Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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by Annie Wooden The project to update curbs and approaches along Main Street continues in Thompson Falls. Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) stated that Razz Construction will begin road milling at the end of the week, with paving continuing through next July 21. During the paving and milling portion of the project, parking along Main Street in Thompson Falls will be closed. Lori Warden with Upward Public Relations said residents and visitors are encouraged to park on side streets south of Main Street. Some parking may be available in...
There will be two more sets of eyes for the Forest Service to keep watch for fires now that its two lookouts in Sanders County are manned and ready for action, and in the near future, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will have its lookout staff on station. Being nearly 7,000 feet atop a mountain peak gives a person quite the view, but Ken Richardson and Craig Phillips aren't there for the 360-degree scenic panorama, they're the eyes and ears of the Forest Service....
The Clark Fork River in Thompson Falls has been a popular location for wildlife this month. Earlier this month a moose stopped for a visit, and last week a pod of pelicans was seen hanging around near Wild Goose Landing Park. Local photographers Linda Elliott (top photo) and Desiree Sinclair (left photo) captured images of nearly a dozen pelicans....
by Annie Wooden and Shannon Brown A murder suspect from Michigan who escaped custody in Plains on Sunday has been captured and is awaiting transport back to Michigan. Chadwick Shane Mobley was being transported from Lincoln County to another destination on Sunday when he escaped the custody of the contracted transport company during a stop at Town Pump in Plains just before 10 a.m. Sanders County Sheriff Shawn Fielders said that the transport company left Mobley alone at the Town Pump, where he...
The Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District launched their watercraft to rescue two stranded swimmers along the Clark Fork River across from Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort last Saturday. Around 11 p.m., a guest from Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort swam across the Clark Fork River to the site of a train derailment that happened in April, when a train car full of beer dumped alongside and into the river. Railroad crews cleaned up the site of wrecked train cars and materials, including beer, but apparently left some along the river. The man was there a sho...
In June, Illinois took its own action against groups attempting to remove certain materials from the shelves of public schools and libraries: The state banned book bans. The measure signed into law withholds grant funding to libraries that do not adhere to the American Library Association’s guidelines that say books shall not be taken out of circulation based on personal, political or religious reasons. For 20 years, the ALA has gathered data on attempted book bans, and 2022’s numbers are the highest in history. According to their website, the...
“O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming…” Francis Scott Key, an American patriot, was sent to negotiate a prisoner’s release from the British while the battle for Fort McHenry raged. The negotiations were discussed on a British vessel tied to his American ship. Once the details were completed, the British kept Key under guard to prevent him from sharing with the Americans any military secrets that he might have observed wh...
7 YEARS AGO • JULY 1953 RECORD BREAKING 109 RECORDED HERE People of Thompson Falls and the Clark Fork Valley had a perfect right to complain about the heat last Sunday, July 12. The official temperature according to U.S. Forest Service instruments was a sizzling 109 degrees. This reading was reached at 3 p.m. In recent times a record high of 107 degrees was recorded on August 11, 2018. This reading as far as we know made Thompson Falls the hottest spot in the nation. According to Monday’s Missoulian it reached 105 there, being bettered only by...
WILL ARMSTRONG, Plains - “I wear my shades. Open windows at night and close them in the morning and go inside when it gets too hot out.” ARIEL LYONS, Plains - “Swimming with my two kids and a water table in the wading pool.” JULIE BURNS, Plains - “I have an 8-foot round by 30-inch deep pool that I take a dip in, especially after the farmers market.” KIMBERLY BYLER, Plains - “I want to have an air conditioner. I like to go swimming.” ASHLEY DALLING, Plains - “I like to go swimming and to the beach.” CHRISTIE UNDERWOOD, South Carolina/Plains - ...
Montana Highway Patrol Morgan Jones, 26, day speeding, $20. Kenneth Macy-Oberholtzer, 34, speeding in a restricted zone, $105. Keynan Runnels, 22, seatbelt violation, $20. Ronald Lund, 64, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Lyndon Gates, 61, speeding in a restricted zone, $105, deferred imposition of sentence. Adam Davis, 41, seatbelt violation, $20. Carlos Garcia Audon, 40, day speeding, $70. Jacob Hamilton, 25, seatbelt violation, $20. Mikayla Stephenson, 26, operating with expired registration, $85; day speeding, $70. Cole Train, 17, day...
Ambulance: Plains, 8; Dixon, 3; T. Falls, 3; Hot Springs, 3; Lonepine, 2; Heron, 1; Trout Creek, 1. Monday, July 3 Request for welfare check, Trout Creek. Abandoned vehicle, Noxon. Fire, Hot Springs. Theft, Hot Springs. Civil attempts. Civil attempts. Assist motorist/citizen, Plains. Suspicious activity, Plains. Intoxicated driver report, T. Falls. Business contact, Hot Springs. Fire, Plains. Disturbance, Plains. Tuesday, July 4 Disturbance, Paradise. Harassment/privacy in communication, T. Falls. Assist motorist/citizen, Trout Creek. Business...
CORRECTION The July 6 edition of The Ledger incorrectly stated that Debbie and Eric Wilson own the Rex Theater. The theater is in fact run by the non-profit Thompson Falls Film and Theater Foundation, a registered 501c3. Debbie Wilson and Charlie Munday run the non-profit and Eric Wilson manages the theater. According to the Wilsons, the theater is run entirely by volunteers who do not receive any compensation. The Ledger apologizes for any misrepresentation. Also, in the article about the Plains pool, the wading pool is in memory of Glenn...
Bill and Helen Meadows will host the screening of the documentary "Return to the Big Skies: Miss Montana To Normandy" Friday evening, July 14, at their ranch at 168 Little Beaver Creek Road, between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek, courtesy of the Museum of Mountain Flying. The movie will be shown in their historic 1908 barn at 7 p.m. The public is invited, and is asked to bring their own lawn chairs and drinks. Popcorn will be provided, courtesy of Robert Cluzen of Noxon. Prior to the film, between 6:30 and 7 p.m., the DC-3 Miss Montana herself...
The sign above the new restaurant in Plains reads, "Em's Cafe Family Dining Since 1976." The new owner, Emily Sexton, has been in the family restaurant business her entire life. Her grandfather, Dallas Sexton, opened three restaurants. Her Uncle Miles started Minnie's Cafe in Thompson Falls in 2004. Murray Sexton, Emily's dad, worked in the California locations that his dad, Dallas, opened. The first one was in 1976. Now Murray is in Plains helping his daughter. Emily studied biology and got a...
Montana has a state fruit, and it is about to be celebrated for the 43rd time at Trout Creek Park. The Huckleberry Festival was launched in 1978 for the purpose of showcasing local artisans and crafters and the wonderful hand-made items they created. Their humble beginnings started with just a handful of vendors and have now grown over the years to an average of 90 vendors participating in the festival each year. This year, the 43rd celebration on Aug. 12-13 is no exception, with nearly 100 vendors signed up and more coming in. What sets the Hu...
If you are looking for a place to take riding lessons, ride your horse, or board your horse, there are new trainers in the county. Tamarack Ridge Ranch has been open since February of this year. Owners Larry and Kristina Bauska have a lease partnership with Havens Stable. Sally and Matt Havens own the property and also have dog boarding kennels. The Bauskas knew they wanted to work together and get into their dream job of lessons and training. Both have a background in teaching. Kristina taught...
After 38 years of public service, Martin Spring has decided to hang up his badge. He first came to Sanders County 18 years ago when he was hired as an undercover police officer for the drug task force. At that time he was seen in ratty clothes and had a scruffy beard. Prior to transferring to Sanders County, Spring worked in Missoula and Texas. A retirement party was held last Thursday at the Sanders County Courthouse, Spring was honored by the department for his work as a detective in the...
by Tina Daugherty June brought a lot of rain, some gorgeous thunderstorms and finally warm weather! The market is seasonally blooming with many more home sales and a decline in land sales. Interest rates continue to rise, which will affect the market. Summer is in full swing with quite a lot of tourist activity and busy highways. This feels like the tale end of the best market I've seen in my 31 years of selling real estate in this and other areas. A correction feels imminent but always takes longer than you think it will. The good news is that...
Sadly, and unexpectedly, our loving family member, Allison Schnitzler, 71, passed peacefully in her sleep in her home after sustaining a fall, in combination with other underlying medical conditions on Monday June 26, 2023. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and a friend, and will be forever missed and loved by all that knew her. Allison was born on July 11, 1951 to Berniece Goodwin (Barnes), and Myron Leroy Goodwin in Whitefish, Montana. At a very young age, her parents... Full story
The gospel and blues singer known only as Brother Music played all three days at the annual Homesteaders Days in Hot Springs last month. Though he resides in Sandpoint, Idaho, Brother Music has lived in Utah and many places abroad, including Japan and Taiwan. Stateside, his music has been heard from Ohio to California. He first played locally twenty years ago at Boondogglers in Thompson Falls and at the Sanders County Fair in Plains. In his early days, "I opened for many legends such as Tina...
Plains Councilman Chad Cantrell thanked Mayor Chris Allen last week for the shortest council meeting since he joined the council five-and-a-half years ago. The Plains Town Council spent only 41 minutes at last Monday's meeting but approved three ordinances and went through reports from the mayor, the police chief and committees. Members present included Cantrell, Connie Foust, Joel Banham, John Sheridan and John Roesler, with Garrett Boon present via Webex. Only a handful of community members...
by Annie Wooden Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) has released results from its spring ungulate surveys. FWP surveyed white-tailed deer, sheep and elk throughout Region 1, which includes Sanders County. According to FWP Wildlife Biologist Zack Farley, the number of elk surveyed was down this year in HD 121 on the west end of Sanders County, while overall, the deer and sheep populations appear stable, and recruitment (the number of offspring surviving the winter) is up for all species in most districts. FWP uses spring survey data along with...
The Thompson Falls City Council on Monday named council president Raoul Ribeiro as interim mayor. Mayor Mark Sheets handed in his letter of resignation at the June council meeting. Ribeiro will serve as mayor until a new mayor is appointed by the council. Letters of interest will be accepted until 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 28. To qualify for mayor, a person must be at least 21 years old, a resident of Montana for at least three years and a resident of Thompson Falls for at least two years. Carrie Gardner with Great West Engineering updated the...
Fred Young Park was donned with Americana motif and people with plenty of red, white and blue as VFW Post 3596 Commander Ron Kilbury manned the burger grill for Independence Day 2023. It's unsure how long the VFW in Plains has been putting on a Fourth of July celebration, but it's been at least since Army veteran Don Kunzer joined the VFW in 1979. Jim Gillibrand of Plains, also a veteran soldier, has been a participant in the event since he joined the club almost 30 years ago. Gillibrand was...
Ronald Reagan once said that freedom is only one generation from being lost forever. On this past July 4, several generations gathered in Noxon for festivities celebrating Independence Day. The day had activities for people of all ages, beginning with a 5k run, pancake breakfast and then a parade. Several people and organizations took part in the parade, which involved candy and the traditional spraying of water from the fire trucks at the end of the parade. Both were a hit, but the candy edged...
