Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Animals, animals and horsepower – the kind found in engines – are the three biggest draws to the Sanders County Fair. Fair Commission Chairman Randy Woods said people come to see the 4-H animals, the rodeo, and the demolition derby. "I said it was going to be the greatest show on earth and it was," added Woods, who joined the fair board late last year. "Sales were up, attendance was up, and we provided the best entertainment in the Northwest," he said shortly after driving a tractor to smo...
The Sanders County Fair is a fun time for most people, but for the 102 4-H kids from across the county it can also be a time of work. It's like a final exam time, getting their year-long work judged and graded, according Juli Thurston with Montana State University Extension, which runs the 4-H program. The kids started their projects in October and at fair time they not only showed their work, but were questioned by a group of judges about their projects. All seven 4-H clubs - Heron-Noxon...
Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher denied a request to lower bail for homicide suspect Danielle Wood on Tuesday. Wood appeared at the Sanders County Courthouse with her attorneys, Eldena Bear Don’t Walk and Ashley Morigeau. Wood is charged with deliberate homicide in the May 2, 2018, death of Thompson Falls resident Matt LaFriniere, with whom Wood had a child. Wood pleaded not guilty to the charge earlier this year. Bear Don’t Walk had asked the court to reduce Wood’s bond to $100,000. She stated that Wood was not a flight risk. “She did not fle...
Growing up in a small town, you think you miss out on some things. You can't just go to a mall or an arcade or a movie every day of the week. This summer, pools in both Plains and Thompson Falls were closed for much-needed repairs. We noticed a lot more kids walking around town, or down to Wild Goose Landing for a swim. What you do have in a small town are plenty of opportunities for summer jobs. Our first jobs included mowing lawns, babysitting and bucking bales. When kids are old enough, the Forest Service offers many a chance to spend...
Mr. Blackstone sounds concerned about the rule of law and complains about the many illegal immigrants in America, especially in southern California where he worked in law enforcement (Sanders County Ledger, 8/29). Of course, he puts all the blame on liberal Democratic party policies. How convenient that he fails to mention the illegality of the employers that hire those illegal immigrants, creating the high demand for their cheap labor. It just happens that many of those employers are rich agri-business owners that contribute generously to the...
“Any company that has a union probably deserves one.” “We didn’t need a union, Millar took care of us.” It seems almost a universal truth that we forget the reasons that caused great changes in society. The driving force behind the creation of labor unions was based on the simple concept that workers ought to be treated as human beings and not machines whose sole purpose was to enrich the company. The two quotes above neatly summarize the reasons for having a labor union; to take care of employ...
5 YEARS AGO • SEPTEMBER 4, 1969 BOILER TO ELIMINATEE BURNER'S POLLUTION Fly ash will be a thing of the past and air pollution greatly reduced in the Thompson Falls area when the Atlas Boiler Co. of Spokane completes installation of a new boiler which will utilize over 95% of the sawdust, shavings and bark from the Thompson Falls Lumber co. and eliminate the teepee burner used in the past. The highly efficient boiler system will produce twice as much steam as the present system in use for m...
PAUL WOOD, Trout Creek – “Running lawn mowers over the grass. I was paid $5 a lawn.” CY HENTGES, Thompson Falls – “At age 8 I was shining shoes on the street in Grand Forks, South Dakota. My father made me a shoe box.” JOYCE BYBEE, Thompson Falls – “I mopped floors in the bank in Plains with my sister.” BILL BECKNER, Hot Springs – “When I was 7, I worked with my dad on a tractor. My dad said if I could work like a man, I would get paid like a man.” RICHARD SMITH, Trout Creek – “I worked in a food market unloading trucks. I was 14.” JESSICA...
Monday, August 26 Traffic complaint, T. Falls. Intimidation/harassment, Plains. Civil standby, Plains. Theft, Paradise. Motorist assist, Hot Springs. Motorist assist. Traffic complaint. Motor vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Animal, Plains. Livestock, Plains. Juvenile runaway, T. Falls. Tuesday, August 27 Animal, Dixon. Welfare check, Plains. Welfare check, T. Falls. Fire, Plains. Abandoned vehicle, Plains. Motorist assist, T. Falls. Protection order violation, Plains. Wednesday, August 28 Alarm, T. Falls. Animal, Plains. Traffic complaint, Noxon....
Montana Highway Patrol Charmel Smith, 49, fail to give notice by quickest means, 1st offense, $285; careless driving, $75; operating without liability insurance, 1st offense, $275; driving a motor vehicle while privilege to do so is suspended, 1st offense, $275. John Felch, 27, driving without a valid license, $235. Randall Bedell, 60. Speeding in restricted zone, $95. Trienel Andrews, 33, day speeding, $70. Brock Denney, 21, day speeding, $20. Matthew Dobry, 40, day speeding, $70. Lyle Fisher, 30, day speeding, $20. Ann Rhodes, 64, day...
In 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday, bail was set at $10,000 for Scott Ward of Hot Springs. Ward was arrested August 3 on charges of criminal engenderment and fleeing from or eluding a peace officer. A Sanders County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrested Ward during a traffic stop on Highway 200 that began west of Dixon. Ward allegedly was pursued by the deputy for approximately 10 miles with speeds up to 114 miles per hour. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a trial date of January 21, 2020, for Ward, who pleaded not guilty to the charg...
As the 2018-2019 4-H year closes, so does the 26-year career of Shirley Kinkade, who served as administrative assistant at the Sanders County Extension Office. Parents of current 4-H youth members Joanne Burk and Carrie Guenzler began the honors when they announced they recall Kinkade being a crucial role in the 4-H program when they were young members. They applauded her for her years of dedication to the program and expressed gratitude. "It doesn't happen without the joint efforts of...
The smell of burnt rubber and exhaust on Labor Day weekend in Plains, Montana, means only one thing... it must be Demolition Derby night at the fairgrounds. The main attraction had four entrants from Thompson Falls. David Hall was the driver of a 1967 Ford Fairlane sporting number 76; Robert Hall drove car number 188, a 1971 Buick Regal; Nate Clearmont put on a show with his 1974 Chevy Monte Carlo with the well-known and celebrated 406 number; and James Cork outfitted himself with a 1980 Chevy...
Labor Day weekend brought plenty of visitor traffic to the Thompson River area, but local anglers were still able to find a quiet place to cast a line. The sun shined through the trees (above) up the Little Thompson River as a frog (left) took a rest along the river bank. Temperatures in Sanders County will continue to be in the high 70s and low 80s throughout the week....
Debbie Wilson wants to help people plan for the future. And she wants people to know that she is there for them, even if they decide not to work with her. The Thompson Falls resident recently opened her Edward Jones office on Main Street. "I'm always an educational resource," Wilson said. "I'm local an I'm open. If you have questions, come see me." Wilson's father was a CPA and the youngest of 13 children. Her mother emigrated from East Germany when she was 17. An only child, Wilson saw how...
The end of fire season appears near, but it isn't here just yet. The Welcome 1002 fire, named after a forest road number in the area, a 30-acre blaze caused by lightning last weekend about 2.5 miles southwest of Hot Springs, was being managed by the CSKT Division of Fire earlier this week. With smoke visible to residents of the valley, the fire was attacked by a combination of forces, including firefighters on the ground, smokejumpers from the air and helicopters equipped with buckets for water...
PHILIPSBURG – When push came to shove, the Hawks pushed back, and shoved their way to an emotional win. Playing Thompson Falls' first 8-Man football game in at least 60 years, the Blue Hawks jumped out to a big lead early, watched that lead evaporate and then traded punches with the Choteau Bulldogs in the second half before rallying for the win. Now 1-0 in non-conference action, coach Jared Koskela and his Hawks will host Victor in a Western Division conference game at Previs Field Friday at 7...
What a great way to start a cross country season – at a beautiful, historically significant place in Montana. Thompson Falls coach Sarah Naegeli guided her Blue Hawk harriers into the Deer Lodge Invitational held at the historic Grant Kohrs Ranch outside of Deer Lodge to open the running season Saturday. Though the views were majestic the weather was a little on the hot side being late summer and all. "It really is a beautiful place, and a beautiful course they had set up, we are glad we got a...
HOT SPRINGS – Playmakers make plays, it's what they do. Savage Heat leaders Luke Waterbury, Brandon Knudsen and Kyle Lawson made timely plays at a key juncture and made a difference in the game as Hot Springs stormed to a 34-12 win over the visiting Harlowtown Engineers in the teams' season-opening 6-Man football game in Hot Springs Friday. Now 1-0 in non-conference play, coach Jim Lawson and his Heat will be looking to make some more plays on the road this Friday as they travel to take on t...
Everyone is hoping for, and helping out Harlee Salmi in any way they can. Everybody, no matter where they are from, is on Harlee’s side in all this craziness, against this monster which is trying to control her young life. And it’s not a fight that an innocent five-year-old girl should ever be forced to take on. You see, Harlee has been diagnosed with DIPG, a short name for an awful malady, an aggressive, incurable brain tumor. The daughter of Hot Springs High School alumni Matt and Taylor (Wood) Salmi, Harlee has had a busy summer this yea...
By John Hamilton In the end, the Double H Dirt Works guys buried the competition; and the Tuesday Night Men’s League celebrated the occasion with their annual, season-ending play night at River’s Bend last week. Double H Dirt players Jake Helvey, Ty Pardee, Scott Pardee, Russ Yeager and Tom Kirkland marked the winning moment by shooting the low team gross round of the week for old time’s sake. In hole play, Rusty Haggard sank the long putt on No. 3, Howard Morkert was closest to the pin off the tee on No. 5, Dave Petteys put the long putt...
With the Wild Coyote team declared the season winner, the Wednesday Night Men’s League players gathered at River’s Bend for one more night of golfing fun last week. Showing the other teams what might have been, the Hagedorn Surveying team of Rick Hagedorn, Randy Hagedorn, Ryan Ostwald, Paul Flemmer and Bernie Groshong shot the low team gross for the evening. In hole play, Gary Thompson dumped in the long putt on No. 3, Chuck Manry was closest to the pin on No. 5, Jesse Mack added to his legend by knocking down the long putt on No. 6, Mark Ter...
The wait was clearly worth it. Coach Sandra Kazmierczak and her Lady Hawks were on a waiting list for years trying to get into the Choteau Invitational volleyball tournament and then, several seasons ago they finally did gain entry. Now, Kazmierczak says, you would have trouble getting the Hawks out of the Choteau tourney as there would be much kicking, screaming and dragging of the feet to stay in. “I love this tournament and am so glad that we were finally able to get in it,” she said. “There are always a lot of good teams and we alway...
Even an ugly win is beautiful, especially if it is on the road in Charlo, traditionally one of the toughest places to play 8-Man football and win in Montana. Winning ugly in just such a beautiful way, the Plains Horsemen opened the 2019 campaign with a gritty 8-0 victory over Charlo in Charlo Friday. “It definitely was ugly,” Plains coach Eddie Fultz said. “Our defense was pretty good but we were all over the place on offense, made lots of miscues – dropped passes, turnovers, a fumble – we still have a lot of work to do.” Fultz said the Horseme...
The Noxon Lady Red Devils will open District 14C conference play with a pair of matches against Sanders County foes this week, hosting Hot Springs Thursday and visiting Plains Saturday. The 2019 Noxon Lady Red Devil netters will again be coached by Teri Wilkinson, who will again be assisted by Toni Richter. Jenna Freeman, Elizabeth Lampshire, Alivia Hill, Kendra Torti and Grace Robinson are the seniors on the Lady Devil roster, Chelsea Vohs is a junior, Arianna Wood, Riley Richter and Vanessa Horner are sophomores and Avery Burgess and Emily...
