Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Sleep: this thing that’s necessary like food and water, shelter and clothing, but also frustratingly impossible for some to obtain. No matter how much money you make, you can’t buy it. Exercise makes it only slightly more within reach, changes in diet same. For me, even pregnancy made sleep only somewhat better for a few crucial weeks before becoming fleeting once again. In my forties, I’ve finally made peace with it. I had tried everything: a dark room, the correct plants, no screens before bed, the correct cool temperature, tart cherry juice,...
I served on the non-partisan Sanders County Commission for 27 years, and I’m proud to endorse Elena Evans, an Independent candidate for District 4 of the Public Service Commission, which includes Sanders and six other counties in Western Montana. I know Elena. She’s a hard worker, a true independent, and laser-focused on lowering our utility bills. I also know her opponent, Jennifer Fielder. You’ve probably heard that Jennifer Fielder voted to raise your utility rates by 28%, which is true. I feel obligated to share additional serious concerns...
by Shannon Brown Whether we are ready for summer to be over or not, it will be leaving us soon. Enjoy the time that is left before the cold arrives. Take time to deep water those perennials, trees and shrubs to allow their roots the moisture they need before dormancy. But don’t forget to ground your own roots and breathe in the cool evening and morning air to prepare yourself for the seasons ahead. We know it’s coming, so enjoy the moment. Each season reminds us of what we relish the most. The brief pocket of time that occurs between gro...
Autumn is always such chaos: back to school, bucking wood for winter, soccer, Noxon’s Fall Festival, 4-H enrollment, STEAM month (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics), Halloween, and Thanksgiving. It feels like there’s no time for reading despite opportunities to get more books, like the upcoming Thompson Falls Public Library Book Sale on October 26. I find my TBR pile expanding, the books on my side table stacking higher, the monthly Wrap-Up from The StoryGraph looking chintzy. Despite the chaos, I read twelve books in Sep...
Sometimes I will go weeks without getting a letter to the editor. Other times, such as this week, there are several sitting in my inbox. There is something to be said for sitting down and putting thoughts together on paper (or in a word processor) and not just spouting off a few words on social media. It forces you to think about your words, compose complete sentences and try to get to a point. There are some weeks when I write my editorial at the last minute, scramble through paragraphs and then still wonder if I have made a point. Other...
I am looking at a copy of a Sunday cartoon that appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of January 14, 1900. It is called “Woman’s Craze for Animal Pets Versus Babies — what we might expect in the 20th Century”. There are a series of cartoons of stylishly dressed ladies of that bygone and hypothetically happy era walking and cuddling various pets in various years; in 1901, it is a monkey, 1902, a leopard, 1903, a hippopotamus with a blue ribbon tied around its tail, 1904, an alligator on a le...
I submitted an open letter request for written responses to the Hot Springs Board of Trustees and Superintendent on September 10, 2024. My request addressed issues concerning the budget, school audits, spending controls and other items. I tried to get it added to the agenda for the September 12, 2024, board meeting but was told that it was within 48 hours of the meeting. I was told by Superintendent Chuinard and one board member to submit it for the correspondence section of the upcoming board meeting. The board meeting was held and lo and...
Dear Editor, I received a political ad in the mail several weeks ago from the Montana Democratic Party announcing that Tim Sheehy has plans that "...would shutter 49 rural hospitals in Montana". That caught my attention because I think that would be exceedingly drastic. Plus I felt that claim was simply over the top. I did a little checking online and I ended up on the website causeiq.com. That website states there are 56 hospitals in Montana. Simple math of 56 minus 49 is seven. Does that mean that Sheehy will have Montanans with only seven...
A lot of concerns have come into me and Lee Smith with the county garage concerning trucks. There’s been numerous heavy loads of logs, stone, equipment like excavators still using the bridge even with restrictions. Lee has reached out to the state and DOT and Lee said nobody seems to care. So I figured I would try to get it out to the public. Maybe DOT will come do their job and weigh trucks or stop them. Jim Byler, Noxon...
The best time to book your winter getaway is in the fall, when you can take advantage of lower prices and secure prime accommodations before the high season hits. As temperatures drop across Sanders County, the Caribbean offers a tropical escape from the cold. Here are some of the best Caribbean islands to visit this coming winter, each offering something unique for sun-seekers and adventurers alike. Barbados: Best for Beaches and Culture Barbados strikes the perfect balance between relaxation and culture. Its west coast boasts calm,...
Over the weekend, we watched "The Fox and the Hound." I hadn't seen it in decades, and my friend and I remembered it as one of our favorite Disney movies. Seeing the movie again, it's pretty violent. There is also a lot of sadness, as was pointed out to me by a 12-year-old. It's still one of my favorite movies, however. There are lessons about coming from different backgrounds, about growing and changing, and about still being friends in the end. Or, at least, having mutual respect for each other. Copper and Tod grew up playing in the forest...
Fall is falling. Sunday morning, it becomes official. I will — hopefully — be in a spot that cares nothing for the arbitrary Gregorian calendar, but is sensitive to the celestial timetable that inspired such things. The first “calendar” was made about 8,000 BCE by the same culture that 9,200 years later invented golf. Ancient Scot hunter-gatherer tribes built an earthen calendar of twelve pits aligned with the southern horizon, which archaeologists believe were used to keep track of moon phases and seasonal changes. Here we are, 10,000 years l...
Dear Editor, Thank you for your consideration in reading and printing this letter. I am writing as I am appalled at the level to which campaigns are preying on the emotion of residents of the state of Montana. I am especially appalled at the fear mongering being lobbied at citizens by the Tester campaign ad which you ran in your recent edition. While I realize that the majority of the State claims Christian background, and the Constitution of this Country and State are based on Judeo Christian philosophy, I also realize not all follow this...
Dear Hot Springs Community, September 12, 2024 The Hot Springs School Board would like to take this opportunity to explain what has happened since the May 3, 2024, General Fund Levy election, and to inform and answer some questions. During the election, it came to light that not all absentee ballots had been mailed out. Upon knowledge of this, the board began to try and figure out what had happened and how to proceed in making sure it was a fair and legal election with all registered voters being given the opportunity to cast their vote. It is...
As health care providers, hospital leaders, nurses, and support staff who serve or have served rural Montana communities, we condemn the recent television ads and full-page advertisements by Jon Tester's campaign and the absolute lies being told to our fellow neighbors. The ads, some of which use the names and photos of local hospitals, falsely accuse Tim Sheehy of threatening rural hospitals, misleading the patients we serve. Some of us have gotten to know Tim through his and his wife’s philanthropy supporting Montana health care, or have h...
We live in an amazing Country, an amazing State and an amazing community. We are so inundated with the political news that sometimes the truest of American values get lost in the white noise. While my political opinion may differ from others, the bottom line is that I care about our country and all of her people. On September 11th, the 23rd anniversary of the brutal assault on our country and the loss of so many treasured lives; we came together to express the honor due to every last soul lost that day. Thank you to everyone who came together t...
In my last column, I talked about various reasons to live in or near a town. Community organizations are an important resource. The following groups are a small sampling of these groups. Some of these you may not have heard of, but they make significant contributions. Woman’s Club – Most recently the Club raised $5000 towards purchasing the first of two radar feedback signs for Main Street. Some of their projects have been local student scholarships, trees for the park, highway cleanup and library books. Old Jail Museum – I understand the W...
As the smoke started rolling in last week, it reminded me that it's still technically summer for a few more weeks, and that it's still really dry out there. Last week we had two human-caused wildfires in Sanders County. The Mile Marker 104 fire near Dixon is nearing containment after burning nearly 500 acres. Then on Saturday there was a small fire outside Thompson Falls in the Cherry Creek area, near a popular swimming hole at the mouth of Prospect Creek. Fall is just around the corner and the nights are getting cooler. However, driving...
Mass deportation sounds like a pretty good deal to some people I know, but then they would like a sort of retroactive date going back to about 1620 when the native American lack of resolve on immigration wound up dooming them as a people. Remember the stories of Massasoit and Samoset, bigwigs of the Wampanoag tribe teaching the greenhorn Europeans how to plant corn and other crops so the Pilgrims could survive. Pretty good of them. But you see how it turned out for them later—bad immigration p...
To Whom It May Concern, People can have differences of opinion about anything. It is our right and privilege. What people do not have the right to do is trespass on private property to deface a sign which represents a choice or viewpoint they do not agree with. Last week, I put up signs in Heron which were on private land with permission from the owners. Within a few days, vandals spray painted graffiti on the signs and ruined them. This is illegal on a couple of levels, from trespassing to destruction of private property. If these sick acts...
After attending the Master Gardeners class last spring, 2024, put on by Wendy Carr, with the local MSU. Ext office, our class members need to put in twenty hours of community service, to receive our certifications. I finally had an opportunity to start that with Beth Riffle, at Waterway, CSA. Starting at 7 a.m. to beat the heat, Beth was able to plant three rows to my one row of 75 bell peppers, exhibiting her experience as a gardener. She’s in her sixth season on the same property she grew up on, with the now Waterway, CSA, Community S...
During summer months, Sanders County residents may notice plants with attractive blue flowers along roads and disturbed sites. These flowers can fool people into overlooking an aggressive, invasive plant: Blueweed. Blueweed's appealing flowers often lead people to consider it a desirable plant, and it is sometimes mistaken for lupine, chicory, or penstemon. Far from being desirable, this invasive species is toxic to livestock, is a skin irritant for people, and out-competes native plants that ar...
I have been a gamer for most of my life. Before I was even playing games myself I can remember watching family members play video games and being fascinated by them. Some of my earliest memories are of watching my dad play a game called Soldier of Fortune on the family computer. My younger brother and I weren’t allowed to play the game but my dad always let us watch him play. We would sit for hours and watch him take down the bad guys and cheer him on when he won and laugh when he failed. After seeing how much we enjoyed watching him play, h...
I wasn't expecting to spend all weekend at the fair. My mom and I judge 4-H cooking, baking and cake decorating on Thursday. It's tradition. This was our fourth year, and it's great to see the kids come back each year and be more open and comfortable with their interviews and their cooking skills. And it's become tradition for me to work with my pal Heidi in the beer booth on Friday night. It's a great way to see all sorts of people, make new friends, and help out the Sanders County Fair Foundation, which is a nonprofit that helps the fair...
With back to school, the beginning of soccer, and the fair, many families are dealing with high emotions, not just in the littles, but the bigs. Another parent recently explained their childs’ meltdowns to me and all I could do was nod along and smile, “I feel that way too,” I blurted. Sometimes it’s too many people, sometimes it’s being hungry, sometimes there’s no obvious reason. Another parent came up and told me how their child may not realize they’re overheating, if they become grumpy to ask them to shed a layer and see if that fixes it...
