Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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We're journalists, so we're curious. When we heard about the National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day event at Plains School, my reporter asked if I knew the history of the day. I didn't, so I started doing some research. It's a fantastic idea to honor law enforcement with a day and show them how much they are appreciated. It takes a special person to put your life on the line, not to mention the hours law enforcement works and the daily situations they encounter. So when I was doing my research, I stumbled upon the website...
The job of the City Council is to conduct the City’s business. We are responsible for facilitating the democratic process. To do this, we need to all be civil by respecting the rules. Recent attempts to hold meetings in venues other than City Hall have made our job next to impossible as the Council could not even hear themselves discuss among themselves. Monday’s meeting was a prime example of the difficulty by the entire gathering having to share one microphone. Total chaos. For this reason, future meetings will be held at City Hall. Rus...
It’s time to write something clever about the new year. Or at least something. We get an extra day in 2024, and we get to go through an election season. Oh, boy! Mudslinging, prevaricating, science-denying, character-assassinating, and false-promising will be colossal and maybe the most disgusting ever. I can hardly wait. For that and other reasons, I’m grateful not to have a television. It saves me time being enraged that I can spend on more important things, like trying to get something done on my house without some small disaster. Very rec...
There are certain things in life that you just have to figure out. We learn to problem solve, especially in a rural area. If you can't get leeks or curry at the grocery store, you learn to improvise. We also have a lot of people here who are experts at random tasks. There are people who can hem pants or fix small car issues with ease. I like being prepared. I like knowing what I'm getting into. If I am going somewhere new for an interview, I will look at the directions several times to make sure I know where I'm going in case there is no servic...
Laws in several states have criminalized criticizing American history, even when that history contains criminal acts. It is sort of like putting a happy face on American history. Look, I love my country, warts and all. I love it because, since her inception, she has offered the promise of hope, a promise of a better life for her citizens, a new way of treating citizens. She still offers that promise and, in fits and starts, fulfills those hopes, but to imagine that you can have a great nation, i...
My husband and I recently debated the definition of “reading,” and whether or not audio books count. I say they absolutely do. The audio book is exactly the same as the written book and requires roughly the same investment of time, the listener learns the same information as the person who uses their eyes or fingertips to read it…why wouldn’t it count? I wish I had the attention required to listen to books, but sadly, I’ll be twenty minutes in and realize I have no idea what’s happening cause I’ve been in my head. What do you think? Do aud...
by Rep. Denley Loge My husband and I recently debated the definition of “reading,” and whether or not audio books count. I say they absolutely do. The audio book is exactly the same as the written book and requires roughly the same investment of time, the listener learns the same information as the person who uses their eyes or fingertips to read it…why wouldn’t it count? I wish I had the attention required to listen to books, but sadly, I’ll be twenty minutes in and realize I have no idea what’s happening cause I’ve been in my head. What do...
The holidays are over and winter is in its full cycle for rest. It's when plants are dormant in their sleep. When days are shorter so we can rest longer, ideally. But too often we continue to rush about in pursuit of whatever drives us: the dollar, the first in line, the better deal, the top of the heap. Stress accumulates because we forget to let go. Yesterday and tomorrow are not with us. Only this moment is all we really have. Focussing on the past and what we did or did not do does not serve who we are right now. Let that time go. Be presen...
It's time. This week we are focused on the time counting down to 2024. Remembering the moments in 2023 and being hopeful for the next year. There's so much energy put into this final week. Did you go on that trip? Did you make good on those resolutions? Did you have the courage to try something new? Every second is precious. We all experienced loss and had to overcome struggles in 2023. We all experienced joy and friendships. There were moments we hoped would never end and moments we couldn't wait to get out of. What's important is that we are...
We’re all familiar with the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” In recognition of the holiday season, I’d like to share some of the good work your state lawmakers accomplished in the legislative session at the beginning of the year, in a shortened format of the song. Without further ado, here are the Twelve Days of Christmas, Legislative Edition. The Legislature passed: TWELVE major infrastructure and investment bills. These included investments in roads and bridges, water and irrigation systems, wildfire fighting, the state prison,...
Skyrocketing property taxes. Astronomical energy rates. Homes that are unaffordable to most Montanans. And yet more big tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, while the rest of us are left to foot the bill. When we look back on the last year, all these changes and more were brought to you by one party and its supermajority: Montana Republicans. The Good. Montana Democrats at every level are speaking out, standing strong, and demanding accountability from the Republican administration. First, Montana Democrats pulled off the impossible in the 2023...
Here we are again at the end of another year, embroiled in the age-old debate, do I make a New Year’s Resolution or not? For several years I held firm that I had enough challenges in life that I did not need to place another obstacle in my path that could cause me to trip up and fail. So, I met my resolution every year, to not make a resolution. Easy success. But last year I thought, “Why not?” For 2023 I made a resolution to find new adventures. I had hopes to each month try something new,...
It’s been difficult getting in the holiday spirit this year. With no snow, it feels more like a cold fall than winter. But as we were putting together the Holiday Pictorial, the holiday spirit hit me. I was going through photos from the past year, visiting with advertisers and spending some time reminiscing about all that we’ve accomplished this year. Christmas is different when you don’t have small children around. The excitement shifts from Santa and presents to traditions and gatherings. I’ve been trying to shift my holiday focus to the trad...
I just read an editorial called “Let's end the property tax blame game” by Kendall Cotton in which he begins by blaming local governments for property tax increases, echoing Governor Gianforte’s attack on greedy county governments. For their part, Democrats are saying that the Gianforte administration ignored the advice of the DOR to implement a revenue neutral tax rate. That’s the rate at which the state would have received the same amount of money after reappraisal as it had before. It was...
by Michael Scharfe The new year is just around the corner and with that begins a lot of New Year’s resolutions. What better time than now to add a resolution to clean up your credit? According to a poll found in Forbes, the #5 most common resolution in 2023 was to improve finances. While improved finances could be considered very broad, part of that likely encompasses credit. Considering that, here are some practical steps you can take to clean up and improve your credit score. 1. This first one may seem obvious, but it is making sure to pay y...
by Rusti Leivestad, Thompson Falls Mayor Having moved from our home in Trout Creek where we dug a well for our water system, put in the septic system and shared maintenance and plowing of a quarter mile of private road (all at our expense), I truly enjoy the benefits of living in Thompson Falls. The sound of the snow plow in winter's early hours makes me smile as I remember the "good old days." Public Works took me for a tour of Thompson Falls' infrastructure last week. It was eye opening how much the team accomplishes and the challenges that...
One of my favorite experiences is hearing about Sanders County from someone new to the area. If you grow up here, you tend to take for granted the mountains, fresh air, daily wildlife sightings and outdoor opportunities. One of the most memorable of those experiences was when a friend from Pennsylvania visited in 1998, the year I moved home from Texas. He was just amazed at the beauty of the area and how we could fish almost literally out our back door. Most recently, I met someone at the fair who had just moved here from Spokane. She immediate...
I would like to thank the couple who paid for my groceries today at Harvest. It was a really nice surprise to me, as something like this has never happened to me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. And thank you. Linda Lanier, Thompson Falls...
Dear Editor, December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. It opportunely coincides with the holidays when folks are going to parties, reconnecting with old friends, and maybe indulging more than they do the rest of the year. Wherever you’re going this Christmas season, please never get behind the wheel impaired. While I’m encouraged that this year our alcohol-related traffic fatalities are down from the last two years, just one death on our highways because of drugs or alcohol is too many. This year, there have been 53 alc...
I'd like to address an occurrence from last month's city council meeting, in which a time for public comment was, in my perception, seized as an opportunity to intimidate and bully. I became a member of TF city council in January 2020, a year no election was held, as all three candidates were running unopposed. This was also a time when Thompson Falls began experiencing inconsistency in the mayor's position. I will be serving another four years, as this year, I was uncontested. The document that was referenced last month, was the Sanders County...
Median residential property taxes in Montana went up 21% this year. That’s $213 million more from working Montanans. Meanwhile North Western Energy property taxes went down 20%, that’s a decrease of $36 million. Collections on industrial property are down by about $52.9 million. An extra holiday bonus was given to Montana ratepayers from the Public Services Commission, the cost of electricity from North Western Energy is going up 28%. In appreciation for the big lump of coal in the holiday, send a thank you to Governor Gianforte and the Rep...
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” asserts the song. The reference of lyricists Edward Pola and George Wyle and performer Andy Williams was, of course, to the Christmas holiday. The song was written in 1963 and recorded for the Andy Williams Christmas Album. It has some long legs. It’s still heard in stores as the annual runup to the “the holiday of giving” (and getting) spreads from its Black Friday sendoff. It’s been recorded by Garth Brooks, Harry Connick, Jr., and J.Lo herself. Every time, it’s climbed the charts. Legs. Big legs. T...
In 1984, dozens of the most popular artists got together and recorded "Do they kow it's Christmas" in an effort to raise money for famine victims in Ethiopia. They had a catchy tune and raised more than $24 million. Red Nose Day, Comic Relief's effort to end child poverty, has raised more than $41 million this year. These are just some examples of causes on a larger scale that raise incredible amounts of money to make an impact. However, giving doesn't have to be millions of dollars. In small communities like those in Sanders County, every...
Four times in my life, after I have been working a job for months or years, I have had a small revelation that says to me, “Hey, I know what I’m doing, and I am doing it well!” It only came once per job, but it’s enough. The first time occurred when I was a donut maker in an all-night donut shop in San Francisco. A group of Hell’s Angels had just come into the shop and were later joined by the Oakland Outlaws. (This was not a high-class place.) A fight broke out which I hadn’t noticed bec...
Editor: Community members missed an invaluable refresher class on Home Fire Safety last week at Whitepine Grange, presented by Scott Donovan who has 42 years' experience in fire service. Turnout was low, but those of us in attendance appreciated being reminded of things we'd heard maybe 20 years ago about how to keep from losing your house, property and lives to fire, especially this time of year. Plus, times have changed, along with home fire threats. We learned a lot of new things. Just as it's necessary to stay current on first aid/CPR...
