Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Editor, Our founding fathers, 234 years ago, had the wisdom to foresee that governments often become corrupt and over powerful. Knowing that such governments do not relinquish their power or correct their own corruption; they gave the states the power to bypass the federal government and make necessary corrections. They added a section in Article V of the Constitution “... to call a Convention for proposing Amendments,...” We have a nationwide organization working to have a Convention of States called to propose amendments limited to the fol...
After a short drive down Highway 200 or through any neighborhood in Sanders County, it becomes apparent an election is underway. Candidates have filed, signs are up, meet and greets and candidate forums are being held. Letters to the editor in support of one candidate or another are appearing. Some of us may wonder, “What’s the fuss about?” In the United States we are fortunate to have free elections. A right not granted to all citizens of the world and a right that was hard fought for by gener...
Trails of smoke rising in the sky across the county are a sure sign of the spring burning season. It’s also a little reminder of the wildfire season that will most likely come later this year. Not only are wildfires a threat to humans, but they can devastate wildlife and our beautiful landscape. There are many ways we can protect ourselves and our area. It's our duty to pay attention to air-quality alerts and alarms. As property owners, we have a responsibility to provide defensible space around structures. Keep areas free of leaves and o...
In 1999 I traveled to China as a member of a bipartisan group of state legislators belonging to an international educational program. One of my most memorable moments was a visit to a school for the children of migrant workers in Shanghai. Unlike in America at the time, the migrant workers in China came from the country to work in the electronics factories in the cities and the government had set up schools for their children. After watching these kids of age seven through 11 learn English in...
Editor, Hello our names are Chace and Bernadette Johnson and we reside in Trout Creek. Both of us were raised here in Sanders County and we come from two of the longer established families in the area. Bernadette was raised on Blue Slide Road and graduated from Thompson Falls High School and Chace was raised in Trout Creek and Noxon and went to school in Trout Creek and Noxon High School. Chace has lived here over 45 years and Bernadette 32. As long time residents of Sanders County we have witnessed the state of the sheriff's office...
Editor, Even those of us without children in the public schools bear a heavy responsibility to vote for school board members and trustees who will be shaping the destinies of Montana's younger generation. Now, more than ever before in our country's history, it's imperative that voters become informed as to who is running their schools and possibly making decisions that should best be made by parents. That's why I'll be voting for Ramona Jacobson for Thompson Falls School District #2's Board of Trustees. Ramona Jacobson has lived here 25 years a...
The Ledger’s recent profiles of school board candidates reminded me of one thing I learned during a career working for and with Plains’ school board -- if you ain’t educated when elected, you sure will be by the time you give it up. It’s a strange and complicated task, and candidates tend to go into it with varied motives, perceptions, and goals which quite possibly will never actually fit the issues which crop up. For instance, take the common idea that a school trustee has some authority over school operations. Turns out that’s a fallacy....
Spring is here! The birds are chirping, the hillsides are a little greener, the skies are blue, the sun is coming up earlier and leaving later and the glorious promise of all things new is upon us. For the world, Easter is filled with adorable, fluffy, baby chicks and bunnies, candy-filled egg hunts and a special-occasion Hallmark cards. But for those who know and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, Easter is the day of biblical-prophesy fulfilled and a gift of everlasting life bestowed...
Driving to Paradise to see the latest production from The Paradise Players this weekend, there were definitely signs of spring. The grass is getting greener. Residents are doing their spring burning. The snow is disappearing from the mountains. With the renewl of spring comes something that stands out even more — the trash. Walking trails and roadways are dotted with the cans, paper and other random garbage that was covered by the winter snow. Thompson Falls is preparing for its annual Beautification Days in April, and as a community we should...
I would like to thank Jim Elliot for his Viewpoint “Fearing Fear” that was in the March 17 issue of the Ledger. I hope people have read this column carefully and have taken it to heart. Our country is by no means perfect, but we have so much to be grateful for. As citizens of this country, we have so many things in common and most of us want what is best for our democracy. We don't need to agree with each other on every issue, but we can agree to disagree with respect for each other. Let us listen to each other, attempt to understand each oth...
Just a warning for all the new folks that have moved into our area. When you enter the” Eddy Flat Speedway” just before the Sheep Viewing area and to the 55 mph zone going east be on the lookout for elk and deer. This time of year we have a hundred plus elk feeding in our fields. They do cross the highway usually at first and last light but do all night long. Hitting a 500 or so pound critter at highway speeds can be disastrous and cause a fatality. Deer are also plentiful in this area, not week goes by without a elk or deer collision. Som...
In the early morning hours of March 25, I had the misfortune to have to go to the hospital. Now, I am a retired RN, but have not been an inpatient since I had kids, and that was ah, um, a long time ago. I was so impressed with CFVH. Wonderful facility, and oh my, the staff. Everyone from Radiology, RT, Lab, PT, Drs Herzog and Valentine was so competent and caring. My care team of RNs and CNAs was just great, professional, thoughtful, personable, every one. I got just fabulous care. And I need to mention the first responders, who got me to...
Spring managed to surprise me this year. Again. I walked to the river yesterday and discovered fresh-grown catkins hanging from an errant Sitka alder that has taken root in the stream bank. I have no idea what that alder is doing there, for most of my experience with said plant has been traversing patches of it above 4,000 feet. Where it belongs. Each spring, I take a picture of the last of the snow where it has shed from the shop roof or the north side of the house. The latest date I can find in this series is May 9, 2011. We will beat that...
In a moment of passion, it's difficult to keep emotions and reactions in check, especially when the topic is personal. By now, everyone has heard the jab that comedian Chris Rock took at Will Smith's wife, Jada, at the Oscars on Sunday. We watched as Smith's response to the joke was to walk up on stage, slap Rock across the face, and return to his seat warning Rock twice to keep his wife's name out of his (expletive) mouth. The moment was censored on American television, but the full video began circulating on the Internet within moments....
Dear Editor, What is the economy for? Rich stock traders make money on money without creating anything tangible for society. Grocery store chains raise prices, don’t pay a living wage, and give big bonuses to CEO’s. Meatpacking monopolies shortchange Montana ranchers on cattle prices. The economy as it is doesn’t benefit poor, low-wage working, and middle-class Montanans. Wages have stagnated for years and nowhere meet the cost of living adjusted for inflation, benefits if any exist at all keep getting cut, housing developments are desig...
On September 13, 2001, two days after the incredibly horrific destruction at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the loss of thousands of lives taken by aircraft commandeered by Muslim terrorists, President George W. Bush met with congressional leaders and Cabinet members to discuss the situation and how to return air travel, which had been suspended, to normal. David Bonier, Democratic congressman from Michigan, told the President of his Muslim constituents’ fears about being rounded up and detained. The President responded, “David, you...
There was a recent interview with a basketball player. He was asked if the upcoming game was stressful. His response was that it wasn't stressful, it's fun. He noted that stressful is not having enough food on your plate. Stressful is not being able to pay your electricity bill. That comment put things into perspective. We're all very lucky that we have this thing called basketball. When you turn on the news these days, you see a lot of death, war, destruction and other terrible things going on in the world. But for nearly three weeks each...
A recent letter to the editor attempted (and failed) to condemn Matt Rosendale for his lack of intoxication with the current propaganda Kool-Aid flavor of the month; liberally being served over the 24/7 news outlets and internet that, “Putin/Russia bad. Zelensky/Ukraine good.” If much of the false narrative from certain media and “experts” who lied to us about the Wuhan bioweapon and unsafe and ineffective experimental mRNA injections; and have completely ignored the current CDC’s VAERS numbers with over 1 million adverse events, 45,615 permane...
Are we doomed by not knowing history? As a middle school student, I recall disliking history class. My instructor was dry as old corn husks and made history just as exciting. What was the point? All those people were dead anyway. I studied the textbook trying to keep my eyes open to read enough to say I had completed the assignment, absorbing little. High school changed that for me, I learned to love history. The teacher made a difference. Studying the Second World War in high school was...
It's hard to imagine being in Ukraine right now. The devastation and deaths from any war are overwhelming, but the threats and constant danger to my fellow journalists are just as unsettling. A Go Fund Me page has been set up to raise money to buy personal safety items like helmets and bulletproof vests for journalists to continue doing their jobs. Reporters and photographers need life-saving gear to cover what is happening and to tell Ukraine's story. I'm thankful to live in the United States — as a civilian, certainly, but especially as a...
There was an old Scrooge McDuck (world’s richest duck!) comic book story called “Christmas in Shacktown” which opened with McDuck’s three grand-nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie taking a shortcut home from school just before Christmas by going through Shacktown. The people and kids of Shacktown are dressed in patched rags, the children tote firewood in washtubs and kids play with toys made of boards and tin cans. It is snowy and cold, and one of the nephews says, “I wish we hadn’t come this way, it makes me feel like a fat pig.” Which is how...
Early Tuesday morning I heard my first "cheeseburger" bird of the season. Now I know it's not really called a cheeseburger bird, and hopefully someone will have the answer of what species it is. But I distinctly remember standing in line on the playground in second grade and Mrs. Calvert getting our attention by listening closely for the bird that sings "cheese-bur-ger." I'm lucky enough that I get to live in my hometown and now I get to share memories such as the cheeseburger bird with my former teachers. Over the weekend, I was a judge for...
In the Ledger's front page article last week (3/3/22), words are misleading that read "Being the only grocery store between Thompson Falls and Sandpoint." I am always happy to see articles of local folks buying and running local businesses, this is a win-win for all of us. We should all appreciate the article bringing to light the cost differences from larger to smaller stores. This is really a thing, a small town store buys less so they pay more. Buying local is the "bread and butter" of our communities, spending a little bit more, in my...
“There are men in the world who derive as stern an exaltation from the proximity of disaster and ruin, as others from success.” Winston Churchill In 2001, I travelled to the “new” Russia. The USSR had dissolved a decade before and the country was full of optimism for the future. It also had a new president — Vladimir Putin, who was appointed to Boris Yeltsin’s seat when Yeltsin resigned on the eve of Y2K, December 31, 1999. Putin was then elected to the Russian presidency in 2000. When I returned to Russia in 2005, the mood of hope had eroded...
Editor: Matt Rosendale joined two other Republican representatives voting against a resolution supporting the free people of Ukraine in their struggle for self-determination. He claimed his constituency supported his position against this rare overwhelming bi-partisan action. Not so. All Montanans support independence, here and abroad. Mr. Rosendale was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He emigrated from Maryland to our state after his 40th birthday. Certainly, he’s aware of the Pulaski Highway (Rte. 40 a main thoroughfare from P...
