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Independently owned since 1905
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Kids at Plains School finished their "Summer Program" last week with a special dessert social and water games on the school football field. For nearly the entire month of July, more than 60 kids from kindergarten to eighth grade participated in several activities, such as sports, safety, community awareness, technology and cooking. Cooking was the specialty for Debbie Brown, coordinator of the four-week program, the result of a $7,500 grant from the Headwaters Foundation in Missoula. The other...
by Annie Wooden Officials reported Friday morning at the Thorne Creek fire burning north of Thompson Falls is 9% contained. Friday's report noted that the fire has grown to 19,100 acres. Since lightning sparked the fire on July 7, air resources have dropped 730,000 gallons of water, 28,000 gallons of retardant and delivered 31,000 pounds of cargo in efforts to control the blaze. According to Friday's update, "Work continues along the northwest perimeter in Division Charlie as firefighters work... Full story
Don’t be fooled by a few days of reduced fire behavior brought on by Sunday’s welcome rain – the Thorne Creek fire is still up there on Silcox Mountain, waiting for another chance to roar back to life. And it has a lot of summer, and a lot of unburned forest left to work with. “The fire is still up there, a living breathing thing, capable of more big runs,” Thorne Creek fire deputy incident commander Mark Goeller of the Northern Region Type 1 incident management team (IMT) told the audience at a...
As the Thorne Creek fire burns north of Thompson Falls, a community of volunteers are assisting evacuees and residents. The American Red Cross established a shelter at the Thompson Falls Community Center last week. The community center, located on Golf Street near Thompson Falls High School, transitioned into an information and resource center for the community. "Everyone is welcome, you don't have to be an evacuee," said Scott Fairfield, the American Red Cross volunteer from Eureka who...
The City of Thompson Falls has imposed more stringent water use restrictions. These efforts, according to Mayor Mark Sheets, are to ensure there is enough water stored and available to fight any fires that may reach town. Thursday and Friday, ash from the Thorne Creek fire burning north of town rained on to properties throughout the city. That prompted residents to water even more, and the city had to send out an alert on Saturday reminding residents of the water restrictions. According to the mayor, residents turned on their sprinklers and...
If you don’t understand something, it’s hard to tell if it’s right or wrong. There has been a lot of stress and tension over the management of the Thorne Creek fire. I’ve been to the public meetings and heard the concerns. I can see the fire creeping across the mountain in my backyard. I’ve watched it burn close to friends’ properties and them not able to do anything about it. People are concerned with the techniques used to manage the fire. It’s burning a lot of land. Tens of thousands of acres now. It’s heartbreaking to see our beautiful a...
I once had a neighbor who belonged to, or at least sympathized with, a small group of people who resented being told what to do - especially by the government. To this end he and his friends refused to buy automobile liability insurance, primarily because laws passed by the state legislature required it, and they didn’t like being pushed around. Whether or not they couldn’t afford it, I don’t know, but their argument was, besides not wanting to be told what to do, that they were “resp...
I would like to express my appreciation to the community that has embraced the current fire situation. It is not easy being “evacuated” and trying to continue to work and juggle a family at the same time. There are numerous folks who have provided for tangible needs and peace of mind. Thank you for being generous people. Although I do not agree with the fire containment plan, I am very grateful for those who are here on the ground and pray for your safety. Trent Harmon, Thompson Falls...
There’s no doubt that the issue of trapping wolves can be an emotional subject, and the creation of the new Sanders County chapter for the Foundation for Wildlife Management probably heightened that sensitivity. Their first fundraising banquet last month was certainly not without controversy, the biggest of which – for The Ledger – was preventing the media from covering the event. Preventing the press from covering the actual event was wrong, especially when organizers used The Ledger to promote their chapter and fundraiser beforehand. The p...
4 YEARS AGO • AUGUST 6, 1981 MULES STILL PERFORM VITAL WORK FOR FS By Pat Sullivan Over the last 70 years the Forest Service has replaced telephone cables with wireless radios, cut back on lookout towers due to the range of fire finding airplanes, and stacked two-handled crosscut saws away in favor of pull-start chainsaws. Foresters have even redesigned the shovel. But, with all the modern technology and equipment that has altered and expanded the duties of Forest Service personnel, no one has...
SHAWNNA McKINNEY, Town Pump - “Honesty and integrity. Just be truthful.” SANDRA GUBEL, Sanders County Tobacco Prevention Specialist - “Willingness to learn.” RAY BROWN, SCCDC Executive Director - “Accountability.” LORI DALKE, Professional Travelers Inc. - “Honesty, ethics and morals.” MIKAYLA HALONE, Blackfoot Communications - “Willingness to learn. I can teach anything to someone who is willing to learn." WILLIAM SCOTT, MT Army National Guard - “The most important quality in a job candidate boils down to integrity and taking ownership. W...
Ambulance: Noxon, 2; Hot Springs, 3; T. Falls, 6; Trout Creek, 2; Plains, 5. Monday, July 26 Motor vehicle crash, Noxon. Fire, Noxon. Theft, Plains. Livestock, Dixon. Fire, T. Falls. Welfare check, T. Falls. Weapons offense, Hot Springs. Suicide attempts/threats, Trout Creek. Tuesday, July 27 Automated alarm call, Plains. Motor vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Civil attempts, Noxon. Fire, Hot Springs. Property damage/criminal mischief, Hot Springs. Livestock, Hot Springs. Animal bite, Plains. Disturbance, T. Falls. Animal other, T. Falls....
Montana Highway Patrol Briana Snyder, 35, operating after consuming alcohol, 1st offense, $735. Heidi Lane, 49, day speeding, $120. James Watson, 41, day speeding, $20. Logan Buckner, 14, failure to keep vehicle under control, $135; driving without a license, $525. Payton Frields, 21, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Jennifer Eitelberg, 50, day speeding, $20. Dorieann Jones, 48, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Pierre Strohl, 31, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Haylee Hoff, 20, day speeding, $20. Jennifer Peacock, 46, day speeding, $2...
I took a trip to Kalispell last weekend to watch a documentary called “The Pollinators.” Flathead Conservation District hosted the event, which they called Pollinators in the Park. While it served to be a fun Friday evening, sitting on the grass in Woodland Park watching a documentary on honey bees, it was also an eye-opening experience. “The Pollinators” focuses on the billions of honey bees that are transported around the country each year pollinating commercial crops. It is a meticulous documentary detailing the trials and tribulations of th...
For many, the lack of attainable and available housing in the county has grown exponentially, leading many community leaders to believe the current housing situation has reached crisis level. To shed some light on the gravity of the circumstances, Sanders County Community Development Corporation Executive Director Ray Brown convened expert panelists from around the state to discuss different resources that could work for the county. “We’ve got some housing issues,” Brown said. “I don’t think we're alone in our battle, but I don’t think it’s...
The Plains Town Council passed an emergency ordinance at its monthly meeting at City Hall Monday evening in an effort to conserve water during this long period of drought. Council members discussed the situation for a short time before voting unanimously to pass the first reading of the “Emergency Ordinance and Ordinance to Adopt Procedure to Reduce Water Use During Emergency Conditions.” According to the ordinance, written by the town’s attorney, Richard Gebhardt, the town has experienced extraordinary demand on its water supply, capac...
A summer job can sometimes be a bridge to more permanent employment, and that could certainly be the case for members of the Youth Conservation Corps, which made an actual bridge in Lolo National Forest last week about 15 miles west of Plains. Two boys and two girls - Jody Detlaff, 18, Faith Palmer, 15, and Tyler Battles, 17, all of Thompson Falls, and Jim Hanson, 15 of Plains - were the only YCC participants this year, a much smaller group than usual, according to Marie Errecart, who headed the...
Fire restrictions, road closures and hot smoky weather may have put a damper on the weekend, but not for Coyote Days at the Wild Coyote Saloon. Despite several barriers and last year's cancellation due to COVID-19, owner Karen Ferguson believes the weekend was very successful. "With the road being closed through the Coeur d'Alene corridor, people still came and just went through St. Regis," Ferguson said. Stage 2 fire restrictions caused a shift in Saturday's schedule but the lawn mower races...
Rode Haus Coffee is the name and the Hanks gals -mother Paula and daughters Reagan and Roni - in collaboration with River Roadhouse owner Machelle Brossman, have launched barista operations next to the U.S. Postal Service office on Highway 200 in Trout Creek. "We are just so excited," said Reagan, who graduated from Thompson Falls High School in 2020, with utmost enthusiasm. "We have wanted to own our own coffee shop since I was 13 [years old], Roni since she was 12, and Paula since we were...
The numbers were lower this year, but not the enthusiasm of the near 100 players for the 7th Annual Wildhorse Showdown Softball Tournament at Amundson Sports Complex at Plains last weekend. Only seven teams - eight teams fewer than last year - participated in the 2.5-day tournament and when it was done on Sunday team ClitRus rose from the infield dust as victors, defeating the second place Studs 13-3. There were only three Sanders County teams, all from Plains this year – Lei Out, sponsored b...
Easy Street Auto held on to the top spot in Tuesday night men’s league play at River’s Bend last week. Custom Ventures golfers Scott and Kade Pardee, Doug Fisher and Kevin Sparks combined for the low team gross score of 172. Noxon Quik Stop’s Rusty Sharp, Bruce Haflich, Shawn Wilkinson and Scott Garr turned in the low team net of 141. In individual play, Sparks had the low gross of 40 and Scott Garr’s 30 was good enough for low net. In other hole play, Jenz Jantzen was closest to the pin in three on No. 11, Dave Garr sank the long putt on No....
The Wednesday men had chip-in fever at River’s Bend last week as golfers sank balls from off the green 10 times. Golfers chipping in included Dennis Gripp and Bernie Groshong on No. 10, Rick Hagedorn, Kelly Kovarik and Steve Clark on No. 11, Howard Morkert on No. 12, Michael Scharfe and Ron Beaty on No. 18, and Bary Moore had chip-ins on holes 12 and 13. First Security Bank golfers Mike Baxter, Michael Scharfe, Bill Nolen and Dan Whittenburg teamed up for the low gross of 171 and Moore Oil showed the low team net of 128 with Bary Moore, John To...
The women of River’s Bend didn’t let the heat and smoke stop them from another round of competition last Thursday. The team of Liz Morkert and Lana Nolen combined for the low gross of 108 and Kelly Wheeler and Barb Petteys had the low team net of 76. Doree Thilmony’s 52 was the low gross score for the evening and Morkert had the low net of 34. In hole play, Wheeler sank the long putt on No. 3, Kristy Beaty was closest to the pin on No. 5 and had the long drive on No. 9, Thilmony had the long putt on No. 6 and Tina Wheeler’s drive was closest...
The Sanders County Historical Society and Old Jail Museum have requested financial help with funding through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), government funding that has been provided to help respond to COVID-19 and its impact on local economies. Vonn Briggs, Old Jail Museum director and board member, met with Sanders County commissioners last week to discuss the need to keep the museum safe while continuing to preserve its history. Briggs requested funds for several projects totaling $15,700. “The whole process started when I met Sanders C...
