Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Governor Greg Gianforte was in Plains last week to present an award to local businesses owners. Last Tuesday, Gov. Gianforte was at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to honor the owners and operators of J. Shar Timber Harvesting for following the governor's active forest management goals. The nomination came from Marc Vessar, the Forest Practices Program Manager for DNRC. Jared Fitchett of Libby along with his brother Matthew and father Dan Fitchett run the logging...
Voters in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs turned out this month to elect council members. A total of 270 ballots were mailed in Hot Springs and 809 in Thompson Falls. Ballots were mailed in October for the November election. While most ballots were returned by mail, voters had until 8 p.m. Tuesday to turn in ballots at the Sanders County Elections Office. In Thompson Falls, incumbents Raoul Ribeiro in Ward 1 and Hayley Allen-Blakney in Ward 3 won re-election. Ribeiro received 58 votes and...
Thompson Falls Elementary first graders got in the seasonal spirit last week as they decorated pumpkins inspired by some of their favorite books. Teachers Samantha Varner and Lindsey Franklin said 23 of the 33 first-grade students participated in the activity, which included the kids decorating pumpkins at home. There were pumpkins inspired by Hello Kitty, the Grinch and "The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly." Varner said she was excited that no books were repeated and everyone had a unique...
A group of home school students took a short field trip last week to watch a glass blower in action. Gary Olson showed 45 children from the Clark Fork Christian Home School Co-op the art of glass blowing at his workshop in Plains last Thursday. "He did an excellent job getting that many kids through to get that type of education," said Susanna Feiro, who heads the co-op school board and whose daughters, Solveig, 11, and Soren, 8, were part of the first of three groups at the glass blowing...
October 23-27 was Red Ribbon Week throughout Sanders County schools. Schools chose their personal daily themes and slogans. Grades K-12 participated. In Plains, Monday was Camouflage Day: Hide from drugs. Students and staff were encouraged to dress up in the daily themes. Tuesday was Jersey Day: Team up against drugs, Wednesday was Red Ribbon Day: Wear red, Thursday was Western Day: Give the boot to drugs, and Friday was Wear Neon Day: Shine brighter than drugs. Kati Mitchell's Business...
One morning last week I got a text from a friend asking if I had heard anything about a bunch of illegal immigrants being moved here and housed at the mule pasture. My first reaction was disgust that this is what is being said about the project to help our community. After I calmed down, I was thankful that my friend reached out to me to see if what she had heard was really true. Let's just set the record straight - the U.S. Forest Service is not going to use the Orchard land in Thompson Falls as a place to bring illegal immigrants. In last wee...
Next Month David and I will celebrate 37 years of marriage and adventures. Most of our adventures came out of our “pioneering spirit.” David always saw himself as a farmer, loving the time he spent with our livestock and working the tractor around the fields. I was always happy to be the farmer’s wife, gardening and canning and living the homesteading lifestyle. There was always something that needed to be done and something to learn, while we both also worked full time jobs off the farm. I jus...
9 YEARS AGO • OCTOBER 25, 1933 SCHOOL NEWS There are 32 students in the dormitory this year: 16 girls and 16 boys. Of these students only six have not been there before. There are 13 freshmen, 29 sophomores, 17 juniors, 22 seniors and four special students attending the high school this year, making a total of 85 students. Many boys from the high school worked at various jobs this past summer. Neil Eplin, Adelbert Alvord, Wylie Garred, Roy Wright, Alvin Cobeen and Frank Puyear worked in different CCC camps this summer. Adolph Ovnicek was e...
Good morning Annie, Yesterday I attended the Commissioners meeting to hear Monica Trunell speak. I was disappointed I did not see the presence of the Ledger covering her as another viable candidate running for office, relevant to our area. I attended Ryan Zinke's presentation to speak to the commissioners. The Ledger was front and center reporting to Sanders County, his platform messages. In my world view, I have watched over the last 8 years, media in all forms, share culpability in selective messaging contributing to the division and civic di...
Public employees are tasked with carrying out public policy. That’s true for school teachers (which I was), for our county commissioners, and also for our county’s public health nurse. But, voiced at the Oct. 11 Board of Health meeting, County Nurse Debbie Lang announced that she made the personal decision not to offer Covid-19 vaccines to anyone through Sanders County’s Public Health Department. Ms. Lang has the personal freedom to form her own opinions about the safety of the Covid vaccine; she should not have the authority to personally deny...
We, Dave and Debbie Lyman, are responding to an article in the Ledger concerning the ‘private’ Sawtooth Mountain EMS (SMEMS) ambulance service now being dispatched in Heron. Many folks who live in Heron do not know the background of this controversy. We wish to explain what we saw take place at numerous public meetings. Proponents of a Quick Response Unit (QRU), under the auspices of the Heron Rural Fire District (HRFD) began pushing their agenda on social media, without speaking directly to the HRFD Board. The HRFD Board was eventually approac...
A 47-year-old Spokane man died last week after a vehicle crash on Highway 135 near Paradise. Montana Highway Patrol reported that the man was the passenger in an SUV that was traveling north on Highway 135. The vehicle veered off the ridge side of the roadway near mile marker 14 after the passenger grabbed the steering wheel and distracted the driver. The vehicle began to slide sideways and the passenger side impacted a tree, causing extreme damage to the passenger side compartment, MHP reported. The vehicle flipped, rolled and came to rest on...
Ambulance: Plains, 9; T. Falls, 8; Trout Creek, 2; Noxon, 2; Hot Springs, 2; Heron, 1; Dixon, 1. Monday, October 23 Threats, Hot Springs. Theft, Plains. Road hazard/debris on road, T. Falls. Warrant service, Heron. Inmate transport, T. Falls. Assist other agency, Paradise. Welfare check, Plains. Fire, Lonepine. Animal other, Plains. Civil attempts. Theft, Plains. Business contact, Plains. Business contact, Plains. Assist Gov agency/citizen, T. Falls. Business contact. Business contact, Plains. Tuesday, October 24 General animal call/complaint....
Montana Highway Patrol Michael White, Jr., 33, seatbelt violation, $20 with $20 suspended; driving motor vehicle while privilege suspended/revoked, 1st offense, $250 with $250 suspended. Carter Stufflebeam, 19, seatbelt violation, $20. Alton Steinhoff, 37, seatbelt violation, $20. Sara Wolfe, 48, day speeding, $70. Greg Bierie, 72, speeding in a restricted zone, $95, deferred imposition of sentence. Robert Johnson-Holiman, 23, failure to give notice of accident by quickest means, 1st offense, $275. Melisa Bodine, 31, speeding in a restricted zo...
Plains High School held what might be its first Fall Concert last week in the gymnasium. It was also the first concert for the school's new music teacher, Loren Lauridson, who started the job at the end of August and immediately began rehearsing for the Fall Concert, which included the high school choir, band and the new percussion ensemble. "The students did a great job and truly showed how talented they are," said Dr. Kathleen Walsh, the new school superintendent. "I am looking forward to our...
Thompson Falls librarian Crystal Buchanan gave her fiscal yearly report to the board of commissioners last week. This included the counts for patrons who walk through the door and those who sign up for new cards, plus previous cardholders and checked out items. Computer usage was counted as well. “We had 27,600 individuals visit the library,” Buchanan said. There were 165 new members making the total 2,752. The library increased the number of items available for checkout by 863. This helped to create the total of 34,842 items that were che...
Antoinette Ora McAlister, 98 of Hot Springs, was born to Joseph and Cordelia Dude of New Hampshire. Toni, as she was known, was a loving mother, sister, aunt, great aunt, and friend, joined her loving husband Mac and daughter Joan in heaven September 1, 2023. Toni and Mac moved to Montana in 1952, and decided it was where they wanted to be. They moved to Hot Springs after Mac retired in 1981 and have enjoyed it ever since. Toni enjoyed the outdoors whether it be hunting and fishing or camping....
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) would like to announce and invite the public to comment on a proposal to replace the Electric Wildlife Deterrent Mat (EWDM) located at the Thompson River Bridge on Montana Highway 200, east of Thompson Falls. An EWDM is embedded in the roadway and designed to deliver an unpleasant, but safe and effective, short duration pulsing shock to deter wildlife from entering or crossing the roadway. The project begins directly west of the Thompson River Bridge and extends just off the east bridge end....
Thompson Falls was buzzing with activities Saturday as organizations celebrated the fall season. Thompson Falls Community Trails held its annual Trick or Treat, Move Your Feet event at the Power Park on Saturday.. Two races were held, including a one-mile fun run in costumes and a 5k. Runners were awarded prizes and a medal. The fifty-eight runners could run both races if they chose. They were given water, granola bars and bananas. The adults were given beanies for the cold and the children...
Saturday's temperatures didn't get above freezing in Hot Springs, but the Savage Heat were smokin' as they kept their undefeated season going with a 40-6 playoff win over Valier. "It was a good effort by the kids. I think they're pretty excited. We have a pretty strong group and they are humble about things," Coach Jim Lawson said. Now, the Savage Heat will play host to Harlowton/Ryegate in the quarterfinal round. "It's only going to get tougher from here," Coach Lawson noted. Valier traveled...
After a busy weekend of volleyball in Hot Springs, only one Sanders County team in District 14C are moving on to the divisional tournament. Hot Springs finished second in the district tournament, held on their home court, after playing four matches in a row Friday to end the tournament. Noxon placed third in the district and had a playoff match Monday against Valley Christian, the No. 3 team from District 13C, Noxon fell in three sets and missed a trip to divisional.. Charlo and Noxon each had...
Six schools went head-to-head and point-for-point at the District 7B volleyball tournament, this year held at Plains High School. Both Plains and Thompson Falls earned a trip to the Western B Divisional tournament, slated to begin Wednesday in Eureka. First on the court at district on Friday were St. Ignatius and Troy, with the Bulldogs defeating the Trojans in three sets. Plains had their first match against the Superior Bobcats, and the Trotters took the win in three fast sets. Lexie Deming...
The Blue Hawk football team ended their season last Saturday in the first round of the playoffs. The Red Lodge Rams defeated Thompson Falls 46-0. On the way to Red Lodge, the Hawks were able to stop in Bozeman for a pregame practice with the Montana State University Bobcats. "It's always a reward to stop and play with any college team, the kids really love being able to feel what it would be like to play in a big stadium like that." said coach Jared Koskela. Then it was time for the big task of...
Thompson River Animal Care Shelter is set to launch into the holiday spirit with their upcoming fundraiser. The TRACS Jingle Paws for a Cause raffle contributes to their mission of offering shelter to lost, homeless, neglected and abused animals until they find secure, loving homes. There are eight prize packages up for grabs, ranging in value from $150 to over $500. Raffle ticket sales kick off on Monday, November 6, and conclude December 15. Tickets will be available, along with photos of each prize, at Garden, Gift & Floral and Mangy Moose...
SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. SAG 4. BPI 7. APPARITIONS 12. CHRISTMAS GIFTS 15. RACKETS 16. AGNOMEN 18. EL 19. RET 20. NC 21. ELIS 24. TEE 27. REAPER 30. SONE 31. ADAR 33. DAH 34. WAR 35. EAGAN 37. HOP 39. RID 41. MEMO 42. ENOL 44. GUINEA 47. RAD 48. DOPA 49. EN 50. CBS 52. LD 53. MISDEAL 56. PRAIRIE 61. TREASURE ISLAND 63. OBSERVANTLY 64. TED 65. DIS SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. SPIK 2. APSE 3. GATT 4. BIGGER 5. POINTED 6. INFO 7. ARC 8. RMS 9. IA 10. TSAR 11. STM 12. CREES 13. HALLOW 14. SENE 17. NCR 22. INARI 23. SERIN 24. TAE 25. EDAM 26. EAGER 28. AAHED 29....
