Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude for Lou Springer’s letter, printed in this paper on February 24. Her concerns and observations were right on target. If you have not read the letter, please take the time to do so. The use of common sense and civility will improve everyone’s life. Sincerely, Debbie and Dave Lyman, Heron...
I am so excited! I have been trying to learn about all the candidates running for Sheriff in order to know what each has to offer. I never dreamed that Sanders County would have such a qualified person as Chris Stough entering that race. I have a deep concern that whoever is elected will have the skills to fill that office, keeping our Constitutional rights enforced. Someone who will insist that there is no federal over reach; coming to and through him before coming into our county. Chris Stough is a firm believer in “sheriff first” for any...
Isn’t love wonderful? The warm feeling you get when you hug your children, the excitement when you see your loved one, the joy you have when you spend time laughing with your friends. The comfort you receive from family during difficult times. Or sometimes it is simply the satisfaction of eating your favorite foods. Love comes in so many shapes and sizes. Everybody has a deep desire to love and be loved. But what is love? Why are we innately drawn to love? And does love always make us feel g...
Several times during the week, I check the county website to see if new candidates have filed for local elections. This year we are electing several county and state officials, as well as school board members and special district representatives. Very few open positions thus far are uncontested. We have five candidates to file so far for county sheriff, and each of the two open county commissioner positions have two candidates, with the filing deadline still a few weeks away. It makes me optimistic that so many people are filing for positions....
I have been writing this article in my head for the past week, and now that Ukraine has been invaded and perhaps by now, conquered, my thoughts remain the same, and they are that the level of dissent in the United States of America plays directly into the hands of the leaders of Russia and China and so threatens the freedoms of Americans in the future. Russia and China have entered into a mutual aid pact that has as a major goal the lessening of America’s power in the world. Putin and Xi J...
This past Tuesday was really "Twosday." It was 2-22-22. On a Tuesday! Something like this happens every so often and people use it s a reason to celebrate, or just as a distraction. This Twosday phenomenon got me thinking about how we look at data. Facts and figures are everything, and how you choose to represent or interpret them can make a huge difference. Think about good old Punxsutawney Phil, the furry little groundhog who tells us each February whether we have six more weeks of winter or if we only have six weeks left until spring....
While doing some research for the book group that meets monthly in Thompson Falls, I stumbled across results I found unbelievable. According to the Pew Research Center (2021), less than 25 percent of adults read a complete book per year, including audio books and plays. I had to do a double take. Less than 25 percent of adults read a full book per year? Of course, I thought, this is only one survey, so I began to dig deeper, believing that as much as I love a good book, most other people do...
Letter to the Editor Sanders County is a conservative place. We are mostly of the middle majority and reject the fringes. We pay our fair share of federal, state and local taxes but want our money used wisely and want billionaires to pay their share. We reject ideas of defunding the police; we ask for more funding for training and salaries. We are cautious about change but are willing to calmly discuss it. We defend free speech but expect civility. Most of us have guns, but don’t feel the need to wear one on our hip. The conservative middle m...
This week I interviewed the Sanders County wrestling coaches, getting some final thoughts on the season and the state tournament. For both Mike Thilmony and Shane Angle, the state tournament was an emotional one. Not just because of the intense competition at First Interstate Arena and the realization that the season is suddenly over, but both coaches also had kids who were senior wrestlers. On Saturday, Mike coached his son Trae in his final high school match. Shane coached his daughter Taylor...
Courage is a virtue that we Americans value in our culture. An act of courage transcends ideology, it is a personal characteristic that belongs to the individual or group and to call it bravery without thought of personal consequences is as good a definition as any. We award medals for it. It is the soldier who risks his life to save those of others just as much as it is the passerby who jumps into rushing waters to save a drowning child. It is a strictly personal quality, and we recognize a...
Clark Fork Valley Hospital has done an outstanding job with their drive-through COVID testing site. The process was quick, efficient, and courteous. They deserve kudos for putting forth the time and expense to keep us safe. Now that the drive-through testing is no longer available, people who are experiencing symptoms of COVID can order free home tests at COVIDtests.gov, or by calling 1-800-232-0233. Another option is to call the health department and a free home test will be brought to your vehicle at the courthouse if you are not feeling...
Tuesday in the newsroom it was discovered that I had the wrong edition number on page three of the February 3 newspaper. Last week was the first edition of our 118th volume. That's 118 years of covering Sanders County! I was shocked that I had missed The Ledger's birthday. I love celebrating milestones. If you know me even a little, you could probably guess that I was more than excited to celebrate my dog's fourth birthday last month (best pawty ever). As the years go by, we mark significant events in our lives and in the world with dates and...
During the gloom of winter evenings, I’ve been reading A Short History of Byzantium, John Julius Norwich’s 1997 popular summary of his earlier three-volume work intended for professional historians. This is the repetitious and truly discouraging story of the chaotic city/kingdom which for more than a millennium dominated the geographical chokepoint between Europe and Asia. Despite roots in Greek cultures, Byzantium developed no interest in democracy. It was a harsh, absolutist theocracy and determined to stay that way, with power passing back-a...
A bobcat is traveling around the homestead these days, teaching snowshoe hares and ruffed grouse to pay attention, a good and proper thing for a bobcat to do. I see its tracks rambling through my woods. I also had the good luck of a sighting a few weeks ago. In my years in this neck of the woods, I’ve seen three bobcats, and sightings were years apart. One popped out of the woods on a summer day during my teens, scaring the bejeezus out of my first and only horse. Thunder went straight up and sideways, which scared the bejeezus out of me, as w...
Well, it’s definitely an election year. This year, Sanders County residents will choose two county commissioners, a sheriff, a county attorney, school board members, special district representatives and other positions. Candidates are filing and developing their strategies for the June 7 primary and the November 8 general election. The Ledger’s duty is to inform the public. Journalists report the facts and provide readers with all the evidence available so that the public can make informed decisions. The journalists at The Ledger do not jud...
In an age where people are falling all over themselves to divulge their most personal information to the world at large through social media and where people willingly give their permission to internet search engines like Google to gather and sell their personal data, it seems almost absurd to worry about the right to privacy. But the difference in giving up your privacy and having your privacy taken away is significant, and that is why it is frightening to me to see elected officials in Montana and elsewhere belittle its importance and plot...
Editor, First, a confession: I seldom read the “Remember When?” column in the Ledger. But something compelled me to read it last week when Miriah Kardelis reviewed what life was like here 80 years ago, just one month after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Teachers and parents would be well advised to start reading this column to their students and children, as history is our best lesson on what can come in the future. The past couple generations have little or no concept of what it could be like to once again deal with threats of war on our own soi...
The other day while driving to Plains, I noticed that familiar gray ceiling. After a beautiful sunny Sunday with not a cloud in the sky, a blanket of clouds hanging over the valley on Monday. If that doesn't give you a case of the Mondays, I don't know what will. You can feel that cabin fever settling in with the inversion in the sky. Most everyone is tried of the snow, the endless ice we've seen, and ready for sunnier days. It's hard to stay positive when it's cold and messy outside when all you really want to do is curl up on the couch with...
It has come to our attention that there is to be another sewer board meeting this week. Apparently, the newly assembled folks on the board wish to re-introduce the community to this person who we are told represents Great West Engineering. Why they assume we need to be introduced to her again is beyond us. Having seen her on Zoom, we were left with the impression that she might be someone we would be unable to approach. However, it would appear that we are to deal with the very aggressive folks who intend to force their will on all of us yet...
It is 10 a.m. on January 21, 1991, when Montana State Senator Eleanor Vaughn (D-Libby) calls the joint meeting of House and Senate State Administration Committees to order and Senator Harry Fritz rises to present, for the third consecutive legislative session – 1987, 1989, and now, 1991 – a bill to create a paid state holiday honoring the legacy of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. It has been a national holiday since 1986, and Montana is one of the two remaining states that has yet to cre...
For a few years I lived in Texas, where high school football is a pretty big deal. On Friday nights, communities fill stadiums bigger than some college playing fields and coaches are treated like royalty. Watching high school football at that level was fun, but you get even more intensity watching sports in rural Montana. Last week we got to see two undefeated teams battle it out on the court as Bigfork and Thompson Falls girls met for the first time this season. Then Saturday, Hot Springs and Charlo went back and forth until literally the...
Our Senator Bob Brown and our Congressman Paul Fielder, supported by Governor Gianforte, have passed laws paving the way for the newly formed Foundation for Wildlife Management group to inhumanely hunt and kill wolves on any private land they control or on all public lands that we should be able to safely use. The FWM group is NOT affiliated, nor do they have the blessing of, our Montana State Fish and Wildlife biologists. The non-profit group Foundation for Wildlife Management raises money so they can pay $1,500 per head for a wolf. The bag...
With the passing of icon Betty White three weeks short of her 100th birthday, people have been sharing the impact the performer had on their lives. From her roles as sweet Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the dimwitted Rose Nylund on Golden Girls, to portraying the deceptive foul mouthed Catherine Piper on Boston Legal, Betty’s nine-decade career provided a diversity of characters and created an enduring legacy, both on stage and screen. Throughout life, Betty shared her d...
The City of Thompson Falls has been working now for a couple years on how to handle growth in the community. On Monday, the City Council discussed adding tiny homes to the mobile home placement ordinance. The discussion went several different directions. When it comes to growth, it's not just about home size or how many residences are on a lot. The city has to think about things such as guidelines for fence placement, impact to the city sewer and water systems and requirements for off-street parking. Communities within Sanders County are...
Letter to the Editor: It was a painful start to the new year for Orvall Kuester. Few in the county love flora and fauna more than Orvall. Originally an outfitter turned contractor and photographer, his appreciation of the beauty, essentiality and spirituality of nature approaches Native American understanding. So, it was a wretched start to the new year when Orvall stopped his Ford truck on River Road West to gather and respectfully dispose of the widely scattered remains of 10 turkeys run down by some unidentified vehicle rushing down...
