Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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On Tuesday, November 7, I was the only spectator in the lower courtroom of the Sanders County Courthouse as the ballots were counted for the municipal elections in Hot Springs and Thompson Falls. There were three election judges, Sanders County Elections staff members, and me. Municipal elections may not be very important to some people, as evidenced by the low voter turnout earlier this month. During a presidential election year, there have been as many as a dozen spectators as ballot boxes are delivered from around the county. On election...
With the end of fall sports comes the end of my first season as a sports writer, well, a writer at all. When I moved back to Sanders County last March I never dreamed I would land a job at the newspaper, let alone writing for sports. For people who know me, they know sports are not my thing. Sure, I played volleyball and basketball in middle school and the first few years of high school but what did someone like me know about football and cross country? Little to nothing, honestly. What I never expected was the warm welcome I got from every sch...
There are certain things that are just better in small towns, as we all know. That's why we live here. The latest example was seen countywide last week as businesses, organizations and schools honored local veterans. These local groups offered free burgers, beers, coffee, lunch, dinner and quilts to veterans last week in observance of Veterans Day. It's always interesting to attend an event recognizing veterans and realize the people we see every day at the grocery store, bank or post office gave part of their life to serve our country. There...
Halloween is over, and it seems like all the advertisements are now geared toward Christmas. As of today (Thursday), there are just 44 days until Christmas. It's time for craft fairs and shopping and all the holiday fundraisers. Last weekend I attended the Trout Creek School bazaar and the Honey Bazaar at the Whitepine Grange. What a wonderful display of craftsmanship at both event. There were people milling about at both events, and it seemed everyone walked out with at least one treasure. I got a head start on my holiday shopping. Then it got...
One morning last week I got a text from a friend asking if I had heard anything about a bunch of illegal immigrants being moved here and housed at the mule pasture. My first reaction was disgust that this is what is being said about the project to help our community. After I calmed down, I was thankful that my friend reached out to me to see if what she had heard was really true. Let's just set the record straight - the U.S. Forest Service is not going to use the Orchard land in Thompson Falls as a place to bring illegal immigrants. In last wee...
Experience. When it comes down to it, experience is more valuable than anything we can learn from a textbook. We can read a manual to change our oil, watch a video to can green beans, or sit through a class to be a teacher. But nothing equates to just doing the thing – good old-fashioned, hands-on learning. That’s true for the previous examples, but it’s especially true when it comes to driving, specifically teen driving. Where do most teens get their experience driving? My guess would be mostly from parents. Parents are the go-to source for a...
“I have been doing good and going the way my doctor wants it … what you have to be doing is be strong, be and think positive, and take it day by day.” This was written in a thank you card to our church last year by Lacey Kinser. Lacey lost her battle with breast cancer last week, and I thought of this card she had sent and how positive it was, despite what she was going through. If you shopped at Little Bitterroot in Thompson Falls, you probably met Lacey. She always greeted customers with a smile and was a hard worker. She loved the Blue...
Our job as a newspaper is to inform our readers, to be leaders of information in local communities. I get a lot of random questions from people every day. Most of the time, if it’s something we’ve written about, I’ll end my answer jokingly with “I read it in The Ledger.” It’s true, though. Looking back on more than six years owning a newspaper, there’s a lot of random knowledge in my brain that I never would have learned if I wasn’t reading the newspaper or covering local events and meetings. The 2023 Local Newspaper Study provides eviden...
The other day I was walking through Rose Garden Park in Thompson Falls with my trusty sidekick Walter the Jack Russell Terrier when I got a text from a friend that said "What are you looking up at?" The truth is, I'm looking up a lot these days. The colors in Sanders County are beautiful. This is my favorite time of year. When you need a sweater in the morning and an extra blanket in the evening, but the days are sunny, warm enough for just a t-shirt and perfect for looking up. This magic time in northwest Montana is awesome because everyone is...
There was a lot of soccer in my life last week. On Monday I went to Plains to watch the Clark Fork girls play Columbia Falls. The Clark Fork teams consist of young men and women from throughout the region and is considered a club sport because it hasn’t been approved by any Sanders County school boards. Then on Saturday I watched kids from age 3 to 12 play various games in Thompson Falls for a full day of fun. There were teams from throughout the county. Plains, Thompson Falls, Hot Springs and Trout Creek competed, as well as Superior. There w...
I was at the Sanders County Fair every day this year for various reasons. On Thursday my mom and I judged entries in the 4-H Home Ec building, Friday I volunteered for the Fair Foundation in the beer booth, and Saturday and Sunday I was there covering various events for the newspaper. I felt like I was at the fair a lot this year, though definitely not as much as the 4-H families and vendors. The Sanders County Fair is pretty special in that admission is still free and the grounds are still covered in grass. The $10 daily parking fee is more...
At the beginning of the summer, I wouldn't have really dubbed myself a Taylor Swift fan. But watching what she has done with her Eras tour has been pretty incredible. The singer could gross nearly $2.2 billion from this tour. I chatted with some locals who went to her concerts, and the consensus is that what she has done is incredible. Getting up on stage to perform for three hours a night, with multiple shows in each city, is pretty incredible. What's even more interesting is how she has turned her singing career into a very profitable...
I was a 4-H kid for many years. I was a proud member of the Whitepine Happy Workers. I did photography and sewing and cooking projects, but no animals, even though we raised cattle and had horses at home. When I was a sophomore in high school, something had to give. Between school and work and sports and 4-H, I had to let something go, and I decided to let 4-H go. Several times over the weekend at the Sanders County Fair, I told myself that I should have stayed in 4-H thorugh high school. I couldn't really let school go and I worked at the...
The rush is on. School starts soon. High school sports teams are practicing. The great zucchini trade is on as people start harvesting their gardens. As the days get a little shorter, it seems everyone is in a rush to squeeze in last-minute vacations, days on the water and other summer activities. As we soak in the last few weeks of sunshine and making summer memories, it’s a good time for a gentle reminder to watch out for others. Driving to and from the Huckleberry Festival last weekend, several motorists had collided with deer along the w...
It’s hard to sit back and do nothing. As I sat in my office Monday morning writing the latest update on the River Road East Fire, waiting for the rain that eventually came pouring, it was numbing. It’s hard to focus when we know what is happening to the east. On Sunday, I spoke with people who had lost their homes from the River Road East Fire. We’ve asked in the question of the week previously what people would take in case of a wildfire. I’d grab my dog and my phone, some clothes and the box of photos that aren’t digitized. Some of the resid...
In my first few years as a newspaper publisher, I was hesitant to use my editorial space to find fault in things I saw in our area of coverage. Everything was “rainbows and unicorns,” as I like to say, and I had a pretty positive angle. Recently, “Our Viewpoint” has been critical of several happenings in Sanders County. That’s necessary, too. But the definition of critical is to identify the faults and the merits of something. A few months ago, I decided I needed to take a year off. Don’t worry, it’s not what you think. After serving as a...
Before I bought a newspaper, there was a lot I didn’t know about our county and our community functioned. I was happy to work, play and just let the officials officiate. More than six years later, I know more than I ever thought I would. Part of keeping the community informed is going to meetings - lots and lots of meetings. There are budget meetings, council meetings, meetings about ambulance services or meetings about ordinances, and sometimes even meetings about scheduling more meetings. We go to a lot of meetings, and we do our best to p...
Some of you know me as Annie Wooden, daughter of Barb and Gene. Some of you know me as Annie Wooden, cake maker, golf partner and dog mom. Some of you know me as Annie Wooden, publisher of The Sanders County Ledger. And some of you don’t know me at all – you only know the words I write here each week. I wear a lot of hats, like most people do. We can play the role of parent, student, son, daughter, co-worker, boss or friend, and we can play multiple roles simultaneously. Sometimes it can even be difficult to turn off those roles. I’m alway...
Conflict is everywhere – within our families, among our friends, in places of business, on the internet – and while conflict is unavoidable and uncomfortable, it’s necessary for growth and change. But it can also halt progress where we need there to be progress, whether it’s local, national or worldwide issues. We could actually create change and get things accomplished if we were better at giving a little to get a little, but it doesn’t seem like we are willing to do that too often anymore. Have we lost the art of compromise? Watching...
Plenty of us are torn up that Main Street is torn up. The approximately mile-long project is a needed one, though. Enhanced safety features, smoother surfaces and ADA-compliant sidewalks will make downtown a better place for residents and visitors, especially those using strollers, delivery dollies, wheelchairs, canes or any other assisted-walking devices. Traveling down Main Street – specifically on foot – will be much improved. But oh the pain of getting there. Businesses, many of which rely on summer tourists, are tough to get to this wee...
In June, Illinois took its own action against groups attempting to remove certain materials from the shelves of public schools and libraries: The state banned book bans. The measure signed into law withholds grant funding to libraries that do not adhere to the American Library Association’s guidelines that say books shall not be taken out of circulation based on personal, political or religious reasons. For 20 years, the ALA has gathered data on attempted book bans, and 2022’s numbers are the highest in history. According to their website, the...
Whether it’s a serious news story with the latest investigation update or an edgy meme featuring orcas and video-game controllers, we are inundated right now with information about the Titan submersible. There has been no shortage of coverage on the investigation of what went wrong as the deep-water vessel attempted to descend to the wreck of the Titanic, more than 12,000 feet below sea level. Of all the questions being asked right now, though, the one that has struck me from the very beginning is “Why?” I don’t mean “Why did the vessel im...
Independence Day is definitely something to cheer about. It was the start of an amazing nation and should be celebrated every year. It was especially joyous to the people of the colonies, which were under the iron thumb of King George III. Five days after the freedom document was approved by the Second Continental Congress, Gen. George Washington read it aloud to his troops in New York and again it was cheered. It was official — the 13 colonies were separated from Mother England. Free at last. But it wasn’t quite that simple or easy. We actuall...
Garage sale season is in full swing. Whether you’ve just finished some spring cleaning, are making room for new items, are moving out of your house, or just want to earn a little money, selling gently used items has more benefits than we may realize. While some might poo-poo the idea of putting our junk on display (and let’s face it – sometimes it can be junk), more often than not, our items for sale are good for another round. Garage and yard sales certainly benefit us at the individual level. Obviously, sellers make cash quickly. There are no...
A couple weeks ago, this space was devoted to moments from my weekend spent reconnecting with old friends. Our time together was full of childhood stories, spontaneous laughter, good-natured teasing and “remember whens.” When we parted, we said, “See you soon” and made promises to get together more often. Recently, I got together with another old friend. Our time together was quieter. The conversation was one-sided, the laughter subdued, and the memories all in my head. I was with Sage, our family dog. She has been slowing down the past fe...
