Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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It's unknown how many people attended the Sanders County Fair last week because there is no general entry fee, but fair manager Melissa Cady estimated that around 20,000 people walked the grounds over the four days - and that could be a record. "We had a great turnout, lots of people. Vendors said they've sold more this year than the last three years. It's been an excellent year. We will see everyone in 2022," she said. The Sanders County Concessions Group, a nonprofit organization, had only thr...
As the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations grows in Montana, Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains is having to adjust as well. “Sanders County is certainly seeing an uptick in COVID cases,” CFVH CEO Dr. Gregory Hanson said. “We have the lowest vaccination rate of any county in western Montana.” He noted that “we have a very real potential to see a further increase in infection rates” as school recently reopened and with the county fair being held last weekend. Hanson also noted that CFVH observes a low use of masking and social dist...
Montana archery season opened Saturday and will run through October 17. After that, the general season will open on Oct. 23 and last until Nov. 28. With that early window for archery, many hunters will try to take advantage of the lower trafficked hunting areas and a time when the animals are less spooked. One such person is Chad Sivertsen of Thompson Falls, who has been hunting with a bow for over 50 years and doing so in a primitive style for half that time. Sivertsen makes his own equipment...
I was 21 on September 11, 2001, a senior at Colorado State University 1,000 miles from home. My mom called me as I was getting ready to head to class and said a plane hit a building in New York. I didn't believe it until I turned on the television just as the second plane hit the World Trade Center. The first thing I did was go to the student newspaper, The Rocky Mountain Collegian. I didn't know where else to go. I knew I wasn't going to class. I just knew I had to help be a part of making sure our readers were informed. It was an incredible...
Last week my wife and I had the absolute honor to meet and get to know a group of Special Forces combat veterans visiting Sanders County. The Clark Fork Valley Elks lodge hosted a dinner for Operation Healing Forces (OHF) and that’s where I got to meet these amazing people. I’d like to talk a little about this extraordinary organization and the people they sponsor. First, OHF’s Mission Statement: The mission of Operation Healing Forces is to serve our active-duty and recent veteran-wounded, ill,...
I generally avoid opinionizing in print about breaking news because there’s always more to the situations than I’m aware of, so I wind up wishing I’d kept my thoughts to myself. But I can’t stop myself after reading a tidbit in the Sunday news (August 15) which seemed to me so indicative of the politicized thinking that taints American foreign policy practices, and which gets the US into such messes across the globe. Here’s Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) from an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl on “This Week” on the subject of U.S. withdrawal...
16 YEARS AGO • 1924 THOMPSON FALLS BOASTS OF MODERN SCHOOL, NEW BUILDINGS Keeping abreast of modern school procedure, the people of Thompson Falls and vicinity under the leadership of trustees A.S. Ainsworth, J.W. Frisbie and Dr. A.W. Rew have enlarged their school plant and have enriched their school program. We have today one of the largest and best public school dormitories in the state, erected in the summer of 1922 at a cost of over $50,000 for building and equipment. The buildings of t...
LADONNA CULBERT, Kalispell - “Getting in for free. It’s a very relaxing setting and they provide plenty of shade and good food.” RACHEL OWENS, Kalispell - “The different kinds of people. People watching is my favorite.” MIKE OWENS, Kalispell - “Getting together with friends.” VANESSA HORNER, Noxon - “My favorite part is doing all the interviews and showing my rabbits.” BRIANNA HORNER, Noxon - “Coming back this year and being able to talk and meet more people.” MELODIE COOK, Plains - “Coming back and working on the projects this year....
Montana Highway Patrol Ramana Anuganti, 48, day speeding, $70. Dustin Gibbons, 42, day speeding, $20. Trevor Quenzer, 42, day speeding, $20; failure to carry proof of insurance, 1st offense, $85. Gabriel Raymont, 16, night speeding, $120. James Watzke, 70, operating a vehicle without proper registration, $85; operating without liability insurance, 1st offense, $275. Lance Evans, 39, driving with out a valid driver's license, $235; seatbelt violation, $20. Kaitlyn Walters, 18, speeding in restricted zone, $55. Thomas Costello, 22, day speeding,...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 7; Hot Springs, 3; Plains, 4; Heron, 1; Trout Creek, 1; Paradise, 2; Noxon, 1. Monday, August 30 Suspicious activity, Trout Creek. Theft, Thompson Falls. Person missing, Hot Springs. Protection order violation, T. Falls. Coroner called, Plains. Property damage/criminal mischief, Trout Creek. Theft, Hot Springs. Motor vehicle crash, Lonepine. Fire, T. Falls. Motor Vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Tuesday, August 31 Alarm-intrusion/holdup, T. Falls. Animal other, T. Falls. Civil attempts, Plains. Civil attempts, Plains....
Firefighters extinguished a fire at the Sanders County Refuse Site at Plains last week, as the light smell of the smoke drifted across the Clark Fork River, leading some to believe there was another wildfire. A patron at the Plains Golf Course called in the fire to the dispatch center at Thompson Falls at 6:40 p.m. last Wednesday, said James Russell, fire chief at the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District, which responded to the blaze with seven trucks. Firefighters from the Montana Department of...
The Sanders County Fair bull riding competition drew loud cheers as the mighty beasts tossed their temporary riders like dolls, but this year the crowd's cheers weren't just for the professionals. A group of amateurs decided to take part in one of the most perilous sports in America. And perhaps the loudest ovations were for the three Plains men who thought they could possibly hang on for more than just a few seconds. Tanner Ovitt, Austin Stafford and Bryce Henning paid the $50 entry fee to...
Auctioneer Kevin Hill likes to keep it light and joke with the youth at the Sanders County 4-H Market Stock Sale, but the tide was turned when Hot Springs Wrangler Aubrey Tulloch entered the arena with her angus and told a joke about an auctioneer losing his marbles. The 16-year-old Tulloch has been a 4-H member for six years, including one with the South Side Sparks. She said she looked up auctioneer jokes on the internet before the sale. Her joke drew a big applause from the nearly 200...
Crowds gathered Sunday night at the Sanders County Fairgrounds in Plains as the demolition derby returned after last year's cancellation due to COVID-19. Drivers from Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington put on a show for the sold-out event over Labor Day Weekend. Fair Manager Melissa Cady said out of 65 drivers who signed up to compete, 34 showed up to participate in Sunday evening's event. While the derby has proven to be a favorite every year, this year, the event sold out at 3,929...
Sanders County 4-H members returned to the fair after an uncertain year due to implications of COVID-19. While the livestock auction took place last year, many 4-H members missed out on the social aspect of the event. As you make your way into the rabbit and poultry section and hear the all too familiar sound of a rooster showing off and chicks chirping away, on the other side are the rabbit entries. Juli Thurston, MSU Extension Agent for Sanders County, said while the number of 4-H exhibitors...
Leona A. (Whisennand) Ekstrom, 78, our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, passed away August 27, 2021, at Libby Care Center in Libby, Montana. She was born March 30, 1943, in Portland, Oregon, to Herman E. and Catherine J. (Bredenbroker) Whisennand. The family moved to Plains where Leona graduated from Plains High School in 1961. Leona attended Northern Montana College and worked for Cascade County Convalescent Center in Great Falls. She married Wesley Al Ek...
Doris Elaine Grimm passed away August 25, 2021, surrounded by family. Doris was born April 27, 1938, in Indio, California, the oldest child of Chester and Helen Stevens. Doris spent most of her life living in Thompson Falls, Montana, where she ran her own realtor business for over 25 years. Doris loved to travel and spend time with her family. She also loved playing games, her two favorites being bingo and pinochle. Doris was very involved with her community, being an active member of many organ...
Dennis Brady, age 71, of Thompson Falls passed away on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Services pending with Sunset Hills Funeral Homes & Crematory....
After the bombing of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, a poem by the British poet, John Maxwell, after WWI (1918), has helped me over the years; when many of have questions are hard to pose and answers that are hard to come by. “When you go home Tell them of us, and say: For your tomorrows, We gave our today.” Al Aschenbrenner, Plains...
I covered some of the 4-H at the fair this past weekend and while I normally like to meander through the stalls picking out all the different animals I want to take home, this year I had to dive into some research and find out what actually goes into everything the 4-H kids do. I spoke with several 4-H members during my time at the fair and I received answers all similar to one another. Everyone was happy to be back after the uncertainty of last year. One thing I didn’t realize was that this is a way of life for these kids, and without it, l...
The suspect from the recent double meth lab bust case appeared in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday to plead not guilty. Baily Lake is facing numerous charges, including one charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, two counts of criminal production of dangerous drugs, two counts for the operation of an unlawful clandestine laboratory, two counts of criminal possession of precursors to dangerous drugs and one count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. All of the charges are felonies. Charging documents stated the two...
Montana's millions of acres of private land offer some excellent hunting opportunities—the only catch is gaining the landowner's permission to hunt. It is Montana law that hunters obtain landowner permission to hunt on all private land. Here are a few things to keep in mind that will greatly improve results when attempting to secure hunting access to private land. • Show courtesy to the landowner and make hunting arrangements by calling or visiting at times convenient to the landowner. • Plan ahead and secure permission well in advance of th...
The kneeling silhouetted soldier is back once again on the greenway in Plains to bring military veteran suicide awareness to the public's eye, but now he's accompanied by the likeness of a female soldier to represent woman veterans that have been the victims of suicide. "Women served in the military, too, and they commit suicide, too - same with spouses of men in the military," said Ed Foste, who retired from the Navy and suffers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from days of carrier...
Hot Springs Senior Center held their annual fundraiser at the end of August and while the turnout was smaller compared to previous years, board president Lyn Sheldon says they still have good community support. "We have very generous supporters," Sheldon said. "Buck's Grocery was a tremendous supporter for this fundraiser." This year's barbecue fundraiser only brought in $270 and Sheldon says Buck's Grocery donated all the hot dogs and buns. "Everything has been slow and continues to be slow...
The second public meeting to address future growth plans in Plains took place at the end of August with discussions focusing on the priorities of the community as the planning group in charge of creating a growth policy, continues their involvement as they work toward developing and building a future growth policy. While the first meeting centered around a heated debate on affordable housing, the second meeting showed to be more productive as the nearly dozen attendees were able to discuss the planning study results that will aid in the...
