Stories for February 2015

February 27, 2015 5:44 p.m.

Legislators to host local meeting

Legislators to host local meeting March 2

February 27, 2015 5:42 p.m.

Time is running out to sign-up for CSP

Time is Running Out To Sign-Up for CSP

February 27, 2015 5:41 p.m.

Big Sky Health designed to answer concerns

Big Sky Health is the Montana answer for healthcare

February 27, 2015 5:40 p.m.

CSKT Compact Passage will prevent litigation

CSKT Compact Passage Will Prevent Litigation & Protect Montanans

February 27, 2015 5:38 p.m.

Washtub gets a make over

The Washtub Laundry on Willis Street recently got a make over. New owners Doug and Chari Wipplinger, who bought the laundromat, just last week began an overhaul of the entire business.

February 27, 2015 5:36 p.m.

Hot Springs Celebration

Keiko Amana participates during a drum circle that accompanied the Chinese New Years parade in Hot Springs.

February 27, 2015 5:34 p.m.

Hot Springs celebrates Chinese New Year

Hot Springs - The community of Hot Springs came together Saturday afternoon to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Although the Chinese New Year was actually Thursday the 19th, the town decided to move their celebrations to Saturday.

February 27, 2015 5:26 p.m.

Little guys take to the wrestling mat

Wrestlers from all over the region took part in last weekend's tournament in Plains.

February 27, 2015 5:13 p.m.

Fairboard keeps busy

PLAINS – The Sanders County Fairboard had a full slate of business to attend to last week as the group met for their February proceedings at the Fairgrounds Pavilion in Plains.

February 27, 2015 5:08 p.m.

County leaders meet with Daines

MINERAL COUNTY – Mineral County leaders had the opportunity last week to participate in round table discussions with someone who represents the county’s interests at a national level.

February 26, 2015 8 p.m.

Radio station gets a boost

ST. REGIS – More people in Mineral County can now hear the broadcasts from a radio station in St. Regis after a new transmitter was recently installed, greatly improving the range of the signal.

February 26, 2015 7:58 p.m.

Obituary; Jesse Jacob James

Jesse Jacob James died Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Mineral Community Hospital surrounded by his family and under the diligent care of Rocky Mountain Hospice and the Staff of Mineral Community Hospital.

February 25, 2015 7:27 p.m.

Lady Red Devils challenge opponents in Pablo

PABLO – The no. 3 seeded Superior Lady Bobcats faced off against the no. 6 seeded Noxon Lady Red Devils to kick off the girls’ District 14-C tournament in Pablo last week.

February 25, 2015 7:27 p.m.

Lady Red Devils

Kristin Webley takes gets an open look during an early season game.

February 25, 2015 7:21 p.m.

Savage Heat

Sam Hoff dribbles by a Bluehawk defender during an early season game.

February 25, 2015 7:20 p.m.

County teams compete in Pablo

PABLO – The District 14-C tournament got underway last week in Pablo with two Sanders County teams, Hot Springs and Noxon opening the competition against one another.

February 25, 2015 7:17 p.m.

Horsemen

Trent Brouillette keeps the basketball in-bounds during last week's play-in game.

February 25, 2015 7:16 p.m.

Game decided at the very end

PLAINS - Tuesday night’s play-in game between the Plains Horsemen and the Troy Trojans was decided in the last minute of the game. The winning team would be going to the tournament in Columbia Falls on Saturday.

February 25, 2015 7:12 p.m.

Trotters

Carley VonHeeder drives towards the hoop during the Trotters game against Troy.

February 25, 2015 7:12 p.m.

Plains Trotters control the court

PLAINS – The Trotters opened up the District 7-B playoffs with a big win over the Troy Lady Trojans.

February 25, 2015 7:10 p.m.

Bluehawks

Dalton Hooten takes a jump shot during Thursday night's game in Thompson Falls.

February 25, 2015 7:08 p.m.

Game decided with seconds left on the clock

THOMPSON FALLS - Thursday night’s game between the Thompson Falls Bluehawks and the Eureka Lions was determined in the last 15 seconds, a point that was a hard fight to get to, and no one saw coming.

February 25, 2015 7:07 p.m.

Lady Hawks begin playoffs

BIGFORK – The Thompson Falls Lady Hawks began their postseason campaign against the Bigfork Valkyries in the District 7-B semifinals in Bigfork.

February 25, 2015 7:05 p.m.

Clark Fork River

Rip-rap leftover along the WWTP is creating an eddy that is eating away at the riverbank near the water treatment plant in Plains.

February 25, 2015 7:03 p.m.

River poses substantial threat to town

PLAINS- As of late, a committee of four concerned citizens have been tackling what is in their minds a very viable threat to the town of Plains.

February 25, 2015 7:01 p.m.

Chinese New Year

A performer with The Spunout Hippies puts on a show last Saturday in Hot Springs.

February 24, 2015 4:37 p.m.

Bobcats

Luke Boyce grabs a rebound during a recent game against cross-county rivals St. Regis.

February 24, 2015 4:36 p.m.

Superior heads into divisionals

SUPERIOR – The Superior Bobcats were headed into the next stage of the season last week after a solid performance at the district tournament in Pablo.

February 24, 2015 4:34 p.m.

Local support for CTE bill

ST. REGIS – Mineral County educators, including one from St. Regis, are hoping the Montana State Senate passes a bill that could see funding for Career and Technical Education (CTE) increase ten fold.

February 24, 2015 4:26 p.m.

Enjoying the warm weather

Chris Wood plays at the Superior Elementary School last week during recess.

February 20, 2015 5:24 p.m.

Water compact controversy continues

Editor,

February 20, 2015 5:23 p.m.

Public land debate continues

By: Senator Eric Moore & Representative Kerry White

February 20, 2015 5:22 p.m.

Natural resources issue

Montana Wood Products Association

February 20, 2015 5:21 p.m.

Setting the record straight

Submitted by: Dick Brown, President of MHA…An Association of Montana Health Care Providers

February 20, 2015 5:16 p.m.

State Champion

Savage Horsemen Head Coach Kenny Marjerrison (left) stands with Russell Kujala of Plains-Hot Springs after the B-C State Tournament in Billings. Kujala, a senior, took first in the 145-pound weight class last weekend.

February 20, 2015 5:12 p.m.

Clark Fork Valley Mud Run

Kris Nagel runs through the mud at the Clark Fork Valley Mud Run last Saturday.

February 20, 2015 5:11 p.m.

Thompson Falls runners have fun in the mud

Thompson Falls - The sun was shining, burning off the early morning fog, and shining into 20 sets of eager runners’ eyes, who were ready to get dirty on Saturday.

February 20, 2015 4:57 p.m.

24th Annual Cabinet Ridge Riders Poker Run

Snowmobiles filled Trout Creek last weekend for the annual Poker Run.

February 20, 2015 4:56 p.m.

Cabinet Ridge Riders hit the snow

TROUT CREEK- The 24th Annual Cabinet Ridge Riders Poker Run was held last weekend on Valentine’s Day in Trout Creek.

February 20, 2015 4:51 p.m.

Clark Fork Valley League revamps

PLAINS - Matt Feliska, the new president of the Clark Fork Valley League, has big plans and is trying to create, in his eyes, a better Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth Baseball League.

February 20, 2015 4:47 p.m.

Preservation Committee looks for input

PARADISE – Efforts to repurpose the historic school building in Paradise continue to progress and over the course of the next several weeks there will be opportunities for members of the Sanders County community to partake in the preservation of this historic structure.

February 18, 2015 5:08 p.m.

Birth Announcement; Claire Nicole Kuehn

Claire Nicole Kuehn was born on December 13, 2014, at 2:18 p.m. at Community Medical Center in Missoula. She weighed 5 pounds and 10 ½ ounces and was 19 inches long. Parents are Jared and Tiffany Kuehn of Missoula. Maternal grandparents are Cliff and Suzann Quale of Plains. Paternal grandparents are Jim and Jennifer Kuehn of Missoula. Maternal great-grandparents are Glenn and Mary Quest of Hysham. Paternal great-grandma is Margie Rohwer of Thompson Falls.

February 18, 2015 5:06 p.m.

Lady Hawks go to playoffs

THOMPSON FALLS – It was Senior Night for the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks last Saturday as the team prepared to close out their regular season campaign against the Noxon Lady Red Devils.

February 18, 2015 5:05 p.m.

Wrestlers battle in Billings

Sanders County was well represented at this year’s B-C State Tournament in Billings.

February 18, 2015 5:03 p.m.

Savage Heat

Trevor Paro passes two Charlo defenders to make a shot during Saturday night's game.

February 18, 2015 5:02 p.m.

Savage Heat challenge Charlo

The Savage Heat game against Charlo was a neck and neck game most of the night, until the very end.

February 18, 2015 4:59 p.m.

Lady Savage Heat

Pia Heggelund shoots against Charlo during last Saturday's game.

February 18, 2015 4:58 p.m.

Lady Savage Heat play Charlo

Hot Springs - The Saturday night game between the Hot Springs Lady Savage Heat and Charlo started off with something very special. It was Senior night, which meant that before the game started, the players who were seniors were escorted out to center court by their parents.

February 18, 2015 4:56 p.m.

Horsemen

Kyle Revier collides with a Whitefish defender during last week's game.

February 18, 2015 4:52 p.m.

Plains Horsemen give it all they've got

The game Thursday night between the Plains Horsemen and Whitefish was a special night for the senior players of the team. It was Senior night, which meant that before the game started, the players who were seniors were escorted out to center court by their parents. An announcer read aloud a thank you note written by the senior players and small gifts were given to their parents. Bios of the players were also read. Once the congratulations were over, the game began.

February 18, 2015 4:50 p.m.

Trotters

Hailey Phillips makes a drive towards the hoop against Whitefish during Thursday night's game.

February 18, 2015 4:49 p.m.

Trotters enjoy a sweeping victory

Plains - The Plains Trotters enjoyed a sweeping victory Thursday night over Whitefish. The entire game belonged to the Trotters, who held a major lead over their opponents throughout the game.

February 18, 2015 4:46 p.m.

Bluehawks win

THOMPSON FALLS – The Thompson Falls Bluehawks honored their senior basketball players before the start of the team’s game against Noxon last Saturday.

February 18, 2015 4:44 p.m.

Russell Kujala

Plains-Hot Springs 145-pound wrestler, Russell Kujala stands on top of the podium following last weekend's B-C State Tournament in Billings. With the state championship, Kujala, a senior, became the first Savage Horsemen wrestler to win two state championships.

February 18, 2015 4:43 p.m.

Champion Again

BILLINGS – Savage Horsemen senior Russell Kujala completed his high school wrestling career last weekend and the Plains wrestler went out in style.

February 18, 2015 4:22 p.m.

Leading the Herd

John Holland (in his truck) looks into his rear view mirror as he leads his cattle along.

February 18, 2015 4:18 p.m.

Event to return to county

MINERAL COUNTY – An event in Mineral County that was somewhat in jeopardy has been successfully saved after organizers banded together to make sure the annual car show would continue this year.

February 13, 2015 6:26 p.m.

An update from the House

Weekly Update House District 14

February 13, 2015 6:25 p.m.

More opinions on CSKT water compact

PUBLIC INSIGHT concerning Water Compact - Much Needed:

February 13, 2015 6:24 p.m.

Party sues

Dear Editor:

February 13, 2015 6:23 p.m.

A case against the CSKT compact

Has it occurred to you that the CSKT Reservation has already received its federal reserved water with the construction of the Flathead Irrigation Project? Water is very plentiful because the federal reclamation project plan was to irrigate “all of the practicably irrigable acreage” estimated to be between 130,000 and 150,000 acres. This is consistent with the Hell Gate Treaty which emphasized agriculture and the federal reserved water rights which require quantification (justification) of the water which is to make the reservation productive. The other 6 tribal reservations in Montana were approved because they went through the process of identifying the purposes of the water, stating the amount, place of use, etc. The water was available and fit the purposes of the reservations. Since the CSKT Reservation has adequate water their emphasis is to control water both on and off their Reservation and lease most of the water they get from the Compact to others.

February 13, 2015 6:21 p.m.

A case for the CSKT Water Compact

A Case for the CSKT Water Compact

February 13, 2015 6:20 p.m.

A message for Senator Daines

Dear Senator Daines:

February 13, 2015 6:15 p.m.

Mineral and Sanders County Elevate Youth Organization

Students from Mineral and Sanders County stand in front of the Capitol building during Elevate's trip to Washington D.C.

February 13, 2015 6:14 p.m.

Elevate students head to nation's capitol

Students from Mineral and Sanders County just returned from an eight day whirlwind trip to Washington DC. Students began their journey on Friday, January 30th and for some that meant being picked up after a late basketball game to begin the trek into Missoula to catch an early flight.

February 13, 2015 6:10 p.m.

SCCFF gets grant

PLAINS – A local organization committed to assisting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse received a sizeable grant from the Plum Creek Foundation recently.

February 13, 2015 6:09 p.m.

Reading month kicks off in Plains

The month of February is, “I Love to Read Month,” at the Plains Elementary School. Throughout the month activities will be held at the elementary school to promote reading, which the school sees as a means to furthering a child’s knowledge, imagination and self development.

February 13, 2015 6:06 p.m.

Carvers Carve Together

Tom Collins continues to work on one of his projects during last week's woodcarving club meeting in Plains.

February 12, 2015 4:29 p.m.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials visit commissioners

SUPERIOR – A packed house greeted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials at last week’s county commissioners meeting as many in the community were interested in what the organization plans to do regarding two contentious issues affecting Mineral County.

February 12, 2015 4:27 p.m.

Event encourages students to fill out FAFSA

MINERAL COUNTY – Members of the Mineral County 4-H competitive shooting team gathered at the fairgrounds in Superior recently to recognize each other for their exemplary performances in two recent tournaments competing in archery and rifle events.

February 12, 2015 4:25 p.m.

Mineral County 4-H Shooting Team

The Mineral County 4-H Shooting Team poses for a photo during an award ceremony.

February 12, 2015 4:24 p.m.

Team competes

MINERAL COUNTY – Members of the Mineral County 4-H competitive shooting team gathered at the fairgrounds in Superior recently to recognize each other for their exemplary performances in two recent tournaments competing in archery and rifle events.

February 12, 2015 4:19 p.m.

Robotics team places high in Missoula

The two teams from St. Regis competed against teams from all over the region last weekend.

February 11, 2015 4:54 p.m.

Obituary; Lanny W. Caudill

Passed away peacefully on Fri. Jan. 30, 2015 at the age of 72. Survived by his loving wife of 50 years Carmela. Loving father to David (Stacy), Bernice (David), Lanny D. (Amy). Sisters Denise and Darlene. Proud grandfather of 8 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Lanny will be fondly remembered by family and friends as a loving father, great friend and bright soul. Proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He will be sorely missed by all.

February 11, 2015 4:40 p.m.

Obituary; Leo Christian Gebhardt

Leo was born on June 29, 1923 in Balta, North Dakota to Christian and Kathryn Gebhardt. When he was a small child, his family moved to eastern Montana where he grew up and graduated from high school. He continued his education in Chicago.

February 11, 2015 4:38 p.m.

Obituary; Emma Lou Zamora-Williams

Emma Lou Sweeden was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in November 28, 1936 to Lester and Millie Sweeden. She was the oldest of Six Children. Emma Lou is survived by her Two Children: Son, Paul (Sheri) Lunsford, Grandsons Brandon Lunsford and Danny Mealue. Daughter, Sharon (Terry) Naig. Brothers: Glen (Gloria) Sweeden, Ralph (Susan) Sweeden and John (Marilyn) Sweeden. Emma Lou has a large extended family with just too many names to mention. Emma Lou was well loved and will be greatly missed by all that knew her.

February 11, 2015 4:29 p.m.

Lady Savage Heat

Pia Heggelund of the Lady Savage Heat fights through the Trotter defense.

February 11, 2015 4:28 p.m.

Trotters and Lady Savage Heat battle it out

HOT SPRINGS - To start off the Saturday game between the Plains Trotters and the Hot Springs Lady Savage Heat, the Trotters quickly gained a lead over the Heat. The Trotters gained 15 points by the middle of the first quarter, while the Heat worked on getting into form. Around the two and a half minute mark, Hot Springs put its first points on the board with two free throws by Stacy Gray. Then with a minute left, the Heat scored another two points, finishing the first quarter score with 4 points, against the Trotters, with 19.

February 11, 2015 4:25 p.m.

Bluehawks and Horsemen go to extra time

PLAINS – Four quarters proved not to be enough as county rivals the Thompson Falls Bluehawks and Plains Horsemen met last Thursday.

February 11, 2015 4:22 p.m.

Savage Horsemen

Savage Horsemen senior Russell Kujala won first place in his division for the third time in his high school career last weekend a the divisional meet in Eureka.

February 11, 2015 4:20 p.m.

Strong showing for county wrestlers at divisional meet

EUREKA – Wrestlers from throughout Sanders County had an opportunity to move on to the State Tournament last weekend.

February 11, 2015 4:18 p.m.

Lady Hawks

Lindsay Laws makes a drive down the court during Thursday night's game in Plains.

February 11, 2015 4:17 p.m.

Trotters get by Lady Hawks

PLAINS – The Plains Trotters and Thompson Falls Lady Hawks met for a county rivalry game last Thursday at Plains High School.

February 11, 2015 4:13 p.m.

Horsemen

Alec Cole gets by a Bluehawk defender with help from Horsemen teammate Ryan Ovitt.

February 11, 2015 4:11 p.m.

Horsemen and Heat square off

HOT SPRINGS - Saturday night’s game between the Plains Horsemen and the Hot Springs Savage Heat ended in a twist, which left the stands going crazy in the fourth quarter.

February 11, 2015 4:10 p.m.

Salvage incident in Trout Creek

TROUT CREEK – A calf elk and gut piles were discovered near Old Highway 200 in Trout Creek last week.

February 11, 2015 4:07 p.m.

Wood Carving Club

Jean Nemeth works on two fairy house carvings made from bark during the weekly Tuesday night Wood Carving Club's meeting.

February 10, 2015 5:48 p.m.

State Tournament

Bridger Lapierre, gets ready to take his opponent to the mat during the Hot Springs Mixer Invitational.

February 10, 2015 5:46 p.m.

Two Mineral County wrestlers to state

MINERAL COUNTY – There will be two wrestlers from Mineral County representing the area on the mats at the state competition this year, one from Alberton and one from Superior.

February 10, 2015 5:42 p.m.

Rock Slide

A portion of Interstate 90 west of St. Regis was shut down over the weekend after a rock slide.

February 10, 2015 5:40 p.m.

Interstate shut down in Mineral County

MINERAL COUNTY – A section of Interstate 90 in the western part of Mineral County was closed last weekend by the Montana Department of Transportation after debris from a landslide littered the highway making travel too hazardous for westbound motorists.

February 10, 2015 5:38 p.m.

Robotics team places in Missoula

One of the St. Regis High School robotics team makes last minute adjustments to their entry into the competition in Missoula.

February 6, 2015 6:29 p.m.

Montana Stockgrowers Association

The Montana Stockgrowers Association, representing the business interests of Montana’s cattle ranching sector, and the foremost organization representing Montana’s water users, the Montana Water Resources Association, have joined forces with the Montana Farm Bureau Federation to support the state of Montana’s proposed Water Compact with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT).

February 6, 2015 6:28 p.m.

Conservation and local economies

Wildlife Conservation and Local Economies

February 6, 2015 6:27 p.m.

A message from Senator Fielder

By Sen Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls

February 6, 2015 6:26 p.m.

Deadline looming

Editor,

February 6, 2015 6:25 p.m.

Alternate view on compact

Johanna Clark

February 6, 2015 6:23 p.m.

State of the state address

Last night we heard the Governor present the State of the State address and outline some of the top priorities that we must support in order to build strong families and strong communities. These priorities included infrastructure, early education, Medicaid expansion, mental health, campaign finance reform, and public lands.

February 6, 2015 6:22 p.m.

A party divided

The extreme and almost hidden dangers within today’s Republican party worries me greatly. I am not against the Republican party. I grew up Republican. Actually, I have never identified with a party but rather with the character, philosophies and motivations of the individual. So, being a student of character over career and meaning over money, I submit the following.

February 6, 2015 6:18 p.m.

National Geographic Geography Bee

Sixth grader Jesse Uski took first place in the Hot Springs National Geographic Geography Bee.

February 6, 2015 6:17 p.m.

Hot Springs hosts Geography Bee

The Hot Springs School held its annual 2015 National Geographic Geography Bee for the fourth through eight graders. Sixth grader Jesse Uski was the winner, with eight grader Haylee Hoff coming in second and seventh grader Angelica Lopez winning third place. Each class held its own competition and the top two contestants went on compete in the school wide bee. The students answered a variety of geographic questions, such as “Which state is known as the Peach State because peaches are one of its major crops: Hawaii or Georgia?” The fourth grade competitors were Wyatt Orton and Madeline Grieco. Seaerra Denny and Kyle Lawson represented the fifth graders and Bella Myton and Jesse Uski were the contestants from sixth grade. Angelica Lopez and Cameron Stearns were the challengers from seventh grade and Haylee Hoff and Tanner Vadnais were the eighth grade contenders. Jesse Uski, the winner, will now take a written examination to determine if he can advance to the state competition. All school champions are eligible to win the national championship and its first place prize, a $50,000 scholarship.

February 6, 2015 6:14 p.m.

Plains Community Ambulance

Bill Kosely of the Plains Community Ambulance receives first-aid during an EMT drill at E.L. Johnson Memorial Park in Plains.

February 6, 2015 6:09 p.m.

EMTS practice life-saving skills

PLAINS- The Plains Community Ambulance volunteers began their bi-annual refresher course Friday night. The course continued on into Sunday afternoon, with classroom instruction and hands-on trauma practice.

February 6, 2015 6:06 p.m.

The Great Gatsby

Members of the Montana Repertory Theatre Company act out a scene from "The Great Gatsby" in the Plains High School gymnasium last Monday.

February 6, 2015 6:04 p.m.

Plains gym is transformed

PLAINS-Monday night Plains was treated to a full on professional production play. In a matter of just a day, the Plains High School gymnasium became a working theater with lighting, audio, props and an elegant backdrop. The Montana Repertory Theatre Company, based out of the University of Montana in Missoula, was the one responsible for transforming the center court into Long Island, New York, the setting for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, “The Great Gatsby.”

February 6, 2015 5:47 p.m.