I finally subscribed to a local paper again after quite a lapse due to the lack of engaging content and the slant of my former small town's paper. Upon receiving my first copy of the Ledger, the first article I read is "On being worried and enraged...

Due to medical reasons, I was unable to attend the Thompson Falls City Council meeting on 8 January, but I certainly heard about it, and for all the wrong reasons. Members of the council were elected by voters to do the business of the city on...

by Michael Scharfe Mortgage Minute – Escrow Accounts Escrow accounts are very common with mortgage loans, although not all mortgage loans require an escrow account. Escrow accounts are, essentially, a bank-controlled savings account that is used t...

by Rusti Leivestad, Thompson Falls Mayor What is community? Definitions…a social unit with a shared socially significant characteristic. It’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter – caring about each other. Strong commu...

We're journalists, so we're curious. When we heard about the National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day event at Plains School, my reporter asked if I knew the history of the day. I didn't, so I started doing some research. It's a fantastic idea to...

The job of the City Council is to conduct the City’s business. We are responsible for facilitating the democratic process. To do this, we need to all be civil by respecting the rules. Recent attempts to hold meetings in venues other than City Hall h...

It’s time to write something clever about the new year. Or at least something. We get an extra day in 2024, and we get to go through an election season. Oh, boy! Mudslinging, prevaricating, science-denying, character-assassinating, and f...

There are certain things in life that you just have to figure out. We learn to problem solve, especially in a rural area. If you can't get leeks or curry at the grocery store, you learn to improvise. We also have a lot of people here who are experts...

My husband and I recently debated the definition of “reading,” and whether or not audio books count. I say they absolutely do. The audio book is exactly the same as the written book and requires roughly the same investment of time, the listener lea...

by Rep. Denley Loge My husband and I recently debated the definition of “reading,” and whether or not audio books count. I say they absolutely do. The audio book is exactly the same as the written book and requires roughly the same investment of tim...

The holidays are over and winter is in its full cycle for rest. It's when plants are dormant in their sleep. When days are shorter so we can rest longer, ideally. But too often we continue to rush about in pursuit of whatever drives us: the dollar, t...

It's time. This week we are focused on the time counting down to 2024. Remembering the moments in 2023 and being hopeful for the next year. There's so much energy put into this final week. Did you go on that trip? Did you make good on those...

We’re all familiar with the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” In recognition of the holiday season, I’d like to share some of the good work your state lawmakers accomplished in the legislative session at the beginning of the year, in a...

Skyrocketing property taxes. Astronomical energy rates. Homes that are unaffordable to most Montanans. And yet more big tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, while the rest of us are left to foot the bill. When we look back on the last year, all these...

It’s been difficult getting in the holiday spirit this year. With no snow, it feels more like a cold fall than winter. But as we were putting together the Holiday Pictorial, the holiday spirit hit me. I was going through photos from the past year, vi...

by Michael Scharfe The new year is just around the corner and with that begins a lot of New Year’s resolutions. What better time than now to add a resolution to clean up your credit? According to a poll found in Forbes, the #5 most common r...

by Rusti Leivestad, Thompson Falls Mayor Having moved from our home in Trout Creek where we dug a well for our water system, put in the septic system and shared maintenance and plowing of a quarter mile of private road (all at our expense), I truly...

One of my favorite experiences is hearing about Sanders County from someone new to the area. If you grow up here, you tend to take for granted the mountains, fresh air, daily wildlife sightings and outdoor opportunities. One of the most memorable of...

I would like to thank the couple who paid for my groceries today at Harvest. It was a really nice surprise to me, as something like this has never happened to me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and wish you and yours a...

Dear Editor, December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. It opportunely coincides with the holidays when folks are going to parties, reconnecting with old friends, and maybe indulging more than they do the rest of the year. Wherever...

I'd like to address an occurrence from last month's city council meeting, in which a time for public comment was, in my perception, seized as an opportunity to intimidate and bully. I became a member of TF city council in January 2020, a year no elec...