Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Clark Fork Valley Hospital’s (CFVH) annual health fair will take place Saturday, October 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the agriculture building at the fairgrounds in Plains. Janie Hom, CFVH Community Health Improvement Specialist, is in charge of organizing the event and says there will be around 20 to 25 vendors providing health education and information. Hom says she has also invited visual artists from around the area to showcase their talents in hopes of expanding ideas for a healthier lifestyle. “We did have a smaller health fair last yea...
A Thompson Falls City Council member has resigned her position. Ward 3 representative Ruth Cheney has stepped down from the council, effective immediately. She resigned three months shy of the halfway point in her four-year term. “I just was not the right person for the job,” said Cheney. “I felt ineffective on the council. Things that I would like to have seen happen just didn’t.” Cheney explained that she tried to leave early enough to give the city time to find someone prior to the next meeting, set for October 13. “I felt I should get off t...
Montana Highway Patrol Dawn Davis, 55, driving under the influence, 1st offense, $685, 1 day in jail; operating without insurance, 1st offense, $75. Brina Bright, 31, day speeding, $20. Donald Brown, 66, speeding in a restricted zone, $55. Richard Hillebrandt, 57, leaving the scene of an accident, $285; careless driving, $85; failure to give notice of an accident, 1st offense, $285. John Riggs, 39, seatbelt violation, $20. Kristy Russell, 38, seatbelt violation, $20. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Trevor Stapleton, 46, speeding in a r...
Ambulance: Hot Springs, 6; Plains, 13; Heron, 1; Trout Creek, 2; T. Falls, 8; Noxon, 2; Paradise, 1. Monday, September 13 Warrant service, Plains. Assist motorist/citizen, Plains. Protection order violation, T. Falls. General animal call or complaint, T. Falls. Sexual assault, Trout Creek. Motor vehicle crash, T. Falls. Assist motorist/citizen, Hot Springs. Assist motorist/citizen, Hot Springs. General animal call or complaint, Hot Springs. Fire, Hot Springs. Assist miscellaneous, T. Falls. Threats, Hot Springs. Harassment/privacy in...
As fall settles in and cooler temperatures come to northwest Montana, Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana (CAPNM) is preparing for the 2021/22 LIEAP heating assistance program. CAPNM will begin accepting applications for the Low Income Home Water Assistance Program on October 1. Applications are available online at www.capnm.net or by calling (406) 758-5433. New this year is the Low Income Home Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). The program is intended to help pay a portion of a home’s water and or sewer and wastewater bill, i...
The Thompson Falls school board on Monday voted to move forward with a nearly $1.4 million multi-use building project at the high school. The board called the special meeting on Monday to get more information from Dan McGee with Building Mind and Body, LLC. McGee attended the regular school board meeting last week, but came back this week to provide additional information and answer questions from the board. The board on Monday voted to hire McGee to act as an owner’s representative for the project, guiding the district through each phase. M...
Charles W. Bickenheuser hasn’t lived in Plains long, but that hasn’t stopped him from jumping right into issues he feels should be important to anyone who lives here. With only 2.5 years as a resident under his belt, he decided two weeks ago to address the town council at its September meeting and “shake things up a bit,” as he said. “This is a great place to live, but I think it can be better for everyone here,” said the 74-year-old Bickenheuser, a retired teacher and a former Special Forces veteran of the Vietnam War. Bickenheuse...
Potential hunting regulation changes for 2022 and 2023 are available online for the public to review. The proposed changes are coming now during the normal biennial season setting year to help make Montana’s hunting regulations simpler and easier to understand. To see the potential changes and make comment, visit fwp.mt.gov. Over the last several weeks, FWP biologists have worked on these potential changes with a sharp focus on the science behind the regulations. The potential changes focus primarily on deer and elk regulations; however, s...
HELENA – The deadline to submit applications to serve on the Northwest Lion Ecoregional Population Committee has been extended to Sept. 28. The committee will advise the Fish and Wildlife Commission on management of mountain lions in northwest Montana. The committee will be asked to develop a target that maximizes public satisfaction related to mountain lion hunting opportunity, mountain lion conflict and ungulate population trends. The committee will provide a recommendation on what the mountain lion population should look like five years f...
To remember the events of September 11, 2001 and to remind others, the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge and the Thompson Falls Rural Fire Department (TFRFD) paired up. The Elks held their annual ride down Main Street in their side-by-sides and ended at the TFRFD fire house. When there, they toured the facility and paid their respects to a special 9/11 memorial. "They lost 343 firefighters that day, and it could easily have been our firefighters in some other incident. They are a brotherhood," said...
The Sanders County Commissioners last week voted to help the Sanders County Community Housing Organization (SCCHO) in applying for a grant to complete a housing project in Noxon. Lisa Fried de Reyes, SCCHO Executive Director, addressed the commissioners at the Thursday public hearing and outlined the proposal for the housing project, which would cost an estimated $2.7 million. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds available through the CARES Act has allocated more than $10.1 million...
A Plains resident announced to the town council at last Tuesday’s monthly meeting that a group of locals would like to construct a dog park and although the majority of the work would be done with volunteers and donations, they might need the town’s help with insurance and lease of the property from the railroad. “There’s no hoping, we’re going to put in a dog park; it’s going to happen,” said Sandy Thompson, who asked council about leasing a 26,500-square foot area next to Fred Young Park from Montana Rail Link. Thompson is a member of the...
The Thompson Falls City Council on Monday approved new fees for water and sewer hookups in the city limits. The council held a public hearing prior to Monday’s meeting, where a handful of residents expressed confusion over the new fees. Mayor Mark Sheets explained that the new hookup fees are only for things like new construction. Properties that have existing city water and sewer, or that are in the current wastewater project, will not have to pay the new $2,000 hookup fee. The council on Monday also heard a report from city pool manager S...
The Town of Plains had its own exciting ride during the fair, but it was a one-time jaunt that lasted only about two minutes. In the end, the man got another free ride to Thompson Falls. A Plains police officer attempted to make a traffic stop of a man on a motorcycle near the intersection of Railroad and Willis streets around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, September 3, but the cyclist refused to stop, prompting the officer to go after him. “The traffic stop turned into a pursuit as the motorcycle attempted to flee at a high rate of speed. The m...
Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Clarence Bean, 54, day speeding, $70. Yisroel Hahn, 41, day speeding, $20. Beth Heller, 65, speeding in restricted zone, $55. Michael M. Allen, 65, speeding in restricted zone, $85. Abhishek Maurya, 31, speeding in restricted zone, $95. Montana Highway Patrol Darryl Parks, 58, careless driving, $135. John Belknap, 70, operating without liability insurance, 3rd offense, $285. Quayla Black, 22, day speeding, $20. Casey Fink, 27, night speeding, $70. Seth Alexander, 57, driving under the influence of alcohol, 2nd o...
Ambulance: Hot Springs, 6; Plains, 6; T. Falls, 8; Noxon, 1; Trout Creek, 4; Dixon, 1. Monday, September 6 Assist motorist/citizen, T. Falls. Threats, Paradise. Motor vehicle crash, Plains. Theft, Plains. Fish and game, T. Falls. Animal other, T. Falls. Disturbance, Plains. Disturbance, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Tuesday, September 7 Animal other, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, T. Falls. Fire, T. Falls. Fire, Plains. Civil standby, Plains. Trespass, T. Falls. Other law violations, Paradise. Animal other, T. Falls. Theft, Hot...
With Emergency Medical Service (EMS) member numbers significantly down in Montana and across the U.S., one Montana man is doing something about it. John Carlbom has been teaching Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) for over 25 years and expressed his concerns that EMT numbers have dropped considerably. According to Carlbom, with the average EMT aged 60 years, and another possible round of COVID-19, many responders have had enough. That, and considering Montana and numerous other states do not...
Two defendants made their initial appearance in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday. The first was Schaffer Leib, who is facing a felony charge of criminal endangerment. According to charging documents, the Thompson Falls man was reported to have fired a rifle in the direction of a witness. The report claims that the witness was checking the water level of a well, then spoke for a short time with Lieb. After the witness walked away, Leib allegedly fired three rounds over the witness’s head. A deputy and detective both went out to Lieb’s to...
With the arrival of fall, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) staff are busy responding to bear conflicts and working with the public to prevent conflicts. To date, FWP reports most of the reported conflicts in northwest Montana have involved bears getting into unsecured garbage and livestock feed, hanging around homes feeding on green grass and clover, and killing small livestock, such as chickens and pigs. FWP staff work with landowners on electric fencing, loaning out bear-resistant garbage containers, and securing attractants with the...
The Plains Town Council last week approved the 2021/2022 fiscal year budget of just over $8-million, an increase of 16% from last year's budget. Four council members - Chris Allen, the council president, Connie Foust, Joel Banham, and Chad Cantrell from his home on the phone - unanimously approved the budget at last Tuesday's meeting at City Hall. The council approved the preliminary budget in June and later held a public hearing, but few people attended, according to Mayor Dan Rowan. The...
There's a new veterinary clinic in Plains with a new name, but she's no stranger to faces of Sanders County - human or animal. Dr. Abby Ingram of Thompson Falls Veterinary Clinic has decided to expand her services to Plains, buying the practice of Dr. Alan Marley, who recently retired. The official purchase date was Sept. 3, but Ingram and her staff have been filling in at the site of the Lynch Creek Animal Clinic for two or three days a week. Now, under the name Wild Horse Veterinary Clinic,...
The mayor of Plains declared at last week’s council meeting that he was rescinding the mandatory water restrictions now that the area has had some cooler days and precipitation. At the same time, council members passed the second reading of the “Emergency Ordinance and Ordinance to Adopt Procedure to Reduce Water Use During Emergency Conditions.” With the new ordinance approved and in place, the town would not have to go through the time of voting on it again; the mayor has the authority to renew water restrictions in the future. The first...
Though life seemed to be getting back to normal with the return of the school year and fall sporting events, some Sanders County teams have had to take a break because of the increase in COVID cases. Plains High School canceled extracurricular activities last week, including a scheduled volleyball match against Noxon last Thursday and a football game against Flint Creek last Saturday. The cross country team was also unable to travel to the Flathead Invitational last weekend, and Coach Jesse Jermyn said his runners will see their first action...
The board room was filled to capacity at Monday’s meeting of the Thompson Falls School Board. The unusually high attendance was in part to the introduction of several new teachers who were attending the meeting. It was also due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in school and the community. One community member spoke to the board, commending their work on implementing a mask mandate in the school bus system by the athletic staff. Superintendent Bud Scully addressed the comment, clarifying that the coordination was just for athletes t...
As the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations grows in Montana, Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains is having to adjust as well. “Sanders County is certainly seeing an uptick in COVID cases,” CFVH CEO Dr. Gregory Hanson said. “We have the lowest vaccination rate of any county in western Montana.” He noted that “we have a very real potential to see a further increase in infection rates” as school recently reopened and with the county fair being held last weekend. Hanson also noted that CFVH observes a low use of masking and social dist...
