Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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HOT SPRINGS NAME: Jen Christensen EDUCATION: BA in Elementary and Secondary Education, Health/PE/Biology OCCUPATION: Rancher What attributes make you a good candidate for the school board? I have been involved in many areas of education and I have a vested interest in making our school the best it can be. As a former teacher, I understand issues from the educator’s side. I have two children attending Hot Springs schools, and relate to parents’ points of view. I have coached junior high volleyball, been a member and president of our local PTO...
Thompson Falls School Board met Monday night to discuss several items on the agenda, including the approval of re-hiring Elementary Principal Len Dorscher and High School Principal Jodi Morgan for the 2022-2023 school year. Both hirings were approved by the board. A request from superintendent Bud Scully for a multi-use building project needs approval before proceeding with a contractor. The building project request was for a general contractor to develop a plan and pricing for an additional 10 feet to the length of a planned building for the...
Monica Tranel, a Democrat running for U.S. House District 1, Montana's new congressional position, made a campaign stop in Thompson Falls last week. Tranel spoke with about 30 people who gathered in Thompson Falls on March 28. “I’m the only House Candidate from rural Montana," Tranel told the crowd. "I’m here to represent the middle: the workers, the ranchers, the teachers, the health care workers, the millworkers, and all the many hardworking, everyday Montanans. I want to take Main Street’s voice to Congress.” Tranel was the sixth of nine c...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks recently honored the service of its Region 1 (northwest Montana) hunter and bowhunter education instructors at an annual workshop in Kalispell. The annual workshop is an opportunity for FWP staff and instructors from each region to review the program, discuss updates and new equipment, and to celebrate the volunteerism of the instructors. The heart of Montana's hunter and bowhunter education programs is the corps of dedicated volunteer instructors. They stand as examples of how each hunter should demonstrate...
Sanders County’s unemployment rate currently ranks as the fifth highest in the state. While Montana has seen a drop in unemployment since January of this year, Sanders County sits at a rate of 6.2%. According to Jessica Nelson, Montana Department of Labor and Industry Public Information Officer, this number is slightly higher than the “normal” unemployment rate of around 4%. “Part of the unemployment rate is due to the slow winter season, which typically has the lowest level of jobs in Montana’s economy,” Nelson said. “Across the full state, t...
The filing deadline for local school board elections closed last week. Candidates had until 5 p.m. Thursday to file for positions in Dixon, Hot Springs, Noxon, Plains, Thompson Falls and Trout Creek school districts. In Dixon School District, three candidates have filed for two open three-year positions. Dixon candidates include Marsha Hettick, Kadilyn Roragen and Janita Vonheeder. Hot Springs schools has one three-year position up for election this May, with Jennifer Christensen and Julie White filing. Noxon School District has four positions...
The Paradise sewer board voted on Monday to proceed with the newest version of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) defining the roles in a possible agreement to purchase land on which to put the proposed sewer. The decision will allow the board to pursue a buy/sell agreement with landowner Bridger Bischoff to purchase just over six acres of land. However, there is concern over the legitimacy of the vote, according to two of the five board members and the Sanders County Attorney. Issues amongst...
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Jennifer Bakke, 22, speeding in restricted zone, $55; driving while privilege suspended or revoked, 2nd offense, $285. Nona Kay, 51, speeding in restricted zone, $55. Karen Bennett, 53, day speeding, $20. Archie Knerr, 82, day speeding, $20. Montana Highway Patrol Michael Favret, 67, day speeding, $70. Catharine Elliott, 40, seatbelt violation, $20. Nanette Smith, 65, seatbelt violation, $20. Timothy Hutto, 26, day speeding, $70. Chad Parker, 52, day speeding, $70. Jonathan Thompson, 44, day speeding, $70. Andrew...
Ambulance: Plains, 1; Trout Creek, 1; Heron, 1; T. Falls, 5; Noxon, 1. Monday, March 21 Property damage/criminal mischief, Plains. Civil standby, Plains. Animal bite, T. Falls. Welfare check, T. Falls. Person missing, T. Falls. Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Assist other agency, Plains. Tuesday, March 22 Animal other, Dixon. Motor vehicle crash, Dixon. Theft, Hot Springs. Fire, T. Falls. Suspicious activity, Heron. Theft, T. Falls. Fire, T. Falls. Fire, Trout Creek. Fire, Plains. Fire, Plains. Theft, Noxon. Property damage/criminal mischief,...
A Trout Creek woman convicted of embezzling more than $650,000 while working for a Trout Creek company was sentenced today to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said. Tina Rae Wood, 49, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy also ordered $650,843 in restitution and allowed Wood to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons. The government alleged in court documents that Wood was hired in 2013 by a supply company in Trout Creek as an...
Water Service, Inc., the non-profit corporation that manages the water system in Trout Creek, has been planning for improvements to the system for years. With the help of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), those plans are being put into action. Doug Cooper is the president of the water board. “We never thought we’d ever have the funds,” Cooper said of the project. He said the funding will improve the existing water system in Trout Creek and make it solvent for years to come. “If we get these improvements done now, it’s going to...
Hecla is taking a different path with its operations in Montana. The mining company has withdrawn its plans of operation for the proposed Rock Creek and Montanore mines in Northwest Montana and is focusing more on exploration. The company has submitted a new plan that just includes exploration at the proposed Montanore site. ‘We believe it’s an easier pathway,” Mike Satre with Hecla said last week. Satre, the company’s director of governmental affairs, said that the plan of exploration being reviewed by the U.S. Forest Service will leverag...
Since 1993 Clearwater Montana Properties say they have been working to build their communities, and this year donated over $15,000 to local nonprofit groups in Sanders County. 20 different local organizations on the western side of the county, from Heron to Thompson Falls, received donations. According to Administrative Assistant Mandy Krueger with the Noxon Clearwater office, "I like to see the organizations all visit with each other." She spoke of the many organizations that were invited to...
A new restaurant in Thompson Falls has big plans for the summer. Heather Thompson recently opened The Barrel House and wants to bring to the area an environment befitting its historic name. According to Thompson, barrel houses, or juke joints, were late 19th century and early 20th century establishments started by freed slaves, post emancipation. These places were set on the outskirts of towns where the working class could drink, dance, eat and most importantly listen to music. Thompson...
The Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise Board conducted a special meeting last Tuesday to discuss the buy/sell agreement for its proposed sewer system, but no progress was made and the only development was the resignation of Janice Barber, the board chair. Much of the hour and a half long meeting was mixed with interruptions and conversations going on in the background by many of the 20 people in attendance while the board was trying to conduct business. Barber had told the board the...
Trout Creek seventh grader Gavin Todd finished in 16th place out of 60 spellers in the Treasure State Bee earlier this month. Todd advanced to the state bee after winning the Sanders County Spelling Bee on March 4. "My goal was not to get out in the first round," Todd said. He achieved that, and made it through round six before being eliminated on the word penitentiary. "I studied a lot and spelling in something I'm better at," he added. Todd said the state spelling bee was intimidating. "At...
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Larry Oldhorn, 39, driving a motor vehicle will privilege is suspended or revoked, 1st offense, $285; operating without liability insurance in effect, 1st offense, $275; operating a vehicle which has not been properly registered, $75. Craig Shafer, 67, day speeding, $20; fail to carry proof of insurance in vehicle, 1st offense, $85. Ethan Stafford, 25, aggravated driving under the influence, 1st offense, $1135 and 365 days jail with 363 suspended. David Duval, 42, operating without liability insurance in e...
Ambulance: Plains, 4; T. Falls, 11; Paradise, 2; Hot Springs, 3; Trout Creek, 1. Monday, March 14 Coroner called, Plains. Person missing, T. Falls. Trespass, T. Falls. Automated alarm call, T. Falls. Trespass, T. Falls. Livestock complaint, Trout Creek. Theft, Trout creek. Person missing, Plains. Tuesday, March 15 Theft, T. Falls. Property found, Noxon. Trespass, T. Falls. Civil standby, Plains. Debris on road, Plains. Drugs/narcotics, Hot Springs. Debris on road, Plains. Suspicious activity, Hot Springs. Business contact, T. Falls. Assist moto...
A Dixon woman was released on her own recognizance during 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday. Chazara Swaney pleaded not guilty to felony charges of aggravated assault and false reports to a peace officer. According to charging documents, on January 15 Swaney was at a residence where officers responded to a possible assault. When they arrived, law enforcement found a man badly beaten on the porch. Swaney was identified by witnesses as wearing the same clothes as were seen on the assailant and she was found with blood on her forearms and...
Farm Bureau Financial Services in Thompson Falls has a new agent. Nicole Miller took over the business after Terri Stoltz retired at the end of 2021. Miller stated the transition of taking over the business from Stoltz was easy. "Everything felt right. I believe everything happens for a reason." Miller started working with Stoltz in 2019 and then became a licensed agent, licensed in property, casualty and life insurance. "I want to make sure my clients understand their options and the coverage...
The Thompson Falls City Council met last week for a public hearing to discuss city zoning related to marijuana sales. The city passed Ordinance 350, which would act like an “emergency zoning ordinance,” as Mayor Mark Sheets put it. The ordinance details where marijuana businesses can sell their product, stating that any such business must be located on the south side of Main Street, among the other major businesses. The ordinance was passed to meet with state requirements which determine the proximity of such businesses from schools and churche...
The list of candidates for Sanders County races grew as the filing period came to a close on Monday afternoon. Six candidates have filed for Sanders County Sheriff. Current sheriff Tom Rummel notified his staff earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election. Candidates who will be on the ballot for the June 7 primary include Mark French and Shawn Fielders of Plains, Lanny Hensley and Roy Scott of Thompson Falls, Christopher Stough of Heron and Corey Wheeldon of Noxon. Additional candidates have also filed for the two county...
A Sanders County man pleaded guilty to nine misdemeanor hunting violations, including the unlawful hunting of black bears over bait and unlawfully killing an elk out of season. Alfred (Toby) Bridges of Heron pleaded guilty on October 18, 2021, in Sanders County Justice Court. The charges stemmed from a year-long investigation into Bridges’ hunting activities by Game Warden Morgan Post and Fish, Wildlife & Parks Investigator Tom Chianelli. The primary focus of the investigation was the unlawful hunting of black bears over bait, but other h...
A March 3 article about the new owners at The Local Store in Trout Creek stated that the store is the only grocery store between Sandpoint and Thompson Falls. The Ledger recognizes the efforts of several local businesses and is thankful for their offerings for our communities. In Noxon, visit the Angry Beaver General Store or Big Sky Pantry for a variety of grocery items. In a March 3 article about Cancer Network of Sanders County, the amount of gifts distributed in 2022 thus far is $15,300. The year was incorrect in our article. Blue Hawk...
Montana Highway Patrol Mark Foglio, 46, driving under the influence of alcohol, 1st offense, $735, 1 day in jail; driving without a license, $235; seatbelt violation, $20. Joel Arrendondo, 36, night speeding, $70. Kendal Morin, 16, day speeding, $70. Paula Sabins, 57, day speeding, $70. Olivia Bennett, 31, day speeding, $120 Joyce Nesselhauf, 63, operating with expired registration, $45. Jamel Soper, 47, seatbelt violation, $20. David Steinebach, 52, seatbelt violation, $20. Jordan Ward, 27, seatbelt violation, $20. Michelle Greer, 43,...
