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Independently owned since 1905
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The Plains High School Drama Club finished its third performance of "A Wing and a Prayer" in the multipurpose room on Sunday to a resounding applause, but this time the accolades weren't just for the cast - they interjected members of the audience by hiding clues in the bleachers, giving unsuspecting guests the chance to help with the mystery. And if the rest of the audience had difficulty keeping up, a "clue" sign was scrambled across the stage. It was a whodunit two-act play that ran Friday...
The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) has been awarded a $150,000 grant through the Pacific Northwest Economic Region’s Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (PNWER-RIA) to further high-performance rail across the region. This constitutes the largest planning grant received by BSPRA to-date. U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau awarded the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) a grant to continue advancing infrastructure development through its five-state Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) and will use the...
The West Zone Recreation Program on the Lolo National Forest received the Regional Forester Honor Award for Interdependence, Partnership, and Public Engagement this year. On October 24, staff from the Superior, Plains & Thompson Falls Ranger Districts had the opportunity to celebrate this accomplishment at the Trapper Creek Job Corps Center with the Northern Region’s Leadership Team. The program received the award because of their exemplary work with volunteers, youth crews and interns. This program embodies the Forest Service’s core val...
Sanders County Elections staff on Wednesday conducted a recount of two municipal races. The votes for Thompson Falls City Council seats in Ward 1 and Ward 3 were recounted at the Sanders County Courthouse. While one count was changed by one vote, the overall results did not change with the recount. According to state law, a candidate can file for a recount within five days after the official canvass if the candidate is defeated by a margin of less than one-quarter of 1% or 10 or fewer votes. The...
Monday night's meeting of the Thompson Falls City Council was the most well attended and also the longest in the last five years. At the end of the three-hour meeting, the city had a new mayor. The council unanimously voted to appoint Rusti Leivestad to the position of mayor after the three-hour council meeting, which included 1.5 hours of interviewing three candidates for mayor. Nearly 100 people attended the meeting, held at the Thompson Falls Community Center. The meeting started with acting...
"No election, new mayor," said Plains Mayor Chris Allen at last week's town council meeting at City Hall. Joel Banham will be the next town mayor as of January 1 and he didn't have to go through the electoral process because he was the only person to file for the position, said Allen, who added that another man had planned to run, but didn't get his proper paperwork to the attorney general's office. With Banham running unopposed, the town had the option of saving a few thousand dollars and not...
It was two minutes before World War I was to officially end, but that didn't stop Pvt. Henry Gunther from storming a German machine gun position. He was shot dead, the last American soldier to die in the four-year conflict. The Allies and Central Powers had already decided that the war was over on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., which is why VFW Post 3596 conducts the annual ceremony at that time, said Ron Kilbury, commander of Post 3596. "We gather here today at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of...
The Plains 6-8 grade students were treated to a special assembly by Chris Hyslop last week. Hyslop came from Missoula to show slides of his trip to Ukraine last summer. Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Walsh asked Hyslop to talk to the students last Tuesday to give them insight into some of what is going on in the world. "This is a great opportunity for you to have Mr. Hyslop in Plains to talk about his experiences," Walsh told the students gathered in the gymnasium. Hyslop told his story with a...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 6; Plains, 4; Trout Creek, 3; Hot Springs, 3; Heron, 1; Noxon, 1; Dixon, 1. Monday, November 6 Livestock, T. Falls. Fire, Heron. General animal call/complaint, Hot Springs. Body found/coroner, Trout Creek. Suspicious activity, Noxon. Theft, Noxon. Assist other agency, Plains. Request for welfare check, Noxon. Motor vehicle crash, Perma. Trespass, Plains. Civil attempts. Civil attempts. Body found/coroner, Trout Creek. Fire, Trout Creek. Fire, Trout Creek. Business contact, T. Falls. Business contact, Plains. Business...
Appearing before Judge Molly Owen on Tuesday, Raymond Lee Horn entered a plea of guilty to a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute, pursuant to a plea agreement with the State. Judge Owen ordered the preparation of a pre-sentence investigation report and set sentencing for January 9, 2024. Anthony Duane Henkel came before the court for a change of plea following a plea agreement reached with the State. Henkel pled guilty to one felony count of partner or family member assault, 3rd or subsequent...
Montana Highway Patrol Jeanette McDonough, 56, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Shayden Friedlander, 20, operating without liability insurance, 1st offense, $285. Peyton Pate, 16, possessing intoxicating substances while under age 21, 1st offense, $185. Nesked Ramirez Mendoza, 40, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Marc Starostka, 54, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Nicholas Soul, 52, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Shane Wooddell, 50, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Shannon Arnold, 49, day speeding, $20. Toby Hayes, 23, day...
Sanders County Democrats hosted a "Friend-Raising Fair" on Sunday at The Paradise Center, welcoming several state candidates. Among the speakers Sunday at The Paradise Center were U.S. House of Representatives candidate Monica Tranel, State Superintendent of Schools Candidate Shannon O'Brien, and gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse. Monica Tranel is running against Ryan Zinke to represent Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives and has made several appearances in Sanders County recently. "It...
Five people from Sanders County - four women and one man - applied for the Sanders County Fairgrounds manager position, said Rich Wallace, the county's director for Human Resources. Wallace and the members of the fair commission planned to interview the candidates this week, followed by a special meeting to discuss the candidates and select one. Wallace said the candidates' names could not be released at this time. The board decided to hold off on hiring an administrative assistant or...
The Plains Town Council meeting was less than an hour, but its members discussed several issues, passed on a lot of information, tabled three items, and dismissed an item of new business that was found to be unnecessary. Mayor Chris Allen said the town has an opportunity to get an $87,000 grant with 25% matching funds from the state. Allen said he'd like to see the council apply for House Bill 355 Grant, but they would have to do it by the end of the year. The grant could be used for several...
Voters in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs turned out this month to elect council members. A total of 270 ballots were mailed in Hot Springs and 809 in Thompson Falls. Ballots were mailed in October for the November election. While most ballots were returned by mail, voters had until 8 p.m. Tuesday to turn in ballots at the Sanders County Elections Office. In Thompson Falls, incumbents Raoul Ribeiro in Ward 1 and Hayley Allen-Blakney in Ward 3 won re-election. Ribeiro received 58 votes and...
A Trout Creek man is back in custody after fleeing from authorities following a court appearance on Tuesday. Alton J. Steinhoff appeared before Judge Deborah Kim Christopher Tuesday for an initial appearance on two felony charges of violation of a protective order, third or subsequent offense. After entering a not guilty plea, a jury trial was set for February 19, 2024, which is the same setting as another felony case involving Steinhoff that is also pending before Judge Christopher. Steinhoff’s attorney, Steve Fletcher, addressed the court r...
Local high school students got a lesson in resiliency at a presentation last week in Thompson Falls. Thompson Falls High School welcomed speaker John Parker Monday, October 30. Parker is a motivational speaker who is the president of his own company called People 1st. His motto is “Discovering Purpose and Unleashing Potential.” Police Chief Chris Nichols served with Parker in the military and is familiar with his work. “I wanted him to come to Thompson Falls to speak to our high school stude...
Ambulance: T. Falls, 9; Hot Springs, 8; Plains, 5; Dixon, 1; Trout Creek, 1. Monday, October 30 Road hazard/blockage, T. Falls. Assist motorist/citizen, Hot Springs. Livestock, Paradise. Request for welfare check, Hot Springs. Civil attempts. Abandoned vehicle, Plains. Threats, Noxon. Assist other agency, Plains. Trespass, Plains. Property damage/criminal mischief, Plains. Trespass, T. Falls. Civil attempts. Civil attempts, T. Falls. Tuesday, October 31 Business contact, T. Falls. Suspicious activity, T. Falls. Assist miscellaneous, T. Falls....
Montana Highway Patrol Anthony Steinebach, 28, seatbelt violation, $20; speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Owen Plough, 23, operating with expired registration, $85. John Meighan, 53, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Harjinder Singh, 30, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office Teesha Flanagan, 38, disorderly conduct, 1st offense, $235. Dezirae Fletcher, 35, permitting unauthorized minor to drive, $85; owner permitting operation of vehicle without liability insurance, $75. Braydon Copeland, 16, night speeding, $...
One week is all that is left of the 2023 Fall Mack Days Fishing Event on Flathead Lake. All fish entries must be turned in at Blue Bay by 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 12. A small awards ceremony will be held and lottery drawing winners will be posted at that time. Total lake trout entries for the 2023 Fall Mack Days event are 15,934. The total fish entered Fridays through Sundays are 12,423. Monday through Thursday totals are 3,511 entries. Last Friday’s total entries were 443, Saturday’s entries were 568, and Sunday entries were 355, for a wee...
The Thompson Falls School Board met on Monday to discuss a possible soccer cooperative with Plains Schools. Chairperson Sandra Muster opened the meeting with a reading of the procedures involving public comments. She reiterated the rules of conduct the public is required to abide by during the Public Comment portion of the meeting. “It has to be done periodically,” Muster said. As a reminder for anyone new to our meetings, she added. Plains Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Walsh and Plains School Board member Ellen Childress attended the mee...
NorthWestern Energy is looking for ways to help property owners as they move through the relicensing process. Company representatives met recently with residents whose property borders the Thompson Falls reservoir to discuss a proposed dock modification program to help residents update their docks. In the relicensing application, NorthWestern Energy is asking for 2.5 feet of fluctuation from full pool to operate the dam. The current license allows 4 feet. The company performed testing in 2021 and 2022 to study the effects of lowering and...
The AVA Law Group from Billings has entered into a contract with victims of the River Road East fire. More than 13 plaintiffs will be represented in a lawsuit against the defendants, Montana Rail Link, Inc. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company. According to Ava Law, the trial will be held in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Missoula Division. “Several of our clients have lost everything they owned. Their homes. Their belongings,” Teague Westrope of AVA Law Group said. He added that whichever railway is...
Governor Greg Gianforte was in Plains last week to present an award to local businesses owners. Last Tuesday, Gov. Gianforte was at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to honor the owners and operators of J. Shar Timber Harvesting for following the governor's active forest management goals. The nomination came from Marc Vessar, the Forest Practices Program Manager for DNRC. Jared Fitchett of Libby along with his brother Matthew and father Dan Fitchett run the logging...
Voters in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs turned out this month to elect council members. A total of 270 ballots were mailed in Hot Springs and 809 in Thompson Falls. Ballots were mailed in October for the November election. While most ballots were returned by mail, voters had until 8 p.m. Tuesday to turn in ballots at the Sanders County Elections Office. In Thompson Falls, incumbents Raoul Ribeiro in Ward 1 and Hayley Allen-Blakney in Ward 3 won re-election. Ribeiro received 58 votes and...
