Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The owners of the Wild Horse Lavender Farm don't get too many visitors, especially from Helena, but when the governor shows up, he gets a special tour of the place. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte visited the farm of Bruce Beckstead and Carissa McNamara some 10 miles west of Plains last Tuesday afternoon as part of his "56 County Tour." This was his 49th place to stop this year, said Kaitlin Price, the governor's press secretary. He made a stop at Superior School earlier in the day to discuss...
Numbers don't lie. The 2024 Sanders County Fair was a big financial success, fetching $454,278 and netting $145,368 after expenses. Kristy Sheehan, the fair manager, provided the five fair commissioners and the dozen other community members at the monthly board meeting at the fairgrounds pavilion last Wednesday the annual "Fair Recap." The three-page financial summary showed that the fair showed a profit in nearly every category, though there were activities, such as the carnival, the downtown...
The new cafe and coffee shop in Dixon has plenty to offer. Besides being a bakery and serving breakfast, it also has hand-me-down clothing for free. The cafe, named by owner Bre Ward, is the Hand Me Down Cafe and bakery. Ward said she wanted to offer travelers and locals a place for good coffee and fresh food at a weekend destination. The cafe is open on the weekend to accommodate people's needs. "I worked at the Mercantile when it was open," Ward said. She commuted from Missoula to work there...
Kyle Thomas Adams entered not guilty pleas on Tuesday to a felony charge of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, fourth or subsequent offense, as well as two misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle on public highways without license plates and failure to have proper headlamps on a motorcycle. Judge John Mercer set this matter for a jury trial on January 21, 2025. According to the charging documents, on August 11, 2024 at around 7:15 p.m., Deputy Devin Wegener was patrolling when he observed a man on a motorcycle...
Ambulance: Plains, 12; T. Falls, 7; Heron, 5; Hot Springs, 4; Trout Creek, 2; Paradise, 1; Noxon, 1; Dixon, 1. Monday, September 9 Assault, Dixon. USFS campground check, Noxon. Trespass, Hot Springs. USFS campground check. USFS campground check, T. Falls. USFS campground check, T. Falls. Trespass, Plains. USFS campground check, Trout Creek. Assist motorist/citizen, Trout Creek. Automated alarm call, Plains. Tuesday, September 10 Assist other agency, T. Falls. USFS campground check, Trout Creek. Property damage/criminal mischief, Plains. Fire, P...
Montana Highway Patrol Dustin Gilleland, 35, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Douglas Brady, 64, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Mark Gallatin, 61, day speeding, $20. Susan Johns, 57, night speeding, $70. Trent Coleman, 48, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Brent Wiegele, 38, disorderly conduct, $235, 10 days jail with all suspended, deferred imposition of sentence. Bryndal Moore, 38, unlawful possession of open alcoholic beverage container in motor vehicle on highway, $45. Daniel Moore, 25, operating a...
With fall just a few weeks away, Sanders County saw increased wildfire activity last week. On Wednesday, the human-caused Mile Marker 104 ignited five miles west of Dixon. Highway 200 was briefly closed as area firefighters worked to control the blaze. As of Tuesday, the fire was estimated to have burned 468 acres and was at 10% containment. The fire is being managed by the CSKT Division of Fire. No structures were threatened and no evacuations were ordered. Resources on scene included 10 smokej...
For about 40 years, Mel Jones of Manhattan, Montana, has been on a quest to float the rivers of Montana. Last week, Jones traveled through Sanders County on the Clark Fork River from Paradise to the Montana-Idaho border. "I just did things. There was no goal in mind. I fished, I whitewater rafted a lot," Jones said. He said he quit fishing about 15 years ago. "About 11 years ago, the idea came to me to be able to say that I had floated some of these rivers and whitewater rafted and that I had...
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary recognized an art student from Plains for her work in the 3 Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest. The 16-year-old Ireland Corbin took third place in the VFW Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest in the 3-Dimensional category with her clay and ceramic art entitled "In Honor," earning her a $1,000 scholarship award. Corbin said she was excited when she received the news that she placed so high in the contest, which was sponsored by VFW Horse Plains...
Voters in the Hot Springs School District will be mailed ballots this week as they once again are asked to decide on a proposed levy. The election is being rerun after results from a May 7 election - in which the $183,000 levy passed by three votes - were invalidated by a District Court judge when it was discovered that more than 125 absentee ballots were not mailed to registered voters. Residents sponsored two separate forums for the public to learn more about the proposed levy. The final...
Ambulance: Plains, 10; Hot Springs, 6; Noxon, 4; Dixon, 3; T. Falls, 3. Monday, September 2 Suspicious activity, Plains. Other law violations, Plains. Business contact. Search warrant, T. Falls. Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Automated alarm call, Dixon. USFS campground check, Heron. USFS campground check, Trout Creek. Intoxicated subject, Plains. Animal other, T. Falls. Property damage/criminal mischief, Plains. Motor vehicle crash, Trout Creek. Suicide attempts/threats, Plains. Body found/coroner, Noxon. Child welfare/abuse, Plains. Tuesday,...
The Plains Town Council approved the annual budget and added two new committee members, but much of the time at last week's meeting seemed to be discussing a non-agenda item. John Sheridan, the council chairman, filled in for Mayor Joel Banham. Last Monday evening's meeting was coming to a close and the council had just appointed Bambi Wright to the Plains Planning Board, which prompted Commissioner Dan Rowan to suggest that the town update its subdivision regulations, particularly when a...
She has put in four years of serving the Town of Plains, but now she's heading south. Councilwoman Connie Foust announced at last week's council meeting that it would be her last. She's moving to Mesquite, Nevada, where she used to live and where she still has friends. She's enjoyed her time in Plains and her time on council. She said she's a fighter and liked the challenge of working on council. However, she said her balance is not what it used to be and getting firewood into the house is...
It is that time of year again. Parents and students have said goodbye to summer vacation. The schools of Sanders County have done the same with the added responsibility of making sure they are up and running and fully staffed. Across the county each school has reported that they are in need of substitute teachers. Noxon school relies on their teaching staff to help out with other needs such as driving the bus and coaching. Some teachers volunteer as emergency medical technicians. “This takes them out of the classroom, often unexpectedly,” sai...
The sun was shining, the kids were laughing and literally a good time was had by all at the 2024 Sanders County Fair and PRCA Rodeo. Kids could be seen playing ball in their self made pen in the camping area. The atmosphere was filled with frivolity and safety for all attendees. A new event this year was a concert in the main arena on Wednesday evening. Levi Blom entertained a small crowd with his mix of country and rock. Blom showed up with an RV and a pop-up trailer perfect for playing from...
The Sanders County Fair activities for 4-H members culminated Sunday morning with the annual livestock auction. After the market animals have been judged and the showmanship skills displayed, 4-H members lead their animals around the arena as businesses, organizations and individuals bid to purchase the animals. There were smiles - and some tears - as the 4-H members worked their animals for the last time while auctioneer Kevin Hill interviewed the youths and then led the bidding. The auction...
People attend the Sanders County Fair for a number of reasons - carnival, rodeo, demolition derby, and greasy food - but seeing the 4-H kids show their animals is always a big draw. "I think most people come to see the exhibits and the animals," said Karrie Baldwin of Thompson Falls. Her grandson, John McNamara of the South Side Sparks club in Plains, had the most animals at the fair, including six sheep, a rooster named "Reggie," and the only pocket pet at the fair, a scorpion named "Forest."...
There wasn't an empty seat at the Plains Fairgrounds arena this last Sunday night. The crowd was full of anticipation as over 50 drivers from far and wide came to compete in the 45th annual Carnage on the Clark Fork Demolition Derby and they did not disappoint. The roar of the crowd was deafening as everyone cheered on their favorite drivers as they crashed into each other, hoping for a chance to win the grand prize. For over five hours the sound of crunching metal and roaring engines could be h...
by Emily Senkosky, UM News Service According to naturalist and author John Muir, between every two pines is the doorway to a new world. In Noxon, Montana, at a base camp for wildlife biologists nestled deep in the pines, camera traps and other measuring instruments are capturing forensic evidence of what is happening to the state’s elk population. A new management plan released by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks last year has accelerated matters concerning the antlered ungulate, and an investigative team consisting of University of Montana w...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 8; Plains, 4; Hot Springs, 3; Dixon, 2; Trout Creek, 1; Paradise, 1. Monday, August 26 Assist miscellaneous, Plains. Assist motorist/citizen, T. Falls. Livestock, Lonepine. Other law violations, T. Falls. Fire, T. Falls. Civil attempts, Hot Springs. Business contact, Hot Springs. Business contact. Livestock, Plains. Threats, T. Falls. Tuesday, August 27 Person missing, T. Falls. Theft, Hot Springs. General animal call/complaint, Paradise. Fire, Heron. Property damage/criminal mischief, Plains. USFS campground check, Noxon....
Judge John Mercer sentenced Isaac Samuel Warnes to a six-year deferred imposition of sentence on Tuesday for his role in the January 2024 break-in at the Top Shelf Botanicals dispensary in Plains, with credit for two days time served. In addition to the deferred sentence, Warnes will also be required to pay restitution in the amount of $39,506 and is prohibited from being on the premises of where the burglary took place. The other two co-defendants in this incident, McKenzie Allen Managhan and William Lucas Wyatt, have hearings scheduled for...
Montana Highway Patrol Niles Fullerton, 40, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Rue Hussion, 19, day speeding, $20. Kevin Sterner, 53, seatbelt violation, $20. Justin Yoder, 21, seatbelt violation, $20. John Sturdivant, VII, 57, no motorcycle endorsement, $85. Numa Caye, 37, seatbelt violation, $20; speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Alec Ray, 31, seatbelt violation, $20. Conner Cook, 22, speeding in a restricted zone, $135, deferred imposition of sentence. Cheryl Granger, 72, speeding in a restricted zone, $95, deferred imposition of...
The Sanders County 4-H horse project leaders added a new activity to the fair this year and nearly a dozen kids from four clubs participated in the event. The "Working Ranch Horse" competition is not purely new to 4-H members. It's usually held elsewhere and not during the fair, said Sanders County extension agent Wendy Carr, but for the first time it was conducted on the fairgrounds during the fair. Four girls competed in level one, the beginner class, and five girls and one boy competed in...
"There's more to 4-H than just animals," said Karen Dwyer, a volunteer who has helped with the home economics and non animal projects of the 4-H at the fair for more than 30 years. Even now, as a volunteer, she is surprised at the ingenuity and imagination from the 4-H members from across the county. There were more than 900 entries last Thursday afternoon in the fairgrounds home economics building, where nearly a dozen judges looked over the kids' work - woodworking, paintings, photographs,...
The Thompson Falls sewer project got some national attention last week. Andy Berke is the Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Berke came to Thompson Falls last week from Washington, D.C., to check progress on the city's wastewater project. Berke said the goal of RUS is to help rural America get the infrastructure they need. "These are projects that help communities thrive and grow," Berke said. He added that he was visiting RD-funded...
