Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Teams from throughout the region will meet at the nets this weekend as two county schools are set to host district volleyball tournaments. Hot Springs will host the District 14-C tournament on Thursday and Friday, while Plains will have home court advantage for the District 7-B tournament Friday and Saturday. Thursday's 14-C action kicks off with St. Regis challenging Alberton at 10 a.m., followed by the home host Hot Springs facing off against Two Eagle River at 11:30 a.m. Charlo, the No. 1-seed, and Noxon, the No. 2 seed, both have byes in...
Sanders County was graced with a final week of warm fall weather last week as temperatures stayed in the 70s and high 60s. The fall colors were bursting at Triangle Pond near Noxon. A cold front is expected in the area this week....
Ask anyone who has lived in the Hot Springs area for several years if they have heard of Hannah Flagg. Most have. Some have their own stories. In fact Hannah’s reputation expands beyond the lonely roads and buildings lost to fire or time that she is purported to frequent. This is the time of year when days are shorter and nights are dark and spooky with the anticipation of Halloween. Stories of spirits are told. Imaginations are piqued to heighten the atmosphere of the unknown. Stories are retold of ghosts, true or imagined, in the local folklo...
In February of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine with the intention of escalating the war that began in 2014. Six months later Oleksandra Davydova, who lived on the eastern border of Russia and Ukraine in Kharkiv, said they still lived in fear. Now more than a year later, Sasha, a Davydova prefers to be called, has found refuge with a family in San Francisco. Sasha recently visited Trout Creek with her host family. Sara Edrington is the daughter of Trout Creek resident Patty English. "It was scary to...
There was boot scooting and toe tapping to music by the Western Sky Band at the third annual Rex Theater Spaghetti Western dinner and fundraiser last Saturday. Over 100 people bought tickets to eat spaghetti and meatballs, sign up for silent auction items, door prize and 50/50 raffles, along with a tattoo raffle, and live auction, for the theater's benefit. This year's fundraiser at the Elks Lodge netted between $13,000 and $14,000, Debbie Wilson with the Rex said. They are still waiting for...
The Lonepine General Store held a pumpkin carving day for the community last Saturday. Aaron Jolma donated 17 pumpkins for carving and the store gave out candy and cookies to participants. Adults and kids alike engaged in carving. Janet Bras gave her grandson Thomas from Ronan , a hand with his carving....
The Thompson Falls Trap Club has received a grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The grant will be used for improvements at the shooting range east of Thompson Falls. Public comments were submitted regarding the proposed improvement project. “The comments are done and there were four negative responses concerned with the lead content, and 21 positive responses,” said Seth McArthur with FWP. The grant has been awarded and contracts have been sent out, he added. An environmental assessment checklist by the MTFWP in Helena was conducted to...
Ainsley Boon of Thompson Falls shot her first buck on Thursday, the opening day for youth season. Her dad Blake said Ainsley shot the mule deer from 150 yards. Montana's youth-only deer hunt was open to apprentice hunters age 10-15 and licensed hunters 12-15 on October 19 and 20, ahead of the October 21 opening day for the general season. Send us your first hunt photos! Email [email protected]....
Experience. When it comes down to it, experience is more valuable than anything we can learn from a textbook. We can read a manual to change our oil, watch a video to can green beans, or sit through a class to be a teacher. But nothing equates to just doing the thing – good old-fashioned, hands-on learning. That’s true for the previous examples, but it’s especially true when it comes to driving, specifically teen driving. Where do most teens get their experience driving? My guess would be mostly from parents. Parents are the go-to source for a...
Dear Editor, I don’t know who needs to hear this – but soccer is big in Sanders County. And the kids that play – they’re really good! I help coach the senior girls soccer team at Clark Fork Soccer – a club soccer program in Plains, Thompson Falls, St. Regis, Superior, and Hot Springs. I’m tremendously lucky to have talented players, a committed team of coaches, good quality facilities, and supportive parents and families. It’s easy to be a great coach when so many are so committed to excellence. We SHOULD be proud of these kids – I know I am...
When I was 45, I went to my family’s second reunion. The first reunion was for my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary and I was five years old for that one, so at an average of forty years between reunions you might gather that we were not a particularly close-knit family, and you would be right. But at the second reunion I realized that I was related to some people well worth knowing so I made an effort to keep in touch, particularly with my father’s younger brother, John, and I went to see...
9 YEARS AGO • OCTOBER 11, 1933 PLAINS HAS FEVER There have been a number of typhoid fever cases during the last month in Plains, which apparently developed in the neighborhood where the Montana Logging Company conducted its operations this summer, on Lynch Creek four or five miles out of town. Mrs. Mike Garvey, wife of the manager of the Missoula Logging Company is at present critically ill in a Missoula hospital. The State Board of Health officials were in Plains investigating the water and other factors that might have given rise to the o...
Justin John Mielke pleaded not guilty to a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and two misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence, 1st offense, during his initial appearance before Judge Molly Owen on Tuesday. A jury trial was set for April 8, 2024. Mielke’s attorney, Robert Long, requested a bond reduction to an own recognizance release, citing that Mielke has no previous criminal history and arrangements have been made for somewhere for Mielke to live. Judge Owen g...
Ambulance: Hot Springs, 6; T. Falls, 6; Plains, 5; Trout Creek, 4; Noxon, 1. Monday, October 16 Theft, Paradise. Motor vehicle crash, T. Falls. Civil attempts, T. Falls. Civil attempts. Civil attempts, Paradise. Suspicious activity, Arlee. Suspicious activity. Assist miscellaneous, Hot Springs. Assist miscellaneous, Hot Springs. Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Business contact, T. Falls. Request for welfare check, Plains. Request for welfare check, Plains. Business contact, T. Falls. Tuesday, October 17 Livestock, Trout Creek. Civil attempts,...
Montana Highway Patrol Nicholas Ramlow, 40, operating without liability insurance, 1st offense, $285. Brandon Baldauf, 46, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Mahlon Detweiler, 34, careless driving, $85. Jaylynn Meyers, 45, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Joseph Munroe, 85, passing in a no passing zone, $85. Thompson Falls Police Department Joseph Maurer, 67, speeding in a restricted zone, $55; stop sign violation, $75....
The art of balance…It’s one of those things we don’t often think about but is vital to how we function daily. If you’ve ever tripped or experienced a fall, it may be on your radar and something you try to avoid happening again so as not to experience major injury. Everyone should be mindful of fall prevention to lead their happiest healthiest lives, because falls can lead to serious fractures, concussions, broken bones and sometimes life altering injuries. In honor of National Physical Therapy Month, Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) will be...
The Sanders County Rocky Ridge Saddle Club held its season ending competition earlier this month at the Noxon saddle club arena. Twelve participants showed up on the chilly damp morning to ride their fuzzy furred-up horses through a seven-station obstacle course that was built to resemble trail riding. Obstacles included gate opening, backing the horse around cones in a figure eight pattern, and tugging on toilet paper without tearing it. Classes included novice, various age groups, in-hand...
Blackfoot Communications has completed the effort to bring fiber to Thompson Falls. Construction on the Thompson Falls project began in 2019 and the Plains project began in 2022. Public Affairs Manager Chris Laslovich said that more than 650 miles of fiber optic cable is in the ground between the Thompson Falls and Plains project, and that number should be at 800 miles of cable. The Sanders County project includes nearly 3,000 service connections. So far, Blackfoot has invested $27 million in the Sanders County project, with the final number...
Nearly 70 residents attended a public meeting last week regarding U.S. Forest Service land known as "The Orchard." The consensus among most residents was that they want the land left alone. Kaniksu Land Trust, Sanders County Community Development and the Plains/Paradise Ranger District presented the meeting, asking for input on what to do with the 150-acre parcel of public land off of Columbia Street north of Thompson Falls. The land borders the current mule pasture trail system. The Orchard project's goal is to develop multi-use recreational...
A new coffee shop is open in Thompson Falls. Scotchman’s Coffee is open on Main Street in the former location of Black Bear Deli and Bakery. They held their soft opening on Monday, October 16. Besides the coffee they roast, Scotchman’s offers baked goods made with flour from Granite Mills Farms, a flour mill in Trout Creek. Scotchman’s Coffee also has a location in Clark Fork, Idaho. “We currently roast our coffee in Clark Fork, but will eventually be moving to the shrimp farm in Noxon,” Robynne Gibaud said. She lives in Noxon. Stephanie...
Enet Barajas, Thompson Falls Elementary School Interview and article by Karen Thorson When a young artist says she sees something that inspires her to capture it artistically in order to share with others, you know her creativity is dynamic. That is exactly what Enet Barajas says inspires her art. At 10 years of age and in the fifth grade at Thompson Falls Elementary School, she is both an artist and an athlete. Her artistic side is reflected in drawing and painting, using both colored pencils, watercolor and acrylic paint. Subject matter...
Sandra died in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on October 17, 2023, at the age of 73. Sandy was born on March 23, 1950, in Missoula, Montana, where she attended Hellgate High School. She later received an Accounting degree from the University of Washington; she also served honorably in the United States Army. A self-proclaimed "hippy," Sandy was known to all as an adventurous person with a free spirit. Her love of adventure and travel took her to many places around the country and world; she even...
Lacey Irene Kinser passed away peacefully on October 13, 2023, surrounded by her loving family, after a brave and valiant battle with cancer. She was born in Long Beach, California, on August 27, 1972 ,as the eldest child to Lee and Lila Kinser. After the family moved to Montana from California, Lacey attended elementary and junior high school in Thompson Falls, eventually graduating from Thompson Falls High School in 1991. After graduation, she began her career working at Little Bitterroot...
James Gerald Hanna, 82, of Trout Creek, passed away October 22, 2023, at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains. Jim's last days were spent surrounded by his family. Jim was born March 28, 1941, in Los Angeles, California, to James Rupert and Alma (Johnson) Hanna. Jim's father was in the Marine Corps and served during World War II. The Hannas eventually moved to Texas, where his younger sisters Cyndia and Kym were born. As a child, Jim was very artistic, a great basketball player, and was active...
Thompson Falls City Council member Raoul Ribeiro was sworn in as interim mayor on Monday. Ribeiro, the City Council president, will serve as mayor until the council appoints a new mayor. Jerry Lacy resigned from the position earlier this month. The city is now accepting letters of interest from residents interested in serving as mayor. The council will appoint a new mayor, who will then serve through 2024, the end of the term for which Mark Sheets was elected in 2020. To serve as mayor, a person must have been a resident of the city of...
