Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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School is just a few weeks away, but summer is just about started for boaters and other river enthusiasts in Thompson Falls. Work to replace steel stanchions at NorthWestern Energy's Thompson Falls dam began earlier this summer. High flows from the spring runoff forced NorthWestern Energy to release steel spillway beams to allow for water, debris and logs to pass safetly through the dam, according to dam foreman Noel Jacobson. In order to replace those beams, the reservoir had to be drawn down....
The 39th Annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek will kick off this weekend. Organizers are touting what an accomplishment nearly four decades has been. Had it not been for 1999, when no one stepped up to organize the Huckleberry Festival, this would have been the 40th year. Thankfully, in 2000 someone stepped up. And so, the festival continues. The fun kicks off Friday, August 10, at 5p.m. The flag will be raised to the national anthem, pledging of allegiance and followed by a celebration of everything huckleberry. As always, the festival...
Linda Haywood broke ground on her Road to the Buffalo sign project with two out of the three locations getting their signs installed August 3. A double-sign was installed at the pull-off right before you cross the bridge to enter Noxon. There were some minor complications at the Noxon site coming from large rocks getting in the way of the post-hole auger. The sign at the Weeksville pull-off had a much smoother installation drilling into the softer dirt, which was good news with the rising...
by Annie Wooden Sanders County Commissioners announced earlier this week that fire restrictions will be elevated to Stage 2 beginning at midnight Friday. With Stage 2 restrictions, all fires, including camp fires, are prohibited. Also, no internal combustion engines or explosives can be used from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. These “hoot owl” restrictions also apply to welding or operating acetylene or other torches with open flame. The restrictions also require a one-hour foot patrol in the area following those activities. With Stage 2, operating mot...
We’ve spent the last few weeks in our favorite huckleberry picking spots. It’s been a great year up in the mountains, and it always makes us a little sad when the huckleberry season is about over. We tend to take advantage of the fact that most years we’ll have plenty of huckleberries to make milkshakes and pancakes throughout the year. And we always look forward to Trout Creek’s annual celebration of all things huckleberry. It’s interesting, though, when you talk to people not from our area who (gasp) have never tried huckleberries or who ha...
From the early 1970’s through the early 2000’s I made, eight or 10 budget-priced treks into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, sometimes afoot, sometimes on horseback, accompanied by friends or family members. Outside of a few livestock wrecks and occasional blistered feet, I never had a bad trip. I learned a lot about camping, landforms, livestock, and about myself. I learned to love the Bob just for its existence, whether or not I ever visit it again, and I learned to admire the far-sighted folks who set this ground aside in its most isolated pos...
As November elections loom in America different forces are at work in both major political parties to find a theme common to the political compartmentalization of their respective constituencies. With the forces of Trump loyalists against traditional conservative Republicans the establishment Republicans seem to be losing the ability to control their own party. The Democrats, thankfully, do not have that worry because they seem to never have been in control of their party in the first place....
4 YEARS AGO • AUGUST 3, 1978 LOGGERS DEVELOPED COLORFUL LANGUAGE By W.L. Olson, Kootenai Logging Specialist Continued from last week As the work day shortened and camps became more comfortable, men rode to work in a "crummy," the railroader's slang for the caboose. But the work was still arduous, and with a good "side rod" (boss of a logging crew, a term derived from the push rods on a steam locomotive which drove the wheels) an outfit could make a profit. Wages went to $3, $4 and even $6 a d...
JASON PETERSON, Thompson Falls – “It has definitely. I live on Cherry Creek where we fish and play. Now we have to drive 10 miles to get to the boat ramp to put our boat into the water. I can’t wait for the water to go back up.” JACK PERRON, Thompson Falls – “We had property here but we just sold it. We are staying with our neighbor Ray Marshall and they take us out on the river. We love it here and will be back in the summers.” SOPHIA LaFRINIERE, Thompson Falls – “We walked in the sand on the beach and found shells. I sunk down in the sand...
Sunday, July 29 Request for deputy contact regarding neighbor’s dogs constantly barking. Man and woman having domestic issue in blue 4-door vehicle, woman on hood at one point, Trout Creek. Report of smoke on tribal land. Vehicle versus deer, Trout Creek. Suspect in theft has been trespassed by the Symes Motel, Hot Springs. Evicted persons took dishwasher, T. Falls. Monday, July 30 One vehicle rollover, Heron. Vehicle versus deer, Trout Creek. Five gallons of gas stolen from pickup, T. Falls. Report of pit bull in yard, ongoing issue, T. Falls....
Montana Highway Patrol Wallace Burns, 36, fail to carry proof of insurance, 1st offense, $285. Antonio Gomez-Osorio, 55, driving while privilege is suspended, $285; aggravated driving under the influence, 1st offense, $1075; seatbelt violation, $20. Clint Blackham, 37, day speeding, $70. Marjorie Cooke, 73, careless driving, $85. Danene McNamara, 60, seatbelt violation, $20. Jeffery Braaksma, 54, day speeding, $20. Alfred Bridges, 69, operating without liability insurance, 1st offense, $285; fail to yield, $85. James Detienne, 20, seatbelt...
The Hot Springs Tribal Nutrition Center had the opportunity to get a new dish on the menu during lunch on July 26. Sue Kim, who is originally from South Korea, cooked for a restaurant in San Francisco for 25 years. Kim and her husband retired to Los Angeles and purchased an RV to travel around the country. It was on their way home from their trip to Alaska in 2017 that they discovered Hot Springs. “We actually got lost and this is where we ended up,” said Kim. They were intrigued by the natural hot springs that can be found in the area. Kim und...
Lois Lee Derr Cuddy, 85, passed away on Thursday, July 26, 2018 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at the Clark Fork Cemetery with Pastor Scott Douglas officiating. Following the service there will be a celebration of her life at Sam Owen Campground under the pavilion. Lois was born on July 30, 1932 in Sandpoint, Idaho, to Ross and Doris Derr. She graduated from Clark Fork High School and attended Kinman Business College in Spokane.... Full story
Robert G. Lawrence, 73, passed away July 19, 2018. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn of Thompson Falls; his mother Betty Hernandez and sister Candy Lynch of Vancouver, Washington; and his brother, Donald Hernandez of Reno, Nevada. Bob and Marilyn moved to Thompson Falls in 1989 from Santa Cruz, California, and for 0 years owned and operated Bob's Auto Repair until he contracted COPD with emphysema and asthma. Bob was a vehicle repair mechanic his entire working life and was being driven by... Full story
A drawing has put Plains, Montana, on the map, according to Carol Harris, coordinator for the VFW Post 3596 Auxiliary Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest, after a Plains High School student took second place nationwide. "This is a big deal. In the whole country, we're number two," said Harris, who's been the local auxiliary contest chairperson for 25 years. Malachi Paulsen was extremely pleased when he was recently notified that he took second with a black and white graphite portrait...
When a tree falls in a forest, does anyone care? When it takes down major power line and puts 863 people with electricity, it does That’s how people in the west end of the county experienced Monday morning when they turned on their lights and plugged in their coffee makers. The power went off at 7:50 a.m. from Noxon to Heron and up the Bull River. There was no wind, no logger downing a tree across the lines. Just no power to their homes and appliances. Northern Lights started receiving hundreds of calls asking why and how long until the p...
Congressman Greg Gianforte announced that a member of his staff will conduct mobile office in Sanders County next week. The mobile office hours will be noon Tuesday, Aug. 14, in the Sanders County Courthouse justice courtroom in Thompson Falls. Area residents are invited to visit with Sonny Capece, a member of Gianforte’s staff, on an individual basis and share their views, questions, or concerns regarding the federal government. These comments will be shared with Congressman Gianforte. Residents may also inquire about federal programs or s...
Like clockwork, the Huckleberry Festival auction will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 11 on Trout Creek Park’s main stage, with sign-ups and item previewing beginning at 5 p.m. Kevin Hill, of Kevin Hill Auction Service, will be once again donating his services. Auction Chair, Sandy Green, shared that as a bonus to purchasers, every time a purchase is made, the buyers name will be entered for a final drawing. The more you buy, the more chances you will have to win. Green said she has collected donated items from businesses and i...
Wednesday was an informational meet and greet for both sides, as youth from the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) met with Sanders County commissioners to share their experience in the summer work program with the Forest Service (FS) and learn a little more about the role of the county's executive branch, once nicknamed the "County Dads." Plains/Thompson Falls District Ranger Dave Hattis and county commissioners agreed that the youth summer program is the number one project the district wanted...
More than 600 people from all across the Northwest filled Noxon's Pilgrim Park over the weekend for the 9th annual Big Sky Blues Festival. Festival organizer Lorne Riddell said everyone was having a good time and he was getting a lot of positive feedback from performers and guests. "I love the blues. I'm having such a good time," said Kathryn Davis of Missoula, who had never been to a blues festival before. Davis enjoyed Sheri Roberts Greimes and her "hot, smoking Janis Joplin voice." Brenda...
Troy Mine, Inc. has contacted Chris Savage, Kootenai National Forest (KNF) Supervisor, and Operating Permit Section Supervisor for Montana Hard Rock Mining Bureau Herb Rolfes, to give an update on the reclamation schedule for the Troy Mine. “The legal questions regarding the ability of Hecla subsidiaries to legally operate in the State of Montana is an unforeseen circumstance warranting modification to the Troy reclamation schedule,” commented Troy Mine general manager Doug Stiles. In September 2017, the Troy Mine submitted a reclamation sch...
Much of Sanders County enjoys a cycle of tourists each year to boost business, but there is also an annual influx of tourists on cycles who come through with that purpose in mind. Ride Idaho bicycle tour brings hundreds of cyclists from 43 states to the county for an overnight stay before pedaling their bikes up Thompson Pass to arrive at their destination in Post Falls – which is also their starting point. "We really like to support the communities and the businesses there when we pass t...
The Sanders County Arts Council (SCAC) is gearing up for the annual Tapestry performing arts series. This year, the SCAC will present six performances. Karen Thorson with SCAC said that performers are chosen through the Montana Performing Arts Consortium. The consortium hosts a conference early in the year allowing presenters from across the state, including SCAC, to preview performers. Thorson said that the conference this year had about 17 performers. “To see how the audience responds to a performer is really important for us to make our c...
The Piranhas school of swimmers are out of class for the season. Ten members of the Plains Piranhas attended the Montana State Swim Team Finals at Conrad last weekend, finishing in fourth place in Class C. Twenty-two teams and 579 swimmers competed in the two-day state contest, according to Kelly Horton, whose daughter, Grace, competed in the finals. The team coach, Jack Couch, took first place in the boys' 15 to 19-year-old class 100-meter butterfly with a time of 1:7.90. Couch had been a...
Children of all ages were invited to come out and join the Vacation Bible School (VBS), that was hosted by the Thompson Falls Community Congregational Church (TFCCC) and missionaries from Christ's Church in Federal Way, Washington. A total of 30 missionaries came from Washington to help out with the four-day event. This was the second year that TFCCC has hosted this VBS with help from the missionaries, who also spent their time around Thompson Falls, chopping firewood, cleaning yards, and even...
