Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Rocky Mountain Bank in Plains closed its doors at noon on Friday - an end of an era for the financial institution - but the beginning of Stockman banking in Plains. Stockman Bank added three western Montana banks to its collection of branches throughout the state, including Plains, Bigfork and Kalispell. Over the past weeks, Stockman Bank staffers have been dispatched to the Plains bank to help employees and customers with the transition. They will continue to have additional help over the next...
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Razz Construction Inc. will this week begin repairing portions of Main Street in Thompson Falls. This work is part of the project’s warranty period. Crews will improve drainage at the approach of South Jefferson Street and Main Street. Seal and cover (chip seal) repairs will also be made along Main Street. The repairs are anticipated to last approximately one week. All work is dependent on weather conditions and other factors permitting. The Thompson Falls - Urban project was primarily c...
Most people who shop at True Value in Thompson Falls know Jared Shear as the person who can sell them hoses, fasteners and other hardware. There's another side to Shear however, that of the artist. Last week, Shear presented a series of 24 paintings inspired by Herman Melville's classic "Moby Dick." The pieces are part of a show at the Radius Gallery in Missoula that runs through August 24. The show, True Places, features work from Shear, Kaetlyn Able, Jennifer Indreland and David Swenson....
The new Town Pump store in Thompson Falls is on schedule to be open by the end of the year, the company said last week. Bill McGladdery, Director of Communications, said the utilities are in place at the site and the framing work on the nearly 14,000 square foot building should be completed by August 1. "I think the community is going to be really excited about the new store," McGladdery said. "It will be a much better layout." The new store will be 10,100 square feet, with the Lucky Lil's...
Ambulance: Plains, 7; T. Falls, 6; Trout Creek, 3; Hot Springs, 2; Noxon, 2; Dixon, 2; Paradise, 1. Monday, July 15 Suspicious activity, T. Falls. General animal call/complaint, T. Falls. Theft, T. Falls. Civil attempts, Dixon. General animal call/complaint, Paradise. Theft, Trout Creek. Theft, Plains. Forgery, T. Falls. Inmate transport, Plains. Other law violations, Camas Prairie. Civil attempts. Fire, T. Falls. Harassment/privacy in communication, T. Falls. Tuesday, July 16 Assist miscellaneous, T. Falls. Assist miscellaneous, T. Falls....
Montana Highway Patrol Rudy Monzon, 41, failure to obey red traffic signal, $45, deferred imposition of sentence. Dionna Atwood, 29, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Armando Casillas, Jr., 45, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Jared Halvorson, 26, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Terence McAndrew, 70, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Brandon Beazer, 42, night speeding, $70. Daizy Davis, 19, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Conor Davison, 39, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Breanna Goodmanson, 33, speeding in a restricted zone,...
Nicholas Robert Smalley pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fourth or subsequent offense, pursuant to a plea agreement between the parties. Smalley’s attorney, Benjamin Darrow, advised that this agreement is part of a global agreement that will resolve Smalley’s additional pending charges in Missoula County. Judge Molly Owen set this matter for sentencing on September 24. Appearing for a change of plea in his two pending criminal cases, after reaching a plea agreement, William Luc...
The Plains School board last Monday voted in a new principal for the high school with unanimous approval. Heidii Fettinger of Great Falls was selected to replace Ryon Noland, who resigned in May after serving as high school principal for the last three years. Fettinger was one of four women and one man to apply for the principal position, which serves grades seven through 12. Plains High School teacher Katie Mitchell was the only candidate from Sanders County, said Beau French, the school board...
Sparks from a passing train ignited fires near both the West and East ramps in Thompson Falls last Wednedsay. Residents and officials responded to two separate fires along the railroad tracks. Witnesses reported seeing sparks coming from a train engine traveling west through Thompson Falls, after which two grass fires started. "We were stopped at the tracks waiting for the train to go by. As it went by, I noticed that one of the engines was blowing very heavy black smoke. I thought it was odd....
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) would like to announce and invite the public to comment on a proposal to reconstruct about 1 mile of Montana Highway 28, northeast of Plains. The project begins approximately 3 miles north of the intersection with Montana Highway 200 and extends north, ending near the intersection with Blooming Hills Lane. Proposed work includes increasing the radius of the curve, widening the roadway, flattening roadside slopes, installing new shoulder and centerline rumble strips, and new pavement markings and...
In February, the town of Noxon suffered the loss of three businesses to fire. Now, the community is facing another challenge. On Friday, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) ordered an emergency closure of the Noxon bridge after cracks in the structure were discovered in an inspection of the bridge. Now the county is working to find a solution and reopen the bridge. The Noxon bridge connects the town to Highway 200 and is the primary entrance and exit for the community. There are...
Sanders County Commissioners on Thursday signed a resolution enacting Stage II fire restrictions. The order went into effect at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. On Wednesday, residents and officials responded to two separate fires along the railroad tracks in Thompson Falls. Witnesses reported seeing sparks coming from a train engine traveling west through Thompson Falls, after which two grass fires started. "We were stopped at the tracks waiting for the train to go by. As it went by, I noticed that one...
The Hot Springs school levy election from May 7 has been voided after a district judge issued a ruling last week. The school district is now working to rerun the election. On June 21, Hot Springs school board member Jennifer Christensen filed a petition requesting the election be voided after it was discovered that more than 100 absentee ballots were not mailed to voters for the May election. In the filing, Christensen stated that at the May 15 school board meeting, "the election administrator a...
Firefighters quickly doused a blaze along the Clark Fork River on a small stretch of wooded area some 10 miles northwest of Plains on Friday. The River Road West Fire was contained by Saturday evening, but firefighters from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation remained on scene for days mopping up hot spots and making sure the fire was extinguished. DNRC's Jase Sorenson, the incident commander and the department's fire adapted community coordinator, said the fire was the...
Ambulance: Plains, 14; T. Falls, 7; Trout Creek, 4; Paradise, 3; Hot Springs, 2; Dixon, 1. Monday, July 8 Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, Trout Creek. Theft, Dixon. Threats, T. Falls. Civil attempts. USFS campground check, T. Falls. USFS campground check, T. Falls. Fire, Heron. Fire, Heron. USFS campground check, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, T. Falls. Person missing, Trout Creek. Tuesday, July 9 Livestock, Trout Creek. Civil standby, Hot Springs. General animal call/complaint, T. Falls. Motor vehicle crash, Plains....
Michael Ellis McBride came before Judge John Mercer on Tuesday, entering his admissions to the reported violations in the petition to revoke. After discussion between the parties, McBride was committed to the Department of Corrections for the remaining five years of his sentence, with credit for 701 days of street time and 44 days time served in jail. McBride was remanded to the custody of the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office for transport to the Department of Corrections. Appearing for a change of plea pursuant to a plea agreement, James W...
Montana Highway Patrol Anthony Trent, 45, seatbelt violation, $20. James Fields, 19, seatbelt violation, $20. Carver Gilman, 23, night speeding, $70. Jack Gray, 18, night speeding, $200. Jesslyn Kellerman, 36, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Gitty Rosenberg, 29, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Prateek Jain, 28, speeding in a restricted zone, $105. Brenden Pierce, 57, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Abhishek Rai, 34, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Olen Hamilton, 67, day speeding, $70, deferred imposition of sentence. Bhargav...
Two Plains women were the only local competitors at the "Sparks Fly Showdown Show" at the Sanders County Fairgrounds last weekend. Michele McGuigan of Plains and Lisa Wood of Thompson Falls took part in the two-day horsemanship event Friday and Saturday. A dozen men and women took part in Friday's activity, which was a clinic to help competitors prepare for the next day's competition. Twenty-seven riders took part in the show on Saturday. A dozen more were signed up, but dropped out due to the...
The air was stifling as Thompson Falls City Council members met to discuss several issues with a full house last week. After months of discuss and changes, the council approved the second reading of the updated city zoning ordinance. With last Monday's vote, the changes will go into effect in 30 days. The zoning ordinance updates and changes created much discussion with public comments, mainly regarding yard fences on corner lots. The issue of blocked vision of traffic through homeowners' fences...
The office of Troy Downing, Commissioner of Securities & Insurance and Montana State Auditor, released a reminder to Montanans regarding protection during the fire season. Downing reports: On Wednesday July 10, 2024, the Horse Gulch Wildfire grew rapidly near Canyon Ferry Lake and claimed the life of a wildland firefighter pilot, Juliana Turchetti. “Our deepest condolences go out to this brave pilot, her family, and friends during this difficult time,” said Commissioner Downing. “We are grateful to all those putting their lives in danger to pro...
County commissioners welcomed the new Public Health Department Nurse, Kjirsten Mercer, during the quarterly Board of Health meeting last week. The agenda included variance requests and public comments. Presiding officer Commissioner Dan Rowan, informed all present that the meetings are now being recorded and video taped. Also present were Cassandra Ward, executive assistant, and new board member Catherine DeWitt, Sanitarian Jeremy Leavitt, Tina Scott, Environmental Health Tech and Chris McComas, Land Services. Of the two variance requests, the...
Bears can be found throughout Montana. In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded. As you make plans for the July Fourth holiday, be sure to review these precautionary steps to “Be Bear Aware”: Carry bear spray close at hand and know how to use it. Travel in groups whenever possible and plan to be out in the daylight hours. Avoid carcass sites and concentrations of ravens and other scavengers. Watch for signs of bears such as bear scat, diggings, torn-up logs and turned over rocks, and partly consumed animal carcasses. Make noise,...
Kjirsten Mercer is the new Sanders County Health Department Nurse/Director, but she's not new to the county. She has grown up in Libby, Plains, and Noxon. "I graduated from Montana Tech in Butte with my nursing degree," Mercer said. She searched for the best options for nursing programs in Montana. "Tech is renowned for its National Council Licensure Examination, NCLEX, for registered nurses, and I had family members who were attending Tech as well," Mercer explained. Mercer graduated high schoo...
UPDATED JULY 13: The Noxon bridge remains closed after cracks in the structure were discovered during an inspection on Friday. Sanders County Commissioner Tony Cox on Saturday said the county is developing a plan to re-open the structure. A contractor, Neal Structural Repair, has been procured and will be working on repairs this week. NSR will work on a plan with the county and engineering firm Morrison-Maierle, who recently completed a study on the bridge for Sanders County. On Friday, commissioners declared a state of emergency in order to...
