Articles written by Annie Wooden
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County readies school ballots
Ballots are being prepared for local school district elections. Sanders County Elections staff said ballots will be mailed Monday for school elections in Plains and Noxon. Hot Springs, which has one board position open and is asking voters to...
Our Viewpoint
In recent years there was an uproar about schools not teaching how to write in cursive anymore. A method of communication like landline phones and hand-written letters that is disappearing. It feels, however, like we're losing the basic skills of...
Thompson Falls board votes for 5-day week
Thompson Falls Superintendent Bud Scully accepted a check for $23,270 just before Monday's school board meeting. The check from the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance was the result of fundraising by the...
Run kicks off reading program
Thompson Falls Elementary students had a little spring in their step last Monday morning as they kicked off the Running Start reading program with a jog around the playground. The program is...
PERFECT SHOT
Blue Hawk senior golfer Theo Nygaard (right) decided to keep the action going on Saturday after the Plains golf tournament. Nygaard came home in the afternoon to play at River's Bend with his...
Excitement for eclipse
"It's like somebody took a bite out of the moon." That's how Thompson Falls fourth-grade student Makoy Schoenfeldt described Monday's solar eclipse. Elementary students waited on the playground for...
Speed change approved
The Thompson Falls City Council on Monday voted to move speed limit signs further out on each end of town. Mayor Rusti Leivestad, after meeting with the Department of Transportation, proposed moving t...
Our Viewpoint: Remember the good
Monday afternoon, I went to the Thompson Falls elementary school to watch the solar eclipse with the students. There was a lot of activity on the playground as students waited for a glimpse of the event. Some waited patiently and some ran around...
Noxon fire not arson
Arson has been ruled out as the cause of a February 27 fire that destroyed three businesses in Noxon. "At this point there is nothing that points to arson," Sheriff Shawn Fielders said Monday. He...
T. Falls pool to open in June
The City of Thompson Falls is excited to re-open the pool this summer after staffing issues and needed repairs caused the pool to stay closed for the 2023 season. “We’re very excited that the pool is going to open,” City Clerk Chelsea Peterson said...
Our Viewpoint: Common sense can protect you online
It's not uncommon these days to know someone who has been scammed online, or to have become a victim yourself. A presentation at the Thompson Falls Senior Center last week helped educate citizens on potential scams (see article on Page 4). While...
Insurance trends shared at TF Chamber luncheon
The Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce held a luncheon last week, welcoming members and guests to the Rimrock for "It's Just Lunch" on Wednesday. Dennis Spurlock with Alera Group insurance of Plains...
Candidates set for June primary
by Annie Wooden It's a somewhat quiet election season for local Sanders County races this election season. Five county elected officials are up for re-election this year, and only one race is...
ID woman killed in Sunday crash
A 40-year-old woman from Clark Fork, Idaho, was killed in an accident early Sunday morning on Highway 200 near Heron. Montana Highway Patrol reported that the woman was driving a Toyota FJ Cruiser west on Highway 200 near mile marker 1.3 when the...
Our Viewpoint: MT's fifth season
In Montana we have many seasons. There are the four regular seasons, but then there is hunting season and boating season, and probably the most recognizable, wildfire season. In March, everyone is busy clearing up their yards and property. Both...
Local officers receive Medal of Valor
Two Sanders County sheriff's deputies were awarded with the Medal of Valor at a ceremony last week. Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke presented deputies Lanny Hensley and Tim Kelly with the awards at...
Our Viewpoint
My favorite show growing up — and still one of my favorites now — was Little House on the Prairie. I love the idea of small communities supporting themselves and each other. When there was a barn raising, everyone showed up for the work and the cel...
TF farmers market receives support
The Thompson Falls Farmers Market received pledged support from community members at Monday's meeting of the City Council. Market organizer Veronica Ingle approached the council about having a...
Our Viewpoint: It's OK to not have all the answers
When our reporter Shannon Brown started talking to schools about mental health, we had several conversations as a staff around the conference table about what direction the story would take. With three teens dying by suicide in the last six months,...
Man pleads not guilty to escape charges
William Wyatt pleaded not guilty to three counts on Tuesday before Judge Molly Owen. Wyatt is charged with one charge of felony escape, one charge of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, and one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief. According to chargi...
Noxon fire investigation continues
by Annie Wooden and Shannon Brown The investigation continues into a fire last week in which three Noxon businesses were destroyed. The state completed its on-site investigation last week and Noxon...
Brown named lottery director
A Senator from Trout Creek has a new position within the state. Governor Greg Gianforte last week announced the appointment of Bob Brown of Trout Creek to serve as lottery director for the State of Montana. Brown was first elected to serve Montana...
Our Viewpoint: Be humble and kind
You see a lot of instances in professional sports of athletes putting on a show of arrogance and entitlement. Flashy touchdown dances, photos of epic reactions to a dunk, or comments attacking an opponent (kind of like politics). It makes for good te...
Fire destroys Noxon businesses
The town of Noxon suffered a devastating loss on Tuesday when a fire destroyed several businesses. Fire crews responded to an early-morning fire Tuesday in the 700 block of Noxon Avenue that...
Investigation continues into Noxon fire
Nearly 100 people attended a public meeting Saturday at Noxon School to hear an update about the investigation into the fire that destroyed three businesses in the community earlier this week. Noxon...
