Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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This week, we were hit with some of the coldest temperatures of the season. Waking up to below-zero temps makes us want to stay snuggled on the couch all day with a blanket, cocoa and some Lifetime movies. The colder temperatures remind us to make sure pipes are properly maintained, that we clear sidewalks and driveways, and remember to wear our spikes on the icy roads. It also reminds us to take care of our furry friends. Local ranchers are tending to their herds of cattle as calves are being born. We’ve seen plenty of deer and other w...
They were dumb and dirty drunkards, they did not love America, they worshipped a foreign god, they took jobs from native born Americans, they were illiterate and terrorists to boot, and it looked like they would soon outnumber the American populations in many cities. And, in fact, like a nightmare come true, in a few short years they were indeed running some of the biggest cities in America. They were the Irish and they were not loved. Help wanted notices were qualified by stating, “No Irish n...
To get a flu shot or not to get a flu shot, that is the question. When you ask someone if they have been vaccinated, there aren’t many middle of the road people. You have people who get it every year, and people who have never been vaccinated. I am one of those people who never got a flu shot. You hear stories of people getting sick from the flu shot (a myth squashed by Dr. Black in our front page story), or people still getting sick even though they got vaccinated. So why get a flu shot? Not that I was worried about getting sick, but I’ve alw...
It’s easy to look the other way when when it comes to recycling. There are billions of people in the world. So what if you use one little plastic straw, right? There’s an effort called the Strawless Ocean Movement. According to www.strawless ocean.org, Americans use more than 500 million straws each day. That’s a lot. The site explains that most plastic straws end up in the earth’s oceans, and that by 2050, straws will outnumber fish in the oceans (by weight). The movement suggests alternatives to plastic straws including bamboo, metal,...
In Australia the name of Keith Murdoch is revered as the man who had Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops (known collectively as “Anzac”) saved from further annihilation in the World War I bloodbath which was the battle for Gallipoli. The Gallipoli campaign was the ill-advised British attempt to defeat Germany’s Turkish allies at the Dardanelles which was the route to Constantinople (now Istanbul) and the Black Sea. A victory there would not only defeat the Turks, but would open the s...
As the snow melts in my driveway, it would appear that the earliest blooms of spring are from seedlings of trash, candy wrappers and music equipment components I haven’t seen since Halloween. If I water and care for these newly revealed treasures that seem to multiply as the snow keeps melting, perhaps the wrappers will fill with candy and the now-rusty musical components will mature into fully-functional instruments… or maybe I’ll just have to do some outdoor tidying up. Which brings to mind the spring cleanup event in Thompson Falls known...
In Montana, we leave gates as we found them. Ranchers don’t graze on their neighbor’s grass without asking or paying for it. We pull one another out of the ditch. We follow the rule of law, which may sound like some pointy-headed academic term, but really it’s simply society’s agreement with itself – we play by the same rules. It’s part of who we are as Montanans and Americans. That’s why it was so disturbing to see a sitting state senator, Jennifer Fielder, welcome Cliven Bundy to our state and speak alongside him in Paradise recently. Muc...
Below is a fitting tribute to former Thompson Falls teacher Frank Rutzke, who recently lost his battle with cancer (see obituary on page 6), from a family friend and former student. It got us thinking about the impact of teachers. You send your kids to school for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 180 days a year. Teachers have a huge responsibility. Not just in teaching ABCs and 123s, but in helping your kids become awesome human beings and productive adults. That’s a lot of pressure and a huge responsibility for teachers. In some instances, the t...
When I read the news that the United States government had shut down, my first thought was, “How can they tell?” Then I read that there was some worry that the National Parks would be shut down during the shut down, but since I thought we were going to close the National Parks anyway, that hardly seemed like news. It seems like the individual and collective minds of our elected officials in Congress and the President’s office had shut down, too, but that’s not really news, either. What was new...
This week, California couple David and Louise Turpin were arrested and charged with torture and child endangerment after their 13 children were allegedly being held captive inside the family’s home. The children range in age from 2 to 29. One of the children, a 17-year-old girl, managed to escape the house on Sunday and called 911 from a deactivated cellphone. Media reports said some of the children were shackled to their beds, and appeared malnourished. The story is unreal, and it’s hard to imagine how people could treat their children in such...
On Sunday at the Golden Globes, Oprah Winfrey gave a proud speech while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement. Immediately, the Internet was abuzz about whether or not Oprah was laying the foundation for a run for presidency in 2020. As we get older, it seems time goes faster. It’s hard to believe that President Trump is already reaching the end of his first year in office. And who will run in 2020 is the talk of the town. Ronald Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild before he became governor of California, and...
Well, winter is definitely here. All of Sanders County has been hit with several inches — and in many places several feet — of snow, and frigid temperatures. While it’s no fun to drive on these winter roads, it’s important that we all do our part to help out those state, county and city employees who are tasked with keeping roadways clear. The normal business routine of going in at 8 a.m. and leaving promptly at 5 p.m. doesn’t apply to those hard-working folks who get behind the wheel of snowplows and loaders to clear parking lots and roads....
As a young high school American government teacher, I compared our system to an automobile that was useful if it could start, speed up, slow down and stop. When the people thought government needed to be more active, they elected liberal Democrats to press down on the accelerator. When people thought government’s role was getting too large and expensive, they elected Republicans to apply the brakes and slow things down. Our national debt is now $20 trillion and rising. That amounts to about $155,000 in tax liability for the average family of f...
As 2017 comes to a close, we reflect on the highs and lows of our year. For me, one special moment of 2017 wasn’t even about me. Katrina Nygaard (pictured below) is a math teacher at Thompson Falls High School, and one of my most special friends. Each summer, my girlfriends and I get out on the Clark Fork River for a day float. During our 2017 float trip, we launched our tubes and giant yellow ducky just below the Cascade Campground above Quinn’s Hot Springs and floated to Katrina’s mother-in-law Kay’s house. Just before the Highway 200 bri...
Last week, the Department of Public Health and Human Services announced that the Sanders County Office of Public Assistance will close Jan. 16. This is where people go for help with SNAP (food stamps), TANF cash assistance and Medicaid programs. This office often is the first stop for people when they fall on hard times and need help. I worked in this office for seven years, as a case worker and as an IT specialist. As a farm girl who learned the value of hard work at a young age, it was hard to watch some people take advantage of services. Whe...
As we gather with family and friends this holiday season and count our blessings, let’s remember to give thanks for the extensive forest lands that surround our communities. We are fortunate to be surrounded by large areas of productive forest lands, exceptional recreation opportunities and also some precious remaining wild country. One thing that deserves special celebration today is the way our communities approach public lands issues, which has become so much more positive, inclusive and constructive in recent years. Just a decade or two a...
It’s funny how a person goes through life making decisions based upon certain beliefs or ideas, yet unaware of where those ideas came from, and of what their consequences might be. Such is often the case with the idea of keeping church and state separate, an idea worth mentioning as 2017 draws to a close, because this year was the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic clergyman, is credited with kicking off the Reformation in 1517 with his “95 Theses,” an argument for a house-cleaning...
When you work for any sizable company or are in a government position, you get sensitivity and harassment training. Lessons of how your actions and words affect other people are prevalent. Lately we are bombarded of allegations of misconduct by celebrities and politicians. It might feel like overkill. When will it stop? How far back does it matter when these events took place? Many of these incidents happened decades ago, perhaps when the standards for behavior were different. Should people be apologizing for behavior that happened when they...
The Sanders County Commissioners know that change has to happen. Funding sources are changing or have stopped altogether. County offices are short-staffed as it is. The Secure Rural Schools funding for roads didn’t come through last year. Luckily, the county had some reserves that could be used. This year, that funding still isn’t there. The commissioners have tightened budgets, have trimmed where they can, and made staffing changes where possible. We believe the commissioners have done all they can with what they have. But it’s still not e...
We often find ourselves talking a lot about what it’s like to live in a small town. We don’t have any stoplights in Sanders County. You can’t just run out to Target and get a new basketball or a pair of jeans. You have to wait at least a day to get a part to fix your truck. This is a good thing, most of the time. As the world becomes more connected and population increases, it’s hard to shelter ourselves from “big-city problems.” Acts of violence in Sanders County seem to be few and far between. But recently Thompson Falls schools had to addr...
If you ran a multistate business and had just over one billion dollars in sales in Montana, I bet you would expect to pay something in Montana corporate taxes. And, indeed you would; you would have to dig deep down into your corporate pocket to come up with the 50 bucks to cover your tax bill. Let me repeat those figures; one billion dollars in Montana sales and 50 bucks in taxes. Oh, and for five years in a row. We are not allowed to know its name, but this is a real company. This is a true...
It’s hard to focus on the positive sometimes, and remember to be thankful. Especially around this time of year, the stress of the holidays can be overwhelming. But it’s important to take time to remember the good things, and be thankful for what you have. Here are just a few things we are thankful for when it comes to living in Sanders County: There are no stoplights, and the only traffic jams we encounter are caused by Canada geese and bighorn sheep. You get to know law enforcement on a first-name basis ... in a good way. You can go to the...
Thanksgiving is just a week away and signs of the holidays are many. The lighted ornaments went up on Main Street in Thompson Falls, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree traveled through Sanders County, and local charities are calling for donations to help neighbors in need. Black Friday is “celebrated” the day after Thanksgiving, offering deals at many big-box stores. As you’re looking for the best presents at the best prices, remember that it’s very convenient to skip the crowds and lines and shop local. Black Friday is kind of a big deal. Y...
If there was ever anything that the right and the left could make common cause over, it would be the corporate control of America. It may be the only thing they agree upon, but since they disagree on almost everything else they won’t join hands to accomplish something they both want. They don’t trust each other, either, which doesn’t help. And just what is this corporate control? Essentially, you have a group of corporate titans getting government to make policy that favors their own inter...
Now, in Montana we’re pretty lucky that we have thousands and thousands of public lands to enjoy. Even if you don’t drive to Glacier, you can see some spectacular sights throughout Sanders County. But it’s also pretty amazing to have Glacier National Park just a couple hours away. The National Park Service is recommending increased fees to visit national parks, including Glacier and Yellowstone. To see these national parks now, it’s $30 for a seven-day pass per car or $50 for an annual pass. The proposed changes would more than double the fee...
