Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
Sorted by date Results 851 - 875 of 1510
Per request of the mayor on behalf of the city, I am reminding you that I am speaking only for myself, not for the city, not for the mayor, and not for other council members. In order to keep myself out of potential hot water, and to keep others comfortable with what I am doing, I’m now and in the future writing these pieces solely as a private citizen, who, because of several years' attendance at council meetings previously as a private citizen, understand quite a bit about city administration. I’m a “communicator” and think systems work be...
You know what? This year has been a rough one. We are still dealing with a pandemic. We are having to make decisions about sending our kids to school, keeping our businesses open, and whether or not to see our families on Thanksgiving. Most of us have never experienced anything like this in our lifetime. The divisiveness that came with election season only added to the stress that we're all feeling. This week, we decided it's OK to feel the stress and feel like 2020 hasn't been that great. Yes, there have been worse years in history. Yes,...
It seems that almost anybody watching someone work believes they can do the job as well or better than the person who is actually doing it, especially if the person watching has never done it before. When I hired on at the brickyard in Lewistown in 1974, the boss pointed to a group of workmen taking wet brick off a conveyor belt and stacking them on small railcars which were then pushed into the kiln for firing. This was called “hacking brick.” “Can you do that?” he asked. “Any fool could do...
School scheduling became pretty chaotic for my son and family this fall, so they decided to homeschool until things settle down. Since my two junior high grandsons are comfortable in their public schools, and my daughter-in-law is a former school board member, this wasn’t an easy choice. Their dilemma reminded me of one of the windmills I tilted at back when I was in the public school business myself. Not many people become intensely interested in the word “curriculum,” but I did, and still am, and maybe that explains why my wife thinks a sta...
Last weekend, I decided to take a road trip to Post Falls to pick up some doors from Craigslist. I don't buy too much on the site, but these doors were cool and I "had" to have them. One of my favorite hobbies is to listen to podcasts on road trips. I'd call myself a true-crime junkie, and let's face it, meeting a strange person in an alley for a couple of doors probably isn't the smartest idea for anyone. So I grabbed a couple of girlfriends and headed across state lines. As I've discussed in this space, I'm also on the extreme end of...
There’s a lot of conversation about controversial police incidents. Most of what I read/hear only tells the story from one perspective, which strikes me as wholly unfair and misleading. I don’t see the situation changing and going in a positive direction anytime soon. So…I decided to share a different perspective. You won’t hear these stories in the media. Why? Good question! I suspect it’s because nobody cares. After telling these stories to a friend, I decided to share several as my way of ge...
Editor, In June, I made a trip to Oklahoma with two aunts and an uncle to visit my eldest uncle. While there, we all contracted COVID. We made it home wearing masks and we all then fell ill. My good neighbor, Francois Comunetti, fed my cows while I was away and at CFVH (7 days). I’d left many chores to do upon return home but was too sick to do them. My good friends, Mark Wedel and Tod Damaskos, tarped my hay, and Doug and Mindy Ferrell came the next day and strapped it all down. I’m so blessed and thankful to have such wonderful friends. I d...
One of my friends who is a teacher at Thompson Falls High School has a sign in her classroom that reads "10% of life is what happens to you; 90% is how you react to it." I've been thinking about that a lot this last week, and not just as we watch the presidential election unfold. No one likes to lose. Losing is hard, but try to remember that your reaction to the loss is what really counts and what people really remember. That's the 90% that is going to affect how you move on and how your peers, your community, and your opponent view your loss....
With the passage in Montana of I-190 we have joined California, Washington, Oregon and a few other “liberal” states in making the purchase and use of marijuana jail time free. It has been about 100 years since its use became a social stigma, then illegal in the United States. Marijuana use was blamed for everything from mild insanity to the insatiable urge to massacre hundreds of people at one time. How could something that was once in common use become so bad and then good again? I’d like...
Our country provides for our right, and calls upon our responsibility, for every citizen to cast their vote. This election process is the backbone of our Democratic Republic. In turn, every citizen expects that their vote will be properly counted and joined with other citizens to represent the will of the people. Too often overlooked are the unsung heroes in this process – those professionals at the Sanders County Clerk and Recorder’s Office and the cadre of trained election judges. This year saw record numbers of new registrations and bal...
PATIENCE! Let the election process go through its complete course. The media is jumping the gun by calling this election for Biden now. (11/7) There are severe accusation pending of vote count irregularities. Biden can win, but only with the opposition believing the process was fair or we are in for a bumpy road. Biden should want to let the truth come out or his presidency will be miserable if half the nation believes he stole power with fraud. He needs to be patient and win fair and square. There are many respected Americans that have severe...
Last week, the Sanders County Commissioners met to discuss if and how to enforce the governor’s mask mandate. Why? Because the country has chosen to pass accountability to the state, the state passed it to counties, and the county has chosen to pass it down to businesses and individuals. The commission’s discussion ended with no real resolution. However, the state Department of Health and Human Services last month did release a complaint form, which residents can use if they see mandates are not being enforced at local businesses. Simply put...
Over the years, I’ve read the phrase “May you live in interesting times,” in fortune cookies and heard the same statement used as a toast. Legend says that the saying originated in China, and, although perceived as a blessing, is actually intended to be a curse. I have no idea which is true, but I don’t think there’s anyone reading this who wouldn’t agree that we definitely live in interesting times. Based on the way 2020 has gone so far, I’m pretty much leaning toward the ‘curse’ defin...
I recently read Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe (1948), his autobiographical version of WWII from about 1941 to 1945. I assume there are historians who might argue “that’s not what really happened,” since (like a Facebook profile) an autobiography can be anything you want it to be. Nevertheless, I’ll take Ike’s version. He was there for real. This book is pretty dry, but I do have enough understanding of WWII to make the geography and some of the names familiar, so I’m able to plug along despite the style. It is also very informat...
Dear Editor, It’s my understanding that the Chamber of Commerce is looking for a grand marshal for the Christmas on Main Street parade. As a Christian, it is a notion that the living Jesus Christ ought to be selected as the King we know that will be coming. This country has become what it is primarily because of the Puritans and subsequent Christian immigrants. Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Christian pastors. Being that the December season has been celebrated for such a long time as the birthing time for the i...
If only everyone had as much passion for their community as Ray Brown. Ray was recently hired as executive director of Sanders County Community Development Corporation (SCCDC). Last Thursday, he addressed Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce members during a Business After Hours Event. He talked about his passion for the Sanders County communities, not just Thompson Falls, where he lives. He talked about the resources available through SCCDC, for businesses, individuals or nonprofit organizations. Through the Montana Office of Tourism and...
We are living in a tumultuous time, and my bet is it will become even more tumultuous after the election. Whoever wins, the supporters of the losing candidate will be angry. There is talk of not accepting the results of the election, something that has never happened in our history. The Right is worried about retribution from the Left, win or lose, and the Left fears vigilante “justice” from the self-appointed “guardians of freedom” of the Right. It could be a mess. It doesn’t have to be, but a...
7 YEARS AGO • OCTOBER 30, 1950 HUNTING NEWS Official returns from the two checking stations, maintained by the Montana Fish and Game Commission, located at Little Thompson River and on the Cherry Creek road, reveal the following number of big game animals killed to date. In the Thompson River doe area 146 does, 25 bucks and 3 bear were checked through the station up to and including Saturday, October 21, the last day that this area was open legally to the hunting of antlerless deer. In the Cherry Creek Game Preserve up to October 24 a total o...
Robin Fisher, Thompson Falls - “I have gotten my flu shot this year, here in Thompson Falls. I get it every year.” Robert Adams, Thompson Falls - “Yes I’m getting a flu shot as soon as possible. Just something I do every year.” Dan Milligan, Thompson Falls - “No, I’ve never gotten a flu shot. I just don’t believe in taking one. I have never felt like I needed to take one, and if I catch a flu I'll deal with it. I oppose what the flu shots are all about and I’m not going to take a flu shot ever.” RJ Littlefield, Yakima, Washington - “No I...
There are few hunts in Montana that compare to chasing after the ghosts of the prairie. Pronghorn sheep, American antelope, speed goat and numerous other names have been given to this, the second fastest land animal in the world. Prized as one of the most exciting hunts for many reasons, including the fact that many hunters consider it one of the best tasing game animals in the continental U.S. The pronghorn is also fast, intelligent, has eyes better than most binoculars and an extremely keen sense of smell. This strong olfactory sense can be...
I recently spent some time with a law enforcement officer from another Montana county. We had a great discussion about the state of the country and how current events are affecting law enforcement. She said that lately, residents have been bringing all sorts of gifts of appreciation. There are cookies and coffees and other gifts regularly being brought to the office. The law enforcement officers appreciate the gifts of gratitude. With all the mumblings of the defund the police movement and blue lives matter and Black lives matter and all lives...
I have a difficult confession to make. In 2016, I was very reluctant to vote for Donald Trump. However, when it came to ‘crunch time’ I ended up voting for him more because of the two things he wasn’t, rather than what he was; he wasn’t a career politician and he wasn’t Hillary Clinton. In my 45 years as a voter, I’ve developed a pretty jaded opinion regarding career politicians. Simply stated, I don’t trust them. As for Hillary Clinton? Well, she’s Hillary Clinton…no need to elaborate on that...
I can understand the right to anonymity when it comes to a person's privacy, like health issues. However, I do not agree with an apparent refusal by the county to let the public know which areas within the county where the (increasing) COVID-19 cases have shown up. With a deadly pandemic rapidly spreading, we the public should be able to help reduce the spread by avoiding visiting these general areas. I have been told this secrecy is ordered by Helena. There is no shame in contracting COVID-19, only in hiding it, which might help it spread....
I seldom write a letter to the editor, but that must change. I am addressing this to the population at large and especially to Hannah Hernandez of Troy. For several weeks Ms. Hernandez put an ad in the Ledger regarding the Fielder’s. I hope it is not her habit of spreading lies; and that she just did not take the time to investigate the truth regarding the Fielders. Senator Jennifer Fielder has only run for office twice before this and only in the last 8 years. She is not, and never has been, a “career politician.” She has forfeited her priva...
Now, with ballots in hand it’s up to us to make some decisions. One choice I’d encourage you to make is Diane Magone for Senate District 7. As an energetic, community-minded citizen, Diane has shown her commitment to improving the economy — her family has deep ties to the timber industry and she currently serves on the Mineral County Resource Coalition. She is committed to improving our public education system, with direct experience in student counseling and knowledge of teaching issues, having family members working in education. She belie...
