Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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All was quiet as a procession of military veterans said goodbye and farewell to an old comrade as part of a solemn ceremony to properly retire a batch of American flags last Thursday in the back parking lot of VFW Post 3596. Beginning the post's ceremony was the large canton of blue field and stars carefully placed in the fire by Heather Allen, the post quartermaster and a veteran of the Air Force, followed by Army veterans Jim Gillibrand and Don Kunzer with additional portions of the 19- by 36-...
The federal government will provide $500,000 in seed money to help kick-start construction of Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority’s (BSPRA) North Coast Hiawatha route revitalization between Chicago and Seattle/Portland and connecting communities like Fargo, Bismarck, Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula. Formerly known as the North Coast Hiawatha, and before that the North Coast Limited, the route existed from the 1890s through the late 1970s when cuts to Amtrak ended the service. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, BSPRA “would ent...
Rusti Leivestad presided over her first council meeting as mayor of Thompson Falls on Monday. The meeting was held at the Sanders County Courthouse before an audience of about 40 community members. Prior to the meeting, Carrie Gardner with Great West Engineering provided details about updates to the city's Capital Improvements Plan. Gardner met with the various departments in the city to determine project priorities. A public survey is also available on the city's website through the end of the...
If a person wanted to see a dysfunctional Christmas filled with argument, jealousy, accusations, troublesome relationships, but spunky women that will definitely be entertaining, "The Charitable Sisterhood Christmas Spectacular" was a must. Four cast members of the Paradise Players put on three performances of the play, which was set at Christmas of 1977. A group of ladies called the Charitable Sisterhood of the Second Trinity Church situated in the South are preparing for their annual...
The Thompson Falls Elementary Student Council sponsored a food drive in their school last week, collecting a total of 825 pounds of food. Students delivered the donations to Community Harvest Food Bank in Thompson Falls on Monday (left). The fifth graders brought in the most with a total of 135 pounds of donations. They will be treated to a root beer float party....
One of my favorite experiences is hearing about Sanders County from someone new to the area. If you grow up here, you tend to take for granted the mountains, fresh air, daily wildlife sightings and outdoor opportunities. One of the most memorable of those experiences was when a friend from Pennsylvania visited in 1998, the year I moved home from Texas. He was just amazed at the beauty of the area and how we could fish almost literally out our back door. Most recently, I met someone at the fair who had just moved here from Spokane. She immediate...
I would like to thank the couple who paid for my groceries today at Harvest. It was a really nice surprise to me, as something like this has never happened to me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. And thank you. Linda Lanier, Thompson Falls...
Dear Editor, December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. It opportunely coincides with the holidays when folks are going to parties, reconnecting with old friends, and maybe indulging more than they do the rest of the year. Wherever you’re going this Christmas season, please never get behind the wheel impaired. While I’m encouraged that this year our alcohol-related traffic fatalities are down from the last two years, just one death on our highways because of drugs or alcohol is too many. This year, there have been 53 alc...
I'd like to address an occurrence from last month's city council meeting, in which a time for public comment was, in my perception, seized as an opportunity to intimidate and bully. I became a member of TF city council in January 2020, a year no election was held, as all three candidates were running unopposed. This was also a time when Thompson Falls began experiencing inconsistency in the mayor's position. I will be serving another four years, as this year, I was uncontested. The document that was referenced last month, was the Sanders County...
Median residential property taxes in Montana went up 21% this year. That’s $213 million more from working Montanans. Meanwhile North Western Energy property taxes went down 20%, that’s a decrease of $36 million. Collections on industrial property are down by about $52.9 million. An extra holiday bonus was given to Montana ratepayers from the Public Services Commission, the cost of electricity from North Western Energy is going up 28%. In appreciation for the big lump of coal in the holiday, send a thank you to Governor Gianforte and the Rep...
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” asserts the song. The reference of lyricists Edward Pola and George Wyle and performer Andy Williams was, of course, to the Christmas holiday. The song was written in 1963 and recorded for the Andy Williams Christmas Album. It has some long legs. It’s still heard in stores as the annual runup to the “the holiday of giving” (and getting) spreads from its Black Friday sendoff. It’s been recorded by Garth Brooks, Harry Connick, Jr., and J.Lo herself. Every time, it’s climbed the charts. Legs. Big legs. T...
9 YEARS AGO NOVEMBER 29, 1933 DEER ARE ENTERED IN BIG BUCK CONTEST The big buck contest, sponsored this hunting season by the Marshall Wells company of Spokane with the Union Market at Thompson Falls acting as local contest board, terminated with the close of the hunting season on November 15. This contest, sponsored to encourage the sale of Peters ammunition, offered $50 for the heaviest white tail buck and $50 for the heaviest mule deer buck killed in northern Idaho, western Montana or eastern Washington. There were several people who weighe...
Ambulance: Plains, 5; T. Falls, 3; Paradise, 2; Hot Springs, 2; Trout Creek, 1; Heron, 1. Monday, December 4 Theft, Hot Springs. General animal call/complaint, T. Falls. Suspicious activity, Hot Springs. Road hazard/blockage, T. Falls. Property damage/criminal mischief, T. Falls. Assault, Heron. Mental health issue, Plains. Other law violations, Hot Springs. Parking problem, Plains. Business contact, T. Falls. Business contact. Tuesday, December 5 Automated alarm call, T. Falls. Other law violations, Plains. Welfare check, Lonepine. Child...
Gary William Rubusch appeared before Judge Molly Owen on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to a felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and a misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. Rubusch’s attorney, Cheryl Copperstone, requested that her client be released on his own recognizance. County Attorney, Megan Hansen, had no objection to this request as Rubusch is currently on probation, leading to Judge Owen granting the request. A jury trial was set for May 13, 2024. According to the charging documents, on N...
Montana Highway Patrol Whitney Bybee, 27, seatbelt violation, $20; careless driving, $85. Delbert Otto, 28, seatbelt violation, $20. James Heffernan, 94, careless driving, $85. Louisa Orr, 34, speeding in a restricted zone, $105. Jessica Knoll, 27, stop sign violation, $85. Moira Lonergan, 19, day speeding, $120. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Tacen Cobb, 16, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Hannah Jones, 19, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. James Mullet, 19, stop sign violation, $85. Lisa Stutzman, 30, speeding in a restricted zone, $...
CARLA KENZIE Plains - “Cancer Network of Sanders County because of the support they offer, and the support they gave my dad.” AMY McGANN, Thompson Falls - “St. Jude’s because they do so much for children I know.” MARET BROWN, Trout Creek - “The food bank. It covers everybody and helps everybody out.” RACHEL WHITE, Trout Creek - “Toys for Tots. I am the local coordinator.” DIANE HEDAHL, Thompson Falls - “The National Pediatrics Cancer Research Foundation in honor of my grandson’s wish in hopes that no other child dies from cancer.” BECK BECKMAN...
A science project by two Thompson Falls High School students has earned them a spot in a state competition. They have been named one of the 300 finalists in the 14th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. Carter Marquardt and Bryson LeCoure have the chance to take their STEAM project to the National competitions and win prizes from the sponsoring company Samsung. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow (SSfT) is a national competition designed to empower students in grades 6-12 with their ideas for...
The Christmas train has returned to Plains School again, but officials can't decide on who will be the conductor. Plains resident Bill Beck and Plains Elementary School Principal Kevin Meredith set up the Polar Express last week in the school library. It took the two about an hour to get the train, track, structures, trees, and figurines set up on the four-foot wide, eight-foot long piece of plywood that Beck made. The school has featured the Polar Express train and village for five years,...
Harvest Community Church of God's building plans for a basement under the youth group building came to a halt. Due to regulations that have been established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it was discovered the property is in the floodplain. Construction is not up to code, according to Ron Warren from Rocky Mountain Surveying, who did the initial survey. Three weeks after the concrete forms were set up, contractor Josh Weedeman was told that he had to stop. "There is nothing...
Harry Johannes Behmerwohld, of Heron, Montana, passed away on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at his son’s home, in Rathdrum, Idaho, after a long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family and was 93 years old. Harry was born in Dilo, Montana, on June 28, 1930 to his parents Hones Behmerwohld and Bertha Tempero. Heron has been his home since 1932. He is survived by his three children: Vernon (Sherryl) Behmerwohld, Harry Behmerwohld Jr, and Barbara (Ed) Calhoun; his two brothers Walt (Donna) Behmerwohld and Manford (Marvel) Tempero; as w... Full story
Martin Wilho Koskela Jr. "Buck" went to be with the Lord on the evening of December 2, 2023. He was born in Chisholm, Minnesota, on September 1, 1960. Marty grew up in Minnesota and there met and married his wife Carolyn Anderson. Together they had two children: Katie and Jared. After many years together, they later divorced. Marty moved his family to Montana to be closer to his father. While in Montana, Marty had a few different jobs such as a millwright and fisheries technician. He also took great pride in helping with maintenance at the... Full story
Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) is restructuring its home health services. CFVH has announced it will close its Medicare certified Home Health agency effective January 1, 2024. The services will still be available through the hospital’s clinics and rehabilitation department. Hospice services are unaffected by this decision and will continue unchanged. While homebound patients will not see a difference in services, the restructuring will affect payment requirements and patients may see possible copays, said Tonya Revier with CFVH. Like many r...
Family Birth Services is pleased to announce Kira Lynne Wood was born on October 27, 2023. Kira weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces. Her parents are JD and Lydia Wood of Trout Creek. Grandparents are Ron and Lorrie Wood and Paul and Rose Landis.... Full story
Thompson Falls eighth grader Lila Adams decided to do a community project to help with her future college applications. "I was talking with my mom about college and having a good resume for my applications," Adams said. She talked to her Language Arts teacher, Karissa Snead. "She suggested a community service project so we started making plans," Adams said. They came up with the plan to raise enough food for four families to have a Christmas dinner and hopefully some extra staples for the pantry...
Remembering Pearl Harbor is something that Noxon resident Jo Webley does well. Grandma Jo, to the community, has been visiting with students at the Noxon school for 18 years. She celebrated her 88th birthday on December fourth. "I started out doing one class a year, then two and now I talk to three classes a year about Pearl Harbor and World War II," Webley said between class visits last week. Webley was born in 1935 in Lewistown, Montana. Her family had a homestead there but moved to the...
