Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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A salute to the class of 2024... Full story
A salute to Sanders County graduates....
The Sanders County Christmas Bazaar offered a variety of creations Saturday at Thompson Falls High School. The event benefits the Sheriff's Relief Fund. The Sanders County Dog Training Club (above) sold treats and toys for dogs. Above, members Carole Jensen, Carol Searl and Debbie Mason work the booth as Cathy Mills shops. At right, Santa poses for a photo with Carrie Viens and her dog Pip....
The first Plains Public Schools Holiday Bazaar was a big success, according to Debbie Brown, who coordinated the event at the school's new gym and multipurpose room Saturday. It was a bazaar put on by the school's National Honor Society to raise money for an educational trip, said Heather Worrall, the NHS advisor for the second consecutive year. The group had hoped to fetch around $4,000, said Worrall, but they raised only $800. Worrall said they take the trips every other year, and the next...
3 YEARS AGO • DECEMBER 10, 1992 OVER THE YEARS THE HEATERS TRANSPORTED LOTS OF KIDS All school buses are yellow, aren’t they? Fifty-seven years ago, it wasn’t necessarily so. Thompson Falls’ first school bus was red. In 1935 when Thompson Falls Ford dealer Perry Heater and his brother Orie won the bid for the Eddy Flats and Thompson River school bus run, “No one had established yellow as the national bus color,” Perry’s son Richard laughed. Three generations of youngsters rode the Heater family buses. Although Richard and Doris Heater retire...
ROD HART, Thompson Falls - “I try to keep it at a manageable level. I have one decoration, a wreath.” JIM McFEELEY, Trout Creek - “Getting to visit with relatives.” VICKI CROSS, Trout Creek - “Looking at all the lights and caroling.” NANCY LAWSON, Plains - “Trimming the tree, that's what makes Christmas.” DAWN THAIN, Plains - “Alone time with my husband, the fire popping in the woodstove, snow on the trees.” TERESA DAY, Noxon - “Seeing family....
By Karen Thorson "A budding young artist," "Quiet and dependable," "Self-motivated," "So creative." These are the terms used by staff at Hot Springs Junior High when talking about 12-year-old Dakota Slonaker. Slonaker, nick-named "Kota" by friends, carries on an art tradition in her family. Her grandmother, an oil painter, was her initial inspiration for painting. Two older sisters are also artists – one of them painted a mural in her bedroom. Watercolor painting is what Slonaker enjoys most, a...
6 YEARS AGO • DECEMBER 6, 1917 CLOSE CALL FOR SNIDER Careless Hunter Sends Bullet Through Coattail and then Beats It for Cover Dave Snider was the unintentional target for some careless hunter up in the Thompson River country last Friday and had about as narrow an escape from getting a bullet in his back as the most reckless could wish for. He was coming through a little thicket when he heard a shot not far away and heard the zip of the bullet close by. He immediately started to call to warn the hunter of his presence, but instead of c...
BARBARA McENTIRE, Thompson Falls - “Receiving a picture of family members.” JOSH SCHMIDT, Thompson Falls - “It’s better to give; a gift card is a good gift.” THERESE BERSHEE, Thompson Falls - “My husband got me an old VW convertible. I told him he didn’t have to ever get me another gift.” LEEANN OVERMAN, Paradise - “Homemade cookies, both to give and receive.” KATIE FRENCH, Paradise - “Received a homemade quilt.” MARLEY NEESVIG, Thompson Falls - “Giving is better; fundraising for charities....
From November 15-18, the Montana Legislature met for orientation. A review of that was in last week’s paper dealing with the Senate leadership and House Democrat leadership, but not the full Republican leadership. Matt Regier was voted in as the Speaker of the House, Sue Vinton was elected to her second term as Majority Leader, and Rhonda Knudsen was elected as Pro Tem. The Republican representatives then elected their party whips as a final vote of leadership. The six whip officers elected were Brandon Ler, Jennifer Carlson, Terry Moore, N...
The Community Harvest Food Bank (CHFB) and Thrift Store has recently completed a project to increase parking space and to bring sidewalk areas in compliance with legal standards for the disabled. The project included demolishing the existing sidewalks, trees, and railings, widening the parking driveway for easier access for the handicapped and food delivery, and removing existing cement barriers. After consulting with experts on the rules for new construction for the disabled, the Food Bank was...
TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a non-profit weight loss support group that’s been around for 70 years. Founded in 1948 by Esther Manz, around a table with a couple of friends and her cousin’s wife, TOPS grew to 2,500 members in 1951 and now boasts thousands of chapters throughout the U.S and Canada. Nancy Murray, a nurse case manager, leads the Thompson Falls chapter. “I struggled with being heavy my whole life. I began going to TOPS in Missoula in 2017, the group became my cheerleaders and in nine months I lost 60 pounds,” said Murray....
The Rose Bowl is the oldest and biggest of the college football games, but it's got nothing on the Plains High School "Turkey Bowl," held last Tuesday, the last day of classes for the week before Thanksgiving. It was a flag football competition between the four high school classes with the freshmen first taking on the juniors and the seniors then battling the sophomores. The two-hour contest was run by the school's National Honor Society students - sophomore Wyatt Butcher, juniors Peyton Wasson...
by Ed Moreth Farm animals and 4-H seem to be synonymous, but maybe dancing should be added to their repertoire. The members of the South Side Sparks 4-H club want to be ready for the Christmas Dance on Dec. 23 at the fairgrounds pavilion, so the local 4-H ambassadors held a dance workshop Saturday evening at the pavilion. Twenty youngsters from the South Side Sparks and three from the Kootenai, Kids & Critters 4-H club from Lincoln County participated in the two-hour workshop. "It was fun to...
The high standards of scholarship, leadership, serviceship, and character are celebrated each year during the National Honor Society (NHS) induction ceremony. Students, staff, family and friends were gathered together in the Thompson Falls High School gymnasium Tuesday, November 22, to watch the event. To be inducted into the NHS, students must first be selected and must have and maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA. The current members of the NHS are seniors Elizabeth Baxter, Bethany Burk, Marcella...
Nearly 300 Sanders County residents got help from community members and churches last weekend as the annual Thanksgiving Baskets program packed and delivered the ingredients for turkey dinners to 76 families from Heron to Thompson Falls. On Saturday, volunteers gathered at Community Congregational Church in Thompson Falls to sort through tons of canned and fresh produce, pie crusts, pumpkin and other items. On Sunday, church and community members packed the boxes and delivered them to families....
9 YEARS AGO • NOVEMBER 23, 1932 NEW KITCHEN AID Homemakers by the thousands are enjoying a new helper in their kitchens – towels for kitchen use are proving a boon because they are so convenient and, at the same time, economical to use. Introduced after fifteen months of use in test markets, the new paper towel has been proved entirely practical. These towels come in a roll of 150 pure, white, generous sized tissue towels. They are highly absorbent and seen to have an especial affinity for greasy stains. They are used for the hundred and one l...
Spencer Hart - “10 minutes in the oven because it’s so big.” Maddie Park - “Put it in a pan and you cut it up and cook for 30 minutes or so and serve it.” Zackary Keen - “Cut its head off and put in stuffing and some ingredients. Cook for one minute on the stove and it tastes good.” Harley Vold-Dembowski - “Heat it up, put stuff in it, put it in the stove for 30 minutes.” Hank Pavlik - “I’d cook it nice and perfect on the grill for four minutes” Millie Mosher - “Put it in the oven, cook for 15 minutes. Take it out and stuff it with food and ea...
The community of Thompson Falls is gearing up for the holiday season with preparations for the annual Christmas on Main Street events December 2-4. Local artist Hilary VanVleet has developed a unique coloring page for this year’s coloring contest. Pages were distributed at Thompson Falls Elementary and are available for pickup at The Ledger or Thompson Falls Library. Completed coloring pages must be dropped off at The Ledger by 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2. The Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce will present the annual Holiday Stroll and c...
After more than 60 years, Whitepine Grange has its own flagpole. The 32-foot flagpole was dedicated November 11 with a ceremony featuring VFW representatives, members of the Grange and surrounding Whitepine community, and a children's choir from Trout Creek School. Despite freezing temperatures, the event gathered about 30 admirers at the Grange for the short ceremony. Carolyn Nesbitt, Whitepine Grange vice-president, addressed the audience and shared Red Skelton's interpretation of the Pledge o...
Thompson River Animal Care Shelter (TRACS) is once again holding a silent auction to raise money this holiday season. Beginning November 28, the silent auction will open at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls with items on display noon-8 p.m. through December 1 and noon-4 p.m. on December 2. The auction will then be set up December 3 at Thompson Falls High School during the annual Christmas Bazaar. Finally, auction items will be moved to Plains Public Library December 5-8 and December 12-15, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. each day. TRACS ex...
INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE W L Pocket Pounders 25 19 Bernie’s Auto 31 13 Howard Services 28 16 Highlead 28 16 Mountain Plains LLC 15 29 Giggles 5 39 Team Scr. Game: Bernie’s Auto,725; Scr. Series: Bernie’s Auto, 2036; Hcp. Game:Bernie’s Auto, 827; Hcp. Series: Pocket Pounders, 2357; Inv. Scr. Game:Ron Beaty, 223; Scr. Series:Ron Beaty, 602; Hcp. Game:Wendy Kelley, 251; Hcp. Series:Mike Kelley,653 OVER THE HILL GANG W L Mixed Nuts 28 12 Fun Team 22 18 Jokers Wild 18.5 21.5 Roll’n Along 18 22 Leftovers 17.5 22.5 Combak Kids 16 24 Team Scr. Game:Fun...
PLAINS AREA’S ONE ROOM SCHOOLS The earliest of the schoolhouses erected in the Plains area seems to be one on Swamp Creek and another that was situated on Clark Creek up Baldy way. Both dated back to the early 1890s and logs furnished the principal building material. The former, approximately 14-foot x 16-foot, took its name from the creek that drains the adjacent timberland. That situated on Clark Creek took the name of Cook School. The Swamp Creek school soon became too cramped to accommodate the students and a new structure was built around...
JOE FRIELDS, Thompson Falls - “It would be easy, I’ve done it for longer than that. I’ve taught survival classes.” KIM ROBERTS, Thompson Falls - “No, I can't sleep on the ground.” DEBBIE CARPENTER, Heron - “With my husband I probably could.” RACHAEL PEDERSON, Trout Creek - “Oh yes, and my kids could, too. My son made a snare using wire to catch a rabbit and made a stew.” ZACKARY HOLOTTA, Plains - “Yes, I’d bring a Buck knife and I keep a survival kit in my truck.” ANSLY HUNTER, Thompson Falls - “Yes, that’s how I ended up here. I spent three...
Fall means the Pinochle players are at it again for the GFWC Thompson Falls Woman’s Club annual Pinochle Marathon. For September, Wendy Kelley and Ron Beaty led with 8,890 points. In second place was Juanita Triplett and Cal Pomrenke with 7,360 points. They also got 1500 Trump. In October, Linda Haywood and Renee Klinger had a high score of 6,540. After two months, Kelley and Beaty are in first place, followed by Triplett and Pomrenke in second, Kelley and BJ Handford in third place, Cathy Mills and Joni Mosher in fourth, and Mosher and L...
