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Independently owned since 1905
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Have you heard about how Iceland is known as a country where people give one another a book on Christmas Eve? They then sit around eating, drinking, and reading together. It’s called Book Flood, or Jolabokaflod, and I’m seriously thinking I was actually adopted from Iceland and my mother’s never had the heart to tell me. If the weather the last few days has you feeling Icelandic, here are some titles you can add to your gift/wish list. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed is a collection of Dear Sugar letters and their responses with a few...
Shopping for anyone can be difficult, but for some shopping for the gamer in their life can be near impossible. It’s understandably difficult for some of us to find the perfect gift for a gamer; navigating the world of gaming is a very foreign idea for many. Did the gamer in your life mention a game that they really wanted and you can’t find it anywhere? Well a lot of games now are only sold on digital storefronts and will never be seen physically on the shelf of a store. Maybe they mentioned wanting a certain accessory for their setup and now...
November went so fast, I am not convinced it was ever here. The market is showing seasonality as well as market slowdown with half the sales of last month as far as residential. The average sold price of houses was down as well. The months of supply has returned to 2018 numbers, so the market appears to be retreating to pre-COVID sanity. The days on market is median 159 in Sanders County for November. Percentage of list price is 98.9% which is slightly up from the previous month. The months of supply for Sanders County is 11, about the same....
On Tuesday, November 7, I was the only spectator in the lower courtroom of the Sanders County Courthouse as the ballots were counted for the municipal elections in Hot Springs and Thompson Falls. There were three election judges, Sanders County Elections staff members, and me. Municipal elections may not be very important to some people, as evidenced by the low voter turnout earlier this month. During a presidential election year, there have been as many as a dozen spectators as ballot boxes are delivered from around the county. On election...
‘Tis the holidays. Each holiday season most of us generously share our good fortune with others. This includes donating food for food banks and Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. My family does this each year. However, I want to remind everyone – including myself – that food insecurity is an everyday issue for many people. Our food banks need our contributions throughout the year. It can be very easy to continue to donate to this worthy cause all year. Each time you grocery shop, consider buying a couple of extra items to donate to your local...
November. Thanksgiving. Gratitude. Gratefulness. All wonderful words and all worth considering. This is the month David and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. I am grateful that God sent him into my life and that God gave me the wisdom to see the gift he is to our family. And the gift he continues to be. However, I tend to try and look beyond our small world and see the larger world around us. And as I consider what is happening in the world today, I find myself turning towards the foundation...
‘Tis the season for many fun gatherings of well meant hugs and gift giving. Sharing germs is never our intention so staying healthy keeps everyone happy and healthy through the cold winter months. Choosing what works for you is the best way to do that. The pharmacies, health food stores and internet are flooded with preventative and recovery remedies and medicines. I was surprised to hear someone say during COVID that they always wear copper to stay healthy and fight off germs. Stores often have copper bracelets and other jewelry that claims t...
With the end of fall sports comes the end of my first season as a sports writer, well, a writer at all. When I moved back to Sanders County last March I never dreamed I would land a job at the newspaper, let alone writing for sports. For people who know me, they know sports are not my thing. Sure, I played volleyball and basketball in middle school and the first few years of high school but what did someone like me know about football and cross country? Little to nothing, honestly. What I never expected was the warm welcome I got from every sch...
Earlier today I thought I would study up on Critical Race Theory—which I have to admit I know little about—but I made a typo in my search query and I entered “critical rage theory” by mistake. The search didn’t find anything, but based on that result I realized that I had this concept all to myself and could define it as I pleased. This event came within half an hour of my having to install a new LED light bulb to replace an old incandescent bulb that had burnt out. It was one of those new...
Point of correction/clarification. Related to a recent LTE. The public health nurse position is as a hired employee only. The "Medical Dr" is a nurse and is an appointed position made by the commissioners & the duties are as a consultant/advisor only. Neither position has the authority to vote nor assume the right to change policy or act outside of their job description or policies. That authority is only relegated to the Commissioners. An inference r/t the comment "medical cartel controlling our CDC, our HIH, and John Hopkins" doesn't mention...
Her'es a novel idea on the subject of abortion. Don't get pregnant. I'm 80 years old and grew up in an era void of legal abortions or birth control. If we got pregnant we had the little darlings. Then a miracle. The birth control pill was developed. It was control finally. It was there for anyone that wanted to decide when they wanted a baby, and no one had to face that dreaded decision of abortion because now it's legal. 50 years later instead of taking the birth control pill, they are using abortion as birth control. So sad. Educated women,...
There are certain things that are just better in small towns, as we all know. That's why we live here. The latest example was seen countywide last week as businesses, organizations and schools honored local veterans. These local groups offered free burgers, beers, coffee, lunch, dinner and quilts to veterans last week in observance of Veterans Day. It's always interesting to attend an event recognizing veterans and realize the people we see every day at the grocery store, bank or post office gave part of their life to serve our country. There...
Letter to Editor We in Thompson Falls lost such a special man this past week with the passing of Don Burrell. Don devoted his life to his family and helping others. He was an active member of local organizations, and there was never a Sanders County Fair that Don didn’t work so hard in heat, dust and often smoke. But the most inspiring qualities that define Don are his kindness, his willingness to do whatever was needed to help people. Don was the most giving and caring of men. He exemplified qualities that we should all hope to have. I’m sur...
We’ve been arguing forever about how we became a species. Some don’t argue, true. They just believe one way or another, or accept that they will never know. These relatively rare subjects are happy to be at peace with the question. Maybe they know that their vision of the Spirit is nobody else’s business. Some Higher Power may be hanging around, but I have no idea what It’s up to, though I often ask It favors. As vague as my vision might be, I’m OK with it. When folks come knocking with their answers, I ask if they’re happy in their faith...
by Michael Scharfe Last month I touched on the different types of refinancing. This month, I am going to go over the rate/term refinance in more detail. When doing a rate/term refinance, it is a good idea to weigh the benefits, as well as the costs. With the additional closing costs, the extended term (unless you do a shorter term) and, depending on the amount of payment savings you have each month, it may take some time for you to feel the full benefits of the refinance. For instance, a $250,000 loan at a rate of 7.50% on a 30-year mortgage...
Halloween is over, and it seems like all the advertisements are now geared toward Christmas. As of today (Thursday), there are just 44 days until Christmas. It's time for craft fairs and shopping and all the holiday fundraisers. Last weekend I attended the Trout Creek School bazaar and the Honey Bazaar at the Whitepine Grange. What a wonderful display of craftsmanship at both event. There were people milling about at both events, and it seemed everyone walked out with at least one treasure. I got a head start on my holiday shopping. Then it got...
What if Public Policy could be “Dead Wrong”? In Mindy Ferrell’s LTE of November 2 she proclaims putting aside personal opinion to serve the public good and only and always follow public policy. Sanders County residents should be grateful their Health Board acted responsibly by their decision to no longer offer COVID vaccines. Citing safety reasons and lack of proper testing is a positive outcome that informs me our County Health Board is watching out for each of us. In addition, the Public Health Officer recommends individuals who still desir...
by Judge Molly Owen If you have seen the television show, “Jury Duty,” on Amazon Prime that came out last year, you will know that the show follows members of a jury who are tasked to decide a workplace dispute. The lawsuit and trial are fake. Everyone involved in the trial is an actor other than one member of the jury, Ronald, who believes he is serving on a real jury. The show is funny and heartwarming. It also gives some good insight into the process of conducting a trial in front of a jury. In the first episode, members of the com...
Well, the local elections are over in Montana, and I’m sure there will be some controversial results, even if there are not any. I mean, it just seems that somebody’s got to find fault with something even if it’s imaginary. I’ve been thinking about this column for over a year, ever since the Montana Election Integrity Project (MEIP) came out with their “canvass” of 4,347 Montana voters to show how screwed up our elections are. (Go to mtelectionintegrity.org/canvas) It’s taken me that long to...
Do you have any candy left from Halloween? My neighbor made my kids freeze dried candy and I can’t.stop.eating.it. There are these malted chocolate ones that are just unreal. Thank goodness each holiday only comes once a year…. These below freezing temperatures have made for excellent reading weather, and I hope you’ve been able to take advantage of it. I was able to read 11 books in October, of which eight were four stars or better. Here they are, in no particular order: The Last Green Valley and Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T Sullivan are h...
Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I spend a lot of my free time playing video games. Video games have been a huge part of my life for a long time and I have spent countless hours enjoying them. I can still remember my parents gifting me Medal of Honor: Frontline on Playstation 2 for my ninth birthday. I credit that game for turning me into a true gamer. I probably replayed that game more than 50 times over the course of the following year. It has been a long time since I’ve played that game but it will always be one of my most f...
by TIna Daugherty October was a wet one. . . while there are still sales, this is when the market tends to get quieter. The inventory levels are down slightly indicating more of a seller's market, while seasonality certainly plays a role. Pending sales were down, which is a leading indicator, but again seasonal and indicative of a buyer's market. Those properties that are priced well are still going rather quickly and there are still the very occasional multiple offer, but it feels like the market is slowing a bit. The days on market median is...
One morning last week I got a text from a friend asking if I had heard anything about a bunch of illegal immigrants being moved here and housed at the mule pasture. My first reaction was disgust that this is what is being said about the project to help our community. After I calmed down, I was thankful that my friend reached out to me to see if what she had heard was really true. Let's just set the record straight - the U.S. Forest Service is not going to use the Orchard land in Thompson Falls as a place to bring illegal immigrants. In last wee...
Next Month David and I will celebrate 37 years of marriage and adventures. Most of our adventures came out of our “pioneering spirit.” David always saw himself as a farmer, loving the time he spent with our livestock and working the tractor around the fields. I was always happy to be the farmer’s wife, gardening and canning and living the homesteading lifestyle. There was always something that needed to be done and something to learn, while we both also worked full time jobs off the farm. I jus...
Good morning Annie, Yesterday I attended the Commissioners meeting to hear Monica Trunell speak. I was disappointed I did not see the presence of the Ledger covering her as another viable candidate running for office, relevant to our area. I attended Ryan Zinke's presentation to speak to the commissioners. The Ledger was front and center reporting to Sanders County, his platform messages. In my world view, I have watched over the last 8 years, media in all forms, share culpability in selective messaging contributing to the division and civic di...
