoy the evening.” LENA NICHOLSON, Thompson Falls – “I swim in the pool at our house and in the river. I play on the swing set and go to the beach.” TRISTAN KELLY, Thompson Falls – “We go swimming and are going to the water park. We go camping and fishing and go for bass, sunfish and brook trout.” SANDY FALLON, Thompson Falls – “We live on the Clark Fork river and have fun with our grandki...
Ambulance: Noxon, 2; T. Falls, 6; Plains, 7. Sunday, June 30 Motor vehicle crash, Prospect Creek, T. Falls. Assault, Plains. Protection order violation, H. Springs. Livestock on Hwy. 200, Dixon. Littering on Magpie Creek, Dixon. Motorist assist, Plains. Animal issue, Plains. Disturbance, H. Springs. Fire, Hwy. 28, H. Sprins. Monday, July 1 Welfare check requested, H. Springs. Civil standby requested, Plains. Suspicious activity, Plains. Road hazard/blockage, Hwy. 200, Noxon. Tuesday, July 2 Disturbance at the Town Pump, Plains. Threats made,...
Montana Highway Patrol Brendan Moore, 24, driving while privilege is suspended or revoked, 1st offense, $285. Paul Heidegger, 54, day speeding, $70. Ross Fratzke, 46, failure to keep vehicle under control on mountain highway, $85. Jennay Ovitt, 27, seatbelt violation, $20. Tracy McGann, 49, seatbelt violation, $20. Preston Campbell, 29, day speeding, $120. Lynda Schmiedbauer, 64, day speeding, $20. Makenzi Skellenger, 20, day speeding, $20. Jordan Treece, 32, night speeding, $70. Carol McKenzie, 53, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Susan...
To most of us, "The Grange" conjures up movie images of a modest rural building with wholesome country dances, moonshine in the parking lot and neighborhood meetings where farmers and ranchers battle out issues concerning their livelihoods. The Grange was the place for potlucks, sewing bees, 4-H meetings, holiday parties and even weddings. It's a crucial part of our rural heritage, and yet very few of today's generations even know what the Grange is. The Whitepine Grange is just such a place....
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is hosting upcoming public information meetings to provide an update on chronic wasting disease detections in Libby. The first meeting will be Friday, July 19. FWP will hold additional meetings on Aug. 2 and Aug. 16. The meetings will start at noon in the Ponderosa Room at Libby City Hall, 952 Spruce St. Members of the public are invited to attend. FWP staff will provide regular updates on the CWD Response Plan involving FWP and the City of Libby and answer any questions from the public. Additional informati...
At its June 19 meeting, the Fish and Wildlife Commission proposed to adopt an administrative rule pertaining to two-way communication while hunting, an administrative rule pertaining to animal kill site verification, and proposed to repeal administrative rule 12.6.301 pertaining to tagging of carcasses. On July 30 at 6 p.m., a public hearing will be held at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Headquarters, 1420 E. 6th Ave, Helena, on the proposed adoption of a new rule pertaining to two-way electronic communication while hunting. Based on...
July 3 marked 20 years since Justin Knutson fell about 150 feet while climbing near Noxon. Knutson was climbing with friends, Rob Buchan and Matthew Larkin, who went to get help after the fall. Matthew's father, Colin Larkin, scaled up the shale cliffside to get to Knutson where he laid, unresponsive. Larkin scooped Knutson up in his arms and began to pray. The first sign of life came when Knutson leaned over and threw up while in Larkin's arms. By this time, around 20 people had gathered at...
The residents of Paradise celebrated the nation's birthday with food, drink, games and fellowship on Independence Day at the local park, where the community and American Legion Post 129 sponsored the get together. More than 200 people attended the town's Fourth of July Picnic in the Park, which ran from 5 p.m. to just after dark with a 10-minute fireworks finale. The post, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, paid for 145 hamburgers and 120 hot dogs for the event and supplied the...
Fred Young Park was a busy place for about three hours on Independence Day as members of VFW Post 3596 served a free burger and hot dog picnic meal to people to honor the birth of the United States. Veterans decorated the grounds with several American flags, some of the vets donned patriotic colors, including a Stars and Stripes top hat on Jered Littlefield, and member Dave Tupper handed out red poppies, a symbol of peace that became popular after World War I after someone discovered it was said...
It was July 4th with all the trappings of a big parade, and people dressed in their reds, whites and blues. Everyone waving their American flags. The aroma of hot dogs, hamburgers and frying curly potatoes. It was the holiday all right, but it was more like a homecoming. Multiple generations of families came from across the states to join with those they had not seen for ages. You could see it and feel the love all around. White and grey-haired grandparents hugged and kissed their children and...
Some people celebrate America by shooting off fireworks. Others, like Laurie Clauson, rejoice by trekking across the nation. "I started my walk across America in late September 2017," stated Clauson, who began her journey in front of the hospital where she was born in Vancouver, Washington. Since then, she has finished 11 week-long segmented missions and logged more than 500 miles. Just prior to reaching Trout Creek on June 28 and Thompson Falls on June 29, Clauson reached her 500-mile...
The Paradise Center will once again host “Artists in Paradise” July 18 through 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the former Paradise School in Paradise. Joy Nelson, Sanders County Arts Council, is proud to announce this year will showcase a “wide variety of work including painting, pottery, woodcarving, fused glass jewelry, rock art and photography.” Original works as well as prints, notecards and other pieces will be available in addition to the artists themselves demonstrating their artistic abilities. “You will be amazed at the progress...
The Thompson Falls Elementary School offers breakfast and lunch during their two sessions of summer school. The first session was Monday through Thursday, June 17-20 and June 24-27 and the second session is coming up July 15-18 and 22-25. In past years, the summer food program was set up at the Thompson Falls pool and saw good numbers, being convenient for those just finishing swim lessons, according to elementary secretary Diane Hedahl. This year, because of the pool’s closure for repairs, the food program is being held in the elementary cafet...
The Christian Men’s Prayer Breakfast group will once again host the Chicken Jamboree at Thompson Falls Power Park on July 20. Originally set up by nine men in Big Timber 35 years ago, the Chicken Jamboree started when those men were brainstorming how to bring the community together. The men put their money together to buy chicken and the grills to cook it on. Word started to spread, and more and more people started to help making baked beans and potato salad for sides and organizing live music for entertainment. The first Chicken Jamboree w...
It's Sanders County's very own triathlon - a run, row and ride race through the splendor of our surrounding natural grandeur – and it is coming to Plains Sunday, Sept. 15. The 2019 Clark Fork Adventure Challenge, as the name implies, is an intentionally challenging race featuring an eight mile run on river Road East, followed by an eight mile kayak row in the Clark Fork River and concluded by a 15 mile bicycle ride featuring the spectacular scenery of western Montana, will begin and end at t...
Readers may find out about these games after the fact due to the Thursday publishing date of the Ledger, but Thompson Falls was set to host Sandpoint for an off-season softball doubleheader Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Lady Hawk high school coach Jared Koskela, who will guide the Thompson Falls girls for these summer games, says he and his team will then return the favor in two weeks by going to Sandpoint for another pair of games. Koskela said that due to limited availability of Lady Hawk high school players, several Plains-Hot Springs Trotters...
SIGNING ON THE DOTTED LINE - Hot Springs' Trevor Paro signed his national letter of intent to play baseball at Marshall University June 24. Paro is spending his summer playing for the Victoria HarbourCats in British Columbia....
