Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Montana has already seen numerous House and Senate bills passed regarding wildlife management in the year 2021. Several of these have involved wolves. District 13 Rep. Paul Fielder of Thompson Falls has weighed in on a few of these. The representative comes from a career of wildlife biology and brings that knowledge with him to speak on the new legislation. According to the federal delisting regulations for wolves, which were established when the local wolves found themselves on the endangered species list, there needs to be about 30 breeding...
A new group has been established to help hunters, outfitters and ranchers in Montana deal with the wolf population problem. The Sanders County Chapter for the Foundation for Wildlife Management was created only two weeks ago as the first Montana chapter of the organization, which started in Idaho 11 years ago because of the wolf problem there. "We've been trying to get a chapter in Montana for about five years now, but we've been legally blocked, but now we have it," said Dan Helterline, vice...
A Noxon firefighter is recovering after being injured responding to an explosion near Noxon last week. According to Rachel Peterson, when first responders arrived on scene May 17, they had no idea several storage containers on the property were housing munitions and reloading supplies. During a second large explosion, volunteer firefighter Aaron Helmbrechts suffered extensive burns to his upper body. The Noxon Volunteer Ambulance was on site and was able to render aid. LifeFlight was called, and Helmbrechts was taken to Coeur d'Alene. Peterson...
I have always been an explorer. I spend every waking free minute I have going into the wilderness, driving old dirt roads and investigating anywhere I haven't already been. During these travels I get the opportunity to see a lot of country. Two weekends ago I spent a large portion of my day up and down several Forest Service roads around Thompson Falls. What I saw disheartened me and frankly made me mad. Within just an hour Sunday afternoon, I saw at least four fire pits still smoking. Now, these were not recently out and smoking. These were...
Rain or shine, the county will be hosting its annual E-waste recycling event at the Sanders County transfer site in Thompson Falls June 5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Interested participants can drop off old computers, printers, phones and any other unwanted electronics on this day. Since 2014, the county has worked diligently to keep used electronic waste out of the landfill. Each year as popularity of the event increases, accumulation of electronic waste in the county decreases. Kathy Conlin, organizer of the event, said last year they were able to...
An explosion in Noxon early Monday had several residents calling 911. Around 7 a.m., residents heard a large explosion southeast of town. A structure located at 10 S. Clarks Addition Lane had caught fire. Ammunition stored in the building began going off. Minutes after the first explosion, a second explosion went off and then several smaller ones, a Noxon resident who took photos of the massive plume of smoke coming from the property. According to the Montana Cadastral system, the 20-acre...
After a 13-month post as Commander of a squadron, Peter Haynes, a 1996 graduate of Thompson Falls High School, is moving on with the U.S. Navy. The change of command ceremony was held at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. During the change of command ceremony, Haynes was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. According to Haynes, the ceremony is unique among the services in that the command change is so immediate. Haynes said that this is because traditionally in the Navy, sea ships needed...
Ambulance: Plains, 7; T. Falls, 6; Hot Springs, 5; Dixon, 2; Trout Creek, 1; Heron, 1; Noxon, 1. Monday, May 10 Trespass, Hot Springs. Protection order violation, Plains. Mental health issue, Hot Springs. Motor vehicle crash, Hot Springs. Motor vehicle crash, Trout Creek. Child welfare/abuse, T. Falls. Trespass, T. Falls. Disturbance, Hot Springs. Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Automated alarm call, T. Falls. Trespass, Lonepine. Automated alarm call, T. Falls. Suicide attempts/ threats, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, Heron. Tuesday, May 11...
Montana Highway Patrol Alicia Martin, 32, open container in vehicle, $75. Dewayne Robinson, 45, seatbelt violation, $20; driving while suspended, 1st offense, $285. David Johnson, 54, seatbelt violation, $20. Andrew McDaniels, 17, seatbelt violation, $20. Kathleen Ancel, 58, day speeding, $70; improper passing, $85. Matthew Borgmann, 45, seatbelt violation, $20. Krista Denison, 36, failure to give notice of an accident, $235. Jason Friede, 32, night speeding, $70. David Knutson, 61, seatbelt violation, $20. Tesha Stark, 29, day speeding, $20....
Jeriko Smith-Roach appeared via Zoom in Sanders County Judicial District 20 Court Tuesday to plead not guilty to the charge of sexual intercourse without consent. According to charging documents, a reporting party called the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office March 28 to report a crime. The reporting person lives in California and said that a Snapchat friend of hers who lives in Sanders County, Montana, was speaking about being raped by Smith-Roach. Smith-Roach’s trial has been set for Nov. 15. A Libby man pleaded not guilty to charges of bur...
Are you or someone you know struggling to catch up on your home energy bill from last winter? There might be help available. While it has been frustrating at times throughout COVID to work through the process of applying for help, Energy Share and Community Action Partnership for NW Montana (CAPNM) in Kalispell want you to know there is help available, including one-on-one assistance when needed. Energy Share helps Montanans who are facing home energy emergencies. CAPNM processes Energy Share applications and can help you apply. Common reasons...
Kyle and Kati Mitchell of Plains welcomed a son, Miles Gene Mitchell, on April 15, 2021, at Clark Fork Valley Hospital. Miles measured 7 pounds, 14.3 ounces and 21.5 inches in length. He joins a brother, Grayson. Grandparents are Lonny and Jenny McCaslin of Port Angeles, Washington, and Dean and Joni Mitchell of Moses Lake, Washington. Miles's great-grandmother is Shirley Gregory of Sappho, Washington. Welcome, Miles....
Thompson Falls Senior Center is facing the possibility of losing funding for their nutrition program if they can’t find a cook for the facility. Sanders County Council on Aging (COA) in Hot Springs funds services that provide nearly 50 seniors a meal twice a week. A stipulation for continued funding is the senior center must find a cook to keep on staff. For the last year, the center has been without a cook and all cooking has been done on a volunteer basis. The facility is not only looking for a head cook, they are also looking to hire an a...
Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group (LCFWG) has been working to increase awareness and community knowledge of work they do to implement on-the-ground projects that benefit local streams and rivers as well as the many fish and wildlife species that depend on them. “Wherever you are, you are in a watershed,” Brita Olson, LCFWG Coordinator, said in a press release. LCFWG has teamed up with local conservation partners on several projects to achieve this goal, including the Sanders County Pollinator Initiative, a joint effort with landowners in the...
In April, Tom Collins of Plains became the city judge for every city with a court in Sanders County. He started with Plains in 2018. Then, he became the city judge for Hot Springs in January 2021. When the Thompson Falls job came open after Judge Don Strine's retirement this year, Collins was hired for that vacancy. Collins moved to Plains from northeastern Wyoming. He earned an MBA at the University of Missoula and a doctorate of ministry from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He then...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 6; Hot Springs, 4; Plains, 6; Dixon, 1; Trout Creek, 1. Sunday, May 2 Child custody issues, Plains. Juvenile criminal, T. Falls. Animal stray/lost, Perma. Request for welfare check, Plains. Motor vehicle crash, T. Falls. Monday, May 3 Road hazard, debris on road, Plains. Automated alarm call, Plains. General animal call or complaint, Hot Springs. Tuesday, May 4 Automated alarm call, T. Falls. Suicide attempts/threats, Dixon. Trespass, T. Falls. Theft, T. Falls. Livestock, Hot Springs. Animal other, T. Falls. Suspicious...
Montana Highway Patrol Dale Tripplet, 50, failure to carry proof of insurance, 1st offense, $285. Rocky Schock, 34, driving while suspended, 1st offense, $285. Eric Kuntz, 54, reckless driving, 1st offense, deferred imposition of sentence, $185. Russell Badgett, 60, seatbelt violation, $20. Maxwell Starika, 18, seatbelt violation, $20. Nicholas Monroy, 39, seatbelt violation, $20. Russell Sorenson, 62, night speeding, $70. Lorinda Kendall, 58, day speeding, $20. Cody Evers, 31, seatbelt violation, $20. Ben Nelson, failure to give approaching...
A Thompson Falls woman had her deferred sentence revoked on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to violating her parole. Jennifer Flemmer was arrested Oct. 4, 2019, on a warrant. During that arrest, according to the charging documents, objects she carried tested positive for methamphetamine and drugs were found on her person. She then faced the charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, to which she was sentenced to a three-year deferred sentence with the Department of Corrections. She appeared back in 20th District Judicial Court on Tuesday...
The Thompson Falls City Council this week discussed purchasing a security system for Ainsworth Park’s Veteran’s Memorial. “There’s so much money wrapped up down there and we need to do it for our veterans,” council member Shawni Vaught said at Monday’s meeting. The council is considering purchasing two cameras to oversee the area. After contacting a possible company to hire, Big Sky Networks, they were surprised to learn how affordable it would be to have a system put into place. The installation, with one camera, was quoted to cost $1,524...
The Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce is connecting local non-profit organizations and residents looking for volunteer opportunities. The Non-Profit Volunteer fair is set for 1-5 p.m. Saturday at the Thompson Falls Community Center. Andrea Christensen, the Chamber board member organizing the fair, said they have more than a dozen non-profits attending the event. Donations were received from Thompson River Lumber, Rex Theater Project and Project ASCENT. The non-profit organizations will meet before the public attends. “We’re encouraging our...
After holding meetings in Clark Fork Valley Hospital's building two for six years, COVID-19 forced changes at the hospital compelling Blue Heron Karate to find a new home. The hospital required a new respiratory illness clinic, and took over the home health department, which was then moved into the space that was being used by Blue Heron Karate. After the shuffle and some searching, the two sensei paired up with the Mountain Path Dance/DanceXplosion studio to share some space. The sensei, or...
For Jody Detlaff, there are just not enough sports in the world. But, with high school graduation rapidly approaching and her prep sporting career finally nearing its productive, busy ending, Detlaff has decided on a school of higher learning, and on the sports she wants to concentrate on in college. Soon to be graduating with honors from Thompson Falls (she carries a cumulative 4.0 grade point average), Detlaff recently signed her national letter of intent (or NLI) to attend Montana Tech in...
Sanders County voters cast ballot in school board elections this month, with ballots counted and unofficial results coming in late Tuesday evening. In the Noxon School District, Cassandra Hill and Lars Swanson received 255 and 254 votes, respectively, to win positions on the school board. The third candidate for the Noxon School District positions within the Noxon High School voting district was Colleen Hinds, who received 140 votes. For the Trout Creek Elementary portion of the Noxon School District, Norris Bryan was elected to the open...
A national retailer is planning to open a new store in Thompson Falls. Family Dollar will open later this year on the east end of Thompson Falls, near Sweet Design Hair Salon and Lundgren Chiropractic. Dollar Tree, Inc., the parent company of Family Dollar stores, has Family Dollar stores in Libby, Whitefish, Ronan and Kalispell. While the company did not comment on the new Thompson Falls store, construction is progressing on the 10,600 square foot building, said Todd Wakefield, who owns The...
Ambulance: Plains, 9; T. Falls, 4; Hot Springs, 2; Lonepine, 2; Trout Creek, 4; Monday, April 26 Fire, T. Falls. Assist motorist/citizen, Noxon. Civil attempts, Noxon. Civil served, Noxon. Animal stray/lost, T. Falls. Animal other, T. Falls. Animal other, T. Falls. Informational case, Plains. Tuesday, April 27 Animal other, Plains. Threats, Noxon. Juvenile criminal, Trout Creek. Informational case, Dixon. Informational case, T. Falls. Assist motorist/citizen, T. Falls. Animal other, Plains. Wednesday, April 28 Theft, Trout Creek. Livestock,...
