Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Editor, We read your article (Ledger- October 12) concerning the Sawtooth Mountain EMS service in Heron. We look forward with interest to reading your article presenting the other side of this story. Sincerely, Debbie and Dave Lyman, Heron...
Letter to Editor I recently heard a statement that “there are too many people on the city Council of _____ political persuasion and that balance needs to be changed by electing new people to the council”. That statement reflects a lack of understanding of the council and does a tremendous disservice to those serving on the council. The city council is a nonpartisan body tasked with making the best decisions for a city and its residents based on facts and knowledge of city needs. Politics do not come into play on the council, regardless of wha...
It’s great that both Plains and Thompson Falls School Districts made baseball happen for boys from Noxon to Hot Springs! It’s a great game and the options for high school boys to play otherwise are expensive, require lengthy drives and they have to make the Legion cut. Both school boards approved the addition and then subsequently worked out coop agreements with Hot Springs and Noxon schools respectively to make it happen. The kids win when things come together. It’s my hope both school boards give soccer in this valley the same consi...
Dear Editor, More than one in four Montana high school students currently use e-cigarettes, and the disposable e-cigarettes many of them use are bigger and badder than ever before. According to a recent study in Tobacco Control, the amount of e-liquid a disposable e-cigarette device can hold increased by 518% and the average nicotine strength increased by 294%. As a result, the amount of nicotine in some disposable e-cigarettes is now comparable to several cartons of cigarettes. E-liquids have also dropped in price, making it easier for kids to...
Among several potential candidates for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction in the next election is Sharyl Allen, who works as an assistant to Elsie Arntzen, current OPI chief. Allen is in the news because her work history is a bit sketchy; apparently she has left more than one contract uncompleted in more than one state. Allen’s supporters call her such things as innovative and creative, while others from teaching staff to board members just can’t get along with her. My point here is not to evaluate Allen’s candidacy, but rather to poi...
It’s hard to figure out a reputable media source to gather accurate information with countless avenues to obtain news in our country. It is vital to distinguish between opinion and fact to avoid having different bases of information. Facts can’t be argued against as they are provable. Unfortunately, people often disagree on what is factual and what isn’t. Opinion is someone’s perspective and can be argued against. It is vital to know the difference to avoid pointless arguments. Criteria for a reliable news source would require no fabrication, d...
It is not unusual to hear people complaining bitterly about road closures on public lands. A certain amount of resentment is natural, when you encounter a gate or barrier blocking motorized access to what looks like a perfectly good road. What gives? Actually, road closures are not the result of a nefarious plot by evil people who want to take away our freedoms. The Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Collaborative (KFSC) wants the public to be aware that there are some solid reasons why not all forest roads are open to motor vehicles. Many years of...
Dear Annie Wooden, Thank you for the honesty about you wearing different hats, as well as the comments and actions of the public in relation to reporters. I have comments and thoughts on both of those topics. A colleague of mine gave me a tip on how to recognize if I was still stressing about the work I did at a Washington (DOC) pre-release when I was a licensed addictions counselor. He said he picks a point or imaginary line in his road home and if work is still bothering him he has a plan to resolve and reduce stress: music, talking with a su...
Editor, In response to the editorial, Access to Information Should Not Be Denied, in the July 14 issue, I would first like to share that the widespread "book ban" you address, is nothing of the sort. The Oxford dictionary defines ban as "officially or legally prohibit." The destruction of any material in question is not what's being called for. It is the simple fact that we are dealing with minors who are in the process of vital development. Books that contain information on sexual content and other complex topics have no place in the hands of...
Student absences can wreak havoc with a teacher’s daily lesson plans, so I was at one time pretty impatient about parents who failed to land their kids in school on time and every school day. One family seemed particularly careless about this, and over some months I had come to judge those parents in uncomplimentary terms, particularly since the father was a county law enforcement officer who from my perspective should have been setting a better example. Then early one morning my wife and I were headed west through Thompson Falls, not yet at t...
The Northwestern Energy (NWE) Thompson Falls Hydro facility is working on the renewal of their Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license. The last license was issued in 1979. I believe NWE has been and will continue to be excellent stewards of the Clark Fork River and surrounding lands, but with the new license proposal there are a few items of concern. The previous license allowed NWE to draft (lower) the reservoir level up to four feet at any given time. Over the last 45 years or so, NWE chose not to use the 4 foot draft as a normal...
The Northwestern Energy (NWE) Thompson Falls Hydro facility is working on the renewal of their Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license. The last license was issued in 1979. I believe NWE has been and will continue to be excellent stewards of the Clark Fork River and surrounding lands, but with the new license proposal there are a few items of concern. The previous license allowed NWE to draft (lower) the reservoir level up to four feet at any given time. Over the last 45 years or so, NWE chose not to use the 4 foot draft as a normal...
When I was an undergraduate English student I encountered the ivory-tower assumption that being educated had something to do with mankind’s search for what is good, beautiful and true. The corollary was that continuous reading of both current and historic literature was necessary to become truly educated. In other words, wisdom was the goal, familiarity with literature was method. Perhaps a bit conceitedly, practical purposes of schooling were considered less important. This assumption formed the classical education as practiced by Europeans, a...
Each June, National Healthy Homes Month raises awareness on housing-related health hazards and the steps to take for safe, healthy homes. This year’s theme is “Connecting Home, Health, and YOU” to highlight the important relationship between housing quality and health. One substantial way to maintain a healthy home is to keep it smokefree, whether it’s a private home or an apartment. There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke exposure, and the home is the main place many children and adults are exposed. Secondhand smoke can cause damage...
As I write this, Senate Bill 337, an act “generally revising laws involving parental rights,” dealing specifically with parents’ rights involving curriculum and instruction in public schools, has been sent to the governor’s desk for signing. In my view, this law is a solution seeking a problem. I say that because in 34 years’ experience in public education, I never once saw parents denied access to viewing or discussing curriculum in their school. I did see parents lose their argument, mainly because they came in hot and when they’d vented, the...
Republican legislators did an outstanding job of humiliating the transgender population during the last session in Helena. They made national news too! As an 87-year-old mother and grandmother, I abhorred the shame and hostility some legislators directed toward transgendered youth and their needed medical care. Society doesn’t deny medical service for teenagers born with Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy or other physical abnormalities. Yet our legislators voted to deny medical assistance to transgender teenagers. Parents and their physician s...
I just wanted to give kudos to JJ & Kate Hardman, Rep. Paul and Jennifer Fielder, and the many volunteers for pulling off a fantastic Constitution Bowl! They put in many hours coaching kids and organizing this "Family Feud" style event teaching our young people a fun way of learning the United States constitution. And all of us viewers who attended learned a lot as well! High school and junior high students attended and earned some fantastic prizes, well earned and congratulations for a job well done! Shame on those schools who refused to take...
My name is Glenn Schenavar, board member and Chapter Chairman of the Sanders County Chapter of the Foundation for Wildlife Management. We are holding our annual banquet on May 13th, 2023 at 50 Wilson Lane, the Bar JR Arena in Whitepine, Montana. Last year we raised $58,000 for our wolf reimbursement program. This year due to successful Sanders County and Flathead chapters banquet fundraising, we were able to take reimbursements in Region one and Region two to $750 per wolf. Thanks for all the support from sportsmen and trappers! The Foundation...
Trout Creek School. Why is so many people worked up about our little school. It used to be well run teacher and para were treated with respect. Oh, wait a minute, it’s not all about teacher and para. It should be all about our kids. After all, if it weren’t for our children there would be no school in Trout Creek, so let’s talk about them instead of archery. Oh, and by the way I love archery and the program, but what about our music, program, our track and field. Oops, we don’t have them anymore. Why? Our principal took them away because...
The Pope Who Would Be King, by David I. Kertzer, is the biography of a man placed in a position of immense power almost against his own will, and of how he dealt with that power. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the ancient tension between centralized authority and authority “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, or between conservatism and liberalism. But as with much of history, the real interest comes from considering contemporary events in the light of history’s lessons. Pius IX (Giovanni Mastai Ferretti, 1792-1878) w...
Dear Governor Greg: I sure wish you would take a serious look back on this CSKT water compact. I understand the urge to postulate to the tribes as a gesture, thinking no harm in it. After reviewing the treaties, the sale of the property, and the agricultural operations that have been going on since without any harm to anyone or create environmental issues. What compelled you and our Republican senator, just sign off on this? As a law person I see simple text in the U.S. Constitution, and the Montana Constitution, the Tribes representation is...
What does the loss of recreational land mean to the citizens of Plains? Eventual loss of almost 9,000 acres Need public input on what land is most important to save Needing financial backing to save land This summer, almost 9,000 acres are going to go up for market in both Combest Creek and Swamp Creek. Up to this point this land has been privately owned by multiple different companies that have allowed public access. This land has been used for multi-recreational uses for many outdoorsmen. Without the input of concerned citizens, all this...
Dear Editor, In response to Mr. Rude’s letter; “Hands off the constitution,” I would like to speak specifically to the U.S. Constitution. George Washington said, “The constitution … approaches nearer to perfection than any government hitherto instituted among men.” The adoption of the Constitution, “will demonstrate as visibly the finger of Providence as any possible event in the course of human affairs can ever designate it.” Benjamin Franklin made the observation that this nation would be a “rising sun not a setting sun”. Living under this in...
In Montana the rivers and streams belong to all of us. We have the right to fish, float, swim and play in the state waters given to us by Montana’s stream access law. Even if the stream is flowing through private property, the water still belongs to us all. The law respects private property rights by requiring that recreators stay below the high-water mark and use public entrances. Stream access has not set well with the ultra-rich who build McMansions along our rivers. They assume their wealth will protect them from seeing kids on 5-dollar i...
Regardless of the final determination, the Thompson Falls school board and administration should be commended for the prompt and professional way they have handled the request to consider a 4-day school week. After the request was made, the district submitted a survey to parents and staff. When the survey results were heavily in favor of the 4-day week, the administrators reached out to other districts using a 4-day schedule regarding their experiences, and scheduled a special meeting for more public input. The issue is complex, with lots of...
