Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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From the early 1970’s through the early 2000’s I made, eight or 10 budget-priced treks into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, sometimes afoot, sometimes on horseback, accompanied by friends or family members. Outside of a few livestock wrecks and occasional blistered feet, I never had a bad trip. I learned a lot about camping, landforms, livestock, and about myself. I learned to love the Bob just for its existence, whether or not I ever visit it again, and I learned to admire the far-sighted folks who set this ground aside in its most isolated pos...
Editor: During the “thundering” and lightning storm on Friday, we noticed a small fire across the river and called 911 and they contacted the Forest Service. Within a few minutes the USFS contacted us and we were able to direct them to our home where we had good visibility. Three great guys showed up with their GPS and pinpointed where the fire was. It was up Thorne Creek. All three were willing to hike in to the location but luckily a helicopter was able to pick them up. With the fire out, we can only tell all of those involved …. thank you....
Dear Editor, Many thanks to Callie Jacobson for the fine article on the recent Baroque Festival. There are a couple of clarifications that should be made. A Baroque festival was not my idea. It was THE IDEA which evolved as we (Janet, Monica, I, and then others) came together in their support of it. As I stated in my message at the festival (see Ledger, Thursday, 7/26/2018) which was not reported, THE IDEA came with all the resources to make it happen and I am so grateful to have been a part of this festival idea. It has been a thoroughly...
Dear Editor: Allow me to clarify a misunderstanding in last week’s letter to the editor from Major Jan Manning, U.S. Army (Ret). During my 24 plus years of service to our country, no one ever asked me if I were a Democrat or a Republican. I am not the Vice Chairman of Sanders County Democrats. My intention in writing to the Ledger was to inform my fellow veterans of the successful efforts of Senator Jon Tester in the passage of 10 bills improving our health care under this administration. Doing so required bi-partisan efforts by our Se...
Editor, I’m writing in response to an editorial in the July 12 paper authored by a U.S. Navy commander, Ret. From Noxon, “Sen. Tester works for veterans”. After reading this letter and hearing TV ads on how Jon Tester is for veterans, I started doing some “fact checking.” However, without knowing all the facts behind the commander’s comment, “I (himself??) began the process of getting hearing aids through the VA Choice Program.” He or himself alone can not just say, or go order hearing aids, on anything else himself. 1. See a doctor in a VA...
Yes, Major Manning, you have caught Tom blue handed. He is an actual Democrat in Sanders County. Although not the vice-chair this year. I am quite sure Senator Jon Tester has not claimed to have “fixed” anything. I do know for a fact though, that him and his crew have been working hard to give vets better access to local health care and timely payments to health care facilities. I am not a veteran and Tom would know much more than I about the veteran’s system. What I see in the public health care system is a lot of dedicated professionals, who...
Editor, Recently, the Thompson Falls Trap Club installed stanchions and provided wooden frames with cardboard to attach targets in the pistol and rifle range. Our goal was to improve the public’s shooting experience at the Thompson Falls Range. The metal stanchions were secured to the ground with four spikes at their base and extended four inches above the ground with a rectangular tube that holds a four or five-foot-tall wooden frame, twenty inches in width, with cardboard attached to the frames that targets are secured to. The stanchions a...
I am horrified by the President’s words at the European Summit and his subsequent meeting with Putin. This is a man who sees himself as the center of the universe; anyone who disagrees with him is “stupid,” including the country which he serves. He is crude, rude, callous and without loyalty. He disdains the experience of the people that surround him. He leaves a wake of lives ruined. Sadly, he also may be the mirror that reflects our future. What have we become, and perhaps even more than we, what have I become? This is a question that each...
Editor: As a disabled U.S. Army veteran who relies heavily on VA for my health care, I respectfully take issue with Commander (Ret.) Thomas Humphreys’ laudatory remarks about Senator John Tester’s effectiveness in supporting veterans’ health care. Tester has not fixed the problem as he claims he has. While I’m glad Tom finally got his hearing aids from VA, I am still waiting for VA to schedule a mammogram which I should have already had done several months ago. The horrible “Veterans Choice” program is still very much alive and well, but the na...
I could write volumes about Senator Jon Tester’s help for all veterans, and specifically his help for me. To say that Jon is the champion of U.S. Veterans in all things would be a gross understatement. After twenty-four years of service in the United States Navy, including two combat tours to Viet Nam, my 20 years in the cockpit took its toll on my ability to hear. In the summer of 2015, I began the process of acquiring hearing aids from the VA but when I attempted to order the hearing aids through the VA Veterans’ Choice Program, I was told th...
Editor, In response to an article (in the Missoulian) about Chicago Peak in the Cabinet Wilderness Area being a Kootenai Indian Vision Quest site and the possibility of it being a national historic site so that no presence of any mine or construction being able to commerce operations. I am wondering if a vision quest site in the Thompson Falls area (near sheep viewing site) would shut down future highway construction or ever have traffic drive by it. Maybe the state would have to reroute Highway 200 in order to protect it. Professor Carling...
Senator Steve Daines will be celebrating in Russia as the guest of Vladimir Putin, as reported by news outlets and confirmed by his office. If you aren’t part of that entourage, consider coming to Noxon. We start the day with a Fun Run and a pancake breakfast at the Senior Citizen center sponsored by the VFW. There is a parade down Noxon Avenue, where floats toss candy to the kids and families lined up along the route. Throughout the day there are activities like turtle races, horseshoes, and even chicken poop bingo (I’ve got square #7). Ple...
I have been fielding a number of questions from local folks about the drawdown of the reservoir behind our dam here in Thompson Falls. I fully understand the concern and the questions so I wanted to explain how we managed the high flows this spring and what we have planned for the near future. In May, with extremely high flows and large amounts of debris and logs coming down the Clark Fork, we were forced to release a number of steel spillway beams to allow the larger volume of water, debris and logs to pass safely through the dam. With flows...
On July 5 you can expect to see postings and flyers for “Lost Dogs” on social media and in store windows. The fireworks of Independence Day always send a lot of domestic pets into panic and frenzy, causing them to bolt from their yards and run blindly into the unknown. This season’s thunderstorms are also doing a number on local dogs. A Labrador accustomed to gunfire may react quite differently to a clap of thunder. A terrier who’s brave enough to stand down a badger may become catatonic when he hears firecrackers. Fortunately, respons...
Editor: We all owe a debt of gratitude to the five City Council members, who, “doing business their way” [paraphrasing Ms. Kersten], cut our water “allotment” by a HUGE 75%, from @260 gallons per day per metered residence, to a meagre 66 gallons per day. I’m sure all those with children, or home-bound elders - with piles of laundry and bathing requirements that go with parenting and care-taking - will bless our Wise Stewards. In addition, they raised our “delivery cost” (the meter, basically), from 26 dollars per month to 40 dollars per m...
New Board Chair, New Administration, New Leaf? Noxon School District #10 is getting one of those rare opportunities to start with a relatively clean slate. At a recent board meeting the teachers presented two school calendars that were rejected. The board rejected both a 165 day and a 170 day calendar option, but yet didn’t offer any guidance to the teachers. On May 22 the teachers came back and provided a compromise: a 168 day calendar. Compromise. What a concept. The board approved with dissent. It was pointed out by Trustee Weltz (and I...
Dear Editor: For 20 years the citizens of Gallatin County gave me the privilege to serve as a District Court Judge in Bozeman. Before I was elected to the bench I was Gallatin County Attorney for 14 years. In 1995 I met Kim Christopher, who at that time was Lake County Attorney. In 1997 I began serving as District Court Judge and my contact with Judge Christopher ceased until she was elected in 2000 to serve as a District Court Judge for the 20th Judicial District (Lake and Sanders Counties). I then resumed having contact with Judge...
Editor, There is a scam coming from Jamaica. Your readers need to know that they might get a long-awaited call from “Publishers Clearing House” informing them that they are the winners of a brand new car and $950,000! You will be given a phone number to call and speak to the caller’s supervisor to arrange delivery of your prizes. If you do not call right away, you will get another call asking you to call the supervisor right away. When you do call, you will be congratulated on your good fortune and all you need to collect is to send $500 to co...
As a former Lincoln County Commissioner that spent years advocating for both the Rock Creek and Montanore proposals, I thought I had seen everything that could be thrown at these projects to delay their development. Seems I hadn’t. We now have our own state government attempting to derail these mines by determining that Hecla Mining is somehow a bad actor. It really boggles the mind to understand how a company that has never operated a mine in Montana can be held accountable for another company’s failure. The decision of our state’s execu...
Experience matters. Judge Kim Christopher has a proven track record of providing firm but fair justice. I have known Kim as an adversary and colleague. We tried cases against each other when we were young lawyers and were then sworn in as judges at the same time and worked in our own districts for years. Being a District Court Judge is a difficult and often thankless job. If you do it correctly you will make legally correct, but politically unpopular decisions. It takes courage and moral commitment to do the right thing when you know you will...
Our country enjoys the privilege of participating in the election of local, state, and national political leaders. Many countries do not have that privilege. We (Dawn and Paul as Chairs of our county parties) jointly encourage the citizens of our county to participate in a courteous, respectful, and civil election season. Please treat the candidates and their supporters as you yourself would like to be treated – The Golden Rule. The Montana Department of Transportation (DOT) oversees and enforces campaign sign criteria along state highways. M...
As owners of a business that creates over $10,000,000 in gross annual sales we have long awaited the construction and operation of either the proposed Rock Creek or Montanore mines in northwest Montana. We have had a front row seat to the endless barrage of obstacles put in their path for 30 years by environmental extremists. With both projects recently acquired by Hecla Mining, and the end of the permitting saga within sight, we now have our own state government attempting to block what is the brightest spot on our economic horizon. We’re not...
The first of two Sanders County Drug Awareness Seminars was held at the Rex on Wednesday, May second. I attended and was deeply impressed by the seven members of our community who shared expert information on the many ways illegal drug use affects our county. The focus of this presentation was a demonstration of the ways drug addiction touches every citizen of Sanders County, not just those who are using or selling these drugs. The users and their families are tragically impacted but we all bear the cost of the drug crisis. Increased auto and...
I am asking for your vote to re-elect Denley Loge as your State Representative in House District 14. As an advocate for Montana military and veteran issues for more than 35 years, I have worked with many freshman legislators. Representative Loge is one of the best I have ever worked with on those issues. He is sensitive to the needs of our military and veterans and knows the wants and needs of his constituents in HD 14. As a former legislator, I know the importance of being prepared from the first day of the session. Not every legislator has...
Editor: Baseball, softball, archery, swimming lessons, family vacations, football camps...the kids in our area seem to have plenty to do this summer. Could it be that they are, in fact, overbooked? Over the past 15 years or so, there seems to be a trend among well intentioned parents to keep their children occupied at all times, with as many sports and other extra-curricular activities as it’s possible to completely fill in a young person’s “free” time. The assumption is that (1) we want to expose them to as many activities as possible and (2)...
