Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Here we are, less than a week away from Christmas, and it feels like the feelings are changing. The energy was stressful in our office on Monday, and many people were feeling that way. Employees were out sick. People were rushing to get packages mailed. One friend stopped in my office and said he wished he could just take a long nap and wake up in January. I felt that as well. I joked with my staff that we were going to reward ourselves every time someone with a UPS package to ship came in and wasn't stressed out or frustrated. The holidays...
I'm probably getting a lump of coal in my stocking or a glitter bomb on my car for saying this, but I haven't put up one Christmas decoration this year. I'm doing some holiday-ish things here and there by putting together an Advent devotional book for church and a couple of garlands up at The Ledger. However, the holidays seem to be sneaking up on me and there's still so much to get done. My next-door neighbors have a fantastic larger than life reindeer in their front yard with a light shining on it at night. Going to work in the early morning...
If you've learned anything about me from my nearly 8 years as a newspaper publisher, I hope it's how much I care about our communities. On Monday, I had breakfast with a friend in Plains and was telling him how I definitely feel obligated to do a good job in my role of keeping Sanders County informed. I grew up here. My family is still here. Though I say I want to retire to Maine, I'll probably be here in Sanders County forever. When I interviewed TFHS alum Tracy Ward about taking over the Sanders County Christmas Bazaar, she expressed some of...
This month I was asked to participate in the post election audit process for the county. I’ve been on the other side of the table for every part of local elections, observing everything from voting machine testing to ballot counting by machine and hand counts, to recounts and audits. But I’ve never been anything more than an observer. With the post election audit, the Secretary of State’s office literally rolls a dice to determine which races and which precincts will be hand counted. Then the local elections office has election workers sit i...
Donald Trump made history in three ways this month when he defeated Kamala Harris for the presidency. First, some news sources say he might have scored the greatest political comeback in U.S. history: he's only the second man to win the presidency in non-consecutive terms, and the only Republican to do it. The first man to get two non-consecutive victories was Democrat Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving first from 1885 to 1889. He then lost to Benjamin Harrison, one of the last Civil War veterans in the...
I only made it to one Veterans Day event with it being on Monday, but it was still an endearing day. Thompson Falls High School put on a lovely assembly with the choir and band. They also served lunch to veterans and their families. I was impressed with the students who helped serve the veterans their meal. There probably was a bit of coaching from school staff, but they thanked each veteran for their service as they served their meal. More students then came in to sit amongst the veterans during the performances. I heard students again...
As you read this, the election is over and hopefully we know who the president is, we know how people voted on the constitutional initiatives, and life can get back to normal. Hopefully our mailboxes are less full of campaign materials that end up in the trash and the television ads are back to promoting medicines and the latest model of trucks. I feel like I'm suffering from election overload, though it's till one of my favorite times of the year as a journalist. It's been interesting this year to see people get so involved as the election dre...
It's almost over. I haven't heard anyone talk about how they wish they could see more political ads and mailers or listen to and read more about politics. On Tuesday, local, state and national races and issues will be decided. I get chills when I think about what a privilege it is to be in this country and help decide what happens here. Legislative bodies make laws and they are enforced, but we have a choice of who we put in office and what changes are made to the constitution. I love getting my ballot and feel proud when I walk in the...
As I was skimming the crowd at the Rex Theater fundraiser on Saturday, I saw several new faces. There were people I didn't know, and people who I had never seen at the Rex fundraiser before. The same was true of the organizers. "Head Wrangler" Rob Viens, who coordinated the event, moved to Thompson Falls in 2022. The primary forces behind the Save the Rex effort who got the community going were the Mundays and the Wilsons, two families who also moved to the area in the last decade. Before you get too excited, let me say that there were plenty o...
I think absentee voting is one of the best inventions. I really appreciate having the opportunity to review the ballot, review the voter guide and make informed decisions. Some thoughts are worth repeating. Every year, I write about keeping our communities clean around Beautification Days. There's a reminder to shop local and give local around the holidays. And every election cycle, I urge readers to be informed voters. I hate to admit it, but when I was younger and a new voter, I would just vote for names I had heard of for most state races....
I've written the story about how my brother and his buddy, when I was little, told me that deer were aliens and that's why their eyes glowed. I was scared of deer until I could hunt. Then I became a hunter and took out one of those alien deer each year. I don't know if it's age or hormones or what, but I have found myself feeling guilty with hunting these days. The last elk I killed, I felt really bad. I was happy to help provide for my family, and I love eating elk and deer and cows and pigs and chickens, but I just don't want to do the...
Earlier this summer, in the June 13 edition of The Ledger, the Question of the Week asked people if they read the local newspapers. One of the six people said they read The Ledger. Other answers were getting news from friends or a spouse or a parent, or not paying attention to the news at all. It was a bit shocking to see those answers, but it was also a very good question to ask. Recently someone commented to me about that question of the week and didn't know why we asked it. It's a sobering statistic for local newspapers if only one person...
Sometimes I will go weeks without getting a letter to the editor. Other times, such as this week, there are several sitting in my inbox. There is something to be said for sitting down and putting thoughts together on paper (or in a word processor) and not just spouting off a few words on social media. It forces you to think about your words, compose complete sentences and try to get to a point. There are some weeks when I write my editorial at the last minute, scramble through paragraphs and then still wonder if I have made a point. Other...
Over the weekend, we watched "The Fox and the Hound." I hadn't seen it in decades, and my friend and I remembered it as one of our favorite Disney movies. Seeing the movie again, it's pretty violent. There is also a lot of sadness, as was pointed out to me by a 12-year-old. It's still one of my favorite movies, however. There are lessons about coming from different backgrounds, about growing and changing, and about still being friends in the end. Or, at least, having mutual respect for each other. Copper and Tod grew up playing in the forest...
As the smoke started rolling in last week, it reminded me that it's still technically summer for a few more weeks, and that it's still really dry out there. Last week we had two human-caused wildfires in Sanders County. The Mile Marker 104 fire near Dixon is nearing containment after burning nearly 500 acres. Then on Saturday there was a small fire outside Thompson Falls in the Cherry Creek area, near a popular swimming hole at the mouth of Prospect Creek. Fall is just around the corner and the nights are getting cooler. However, driving...
I wasn't expecting to spend all weekend at the fair. My mom and I judge 4-H cooking, baking and cake decorating on Thursday. It's tradition. This was our fourth year, and it's great to see the kids come back each year and be more open and comfortable with their interviews and their cooking skills. And it's become tradition for me to work with my pal Heidi in the beer booth on Friday night. It's a great way to see all sorts of people, make new friends, and help out the Sanders County Fair Foundation, which is a nonprofit that helps the fair...
I very vividly remember my first day of kindergarten. My mom took me to school, walked me to Mrs. Garrison's class in the dorm building, started to walk away, and I burst into tears. I think the only way she got me to stay was by having my friend Brooke distract me. I still get those same first-day-of-school jitters when I start a new project, go somewhere I've never been or even when I pick up the phone to conduct an interview. It always turns out just fine and I'm happy for new experiences and new acquaintances. As kids go back to school this...
There seem to be no shades of gray in the political landscape of the United States. You're either red or blue or right or wrong. There's not much compromise or debating when people have their minds made up so early in races. I am one of those voters who loves absentee ballots. I like to think of myself as pretty well informed, given my profession, but sometimes there are statewide races for which I have no clue who either candidate is. In that situation, I like to Google the people, at the very least, and try to get some idea of what they...
I joke that my parents were super excited when I bought my own house because it meant that I wouldn't move back in with them again. Growing up in little old Sanders County, I couldn't wait to go out and explore the world. I branched out for college, going out of state. Then I moved home. I made stops around the country for college my journalism career. And when I got divorced, the only place I wanted to go was home. Once I got back to Sanders County, I didn't want to leave. In fact, I only leave the county once every other month or so, and...
Last week as I was walking down Main Street in Thompson Falls, distracted by waving at someone driving by, I nearly ran into a doe huddled in some shade just off the sidewalk. It shocked me and I jumped back a bit as the deer just stood there. (As a side note, one thing that's important to know about me is that my brother and his best friend told me that deer were aliens and that's why their eyes glowed. It still influences me to this day.) Finally the deer just stepped aside a bit, but never was bothered by me being there. Later that day, I...
The big news in politics this week is President Joe Biden announcing he won't seek reelection and the Democratic party is deciding how to pick a new nominee. However, the big news isn't the big business. Montana's Senate race has gained national attention for the big dollars raised. According to the Montana Free Press, as of July 17, incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, has raised $43.7 million in campaign funds, while Republican candidate Tim Sheehy has raised $13.7 million. By contrast, in the race for U.S. Representative for District 1,...
Growing up, I loved "Little House on the Prairie." I loved the show and the books. I read the whole series over again every couple of years. I've always said if I could go back in time, I'd be a pioneer. I believe I could figure out how to grow things and make clothes and I think I'd be a pretty good homesteader. In those days, the communities rallied around families in need. In one "Little House" episode, Charles Ingalls gets hurt falling out of a tree right at harvest time, and Walnut Grove helps with the harvest so he can keep his oxen. Time...
Last year driving through Paradise on the day the River Road East fire ignited, it was something I had never experienced. I have seen documentaries about fast-moving wildfires in other parts of the country, but watching sparks fly over Highway 200 and the growing fire cloud swirling across the mountain was just incredible. In 2021 when the Thorne Creek fire roared above Thompson Falls, I would sit every night and watch the fire creep across the mountains. Again, it was an eery, incredible sight to take in. It seems that we are getting more and...
If you think Congress members have trouble cooperating with each other today, you really should read up on how one of our most beloved sacred documents was created 248 years ago. It’s a miracle that it ever got done and it’s hard to imagine there wasn’t some kind of divine intervention. Our two primary political parties today are constantly at odds with one another. The only thing they agree on is that the other one is wrong. Try to envision 13 separate entities, some with divisions within themselves, attempting to make a decision that would...
You don't need a plumber, until you do. You don't need a cup of sugar, until you do. You don't need an ambulance, until you do. We had a scare in our family last week which required my dad to take a trip to the hospital. My parents live between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek. Like many areas of Sanders County, you're at least 15 minutes from anywhere. The Thompson Falls Ambulance arrived quickly and got my dad to the hospital where he received excellent care. He is on the mend and everything will be fine. Every day when I drive out to my...
