Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Community members gathered last week as Sanders County Community Development held a meeting to identify community needs and projects. About two dozen people attended the meeting last Wednesday at the Sanders County Courthouse. Information gathered will help SCCD and its partner, Mission West Community Development Partners identify new projects for the county, establish priorities and identify community needs. Steve Clairmont is the Mission West Community Focused Economic Development Center Director and led the presentation. He said the...
Winners for local school board and special district races were determined this week as ballots were counted Tuesday. Election results are considered unofficial until certified. Noxon School District had four positions up for election, two representing Noxon Elementary/Noxon High School and two representing Noxon/Trout Creek. Rachel Peterson and James Christensen received 325 and 213 votes, respectively to win the Noxon/Noxon positions on the Noxon School Board. Other candidates included Nick Posselt (185 votes), Tamra Weltz (133 votes) and Jen...
A new batch of goslings swims in the Clark Fork River near the Thompson Falls dam. Share your pictures of local wildlife on our Facebook page and tag #scledger....
This weekend, the uniqueness of gardening in the northwest corner of the county will be explored at the Heron Garden Expo. The Laurie Hill Memorial Library is presenting this event as a "funds-for-books" raiser and to create an opportunity for old and new gardeners to share garden secrets. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at the library and is free to attend. The program includes information on local terrain and how it affects each gardens soil types, frost dates, and water availability. There will be expert advice about beginning a garden,...
Thompson Falls students had the opportunity to learn the finer points of dining last week at the 7th annual etiquette luncheon hosted at Thompson Falls Elementary School cafeteria. The school's seventh and eighth grade students are taught an etiquette unit by K-8 school counselor Rob Christensen. Lessons consist of restaurant, sports, public, online, flag and job etiquette and concludes with an etiquette luncheon. The lunch room is set up to mirror a fine dining establishment. Lunch staff and...
"Smile, it makes people wonder what you're up to." That's something my mom always says to me when I'm having a hard day. It's one of many things my mom has instilled in me as my best friend and biggest fan. Even in my 40s, my mom is always there when I need her. She brings me food on long days, dog sits, runs errands, listens and sends me an encouraging text every morning. This Mother's Day, the Ledger crew is thankful for our moms and the lessons they have taught us. Reporter Miriah Kardelis says her mother was, is and always will be a kind...
Editor, Regarding the sheriff’s race; one candidate is the outstanding choice and that is our current undersheriff, Lanny Hensley. Under Montana law, undersheriffs serve at the pleasure of the sheriff. This means that they can be removed from that position at any time.Lanny Hensley was appointed by Sheriff Tom Rummel in 2012 and has remained undersheriff because he is trustworthy, works well with the public and is very good at managing the Sheriff’s Office. He is the ONLY candidate who has both patrol duty and administrative experience as a Mon...
A recent opinion is a classic example of conflating what they believe are “complex issues” of homelessness and immorality This is the misdirect gamesmanship we played as kids when we stood behind someone on the “left” side; and tapped them on the “right” to try to get them to look the wrong way. It’s easy to castigate by inference those who don’t hold to what is falsely portrayed as a more moderate higher perspective; that is in fact a muddled mess of right vs. wrong. Some are mislabeled by inference and implication with oversimplistic...
When my grandparents landed in Montana long, long, long ago, they brought with them some interesting sensibilities. They were of the pioneer type, but missed the big push into the country and so ended up being, in reality, settlers. They arrived 34 years after the Northern Pacific, more or less, and so found other folks on the ground already. But not on the ground that they moved onto. They were conservative in a liberal sort of way, and they passed those views on to many of their grandchildren. Being a member of the cadre who lived the...
4 YEARS AGO • MAY 6, 1982 FALLS WOMAN CITED FOR 60 YEARS OF VOTING Few people in Montana can boast of voting in 15 presidential elections, but a pioneer Thompson Falls citizen, Mrs. Susan Thayer, 82, can, and she received a certificate from Secretary of State Jim Waltermire attesting to her long voting record. Mrs. Thayer first voted for a president in the 1920 general election, shortly after her 21st birthday. Women got the right to vote August 18, 1920. She cast a vote for republican Calvin Coolidge and every four years since cast a vote f...
ERIC WILSON, Rex Community Theater - “Our focus is the youth of this community and their future. We have to take care of them.” KATHY JACKSON, Thompson Falls Pickleball Club - “I just want to help out the community at large, for any age group. I care about this community.” SHEILA VINCENT, Thompson Falls Pickleball Club - “I volunteer to help my community.” GAYLE SERATT, Sanders County Coalition For Families - “Volunteering is so important because it shows support to the victims we save. It’s a way of supporting your fellow human beings in...
Montana Highway Patrol Kele Alden-Odenkirk, 43, owner permitting vehicle operation without liability insurance, 1st offense, $285. Bruce Bergeson, 53, seatbelt violation; driving while privilege suspended/revoked, 1st offense; failure to carry proof of insurance, 1st offense; night speeding. Kyle Nestegard, 35, seatbelt violation, $20. Zachary Petersen, 42, failure to dim lights within 1000 feet of oncoming traffic, $85. Joshua Buck, 35, seatbelt violation, $20. Devin Barnes, 16, seatbelt violation, $20; stop sign violation, $85. Kent Ekberg,...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 5; Hot Springs, 4; Noxon, 4; Plains, 2; Camas Prairie, 2; Trout Creek, 1; Dixon, 1; Lonepine, 1. Monday, April 25 Animal other, Plains. Protection order violation, Trout Creek. Theft, T. Falls. Civil attempts. Road hazard/blockage, Dixon. Property damage/criminal mischief, Trout Creek. Civil attempts. Disturbance, T. Falls. Warrant service. Civil attempts. Civil standby, T. Falls. Fire, Paradise. Property damage/criminal mischief, Plains. Nuisance complaints. Disturbance, Plains. Business contact, T. Falls. Tuesday, April...
Dear Editor, Recent surveys, public meetings, and conversations among concerned citizens living in Sanders County reveal available, affordable housing is our # 1 priority. According to a recent OP-ED in the Missoulian from Monica Tranel, Democratic Candidate for Congress, the median cost for housing has risen 23% since the end of 2020. Ouch! And that’s if you can find an available dwelling to rent or purchase. As a board member of Sanders County Community Housing Organization (www.sccho.org) for almost a decade, I’ve seen the situation gro...
To some of the neighbors of Plains High School it might have looked like an invasion, but it was instead a group of teenagers and an adult launching rockets at night. It wasn't all fun and games - but most of it was just that - it was part of a science class at Plains High School. Ten students and science teacher Carl Benson gathered at the high school football field shortly before 9 p.m. last Monday to launch the model rockets they made for physics class. In all the years that Benson has been...
Tomorrow is the day of all days. The day when the honey bees come. This year, three additional colonies will be coming home with me. In the past when ordering bees, I’ve stuck with Italian honey bees, merely for the docile nature they possess. However, this time around, I am going to try my hand at tending to Carniolan honey bees. The temperament of a honey bee has always played a big factor for me when deciding on what species I want to keep. I’ve steered away from Carniolan bees in the past because they tend to be more aggressive than Ita...
The conservation districts of Sanders County want to continue their efforts in supporting pollinator habitats in the area. Green Mountain Conservation District (GMCD) and Eastern Sanders County Conservation District (ESCCD) have teamed up to host pollinator initiative seed handout events around the county. If community members are interested in growing beneficial flowers and native plants that will support pollinators and their habitats in your own backyard, they can get a free seed mix from the conservation districts for plots of 100, 250, 500...
June 30, 1979 – April 19, 2022 Christopher resided in Trout Creek but passed in Oklahoma City, from a blood clot in the lungs. He was self-employed as a vehicle transporter from one location to another throughout the US. He was a long-time resident of Bakersfield, California, but had been vacationing in Trout Creek since he was in Jr. high: first at the campground and then at his parents’ home that was built in 2007 and finally moved here in March 2020. He loved this area and enjoyed boating and swimming in the reservoir, hiking through the mou... Full story
Frances Eileen Schenck passed away on April 22, 2022, at her home in Clark Fork. She was born March 1, 1940, to William Jacks and Nora (Sand) Jacks in Missoula Montana. Frances was a railroad worker's daughter, which meant they moved to several locations during her youth. Eddy Montana was her favorite place, she talked numerous times over the years of the fun and adventures she had with her best friend Denis. Frances also spent some time living in towns between Sandpoint and Plains in the Clark... Full story
17-2021 Frank (Francis or Francie) Donald Sularz, age 87, of Seattle, passed away in Seattle on November 1, 2021, with his two children by his side. He was born in Trout Creek, Montana, on March 4, 1934, to Frank and Agnes Sularz. He eventually moved to Thompson Falls, Montana, where he lettered in many sports, met his future wife and many lifelong friends; After his graduation from Thompson Falls High School in 1952, he served in the Army in Korea and Japan. Following his military service,... Full story
Carl Morgan Wiseman passed away April 16, 2022, at his home in Paramount, California, surrounded by family. He was born January 17, 1943, to Sara Gallaher. Immediately after graduating from Culpeper High School in Virginia 1962, Carl joined the Marines July 6, 1962, until May 25, 1968. After spending a tour in Cuba, he was one of the first Marines to go to Vietnam on March 1, 1965. Upon returning from Vietnam he was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, as a drill instructor. During his time... Full story
Hot Springs School District closed Tuesday after a possible threat to the school was found on social media. Superintendent Gerald Chouinard released a statement early Tuesday morning that the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office and Hot Springs Police Department were investigating the legitimacy of the possible threat. “In an abundance of caution, school will be closed Tuesday, 5/3/2022, and will remain closed until the threat is mitigated,” Chouinard wrote, instructing students and employees not to report to school and adding that activities were...
Blackfoot Communications held its first annual meeting in three years over the weekend, and employees and members of the local cooperative were happy to be back in-person. As Blackfoot continues to work to replace copper wiring with fiber cabling in rural areas, board president Tom Eggensperger of Thompson Falls compared the advances in Internet speed to that of the automobile in the 20th century. In his invocation, Tony Incashola of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes also talked about...
Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce hosted the second nonprofit volunteer fair Saturday and welcomed 14 organizations to the Thompson Falls Senior Center. While the event gives an opportunity for nonprofits to connect with the community, it also allows organizations to connect with each other in hopes of collaboration as they look to find common ground for their specific needs. “Part of why I organize this is because we have over 100 nonprofits in Sanders County and I didn’t see an opportunity for them to get together with new people and volunte...
Thirteen teams attended the 24th annual Akey, Rosenberg and Murphy (A.R.M.) track meet last week in Whitefish, including Thompson Falls, Plains and Hot Springs. Athletes from all three teams placed in the tournament. For Thompson Falls, Ryan Bucher won the 400 with a time of 52.81 seconds, William Hyatt placed fourth in the mile with a time of 4 minutes 42.58 seconds and fifth in the 800 with a time of 2 minutes 7.94 seconds, the boys’ short relay team took fourth with a time of 46.11 seconds, Breck Ferris took fifth in the long jump with a l...
