Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Montana resident sportsmen/women wake up! I am a 68-year-old retired farmer, fourth-generation Montanan and a lifelong avid hunter, angler and conservationist with a degree in Wildlife Biology and research experience on large predators. I started farming in 1977. Now I own Circle S Ranch in eastern Montana and pay property taxes in five counties. I have always shared the bounty of the ranch with sportsmen and conservationists for free. No one has ever paid a dime for access. My wife and I have been engaged in conservation, habitat improvement,...
Last weekend was exciting. Not only did the Blue Hawks win a quarterfinal football match at home, but the Hawks won the division volleyball title, also at home. The court and field at Thompson Falls High School were booming with energy. The community also benefited. It felt like the summer tourism season was in full swing once again as hundreds of players, families and fans came to Thompson Falls. The city was booming with energy as the visitors explored the area between sporting events. I had family from Bigfork staying with me to watch their...
From where do you accredit your freedom? Our American founders recognized the source of freedom is God. Inscribed on our Liberty Bell “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof”; these words are from the Old Testament, the book of Leviticus, Chapter 25, verse 10. Old Testament, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy is the source of God’s law: All 613 Commandments! Rendered down to the familiar 10 in Exodus 20: 2-17 and Deuteronomy 5: 6-21 Abiding by God’s law frees us from servitude to any earthly force or bondage...
Many people who are opposed to mandatory Covid vaccinations hold themselves out to be patriots and call those in favor of mandates traitors. Pretty powerful words and it raises an interesting point as far as American history is concerned, namely, would these patriots of today consider George Washington a patriot or a traitor? In 1777, Washington issued a mandate that his soldiers had to be vaccinated against smallpox, then known as variola. While British troops had built up an immunity to...
The Sanders County Commissioners (SCC) held a follow up meeting on November 4 regarding an amendment to a contract for COVID vaccination assistance. Many people attended, with positions both for and against. We want to thank the SCC for giving all who spoke time to be heard and for voting to help protect residents of Sanders County. The Sanders County Ledger (November 4) had a well written entry on page 4 by the Board of Health (BOH) that supports the decision by the SCC. The information and statistics given confirm that vaccinations are an...
Our Sanders County sports teams have had a rough couple of years. The pandemic forced some teams to cancel their seasons spring 2020. This year the teams have still had to adapt to not only closures and rescheduling within their own schools, but throughout the state. It's been a constant state of unknown for our athletes, coaches and fans. As the fall sports seasons begin winding down, I hope our athletes take these lessons of overcoming and adapting and learn to apply that as they grow up and enter the world as adults. Things don't always go...
The governing board of the Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Coalition (KFSC) has voted unanimously to support a legal defense of the Forest Service Ripley project. This vote represents the strength and importance of the collaborative process the group is dedicated to. The KFSC represents a diverse mix of forest users, including environmental groups, that work together to seek solutions to forest management issues. A fundamental reality we all recognize is that the ample public lands that surround our communities are suitable for a diverse mix of us...
“Life’s not multiple choice” is a favorite catchphrase for educators who don’t like multiple-choice test questions. The phrase is repeated as bedrock logic, but if you examine it even briefly it turns to sand. Truth is, we make endless choices daily, and we demand even more choices in everything we do. In fact we have so many choices to make, that according to various folks who study this kind of thing, choosing becomes really stressful. Furthermore, once we’ve made a choice we feel compelled to invest a lot of emotion in defending it, even if...
I recently traveled around Washington state with Gigi for a few days, all the way out to the ocean and back. Gigi was often the navigator. She gives advice in a calm, clear voice, and most of the time she knows where she’s going. When she doesn’t — which isn’t often — she still remains composed and continues giving directions. I, on the other hand, get confused when Gigi and I don’t know where we’re going, and when I’m confused, the last thing I want or need is someone giving me directions — especially if I’m trying to concentrate on driv...
We've entered a new era as Montanans. It's life-changing. We now have to dial the area code to reach out and touch someone. Granted, many households are getting rid of land lines and your cellphone is smart enough to just dial for you when you click on a name. However, it's going to be an adjustment for those of us who still use the old-fashioned touchtone phones. Remember when it was a big deal when we had to start dialing the three-digit prefix for towns? It took awhile to get used to not just dialing 3421 for The Ledger and having to add in...
A remarkable presentation was given to the Sanders County Board of Health at their October 13 meeting by residents Kate Hardman, Sarah Klingenberg and Mary Reed. Detailed informational packets, citing 50 references of articles and videos, were provided to each Health Board member and other audience participants. All attendees displayed mutual courtesy and respect, and frankly, the audience seemed spellbound. Highlights included safety and efficacy considerations. Many adverse reactions to the vaccines have been reported. There are documented re...
Dear Editor: An article in the Ledger on October 13 notified Sanders County citizens that yet another second-time DUI offender (Bruce Linguanti) was released from jail with only a 12-month suspended sentence. He was given credit for 6 days served while awaiting his sentencing. Bet he did a lot of self-reflection during that time! Can anyone forget the tragic and senseless deaths in 2012 of two innocent young adults and the grave injuries to their children ages 2 and 4? This accident was caused by a non-reformed drunk who also had previous DUls...
Recently my home county of Sanders twice made national news, first for having the highest increase in COVID cases in the United States and more recently for a group of citizens pressuring a member of the Sanders County Board of Health into resigning because he stood up for what he was trained in and with which the crowd disagreed, namely medical science. This is the kind of publicity that most communities would not want to have because it would serve as a deterrent to the economic growth of an area. Well, that would have been the case years...
Editor, Sanders County is losing a dedicated public servant with the resignation of Carol Brooker. We are a much poorer community and county without Carol’s knowledge, commitment and hard work, as our County Commissioner. It is disappointing, yet understandable, that her resignation has come after 27 years of good work on our behalf. The uncivil, baseless and toxic bellowing in much of our current public discourse has caused many citizens to reconsider their involvement in participatory democracy. Carol will be greatly missed and our hope is t...
Carol Brooker has been a public servant for Sanders County for 28 years. Longer than that when you consider her service to our county prior to becoming a commissioner. For decades, Brooker has put others first as she helps run the county. She listens to people and makes sure they are heard. She may not always agree with them, but she is always there to listen. She picks up her phone, she goes to meetings even when she isn't required to for her job. She goes because she cares. What is best about Brooker, though, is the stuff you don't see. She...
This will be my last column (I can almost hear the applause from some!). I was offered a position in my former profession, and I simply won’t have the time. The circumstances surrounding this significant decision are kind of interesting and partially the result of current events. First a little background. During my lengthy career, one of my favorite and most rewarding assignments was that of K9 handler/trainer. I worked in three different K9 units (patrol, narcotics and bomb) for the Los Angele...
I wanted to take a minute to express my sincere appreciation for our county health personnel. Amid the chaos that has been created by social media and everyone’s “expert” opinion on the current health crisis in our country, they keep plugging along. They follow the guidelines that are given to them and have to do their jobs. It is not an option for them to ignore what's in front of them, or put their opinions out there. They simply do their job. Regardless of where you stand on vaccinations, masks, quarantine or your opinions about the virus...
Dear Sanders County Ledger, I am writing to ask our community for help. The last two months have been especially challenging for healthcare workers and patients in Montana due to very overloaded healthcare systems. This has significantly affected our local healthcare system in Sanders County. Sometimes I get requests asking what individuals can do to help. Here are some thoughts: 1. Maintain courtesy and civility. Remember that the healthcare workers and public health workers are also members of our community. Whether or not you agree with how...
Editor, Sanders County is losing a dedicated public servant with the resignation of Carol Brooker. We are a much poorer community and county without Carol’s knowledge, commitment and hard work as our County Commissioner. It is disappointing, yet understandable, that her resignation has come after 27 years of good work on our behalf. The uncivil, baseless and toxic bellowing in much of our current public discourse has caused many citizens to reconsider their involvement in participatory democracy. Carol will be greatly missed and our hope is t...
I was born at Clark Fork Valley Hospital. My brother was born at Clark Fork Valley Hospital. When I broke my foot a few years ago, I went to Clark Fork Valley Hospital. When my mom got sick and needed emergency care earlier this year, we went to Clark Fork Valley Hospital. Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) has been serving the communities of Sanders County for 50 years. Other county providers have been here for decades as well. Dr. Randy Lovell has been in Thompson Falls for 34 years. We have excellent healthcare options in Sanders County....
Mike Lindell is the CEO of My Pillow company and a leading advocate for rooting out election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. He has had much more success in attracting people to his point of view than he has had in finding evidence to support it. His claim is that Chinese hackers were able to inflate Biden’s votes by 8.4% nationwide. He stated that the Idaho election results in all 44 counties were electronically manipulated to increase Biden’s votes, but since seven of Idaho’s count...
Editor, I would like to address the recent Street Smart article published in the September 24, 2021, Sanders County Ledger. Words Matter. The frequent use of the words “logic” and “logical” give fertile food for thought. Just as in “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” so, too, goes the case for words: i.e., it is one’s perceptions and experiences that inform their definitions. When exchanging ideas with others, I’ve learned that careful listening to others’ voices wanting to learn what values and interests have informed their definitions (an...
Editor, It is very discouraging that our commissioners asked Nick Lawyer to resign from the county health committee. The commissioners seemed to kow-tow to a group advocating an irrational approach to COVID. Lawyer was rational in his advocacy of approaching the COVID epidemic in our county. Mr. Lawyer merely presented the position of reasonable medical experts and their organizations. On this topic – COVID epidemic – I have had input from a M.D. in Silver Bow County, 1 M.D.S. in Ohio and epidemiologist in Arizona and an M.D. in our cou...
It's that time of year where it's a good reminder to remember our actions have an impact on those around us, especially that younger generation. It's easy to get caught up in the moment and forget that people are watching. Often, these examples come at sporting events. If you want to see passion, check out spectators, parents, players and even coaches at high school sporting events. The Noxon community witnessed this last Friday as they welcomed West Yellowstone for their homecoming football game. After a West Yellowstone player was injured, a...
Editor: Totally out of character to do something like this, but curiosity is consuming this cat's mind. A short time ago, two, maybe three years now, a project was presented to the community of Thompson Falls. This project was aimed at helping provide a place for our youth to have the opportunity to play the greatest game in American history known as baseball. The need for financial support, volunteers and resources was presented to the public in building a baseball field on Mount Silcox Drive. At the onset, financial and labor assistance was g...
