Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Last week, a reader stopped in with a bag of trash he collected between the two access ramps in Thompson Falls. It doesn't take long to get a pile if you pick up trash during a walk. With spring comes the melting of snow (usually) and the reveal of trash that has collected along roadways and trails. Beautification Days in Thompson Falls is coming up in April. And as you'll read in this week's Ledger, communities received grant funding for improvement projects. Committees and local governments are working to make our communities better. Even...
It was in 1991, I think, when I was a member of the Montana House of Representatives, there was a bill to outlaw capital punishment. One of the proponents made a very thought-provoking argument for the bill. He challenged each of us to imagine we were the executioner. His argument was that you only had the right to vote to keep capital punishment if you were personally willing to “drop the trap.” (Hanging was a legal form of execution in Montana then, and the condemned stood on a trap door with...
If you've been in an airport recently, you've noticed people wearing masks as they walk through the terminals. Coronavirus, which started in China, has spread throughout the world. The United States has had 53 confirmed cases, while throughout the world more than 80,000 cases have been confirmed and more than 2,700 people have died from the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided guidance on help to control the spread of the disease, including information about a potential shortage of respirators. There there...
A friend made a comment about this column the other day that really resonated with me. She said that she and her husband really enjoy the column and have had some great conversations after reading it. Obviously, I was pleased to hear that they enjoy the column, but it was her comment about the great conversations they had after reading it that meant more. For me, that’s what it’s all about. I think that the ability to have those discussions (particularly the tough ones) is a dead, or at min...
"The truth is in the middle... progress is in the middle." Actor Harrison Ford made this comment on a recent episode of "CBS Sunday Morning" when talking about why he decided to start speaking up about politics. We want people to have opinions. That's where change happens. When people start speaking their minds, things can get better. Technology, education, transportation and other types of infrastructure have improved throughout the ages when someone has had an idea or thought of a way to do something different. Sometimes things don't work...
The abuse of presidential power for personal gain or revenge is nothing new, but its use has always been kept from public scrutiny because it was rightly considered, both by the perpetrator and the public as dishonorable, slimy, underhanded, and wrong. Lyndon Johnson was a master at using it without getting caught and Richard Nixon used it but did get caught. When Senator Wayne Morse, an Independent Senator from Oregon publicly opposed Johnson’s Vietnam war policy Johnson instructed the FBI to look into possible “dirt” that could be used again...
As Valentine's Day comes around Friday, we're already getting a little bit of a sugar headache and the local florists are beyond busy. These days, it doesn't seem like much lasts. People move away, change jobs, change cars. We're always looking for something bigger and better. But take a look at the Question of the Week. Bernard and Kay Parker of Thompson Falls will be celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary in June. She was 9 years old when they met. Just by reading their answers, you can tell they love each other deeply. Those sweet...
After the Mueller report was released, I wrote a column where I expressed the opinion that D.C. Democrats were going to squander an opportunity to move forward and work with President Trump. Unfortunately, I was right. They chose to continue their efforts to discredit President Trump and pushed forward two incredibly weak articles of impeachment. Last week, President Trump was acquitted of both those charges. Not surprisingly, those who support President Trump are delighted with the outcome,...
The first edition of the Sanders County Ledger was published 115 years ago in February 1905. This week is our first edition of the 116th volume. Here in the office we have all of the past books of Ledgers. You can also view them online at www.montananewspapers.org. The Thompson Falls Library received grant funding to digitize old editions. Looking back through that very first edition, there was a lot of information on happenings across the country, but there was also a lot of local news. The fir...
“As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air — however slight — lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.” – Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas There is a time when people become willing agents of their own destruction. We follow the wrong path because we are told by those we trust that it is a good...
We have to admit, we've been planning our snacks for the Super Bowl since before we knew who would be playing this weekend. Super Bowl Sunday is big business for the cities that host the big game (this year it's in Miami), and also for communities across the country. According to an article in Produce Retailer, 65 million avocados were sold in the days leading up to last year's NFL championship game. Some of the TV sales we've seen are better than you get with Black Friday deals. It's one of the busiest Sundays in the United States. And...
Last week I saw a news item and video that showed a police officer being attacked and kicked while on the ground wrestling with a person he was trying to arrest. No one intervened to help the officer. I’ve also seen recent videos (plural!) of police officers in New York getting buckets of water thrown on them as they were trying to do their jobs. These are just two recent examples of behavior that demonstrates a disturbing and dangerous lack of respect for law enforcement. Now we are again s...
This summer, the Trout Creek bridge over the Clark Fork River will be repaired by the Montana Department of Transportation. Driving over that bridge this week, we think the project is well overdue. There will be one-lane traffic over the bridge during most of the construction, with the full bridge closed for six full weeks. This sounds like a huge inconvenience — and it will be. There are many people who drive from west of Trout Creek or even Noxon to Thompson Falls for work. Some hospital employees drive all the way to Plains. Having to go u...
Well, it has come to this; President Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives and this week the trial is taking place that will determine whether he stays on as president or leaves in disgrace. Of course, by the time you read this it will all be over, and the outcome determined. I am not necessarily a betting person, but on this I would lay good odds: he stays. After all, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said — not indicated, but said — that the Republican Senate wil...
So begins another political season. Democratic presidential hopefuls have been at it for months with debates and commercials and campaign materials. And there is still no clear front runner. Now, the filing period is open for state and local elections. This year, Sanders County voters will get to decide local races including clerk of district court, a county commissioner and a district judge position. There are open seats for the state house and senate and for Congress. And of course, there's the ever-present presidential election. Over the nex...
President Trump’s decision to take out Iranian General Qasem Soleimani has generated a great deal of controversy. While no one can predict what the future holds, we can confidently look back at recent history to see what would likely happen if our President hadn’t taken such decisive action. How many readers remember a terrorist thug named Osama bin Laden and September 11, 2001? I certainly do, and after that tragedy, I became a student of that incident. In preparing for this column, I revisited numerous books and articles regarding Osama bin L...
Police department personnel in Hot Springs, Plains and Thompson Falls, and the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office strive to protect the people and properties within their jurisdictions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In doing so, they put their personal lives on hold and on the line…to provide a safe community. This Thursday, January 9, is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Take a moment to say “Thank you” to a law enforcement officer for the sacrifices they have made for public protection. Recently, national criticism has been directed...
As you know, the impartiality of decisions and observations of members of the U.S. intelligence agencies, such as the FBI, have been questioned because members of those agencies have privately expressed political views not in accordance with the political views of Members of Congress. The most obvious of these were the emails of two FBI members who were critical, in their personal correspondence, of the President. That they were dumb about thinking that their views would go unnoticed by the...
With the new year comes new resolutions and a fresh start. When we saw our cartoon this week (right), however, it hit us — the 2010s are gone. How did that happen? As the old saying goes, hindsight is always 20/20. If we could have known then what we know now, would we do anything different? A decade is a long time on which to reflect. Even looking back over 2019 and remembering everything that happened is a stretch. Are there things we wish had gone differently or decisions we would have pondered more now that we are another 10 years down the...
Last week I attended my youngest granddaughter’s graduation from Marine Corps boot camp. This was my second military graduation this year. In September, my other granddaughter graduated from Air Force boot camp. I wrote about that graduation in September. In that column, I wrote about my takeaway from the ceremony and the benefits of military service. I don’t want to belabor the topic, but there’s more to be said about the young people choosing military service. Both of my granddaughters were...
Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't run with scissors. Treat others how you want to be treated. All important lessons for our kids as we teach them to be good adults and keep them safe. This week, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) announced its intent to restrict the sale of flavored e-cigarettes (see story on page 9). In 1971, cigarette advertisements were banned from radio and television. Additional restrictions came in 1998, including a ban on advertising and marketing that targeted youth. While not...
Last Thursday night I watched the Baltimore Ravens stomp the New York Jets. The Ravens are a powerhouse this year and the Jets, well…not so much. I knew before the game started that the Jets were going to lose, but I watched anyway. The Jets players knew they were going to lose too. You could see it on their faces as they stood on the sideline. So why would I watch the game if I was so confident in the outcome? Simple… I love football and it’s entertainment. It’s the same reason I sometim...
The holiday season is in full swing. Last weekend, Thompson Falls presented its annual Christmas on Main Street and Trout Creek lit their town tree. This weekend, Plains will have its own holiday parade. The holiday season is here, and we're feeling the cheer. The Ledger had a unique opportunity to join the Thompson Falls kindergarten classes on Montana Rail Link's Christmas Express train. We've been dragging our feet a little on decorating and really feeling the holiday spirit (a couple of us haven't even put up our Christmas trees yet). But...
How can two different people have totally opposite opinions on the same thing? Well, it’s pretty easy, as we can see in the impeachment hearings going on in Congress. You are not going to be able to talk either side into taking what you have you say into consideration after they have formed their own opinion on what they accept as the facts of the matter. The fact is that the more solid the argument is against their belief, the more certain it will make them that they are right. In short, c...
There are so many activities, festivals and bazaars around the holiday season. Volunteers put in hundreds of hours to put on events for our communities. We hear people say "someone should hold a parade" or "someone should take over the Huckleberry Festival," whose chairperson is stepping down. The problem is, the someones seem to always be the same people. They are the movers and shakers who always step up and make sure things happen. You don't see all the work that goes into organizing a Christmas on Main Street or a youth soccer tournament....
