Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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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...
Summer is finally here for the kids of Sanders County. The days are longer, the weather is warmer and the next few months are full of endless possibilities. One thing it seems won’t be available for kids in Thompson Falls as much this summer is the city pool. Due to a lack of people applying to be lifeguards, the pool is planning to reduce services. So, where are the lifeguards? Actually, where are any applicants for any jobs? I’ve written in this space before about how it seems kids aren’t working as much. Places like city pools requi...
With the nice long Memorial Day holiday this past weekend, I had the chance to catch up with my friend Troy. His grandparents had the ranch next to ours, and he comes back to visit every few years. We played in Beaver Creek, shared stories, looked at old photos, and measured our heights on the back of a closet door. My first height recorded on that door by Troy’s grandma Ada was in 1983, the most recent until now was in 1992. Troy retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel. His father, Roy, was serving in the Army in Vietnam when his h...
Last week I got to help one of my employees celebrate a pretty big milestone. Reporter Ed Moreth turned 70. Friends and family gathered to celebrate Ed. It was a fun evening. Ed is a fantastic reporter. He isn't afraid to go up to anyone at an event or a meeting and ask them any sort of question. He jokes about slowing down, and then will submit seven stories the next week. He does a great job of covering the Plains area and beyond. People respect him and will often call him with story ideas....
On Monday, I went to Thompson Falls Christian Church for the Piatigorsky Foundation concert. This was the first time I was able to see the concert that the Clark Fork Enrichment Corporation provides free to the community. Watching the concert on Monday, the crowd could have just as easily been in a large concert hall. But here we were, honored with an intimate presentation by world reknowned artists. It gave me chills to hear Evan Drachman talk but his 302-year-old cello and the history of his musical family. While there are still a few things...
As I sit here writing this, my mom is sitting at the conference table in the back of the Ledger reading pages. She comes in and edits for me on Tuesdays. Also today she brought me a jug of water from the ranch (I live in town and well water is just tastier) and she took my dog for a walk. Normally she brings me some sort of delicious soup or leftovers (today she didn't, but I'll let that slide). Moms do all sorts of things for their kids that they don't get enough credit for. Sometimes it's the little things, and sometimes it's the bigger...
There was something different in last week's Ledger, however, no one really noticed. Last week, I wrote an article using artificial intelligence (AI) software. A friend of mine from California visited recently and asked if I had ever used AI in the newspaper. I gasped and said of course not, that all our content was created by us. I then explained how the thought of AI freaks me out a little. Will it make my job obsolete as a journalist? Will no person ever write an original thought again? The short answer, in my opinion, is no. My friend sat...
There are many people in Sanders County who do a lot for others and never ask for any recognition. It's time to start recognizing those people. Let's start with Angie Lowe of Thompson Falls. I went to school with Angie and have known her most of my life. One of the things I most appreicate about her is how she is true to herself. I also really appreciate that she is direct and you never have to wonder what she's thinking. She's one of the hardest working people I've ever met, and this year will celebrate 23 years with the Town Pump corporation....
Montana legislators voted this month to ban TikTok. The legislation states that "TikTok's stealing of information and data from users and its ability to share that data with the Chinese Communist Party unacceptably infringes on Montana's right to privacy." The bill also accuses TikTok of failing to remove "dangerous content that directs minors to engage in dangerous activities," then goes on to describe those activities, such as attempting to climb stacks of milkcrates, pouring hot wax on a user's face and cooking chicken in NyQuil. Now, kids...
Last year, it seemed as though there was some sort of bear conflict in the area just about every day. Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff was busy taking care of issues and trying to educate property owners how to reduce conflicts. The majority of conflicts last year, as in most years, were due to trash or chickens not being secured properly. I got to know FWP bear expert Kim Annis pretty well last year, and it didn't take me long to learn her key phrase of making sure garbage is secured "inside a structure with four walls, a roof and a door." More...
The editorial cartoon (at right) this week got me thinking about what we're willing to give up. It's Lent, but I doubt a lot of people gave up eggs. They are a pretty basic food staple that everyone buys. With the prices going up, people are still buying eggs. There are some substitutes, but applesauce and bacon isn't really the same as eggs and bacon. People adjust. Just like when gas was near $4 a gallon. There were still plenty of cars on the road. Some people adjusted by getting rid of their big trucks and SUVs. I got a smaller car and am...
At the forum discussing Montana’s state constitution earlier this month, there was a diverse group of more than 100 people. There were politicians and retired people and realtors and volunteers. There were people who had lived in Sanders County forever and some newer residents. There were women and men. There were Republicans and Democrats. What we didn’t see was much diversity in age. I am 43 and I was the youngest person in the room except for a young family who showed up later in the presentation. It bothered me that there weren’t more...
Spring is here – finally! The other day I spoke with a friend on the east coast who was lamenting about the 58-degree weather. I laughed and said I had considered not wearing a sweater on my walk in 38-degree weather the same day. The humidity and wind of the east is completely different from our dry air here, but across the country, we’re all ready for spring. Fortunately, the signs are appearing, and not just because the calendar tells us the new season is here. One of the most notable signs of the changing season is the birds. It’s alway...
On Monday in Justice Court, Sanders County Sheriff's Deputy April Phillips addressed the young man who hit her patrol vehicle head-on last year. She told of her injuries and of the lasting effects. Phillips was firm in her statement before Judge Doug Dryden. However, she also showed an impressive amount of compassion for defendant Brody Hill. Phillips said jail wasn't the right place for Hill. "I'm realistic and don't think that spending time in jail would be beneficial for you, Brody. I don't think you are a bad person, so being put with other...
On separate occasions recently, I was influenced unexpectedly to listen. I’m a pretty good listener, given my occupation, but what I took away from the instances last week was being open to listening. Our lives are busier every day with more distractions and obligations. It seems almost ridiculous to add “remember to listen” to the to-do list. However, you never know when someone you listen to or something you hear is going to change your life. It might not be a major mind-blowing alteration to your life, but maybe someone will say somet...
I recently traveled to Polson to cover the District 14-C basketball tournament. I’ve been to Polson before, but never for that long of a stretch. Polson may have a Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Starbucks, but it’s still a small town. One morning during breakfast I met Brett Butler, the assistant coach of Polson High School’s speech and debate team. He started talking about how the team was running the concessions stand at the basketball tournament to fundraise. Anyone who has ever been anywhere with me knows that I like to ask questions, so I inquir...
I am usually at the courthouse a couple times a week. I attend meetings, conduct interviews and take care of business matters. When I bought the Ledger six years ago, there would maybe be two people at different public meetings, if that many. I was often the only member of the public at meetings. Business would be conducted and there might be one comment from a member of the public. During the pandemic, attendance increased and the dynamic of meetings changed. It became a rare instance for a meeting to run smoothly without outbursts from...
In the last couple of weeks, there have been two items voted on by county commissioners that were split votes. It’s not that unusual, but it’s still noticeable. Why? Because it’s a reflection of how our county is changing. People in Sanders County were relatively similar when I was growing up. Most of my friends were born here. You had your friends not necessarily because you had the same interests, but you didn’t have a lot of choice. My senior year of high school, my best pal was a “program kid” (ironically, also named Annie) from Califo...
When I was in junior high, we traveled to Hale, Missouri, to visit my dad's aunts and cousins. It was a town about the size of Noxon. It had a hardware store and a feed store, and my extended family ran the one restaurant in town. My Great Aunt Ila ended up putting together a cookbook of all her recipes, and the peach pie is still the best ever. When we were in Missouri, there was a small article in the newspaper with all our names, stating that we were there visiting Ila and the family. It was my first experience being published somewhere othe...
I always love going to the years of service celebration at the courthouse. It’s amazing to see how long people have been at their jobs, and definitely an accomplishment worth recognizing. With my parents’ generation, it seems like most everyone stayed in the same job for decades. It wasn’t unusual to have the same job for 30 or 40 years. I remember hearing a statistic in college that the average person would have seven jobs in their working career. A 2021 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that people born between 1957 and 1964...
Nanette Blake from Farmhouse Blooms brought over some newspaper pages she found under the flooring of the house she recently purchased in Thompson Falls. One of the newspapers was the November 10, 1911, issue of The Sanders County Ledger. On the front page in November 1911 was an article about the proposed sewer system in Thompson Falls. “This arrangement would bring one discharge pipe down Columbia street to the river draining blocks Nos. 3 and 4; the other discharge pipe going to the river on Ferry street and draining blocks Nos. 5 and 6. ...
