Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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by Annie Wooden The Cabinet Ridge Riders (CRR) say they are moving forward with plans to rebuild the warming hut structure near Gem Peak outside of Trout Creek and that they hope to have reconstruction done before snow flies. CRR members met with Sanders County Commissioners and Cabinet District Ranger Mike Feiger on Tuesday to discuss plans for reconstruction. The county will maintain the special use permit with the Forest Service until construction of the new warming hut is completed, then CRR will pursue their own application for the...
This year's fair had some minor problems, but overall it went well, said Sanders County Fair Commission Chairman Randy Woods, who spent much of the week roaming the grounds and helping in various capacities, whether it was answering questions in the office, directing foot traffic or running the water truck for events. "We're still learning and with more people coming we're still learning, but now we need to polish the turd," said Woods at the fair board annual recap meeting at the fairgrounds...
The Clark Fork Valley Elks got into the fall spirit with an Oktoberfest celebration Saturday at the lodge in Thompson Falls. Organizer and Elks member Beth Moore said the event hadn't occurred since 2019, and they were excited to bring the community together again. Oktoberfest is traditionally a beer festival in Germany, but Elks volunteers provided family-friendly fun including games and crafts with German polka music filling the patio area of the lodge. Along with fun and games, Elks chef RT...
Dozens of community members spent a Saturday morning getting to know nature at the Forest Fest in Thompson Falls. The event was presented by Eastern Sanders County Collaborative, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness and Kaniksu Land Trust and featured demonstrations and information about forests and forest land management. The morning demonstrations were held at the Mule Pasture north of Thompson Falls. Guests received information from organizations including the sponsors, Kootenai Forest Stake...
Editor: Re: Ernie Scherzer's letter about Congressman Ryan Zinke (September 15, 2022). Ernie and I have known each other for a significant number of years. Despite our political differences, I consider him a friend. Personally, I strongly suggest Montanans support Zinke - not Tranel. Having spent several years on the Hill in D.C during the 1980s as a personal advisor to a U.S. Senator, I have a few comments about Ernie's attack on Zinke which reflect nothing more than his personal political biases. I'd like to challenge Ernie to provide me...
Musings, When I consider a candidate and spend my vote, I deep dive into who they are before running. To me it is my civic duty to "vet" for myself, beyond self serving slogans, flyers or ads. I learned Ryan Zinke is not who he has postured. His recounting of his military career reflects a pattern of behavior stalling his career that is well documented and fact checked article in the NY times dated January 6, 2017. A pattern of behavior? Mr. Zinke was forced to resign as Secretary of the Interior. Why? Another well documented and fact checked...
I'm definitely one of those people who rises with the sun. In the summer, I'm up early. Now that the sun is rising later, I'm wanting to rise later as well. People are putting their gardens to bed, putting away lawn mowers and getting out their fall and winter wardrobes and snow shovels. Driving into town this week was a friendly reminder of the change in season and another adjustment we need to make - turning on headlights on our cars during foggy fall mornings. Most vehicles nowadays have the automatic lights that come on and turn off...
When we were children, we played an odd summertime game. We sat in the front yard of my grandparents’ trailer house/cabin within view of the highway, picked a color and kept track of how many cars and trucks of our color drove by. It was purely a time-waster, but it beats cable or Dish or the internet or however you get your world fed to you, hands down. It’s been mentioned — several times, plus — that I think television as it’s used in the world today is the largest waste of time and brainpower since bread and circuses were made popular b...
9 YEARS AGO • SEPTEMBER 1032 Thompson Falls Businesses Following is a list of businesses in Thompson Falls during the Great Depression: Black Bear Tavern, Neat Rooms, Moderate Prices, Night Service. Ray Shannon, Proprietor, Peek Block. (The Peek Block was located between Fulton and Mill Street, downtown). Adams Garage – All Size Tubes - $1.00. Shell solvent for cleaning purposes, 50¢ a gallon. Chevrolet Dealer. Gas, oil, repairs. Corner Jefferson Street & Railroad Avenue. Tourist Hotel and Restaurant – Good Rooms, Good Beds, Good Eats. William...
Ambulance: Plains, 5; T. Falls, 4; Hot Springs, 3; Trout Creek, 2; Paradise, 2; Noxon, 2. Monday, September 12 Civil attempts, Plains. General animal call/complaint, Trout Creek. General animal call/complaint, Plains. Civil served, Paradise. Motor vehicle theft, Hot Springs. General animal call/complaint, Paradise. Request for welfare check, Paradise. Suspicious activity, Trout Creek. Request for welfare check, Paradise. Animal other, T. Falls. Animal other, Plains. Animal other, Paradise. Tuesday, September 13 Animal other, Plains. Animal othe...
Montana Highway Patrol Adam Aziz, 38, operating without liability insurance, 1st offense, $275; driving while privilege suspended/revoked, 1st offense, $285. Tyler Ashlock, 34, driving while privilege suspended/revoked, 1st offense, $335. Anthony Henkel, 34, driving without valid driver's license, $235. James Borgmann, 39, seatbelt violation, $20; operating without liability insurance, 4th or subsequent offense, $525, 10 days jail with 3 days time served; driving while privilege suspended/revoked, 1st offense, $285. Christopher Matson, 58, care...
After retiring from 20 years as a personal chef, Valerie Zlendick has found her way back to the kitchen, taking on a new venture. Zlendick started Z-Best Pretzels a year ago and says so far, business is good. "I was always making them for parties and everybody said I should start selling them," Zlendick said. Those who stopped by Zlendick's booth at the Huckleberry Festival were a lucky bunch, as she sold out of product during the weekend, which she says was only the second time selling her...
Enrollment is up at Thompson Falls Elementary School. There are around 60 new students enrolled for the 2022-2023 school year. Elementary principal Len Dorscher says all K-12 staff had the opportunity to go through a Love and Logic training prior to classes starting. “Many staff got CPR certified as well and we all did some great safety training as a district,” Dorscher said. The staff also spent a week together prior to classes starting, allowing them to get ready for students to walk into school on the first day. Brittany Nichols, who is als...
The Flat Iron Quilting Guild recently donated a quilt to Thompson River Animal Care Shelter (TRACS). Compassion for homeless animals drove the guild to create this beautiful quilt specifically for TRACS to use as a fundraiser, said Lorri Renard with the quilt guild. The guild also has an ongoing project where they make lap quilts for cancer patients going through treatment. Those quilts are donated to the Sanders County Cancer Network. The Local Artists Supporting TRACS Silent Auction will run...
Trout Creek School has been chosen as one of 12 schools in Montana to participate in the state’s first Teacher Residency Demonstration Project for the 2022-2023 school year. The program was designed to prepare and retain rural educators. The goal after one year of residency in a partnering school district is for the teacher resident to have gained enough experience to be prepared to lead their classrooms on day one of employment. “Annie Taylor is our new teacher resident,” said superintendent Preston Wenz. “With normal student teacher...
A staff member's vehicle caught fire Thursday afternoon at Thompson Falls Elementary School. Vehicle owner Callie Jacobson said Krystal Park discovered the fire and notified Jacobson only minutes after she returned from lunch. "The only thing I could think about was, 'is everyone ok?'" she said. Jacobson was not injured and was told by fire fighters that the fire appeared to have been caused by electrical issues. Elementary principal Len Dorscher said no other faculty members, students, cars or...
Dillon W. Eaton passed away suddenly on September 16, 2022. He was born in Libby, Montana, on June 4, 1993, to Orville and Lynne Eaton. Dillon was a son, a brother, an uncle, and a friend. No matter what it was if you needed help or just wanted to hang out, he would be there for you. Dillion's favorite thing to do was hunt, fish, log and get firewood. With him bigger was always better, so the bigger the tree the happier he was. Dillon also loved when you told him that you knew he was coming beca... Full story
September 13, 1936 - September 13, 2022 On September 13 our mother, Sharon Levine, passed away along with her beloved cat. We will miss her terribly, she was funny, brilliant, and extremely artistic. If you have a piece of her art, you have a piece of her beautiful soul. She spent her later years in Thompson Falls, Montana, and it inspired her art and imagination. Many of her works were for the benefit of a charity "loving someone with mental illness" At first glance you might just see a handmad... Full story
Karl Wayne Schweigert was a "mountain man" who enjoyed a wide variety of experiences. A talented artist and drummer in his younger days, he later returned to his native Alaska to fuel bush planes. He also seated passengers in tour helicopters at Grand Canyon, Arizona, and operated heavy mining equipment in the silver mines of Nevada. Off season might find him landscaping, hauling firewood or helping neighbors with construction. Karl passed peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on September... Full story
Mary Ann (Eiser) Larkin, 62, passed away after a two-year battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on September 16, 2022. Mary was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Robert and Margaret Eiser on March 20, 1960. Mary was the fourth of six children. In 1978, Mary graduated from Springbrook in Silver Spring, Maryland. After high school, she worked a variety of different jobs, but her true passion was to be a beautician. She attended Montgomery School of Cosmetology for a year and enjoyed doing hair for... Full story
Ronald Kuykendall passed away on September 14. 2022 in Missoula, Montana.... Full story
The new Plains sewage treatment plant is getting closer to completion and might be operational by the end of October, said Mayor Dan Rowan, who visits the site to get a progress report almost weekly. "This is huge for Plains; it's been in the works for years," said Rowan, who turned down a temporary appointment as a commissioner to see the project through. Rowan has been pleased with the progress and is hopeful the project will be done by contract deadline, which is October 16. However, Ed...
Gaining insight into what watershed conservation looks like coincides with the mission of local nonprofit organization Project ASCENT, which is to introduce participants into the natural world through education and expedition. This summer, two Project ASCENT interns had the opportunity to team up with Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group (LCFWG) to learn about and be a part of their continuous conservation efforts. “One of the largest ongoing projects is in the Bull River where we are partnering w...
"Why wouldn't you want to come back to Montana?" That was Dennis Spurlock's response when the insurance agent was asked why he moved back to Montana in 2018. Spurlock operates Behling-Perry Insurance Agency in Plains, which opened at 306 W. Railroad Avenue last year. Dennis Spurlock opened the business last fall in Plains, but has been an insurance agent since 2008. He grew up in Whitefish, but sold insurance in Utah. Spurlock said he loves the people in Montana and being near the area where he...
After a week of the unexpected, the Thompson Falls cross country team was happy to be back in competition last weekend at the Mountain West Classic run at the University of Montana golf course. The high school and junior high teams had to run and train indoors last week while the smoke lingered in the Clark Fork valley. "While our runners have adjusted well to indoor training, it is still draining. Both the high school and junior high runners stepped right up, encouraged each other and worked...
