Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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Sanders County has a new county attorney. Jania Hatfield was sworn in Thursday by County Commissioner Tony Cox and started her new position last week. The county attorney position was open after Megan Hansen, who was appointed earlier this year, recently resigned. Prior to moving to Sanders County, Hatfield served as a deputy county attorney for Broadwater County in Townsend. She also previously worked in Helena for the state Office of the Public Defender, and has worked for the state's Child...
Sanders County recently signed on to participate in the 20th Judicial District Adult Drug Court (JDADC). The court has been active in Lake County since 2016. The program was created to restructure judicial participation in cases involving chemically dependent offenders. The goal of the JDADC, according to District Judge Molly Owen, is to ensure participants will have more success in maintaining law-abiding behavior, reducing the number and duration of relapses while increasing the duration of their sobriety, and increasing their life skills....
Ambulance: Plains, 4; T. Falls, 3; Trout Creek, 3; Hot Springs, 2; Dixon, 1; Lonepine, 1; St. Regis, 1; Mineral County, 1. Monday, October 28 USFS service patrol, Heron. Motor vehicle crash, Trout Creek. Motor vehicle crash, Lonepine. Disturbance, T. Falls. Fire, Dixon. Assault, Lonepine. Motor vehicle crash, Perma. Request for welfare check, T. Falls. Intimidation/harassment, Hot Springs. Request for welfare check, Plains. Fire, Dixon. Fire, Dixon. Intimidation/harassment, T. Falls. General animal call/complaint, Plains. Drugs/narcotics, T....
Montana Highway Patrol Pamela Cooper, 76, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Emett Sclabassi, 30, operating with expired registration, $85. Rebecca Palmer, 47, day speeding, $70, deferred imposition of sentence. Cheyann Phillips, 27, day speeding, $120. Zachary Blasey, 41, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Kyota Shizuku, 45, speeding in a restricted zone, $95, deferred imposition of sentence. Zane Goddard, 43, speeding in a restricted zone, $65. Michele Kemper, 74, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, 1st offense, $685; improper...
The 2024 Fall Mack Days concluded on Sunday November 3rd with a total of 18,414 lake trout entries, and 151 anglers out of 436 registered entered one or more lake trout. This event has been the most successful in numbers since 2015 when 19,540 lake trout were entered. There were 17,502 turned in during the 2023 Fall Event. Mack Days Fishing Events are sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and are used as a management tool to decrease numbers of invasive lake trout in Flathead Lake. Native fish are an important part of the...
A new daycare in Thompson Falls is offering child care Monday through Friday. Holly Sanders opened Tiny Bees Daycare in May. She said last week that she is licensed to care for up to eight children, and currently has half of those spots filled. Tiny Bees came about when Sanders saw a need in the community and took the opportunity. She previously worked for Town Pump in Plains for 20 years, so the idea of opening a daycare in the community where she lives was appealing. Tiny Bees operates out of...
Thompson Falls students will have access to the GEAR UP program for another seven years, high school Principal Jodi Morgan told the school board Monday night. Morgan said that Sen. Jon Tester pressured the Biden administration to fund the program for Monta’as students. “That’s really, really, really good news,” Morgan stated. “The Montana University System’s GEAR UP is one of the best tools we have to get kids ready for college, and it’s critical that it receives full federal support,” Sen. Tester said in a press release. “I’m glad to se...
Sanders County has purchased two properties adjacent to the courthouse in Thompson Falls in order to help ease increasing congestion in the county building. The commissioners purchased two properties along Jefferson Street between Main Street and Maiden Lane. One property was a private residence and the other is a commercial property that currently houses businesses including Clark Fork Title and the local probation and parole office. The residential property was purchased for $450,000 and the...
The general deer and elk hunting season kicked off Saturday, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) reported a successful weekend with overall better success than last year in Region 1, which includes Sanders County. FWP operates check stations throughout the region, including at Thompson Falls near the rural fire station. Overall in the region, 10% of hunters reported game, a 3% increase over the 2023 opening weekend. The Thompson Falls check station saw 258 hunters come through opening weekend, up from 216 in 2023. Hunters reported 10...
Pickleball is closer to becoming a bigger reality in Plains with the construction of two outdoor courts at the Amundson Sports Complex. TW Fencing of Trout Creek spent three days last week placing 270 feet of fencing around the two future courts. Kelly Altmiller, president of the Plains Pickleball Association, said they hope to have the courts ready for play once they get the court surfacing and nets in place in the spring. "The members of the PPA are extremely excited that we were finally able...
Democratic congressional candidate Monica Tranel was back in Noxon last week, making a campaign stop to chat with about 30 people at the Noxon Senior Center. "I'm asking you to hire me to represent you," Tranel told the community members as she discussed the Noxon bridge, housing and other topics for over an hour last Tuesday. "I know rural Montana and I understand it." Tranel said that as an attorney, she thinks of herself as an advocate, joking that it was not her lifelong dream to be a...
Montana Highway Patrol Waylon Heavy Runner, 42, speeding in a restricted zone, $105. Tate Stinnett, 45, seatbelt violation, $20. Kaleb Hilliard, 19, day speeding, $70. Cristy Hoyle, 39, failure to carry proof/exhibit insurance in vehicle, 1st offense, $285; seatbelt violation, $20. Tanner Rohletter, 27, night speeding, $200. Shayne Odegaard, 63, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Thilo Teufel, 47, day speeding, $70. Michael Bareman, 34, passing in a no-passing zone, $85; speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Dustin Curry, 35, seatbelt...
Montana Highway Patrol Waylon Heavy Runner, 42, speeding in a restricted zone, $105. Tate Stinnett, 45, seatbelt violation, $20. Kaleb Hilliard, 19, day speeding, $70. Cristy Hoyle, 39, failure to carry proof/exhibit insurance in vehicle, 1st offense, $285; seatbelt violation, $20. Tanner Rohletter, 27, night speeding, $200. Shayne Odegaard, 63, speeding in a restricted zone, $95. Thilo Teufel, 47, day speeding, $70. Michael Bareman, 34, passing in a no-passing zone, $85; speeding in a restricted zone, $85. Dustin Curry, 35, seatbelt...
Last week for Red Ribbon week, a week devoted to helping prevent future drug-abuse in kids and young adults, Thompson Falls high school hosted national speaker Ethan Fisher who presented “LifeCONsequences: A Tale of Redemption.” Noxon, Plains and Thompson Falls high school students gathered to hear Fisher, who was brought to the school by siblings Declan and Caitrin Harrington. The Harringtons' cousin, Bridget Kirby, was killed as a passenger in a drunk driving accident. They raised funds to bring Fisher to Montana. The siblings got the ide...
A former Plains High School student has found herself back in school and the subject English was the culprit. English was the favorite subject for Alexis Kunzer and now she's teaching English. The 2010 Plains High School graduate was unanimously voted as the newest addition to the school staff and will be teaching English for grades seven through seniors. Kunzer will work until January, at which time she will determine if her teaching hours will accommodate her caring for her infant daughter. Ku...
It looks like the Bean Bug Cafe doors are closing, but another door is opening for owner Suzy VonHeeder. VonHeeder and co-owner Emmalie VonHeeder, her daughter-in-law, started the Bean Bug in December of 2020 and it was a prosperous enterprise, but Emmalie wants to be a stay-at-home mom with her 3-year-old son, Jaxx, and Suzy has been in the food service business for 25 years and wants to try something else. The Bean Bug's last day was Friday and one of its coffee specials during its final week...
The Thompson Falls Police Department is warning residents about a potential scam involving someone posing as an election worker. According to Chief Chris Nichols, TFPD received a notification that on Tuesday, October 29, a man was going door to door in the 200 block of North Gallatin Street claiming to be with the election canvasser office. The reporting parting stated the man had a stack of blue secrecy envelopes. TFPD said that the Sanders County Elections office does not have anyone... Full story
The Montana Millionaire tickets went on sale at 5:30 a.m. Friday, and were sold out in less than three hours, the Montana Lottery reported. Town Pump in Thompson Falls reported a line of people waiting to get their tickets before they went on sale, and at 8 a.m. still had a short line inside the store. The three-hour sellout is a new record for the game, the Montana Lottery stated in a press release today. "The demand for Montana Millionaire this year has been absolutely incredible," said...
It might smell the same, but it now has a better look and is dust and mud free. The Plains Refuse District - the "town dump" - received a major facelift in October with a new shack delivered to the site on Saturday. Von Construction of Plains did the bulk of the project over the course of about three weeks, finishing the paving portion two weeks ago. Doran VonHeeder, owner of the construction company, said the project was done in three phases, starting with placing several truckloads of gravel a...
The Thompson Falls City Council awarded a contract for the Church Street emergency water project at its monthly meeting last week. The council met on Tuesday as Monday was a holiday, awarding the $338,960 contract to 40/50 Development of Ennis. 40/50 owner Michael Sprout said the company wanted to get started on the project as soon as possible. The company has a crew of 10 employees who will work on the project and is hoping to complete the project within three weeks. “We have a young, energetic crew. We’ll get it done,” Sprout said, addin...
Ambulance: Plains, 7; Hot Springs, 3; T. Falls, 3; Noxon, 2; Trout Creek, 2; Dixon, 1; Paradise, 1. Monday, October 14 Abandoned vehicle, T. Falls. Assist motorist/citizen, T. Falls. General animal call/complaint, Plains. Other accident, Plains. General animal call/complaint, Heron. Parking problem, T. Falls. Theft, Trout Creek. Theft, Heron. Request for welfare check, T. Falls. Business contact, Plains. USFS campground check, T. Falls. USFS campground check, Heron. Civil attempts. Civil attempts. Civil attempts. Motor vehicle crash, T. Falls....
Montana Highway Patrol Eric Thornton, 38, driving while privilege suspended/revoked, 1st offense, $325; operating without liability insurance, 1st offense, $275. Delano Smith, 50, negligent endangerment, $285, deferred imposition of sentence. Roxanna Dial, 61, careless driving, $135, deferred imposition of sentence. Daniel Fretto, 56, speeding in a restricted zone, $85. John Laimbeer, 79, day speeding, $70. Tracy McNair, 62, day speeding, $120. Brandy Paulson, 41, day speeding, $70. Virgil Thoms, 57, seatbelt violation, $20. Dustin Hoffman,...
Another summer has gone by and the Forest Service’s Big Hole Lookout rental cabin is closed up for the winter, thanks to volunteers from the Wild Plains Back Country Horsemen. John Errecart and Cheryl Burt took their horses and mules up the two-and three-quarter mile Trail #368 to the lookout at the 6,922-foot level last Tuesday to secure the lookout for the winter. It will reopen next June, also by members of the horsemen club, which adopted the lookout when it became a rental cabin in 2021. T...
HELENA – In Montana, maintaining positive relationships between hunters and landowners is a critical part of our culture and our heritage. In many towns around the state, these relationships extend well beyond hunting season as landowners and hunters share a commitment to their communities and ways of life. Over the years, however, things have changed and it’s more common now for hunters to use access programs to hunt private land, rather than gaining access through a direct contact with a landowner. To help promote hunter ethics and...
U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke was in Sanders County on Tuesday, making campaign stops as he seeks re-election next month. Rep. Zinke's first stop was in Noxon, where he addressed a crowd of about 50 community members and talked about the need for replacement of the Noxon bridge. Commissioner Tony Cox explained that the state recommended full replacement of the bridge. "The bridge is the jugular of the community of Noxon. We don't want to put a new saddle on an old horse. We want a new horse," C...
