Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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It is often said, with a small town, comes a valued sense of community. A place where neighbors come together and support one another, all working towards the common good. Such words run true for our little town of Thompson Falls. A truly hidden gem in Montana; where no more than 1,500 people have the honor of calling this neck of the woods, home. When the Rex was built in 1939, it was, and remains to this day, a pillar of strength for the community. When the previous owners, Doug and Karen...
Commissioners on Tuesday voted to conduct the November general election by mail in Sanders County. However, that doesn’t mean that voters won’t have an opportunity to cast a ballot in person. Sanders County Election Administrator Nichol Scribner told the commissioners on Tuesday that voters can come into the courthouse at any time to vote in person. Ballots will be mailed October 9 and will include return postage so voters can drop the completed ballots in the mail without having to add postage. Ballots can also be turned it at drop box loc...
Smoke from wildfires in California, Idaho and Oregon made its way to Sanders County this week, painting the sky on the west end of the county with shades of orange at sunset and making for smoky sunrises from the east in the mornings. The weekend forecast projects cooler temperatures this weekend, with highs in the 60s on Sunday....
Sanders County high school students “vape” even more than Montana teens on the average. Forty-three percent of Sanders County high school students reported using electronic vapor products in the 30 days before the January 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered every two years by the state Office of Public Instruction. The survey revealed a statewide average of 30%. Nationwide, the average for teen “vape” use at that time was 28%. This young age group is particularly likely to take up electronic vapor product “vaping,” as well as oth...
This has been quite a year. We are living through a pandemic that very few alive today have ever seen. Chances are, we probably won't see anything like this again in our lives. As our kids go back to school, there is so much of the unknown. They are excited to go back to school and see their teachers and friends. As parents, we're anxious about whether we — and the school — have done enough to keep our kids safe. The fact is, no one knows what to do in these situations. School districts and local governments are tasked with keeping stu...
Editor: While many long-time residents of this area are concerned about the constant influx of “outsiders” moving here, I’d like to put in a good word for some of those newcomers. My husband and I were newcomers 13 years ago. When we moved here, we immediately got involved in some community projects like the Elks Lodge, Huckleberry Festival, Noxon Rod and Gun Club, the dog training club and several others. Now that we are somewhat established (albeit still newcomers), we are soliciting the help of other community members for our current proje...
I’d like to extend a very heartfelt “Thank You” to the Thompson Falls community, the surrounding towns, many non-profits, and especially the youth who attended the Project ASCENT (PA) camps while I served as Chairman of the Board. I am stepping down as chairman to attend to other aspects of my life and can’t leave without a few words of gratitude for the board and community. First to the founder of Project ASCENT, Rob Christensen, and the person who holds it all together, Andrea Christensen. These are two amazing individuals who love and bel...
When I first started writing this opinion column, I thought it would be fun and challenging. I was right about the challenging part but wrong about the fun! I had something completely different in mind for this week’s topic, but feel compelled to share my thoughts. I was talking with family and friends about this whole writing process the other night. I came to the realization that it’s just not that much fun. I guess that’s probably my own fault. When I take on a project, I go full bore. I don...
8 YEARS AGO EXCERPTS FROM THE 1940 SANDERS COUNTY INDEPENDENT LEDGER KNICKERBOCKER THINKS U.S. SHOULD ENTER WAR The United States could probably shorten the present European war “by three to four years” if it entered the conflict now, in the opinion of H.R. Knickerbocker, European war correspondent. The great correspondent believes the balance of power is so evenly divided that the war may drag on for five or six years. If the Allies appear to be losing, the United States will go in just as it did in thee last war, he said. If this cou...
BEBE TOWNEND KENNEDY, Thompson Falls - “I would tell the kids their just going to have to try really hard, its not going to be easy on the parents either, but were just going to have to try and put forth their best effort. JAMES HALES, Helena - “My best advice would be for students to be kind to one another and be gracious to their teachers. Everybody is having a difficult time right now, so kindness goes a long way.” MORGAN LEAF, Thompson Falls - “Have fun and enjoy being a child, don’t worry.” BOB LOCKARD, Thompson Falls - “Just go ou...
Montana Highway Patrol Kayla Woodruff, 21, driving without a license, $235. Tiffeny Hartick, 38, operating with expired registration, $85. Cody Stinger, 27, seatbelt violation, $20. Matthew Foley, 26, operating without insurance, 2nd offense, $85. Travis Herron, 48, day speeding, $20. Michael Cooper, 25, day speeding, $70. Mark Wilson, 31, exceeding special zone speed limit, $55. Steven Larson, 66, seatbelt violation, $20. Paul Wengerd, 46, exceeding special zone speed limit, $95. Robert Wickland, 47, day speeding, $200. Adrian Corona Raya,...
Ambulance Calls Plains 3, T. Falls 3, Dixon 1, Hot Springs 1. Sunday, August 16 Business contact, T. Falls. Assist miscellaneous, Plains. Threats, civil case, Hot Springs. Animal abuse, neighbor issues involving dog, T. Falls. Body found/coroner. Stolen vehicle, possible theft, Noxon. Child custody issues, Plains. Fire, Dixon. Harassment/privacy in communications, Dixon. Civil attempts. Assist other agency, Plains. Monday, August 17 Weapons offense, Dixon. Domestic/PFMA, suspect gone on arrival, Trout creek. Child custody issues, Plains....
Emergency personnel respond to an accident along Highway 200 west of Thompson Falls on Monday. According to witnesses, a blue sedan left the roadway, rolled and struck a tree in a driveway off the highway. No further information was available from the Sanders County Sheriff's Office....
Montana State Liquor Store 7 moseyed further down the alphabet when D&D Liquor became M&M Liquor earlier this summer. Former store owners Dave and Deb Oliver are no strangers to the Thompson Falls scene, and neither are new liquor stores owners Myles and Missy Sexton, who also own Minnie's Montana Café. The Sextons relocated to the area over 15 years ago when they purchased Boomtown Café in 2004 and converted it to Minnie's, a move Missy says was the "best thing we ever did." In agreement, M...
Hot Springs Public School Superintendent, Gerald Chouinard, has officially implemented a plan to re-open that was approved by the board last Thursday night. Chouinard says the committee task force began meeting in the middle of July, to go over CDC guidelines, guidelines from the governor, and guidelines from the Office of Public Instruction, in order to build a plan that ensures the safety of the students and faculty members. Chouinard and his team put together a re-opening plan that implements a combination of virtual learning and on-site...
Families in Sanders County were faced with a tough decision this week - whether to send their children back to school in person or keep them home. No doubt, what is good for one family may not be for another, which makes the decision even more challenging…we all want to do the right thing and look to others for guidance. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has recently released “Tips for Families: Helping Children and Adolescents Transition Back to School,” a supportive guide for sending kids back to school. “Families play an...
Maria “Jake” Legault, 76 of Thompson Falls, passed away Monday, August 24, 2020, at her home in Thompson Falls surrounded by her family....
Bobby Dean Sellmer, 67, passed away near Heron, Montana, on Sunday, August 23, 2020. A complete obituary will be published later in The Sanders County Ledger. He saw active duty with the U.S. Air Force and also served with the National Guard. Family and friends are invited to sign Bobby’s online guest book at www.coffeltfuneral.com. Arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service....
Yesterday I had another opportunity to be trained as a Election Judge for Sanders County. It is unimaginable the complexity and detail behind the scenes that make your right to vote happen as flawless as it may seem. We are so fortunate to have Nichol Scribner and Bobbi Christenson and their team serve SC with heart, passion, integrity and respect consistently. Their attention to detail is stunning with surgical precision and purpose. All their efforts are intended to protect and save guard your vote. I can almost get teary eyed experiencing...
The United States of Hope teamed up with Joint Operation Mariposa and VFW Post 3596 for the first Veterans & Family Freedom Float on the Clark Fork River from Paradise to Plains. Thirty-eight men, women and children loaded into a flotilla of inflatable rafts, kayaks, canoes, and four-foot long body boards at the Paradise Crossing fishing launch Saturday morning for the eight-mile voyage to the Sanders County Fairgrounds beach. "It's a good outdoors event to get veterans and their families out...
There's now a slight light at the end of the tunnel for those in opposition to the proposed sewer system in Paradise after Commissioner Carol Brooker said she wanted to meet with each resident to hear what they have to say about the project. When someone at the meeting asked the commissioner if the project was a done deal, even if 75% of the community were against it, she said, "It's never too late." Nearly two dozen people attended the back-to-back board meetings - water and sewer - Friday...
The National Bison Range (NBR) closed access at the start of the summer due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, to the discord of the public. However, the NBR reopened its doors on Monday, August 10 to visitors under some COVID-19 protective guidelines. With the new limitations they have also released an opening plan, that can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website. During the initial phase, both the NBR auto trails — the Red Sleep Mountain trail and the short winter loop — will be open between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. They also have p...
On your marks, get set, go… Ready, set, hut… Bump, serve, hit. The rules of the games have not changed, but the rules of life have now been altered, perhaps forever. Even if sports do end up having long successful seasons this fall, these races, games and matches will not look like anything we have yet seen in any of our lifetimes. Welcome to the age of COVID-19 in the fall of 2020. Although it seems kind of hard to believe, cross country, football and volleyball seasons get underway. But, before action even began the season was affected by cor...
Plains Horsemen football coach Eddie Fultz is trying to stay in the here and now. In this peculiar year of history named 2020, staying optimistic in the present is proving to be a challenge. “I’m urging our kids to stay in the moment,” Fultz told the Ledger Tuesday “The year 2020 is going to be the year of hindsight. It’s going to be easy to tell what we should have done once it is over; but we have to go through the front end of it first. And that could prove to be a challenge.” COVID-19 restrictions or not, the Horsemen are scheduled t...
Kevin Sparks lit up River’s Bend last week, shooting down a straight-up 38 to lead the Tuesday night men around the Bend in weekly league action. John Mosher factored in his meager handicap to arrive at the low net of 32. In team play, the double-hot Double H Dirt Works four of Scott Pardee, Ty Pardee, Russ Yager and Tom Kirland posted the low team gross of 178 while Bear Muscle Fitness golfers Rick Hagedorn, Mosher, his son Cody Mosher and Steve Fairbank joined forces to post the low net of 147. Double H continues to maintain a double-digit p...
