Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

With the nice long Memorial Day holiday this past weekend, I had the chance to catch up with my friend Troy. His grandparents had the ranch next to ours, and he comes back to visit every few years. We played in Beaver Creek, shared stories, looked...

On Monday, I went to Thompson Falls Christian Church for the Piatigorsky Foundation concert. This was the first time I was able to see the concert that the Clark Fork Enrichment Corporation provides free to the community. Watching the concert on...

As I sit here writing this, my mom is sitting at the conference table in the back of the Ledger reading pages. She comes in and edits for me on Tuesdays. Also today she brought me a jug of water from the ranch (I live in town and well water is just...

There was something different in last week's Ledger, however, no one really noticed. Last week, I wrote an article using artificial intelligence (AI) software. A friend of mine from California visited recently and asked if I had ever used AI in the...

There are many people in Sanders County who do a lot for others and never ask for any recognition. It's time to start recognizing those people. Let's start with Angie Lowe of Thompson Falls. I went to school with Angie and have known her most of my l...

Montana legislators voted this month to ban TikTok. The legislation states that "TikTok's stealing of information and data from users and its ability to share that data with the Chinese Communist Party unacceptably infringes on Montana's right to...

Last year, it seemed as though there was some sort of bear conflict in the area just about every day. Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff was busy taking care of issues and trying to educate property owners how to reduce conflicts. The majority of...

The editorial cartoon (at right) this week got me thinking about what we're willing to give up. It's Lent, but I doubt a lot of people gave up eggs. They are a pretty basic food staple that everyone buys. With the prices going up, people are still...

At the forum discussing Montana’s state constitution earlier this month, there was a diverse group of more than 100 people. There were politicians and retired people and realtors and volunteers. There were people who had lived in Sanders County...

Spring is here – finally! The other day I spoke with a friend on the east coast who was lamenting about the 58-degree weather. I laughed and said I had considered not wearing a sweater on my walk in 38-degree weather the same day. The humidity and...

On Monday in Justice Court, Sanders County Sheriff's Deputy April Phillips addressed the young man who hit her patrol vehicle head-on last year. She told of her injuries and of the lasting effects. Phillips was firm in her statement before Judge Doug...

On separate occasions recently, I was influenced unexpectedly to listen. I’m a pretty good listener, given my occupation, but what I took away from the instances last week was being open to listening. Our lives are busier every day with more...

I recently traveled to Polson to cover the District 14-C basketball tournament. I’ve been to Polson before, but never for that long of a stretch. Polson may have a Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Starbucks, but it’s still a small town. One morning dur...

I am usually at the courthouse a couple times a week. I attend meetings, conduct interviews and take care of business matters. When I bought the Ledger six years ago, there would maybe be two people at different public meetings, if that many. I was...

In the last couple of weeks, there have been two items voted on by county commissioners that were split votes. It’s not that unusual, but it’s still noticeable. Why? Because it’s a reflection of how our county is changing. People in Sanders...

When I was in junior high, we traveled to Hale, Missouri, to visit my dad's aunts and cousins. It was a town about the size of Noxon. It had a hardware store and a feed store, and my extended family ran the one restaurant in town. My Great Aunt Ila e...

I always love going to the years of service celebration at the courthouse. It’s amazing to see how long people have been at their jobs, and definitely an accomplishment worth recognizing. With my parents’ generation, it seems like most everyone...

Nanette Blake from Farmhouse Blooms brought over some newspaper pages she found under the flooring of the house she recently purchased in Thompson Falls. One of the newspapers was the November 10, 1911, issue of The Sanders County Ledger. On the...

Well, here we are in mid-January. How are those New Year’s resolutions going? The fact that the second Friday in January is called “Quitters Day” provides a pretty clear answer. Even if you made it to this point, research shows that most of us...

One of my favorite parts of the newspaper is the obituary section. It's also one of the most read. Obituaries are such a personal look into a life. I love reading obituaries and learning about people. I discover unknown facts about peopel I've known...

Last Thursday was the swearing in ceremony for the elected officials who won races in the November General Election. With the new year now comes new leadership in some key roles for Sanders County. We have two brand new commissioners and a new sherif...

Well, another year is coming to an end. It’s this time of year, as we get ready to say goodbye to the old, that people start focusing on renewal and starting over. People will make resolutions, and a few will keep them for the next 12 months. Many...

The photo on this week's front page of Mya Aquino is priceless. Ed Moreth is great at capturing special moments. When she's older, Mya may not appreciate this photos as much, but it's a memory and a moment is something to which many parents can relat...

Last week during the Holiday Stroll, I had the privilege of meeting several people who had just moved to the area. It's not a secret or anything new that the Sanders County population is increasing. It seems there are new people every time you go...