Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Offered as a respite from current events. Eddie Mulick was the first person I met when I moved to Trout Creek, and that was largely because he owned, what his matchbooks proclaimed was, “The Wayside Bar--finest bar in Trout Creek.” It was also the only bar. Those days I did custom haying in the summer and I had been working George Casteel’s field right across the river. George was a story in himself, an old single-jack gold miner whose cabin floor was liberally littered with rocks of ore and c...
Back in the late 60’s at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, West Germany, Sergeant First Class Schmidt ran a mortar platoon so well that no rank either above or below him questioned his performance. He was big, loud and gruff, with an accent that reminded listeners of his origins in Hungary, from where, as a lone teenager, he had fled ahead of a 1950’s Russian threat. I was a squad leader assigned to the same company, but as a scout rather than a mortar man, when in the summer of ’68 the Russians briefly invaded nearby Czechoslovakia. I thought that...
After weeks of waiting, hundreds of Sanders County residents have been getting their COVID-19 vaccinations. Residents, especially those in the Phase 1B distribution group, have been anxiously waiting for the call from Public Health or Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) announcing their vaccination appointment. Over the weekend, some of our family members received their first vaccinations at CFVH. The nurses told them that the hospital would be vaccinating about 300 people on Saturday, and the process was seamless. From checking in, to getting...
Who is responsible for the Sanders County parklands? Not the board of commissioners. Glen Magera – although the county provides him with an email, he is incapable of hitting the reply button. Carol Brooker – forwards emails regarding the parks to Tony Cox & the county planner Tony Cox – writes letters that are not enforced and forwards emails to the county planner. Not the county planner. Katherine Maudrone, Director of Land Services, forwards emails to the Sanders County Park Board. Not the members of the Sanders County Park Board. Julie...
We are off and running on a new year with great enthusiasm because it’s 2021 and no longer 2020! Right? And the city government is working on issues of importance to the city and all of us who live in Thompson Falls. I’m not going to talk about those issues specifically because my articles regarding the council have caused concern. So, I’m going to try and skirt the edges to keep myself out of trouble! But I am going to discuss an important element in making city government work for you, the citizens of Thompson Falls. As noted in a previ...
As I write this the D.C. Democrats are one day away from opening their second impeachment of former President Donald Trump. I don’t get it! I’ve been trying to figure out why so much effort is being put into impeaching a man who no longer holds the office. Most scholars agree that moving forward with the impeachment is unconstitutional. Beyond that, everyone pretty much agrees that (like the first impeachment effort), there simply won’t be enough votes for a conviction. So, why are the Democrats...
During last month's windstorm, we saw neighbors stepping up to help neighbors. No questions asked, people just came together to help clean up our county after this devastating storm knocked out power and damaged homes and businesses. That sense of community was nice to see. With this storm came a feeling of belonging. Sanders County is 100 miles long, but in that week after the storm there was no distance. We were one community helping each other and literally weathering the storm. We see examples of closeknit communities here and there. When...
Every word has a definition. You can look that up in a dictionary and call that definition the gospel truth. But many words also have emotions attached to them which are harder to define because they are unique to the individual that feels them. Everybody knows what “patriotism” is. It’s love of country. But just as everyone has their own definition of love they also have their own emotional definition of patriotism. For some it is storming the United States Capitol, for others it is peace...
While serving as the 15th Supreme Court Chief Justice, Warren Burger stated in his June 22, 1983 ,letter to Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum, “I have also repeatedly given my opinion that there is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a constitutional convention. The convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda. Congress might try to limit the convention to one amendment or to one issue, but there is no way to assure that the convention would obey. After a convention is convened, it will be too late to stop the c...
The Big Game is coming up. On February 7, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet in Tampa and play the 55th NFL championship game. The Super Bowl is pretty much a national holiday in the United States. We've often heard chatter the Monday after saying that should be a holiday for offices, especially on the East Coast where the game doesn't start until after 8 p.m. Super Bowl Sunday is a day full of snacks and competitive banter and betting pools amongst your friends. Even more entertaining than the actual game or the cele...
This past December, the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge sponsored an “Americanism Essay” contest for students in Sanders County. Student contestants were given the topic, “How Can Patriotism Be Demonstrated?” Then they were tasked with completing a short essay. The top three contestants in two grade categories would be awarded monetary prizes. I recently had the privilege of reading the winning essays (I’m sure glad I wasn’t a judge. All six were great!). In a time when our country is so divided, i...
I do not oppose Article V per se, just all misuse of it. The Constitution is not the problem, amending or rewriting is not the solution. I stand solidly OPPOSED to SJ2 currently before the MT Senate Judiciary Committee. Just enforce the Constitution. The problem? An out of control judiciary and legislature bought and paid for by the same globalist interest that promote the A V Convention plan to undo our law. Our U.S. Constitution is NOT lacking the restraint necessary to stop federal tyranny, it is our current Legislative and Judiciary and...
Sanders County Ledger readers should let their legislative senator (Bob Brown) know that they are not in favor of HB 102. This bill would allow college students to keep guns in their dorm rooms, classrooms, music events, and with them on campus. The addition of guns adds an unnecessary danger in a time young adults are already experiencing big changes. These years are too transitional, suicide too prevalent. If they want a place to keep hunting rifles, campus security will store them. This bill would also allow concealed loaded firearms...
This is in response to Jim Elliot’s columns of Jan 7 and 21 “Montana Viewpoint.” I applaud and agree with Catherine Moore’s Jan. 21st letter. I hope that the authorities have the will and guts to continue to investigate and collect and protect all the evidence in those suspect precincts, including the voting machines and audit listings before it is all destroyed. And then prosecute the perpetrators if wrongdoing is found. I call what was done treason, and I hope it doesn’t take four years to get it done. During the immediate months before the e...
Dear Editor, In regards to the “March for Life” this Friday, January 29, 2021, in our community, I would like to share this thought: “An unborn child was the first to recognize Jesus” Ref: the Holy Bible, Luke 1:39-45. Sincerely, Barb Kunch, Thompson Falls...
Last week in Sanders County, we saw a devastating winter windstorm that knocked out power to much of the county for days. Trees were uprooted, some falling on houses, businesses and other buildings. Before the storm was over, we saw neighbors and strangers helping residents clear trees and roadways. Crews from NorthWestern Energy and Northern Lights worked days on end restoring power to residents. It was amazing to see all the trucks of trees and debris as they paraded to the Sanders County Transfer Site outside Thompson Falls. The pile of...
The Capitol has been trashed by bThe Capitol has been trashed by big boys and girls who should have known better. It is hard to take a bearded, bare-chested man with cow horns on his head seriously, let alone as an adult, but he and others broke windows, beat up cops (killing one, wounding others), had one of their own shot by police and trampled another one of their own to death. This was not just a riot, it was an insurrection. It has resulted in 70 of them being charged with criminal...
Dear Editor, I would like to respond to Jim Elliot’s op-ed “A dangerous game with democracy” (January 7, 2021). There are hundreds of documented instances of irregularities in the last election that I find unexplained to this date. In the recent Georgia senate hearings on the November election, Jovan Pulitzer’s team hacked into the counting system in real time using the local Wi-Fi. In the CNN election night broadcasts, the tallies at the bottom of the screen were shown to slide votes from one candidate to another. From Atlanta, there is vide...
The first time I went to Washington, D.C., as a high school junior, it was for a journalism conference. We were a group of teenagers celebrating the First Amendment and the role we as journalists played in our future. Unfortunately for the three delegates from Montana, it was the year Ted Kaczynski was arrested and Montana was only known for the Unabomber. That first time in D.C., I was in awe of all the history. Seeing the Declaration of Independence gave me chills and so much pride in our country. The second time, I had the privilege of...
The Sanders County Courthouse and the Sanders County Sheriff's Office have not lowered the American flag to honor peace officers dying as a result of the assault on our democracy on January 6. Neither found honoring peace officers worth the few minutes it would have taken to lower the flag. And where are the voices of veterans, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars regarding respect for our fellow Americans and our flag? All of you who are silent are supporting this disrespect and all that goes with it. Ruth Cheney, U.S. Army,...
I want to make it very clear to everyone reading this that I absolutely condemn the violent demonstration we all watched evolve on January 6 in Washington, D.C. In my mind, there is no defending the actions of the individuals who stormed the senate chambers. It was embarrassing to our nation in general and conservative voters in particular. As in any violent demonstration, those involved should be arrested and prosecuted. I have a problem though with the way that whole event has been covered....
One of our favorite things to do is go in the basement of The Ledger and look at old newspapers. We have hard copies of every issue back to 1905. We've found our own birth announcements, parents' wedding announcements and everything in between. We often get calls from all over the country. People wanting copies of articles as they are researching family history or other research projects. It's fun to talk to people with ties to the area. More than that, the past Ledgers are an important record for our area and a unique look back. When alumni...
This morning I was disappointed to hear of Sen. Daines’ intent to challenge the presidential election’s outcome by voting to reject state-certified electors from selected states. A few weeks ago, Trump’s then-Attorney General William Barr said there was no evidence of even slightly significant fraud and the election ran smoothly. Fifty years ago, I fought as a sergeant in an airborne unit at Dak To, Vietnam, to preserve our essential democratic obligations, including the right to vote and to have those votes realized as an expression of freedom...
I just finished reading Blaine Blackstone’s column in The Ledger today (Dec. 31, 2020) and he seems to have hit the nail on the head in this one. I expect to see a slurry of critical reviews from the Sanders County hard left (including the Heron Mafia). Although I feel a lot less optimistic for the next four years than Blaine, I think it is time for the realization that the two-party system has totally failed we Americans. The last serious attempt at a third party was from Ross Perot who only seceded in electing another Democrat president. H...
Whatever grudging respect I had for U.S. Senator Steve Daines has been obliterated by his stunt of joining 11 other Republican senators to question the validity of the 2020 presidential election. His motives mystify me, but his action chills me. Trump, I at least understand. He wants to be president no matter what reality has dictated. Many Americans believe that the election was rigged against Trump. Not surprisingly, they are all Trump voters. And why do they believe the election was rigged?...
