Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Thompson Falls was jingling with holiday spirit over the weekend with the annual Christmas on Main Street festivities. On Friday, Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce sponsored a holiday stroll, inviting businesses to stay open and offer treats and specials to community members. At the Sunflower Gallery, strollers could get crafty with reindeer candy cane ornaments or gnome ornament creations. The gallery, which features local artisans, also offered a hot cocoa bar with a variety of toppings, and...
A baker's dozen (13) was the lucky number at the Sanders County Historical Society's 26th Annual Gingerbread Contest last Saturday. With the theme of "Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas," 13 entries vied for the top prize, the Auntie A Award. This award is named after long-time supporter of the contest, the late Alice Nakamura. The winner for the fifth time in a row with the most votes cast was Aimee Foyil's entry of a two-story historic looking home, complete with a turret, spun sugar windows...
As children, Kevin Meredith and his identical twin brother, Keith, loved playing tricks on people. Now as adults they were at it again last week. Keith donned an “Elf on the Shelf” costume Friday morning and positioned himself on the roof just outside the Plains School cafeteria, waving to kids and teachers as they arrived at school. “I wanted the kids to see Keith and they’d all think it’s me and then I’d come out and then they’d say who’s that?” said Kevin, the elementary school principal. Most of the passing kids immediately notic...
Montana’s general deer and elk hunting season wrapped up and the harvest results at check stations in northwest Montana showed similar results to a year ago. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) tallied more than 10,000 hunters at its four regional check stations in northwest Montana. Hunters reported harvesting 761 white-tailed deer, including 567 bucks, and 97 mule deer. The number of mule deer harvested was slightly higher than last year’s tally of 69. There were also 44 elk reported this year, down from 61 a year ago. The total per...
The idea to catch potential eye problems at an early age is a mission the Plains Lions Club has been doing for over 10 years and this week they finished the last batch of kids in the county at Plains High School. Members of the local club did the vision screenings at Plains Elementary and Junior High last Wednesday. "It is important. If you can detect a vision issue at an early age, it can be corrected with the child not needing glasses later in life," said Steve Spurr, president of the Plains...
In 1984, dozens of the most popular artists got together and recorded "Do they kow it's Christmas" in an effort to raise money for famine victims in Ethiopia. They had a catchy tune and raised more than $24 million. Red Nose Day, Comic Relief's effort to end child poverty, has raised more than $41 million this year. These are just some examples of causes on a larger scale that raise incredible amounts of money to make an impact. However, giving doesn't have to be millions of dollars. In small communities like those in Sanders County, every...
Four times in my life, after I have been working a job for months or years, I have had a small revelation that says to me, “Hey, I know what I’m doing, and I am doing it well!” It only came once per job, but it’s enough. The first time occurred when I was a donut maker in an all-night donut shop in San Francisco. A group of Hell’s Angels had just come into the shop and were later joined by the Oakland Outlaws. (This was not a high-class place.) A fight broke out which I hadn’t noticed bec...
Editor: Community members missed an invaluable refresher class on Home Fire Safety last week at Whitepine Grange, presented by Scott Donovan who has 42 years' experience in fire service. Turnout was low, but those of us in attendance appreciated being reminded of things we'd heard maybe 20 years ago about how to keep from losing your house, property and lives to fire, especially this time of year. Plus, times have changed, along with home fire threats. We learned a lot of new things. Just as it's necessary to stay current on first aid/CPR...
Dear Editor, I believe the decision to have Jessica Gayton be the director of the Sanders County bookmobile was a wise decision. Jessica brings an expertise to the position that most likely is not to be found in anyone else in all of Sanders County. She is an asset to the taxpayers of our county. I visit the bookmobile monthly and Jessica is always happy to greet the patrons when they arrive. In fact, she demonstrates an upbeat and positive attitude, and people know they are welcome when they are greeted. Her knowledge of the books she has on...
4 YEARS AGO NOVEMBER 10, 1983 NONHUNTER BUSIEST IN HUNTING SEASON He favors tending his garden and yard over hunting and fishing, but he sure knows what to do with the game bagged by those who do hunt for meat for the table. Longtime Thompson Falls resident Norm Knudson is an especially busy man right now in the fall of the year. He has already processed 8,000 lbs. this season and averages over 20,000 pounds of wild meat a season! A recently retired meat cutter with Stobie’s IGA, Norm affirms he has not retired completely from meat cutting. ...
DALE PETTY, Plains - “I would like to have seven feet of snow.” MARK MEAGHER, Trout Creek - “A lot of snow up high but not as much down low.” DONNA BROWN, Trout Creek - “Zero. I don’t like the cold weather and don’t like to drive in it.” KRISTIE BROWN, Trout Creek - “Enough for snowmobiling and ice fishing.” MARK RUNKLE, Trout Creek - “I would like four feet of snow for the moisture and fire control.” JOHN SHERIDAN, Plains - “ We’ve already had enough snow....
Appearing on Tuesday before Judge Deborah Kim Christopher for an initial appearance, Douglas D. Paige entered a not guilty plea to felony counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal possession with intent to distribute. Judge Christopher set this matter for a jury trial on April 15, 2024. On August 15 at approximately 3 p.m., according to the filed affidavit, Sanders County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Bankhead was advised of a report of two men allegedly fighting, drinking and soon to be driving from the Wild Coyote Bar near T...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 11; Plains, 7; Trout Creek, 4; Heron, 2; Hot Springs, 2. Monday, November 27 Welfare check, T. Falls. Assist other agency, T. Falls. Civil standby, Trout Creek. Extra patrol, T. Falls. Threats, Hot Springs. Disturbance, Hot Springs. Threats, Trout Creek. Suspicious activity, Plains. Parking problem, Hot Springs. Livestock, Hot Springs. Livestock, Paradise. Property damage/criminal mischief, Plains. Assist miscellaneous, Trout Creek. General animal call/complaint, Paradise. General animal call/complaint, Plains. Civil...
Montana Highway Patrol Jeffrey Stevens, 49, seatbelt violation, $20. Amber Woodard, 40, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Alexander Dunlap, 53, day speeding, $120. Lee Hensrude, 77, day speeding, deferred imposition of sentence. Katherine Parson, 49, day speeding, $120. Terry Show, 51, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Keynan Runnels, 23, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Echo Hermsmeyer, 31, stop sign violation, $85. Joshua Smith, 42, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Aimee Turner, 45, operating without liability insurance, 2nd...
by Serena Overbeck, Trout Creek Adventist School On Tuesday, November 28, my class from Trout Creek Adventist School went to the Cabinet Gorge Kokanee Hatchery. Some students in my class had read a book called "Come Back Salmon" by Molly Cone. The field trip was a way for our class to learn about our local fish and what we can do to keep the fish in our rivers and lakes. Dan Dillon, the hatchery manager, taught us many things about the life cycle of the fish and anatomy. My whole class really...
Saturday was a gloomy and snowy day, but the two Plains School gymnasiums were filled with brilliant colors of glass mugs, aluminum photos, smooth frosting, and sparkling jewelry. It was the Plains Schools 2nd Annual Winter Bazaar with vendors spread out in the school's two gyms and the event coordinator is looking to make it even bigger next year "It was a success in so many ways," said Debbie Brown, who has put on the event for the past two years. "The community loved coming to look, purchase...
Dale Allen passed away on November 12, 2023, after a brief illness. Dale was born in Maine in 1935 and moved to Montana after he retired from the United States Air Force. Between Dale's willingness to always lend a helping hand and his mechanical knowledge of automobiles, he was loved and respected by many and will be missed. If you were lucky enough to know Dale you know that he never had a bad word to say about anyone, always had time to help fix something/anything or pull people out of the... Full story
OVER THE HILL GANG W L Fun Team 26 22 Roll’n Along 25 23 Jokers Wild 25 23 Com’bak Kids 24.5 23.5 Mixed Nuts 22.5 25.5 Leftovers 21 27 Team Scr. Game: Fun Team, 750; Scr. Series: Fun Team, 2225; Hcp. Game: Roll’n Along, 914; Hcp. Series: Roll’n Along, 2531; Mens Inv. Scr. Game: Ron Beaty, 204; Scr. Series: Ron Beaty, 603; Hcp. Game: Tim Martin, 257; Hcp. Series: Bob Flewelling, 680. Wms Inv. Scr Game: Debbie Rolleri, 191; Scr Series: Ginger Ward, 532; Hcp. Game: Ginny Flewelling, 245; Hcp. Series: Ginger Ward, 673. INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE W L Berni...
Editor’s Note: During this special season of giving, The Ledger and First Security Bank would like to salute all the local nonprofits that provide services to Sanders County. They truly put the “unity” in the community. We hope you will consider a donation here at home this holiday season. Camp Bighorn 1850 MT Highway 135 Plains, MT 59859 Phone: 826-3144 Website: campbighorn.com Contact: Brian Meaden Purpose: Camp Bighorn is a non-profit adventure camp that has programming for the community throughout the year. We run a Wild Child progr...
by Ed Moreth The people of Plains probably could have used Rudolph's guiding nose on Saturday to see Santa Claus at the VFW, where he had set up a temporary workshop. Santa - played by Dave Williams of Plains - had set up shop at the one-room log schoolhouse along Railroad Street for the last four years, but this year it was moved to the VFW hall and is co-sponsored by the VFW and Joint Operation Mariposa, a nonprofit organization headed by Williams designed to help veterans in Sanders County....
Plains and Thompson Falls grapplers had their first competition last weekend at the Owen Invitational in Polson. More than 370 wrestlers, including nearly 100 girls, from 18 teams took to the mats Friday and Saturday at the Linderman School gymnasium, including eight from the Plains-Hot Springs Savage Horsemen team and 13 from the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks. The Savage Horsemen tied with Polson for ninth place with 81 points. Superior and Eureka were the two Class B teams that beat Plains-Hot...
HOT SPRINGS 53, VICTOR 15 The Hot Springs Lady Savage Heat traveled to kick off the Hamilton tip-off against the Victor Lady Pirates, taking the win 53-15. Hot Springs came out on fire, putting the pressure on the Lady Pirates by taking the lead quickly in the first half. The Lady Savage Heat kept their tight knit defense, holding Victor to minimal scoring. Going into halftime Hot Springs was up 22 points. Coming back from the half Hot Springs was able to keep their double digit lead, putting pressure on the Lady Pirates. The Lady Savage Heat...
PLAINS 57, VALLEY CHRISTIAN 49 The Plains Horsemen opened the Hamilton tip-off tournament against the Valley Christian Eagles, earning the win 57-49. Darren Standeford led the Horsemen getting 16 points, Zayden Allen was behind him with 11, and Anaya Loberg rounded out the top scoring with 10 points. Allen proved to be a powerhouse in the paint getting eight rebounds, while Zeph Dines, Pablo Hernandez and Loberg each got five. ARLEE 60, PLAINS 41 The Horsemen took to the court Saturday against the Arlee Warriors, falling 60-41. It would be the...
Engineer Brent Campbell from Missoula has been hired by Green Diamond Resource Company (GDRCo) to lead the process of planning the use of certain sections of land. Ownership by GDRCo includes over 300 acres in Sanders County that is included in the 2010 Thompson Chain of Lakes Plan. The company owns significantly more acreage in Sanders County, according to Campbell. Sanders County has been invited to participate in the updating of the Thompson Chain of Lakes Plan. In 2021, GDRCo acquired...
Have you heard about how Iceland is known as a country where people give one another a book on Christmas Eve? They then sit around eating, drinking, and reading together. It’s called Book Flood, or Jolabokaflod, and I’m seriously thinking I was actually adopted from Iceland and my mother’s never had the heart to tell me. If the weather the last few days has you feeling Icelandic, here are some titles you can add to your gift/wish list. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed is a collection of Dear Sugar letters and their responses with a few...
