Copper King fire erupts; Savage Heat win state football title

JULY 6

— A man was arrested after an 84-mile chase by police that ended west of Plains and had begun in Missoula. At times the chase reached 105 mph. Montana Highway Patrol, Sanders County Sheriff’s and Plains Police were all involved in the chase.

— Janice DeLaney was fondly remembered by many of her friends as a teacher, friend, and bowling alley manager. Her years of travel after her retirement included trips to Strattforshire, England.

JULY 20

— Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) held an “Ice Cream Social” to raise funds and awareness of the organization. CASA volunteers help children in need of help in Lake and Sanders counties.

— The first ever Wildhorse Shootout three-on-three basketball competition was held at the newly renovated Amundsion Sports Complex in Plains. The games were 20 minutes in length and very fast paced.

JULY 27

— The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation reported that Western Montana is in a severe drought. The area, referred to as the Northern Rockies, is ranked 4th out of 8 regions.

AUG. 3

— The Copper King fire begins in early August. This was the largest fire in Montana in all of 2016. There were several helicopters from around the state, hotshot crews and firefighters numbering in the hundreds fighting the fire. Base camps were set up in several locations in Sanders County. The smoke often filled the valley, making it difficult to see and breathe. Fire incident commanders and county officials gave many communities informational meetings and media updates on the fire on a regular basis. The the fire eventually was put out thanks to the efforts of firefighters and cooler weather in late October. The Copper King fire would eventually consume nearly 29,000 acres. There was no loss of human life during this wildfire that appeared to be caused by human actions. It did threaten many residences and many communities were on various stages of evacuation notice if the fire changed direction.

AUG. 24

— District Court Judge Kim Christopher reinstated the plea agreement in omnibus cases. The plea agreement had existed from 2001 until 2010.

— Sanders County unemployment remained at 7 percent. This was significantly higher than the overall unemployment rate for Montana of 4.2 percent.

SEPT. 7

— Two teachers in Plains were recognized for their hard work in raising the funds for playground equipment. Lorraine Hermiston and Suzzanne Quale had raised over $20-30,000 for the playground equipment that had been found in storage since the 1990s. The equipment was assembled and the two teachers had a sign erected in their honor.

— The Plains town council approves the 2016-2017 budget. Many of the projects planned included the purchase of a new police car, the ongoing work for the sewer and water issues and repair of the roads within the city limits.

SEPT. 28

— Plains music teacher Brittany Nichols received a $1,000 scholarship to continue her education. Her plans are to continue taking one class, teach in Plains and then attend the University of Montana in the summer of 2017.

— A trial began in Portland, Oregon as Jake Ryan and others involved in the armed standoff with federal officials awaited their fate. The charges against them include impeding Interior Department employees through threats and intimidation. The trial was expected to begin sometime in November 2016.

— The Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes amended the bill regarding the transfer of the National Bison Range. If Congress approves the transfer, federal government payments to Lake and Sanders counties would be phased out over five years and the tribes would be required to maintain a management plan that can be reviewed by the public.

OCT. 19

— Sanders County Sheriff’s department detectives continue to investigate property theft of a Thompson Falls business. Several pieces of equipment estimated to be worth $10,000 were stolen after the business was broken into by the use of force.

— The Montana Supreme Court kept a man in prison after denying his appeal. Richard Lee Griffin had his appeal denied on the 2014 conviction of six felonies for sexual assault and sexual intercourse without consent.

NOV. 2

— Hot Springs students join eight other Montana schools to help NASA with research. Students are helping scientists develop parachutes for future Mars missions. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (known by the abbreviation STEM) skills are being gained through space exploration experiments.

— The Plains Trotters take 4th place at the District 14C volleyball tournament. The team was upset by the St. Regis Tigers n a close match.

— U.S. Forest Service plans a salvage of Copper King trees. Some of the trees in the Lolo National Forest that were burned would be harvested, along with planting seedlings to begin new growth. This plan involved the public input, as well as best practices and procedures to manage the area impacted by the fire.

NOV. 9

— The Hot Springs Savage Heat remained unbeaten with a record of 11-0 as they entered the semifinals of the Class C six-man football tournament. Throughout the season the Savage Heat steamrolled over their opponents, many times soundly outscoring the other teams every quarter of the game.

— Bighorn sheep str killed in record numbers by pneumonia. A total of 37 Bighorn sheep on the National Bison Range had succumbed to the disease, reducing the herd that had once numbered over 175.

NOV. 16

— The Plains Ambulance Coordinator is dismissed after a meeting of the nonprofit organization. After a four hour meeting the Plains Ambulance General Assembly reached the decision.

— The Kootenai National Forest proposes a 2,100-acre logging project near Troy. Of the area planned for logging approximately, 136 would be old growth trees.

Election Results for

Sanders County

President: Donald Trump; Governor: Steve Bullock; U.S. House: Ryan Zinke; Secretary of State: Corey Stapleton; Attorney General: Tim Fox; Auditor: Matt Rosendale; State Senate: Jennifer Fielder; State House: Rob Brown.

Local results: Mike McGrath re-elected; Jim Shea re-elected; Clerk of Court: Candace Fisher; County Commissioner: Glen E. Magera

Initiative 116 — Create a Crimes Victim Rights Marsy’s Law: passed.

Initiative 177 — Prohibit Animal Trapping on Public Lands: failed.

Initiative 181 — Brain Research Bonds to Create a BioMed Authority: failed.

Initiative 182 — Expand Medical Marijuana Repeal 3 patient limit: passed.

Levy for Sanders County Ambulance services: passed.

Levy for Preston Hot Springs Library: passed.

NOV. 23

— The Hot Springs Savage Heat became the 2016 Champions in six-man Class C football. The victorious, undefeated (13-0) Hot Springs team beat MonDak by a final score of 54-20. Hot Springs coach Jim Lawson stated, “For me, I have a son that’s a senior this year that makes it even more special for me. It’s really quite an experience.”

— Carol Seilhymer is a new pastor in Sanders County and leads two churches for the Lutheran Church, Plains and Thompson Falls. She moved here from Minnesota with her family.

— Sandy Revier, who teaches English at Plains High School, was recognized by KECI with their Gold Star award. The award is given based on the recommendation of students from kindergarten through high school.

NOV. 30

— VFW Post 3596 created care packages to send to U.S. military troops actively serving in bases in the country and overseas. This is the 37th year that the VFW auxiliary has been collecting items and sending them to men and women in the military.

— All-Conference football players from Plains were Aaren VonHeeder, Alec Cole and Ryan Ovitt. Hot Springs football players named to all-state were Trevor Paro, Kane Lawson, Blaine Carr and Brock Cantrell.

DEC. 21

— Jake Ryan’s trial date remains unclear, even as some defendants were acquitted of charges from the Oregon standoff with federal officials at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. The trial appeared to be set for Feb. 14, 2017, when federal attorneys asked for a 60-day extension to push back the date.

— Gov. Steve Bullock’s pre-kindergarten plan may be pushed aside in order to make sure that the budget will be able to support Montana highway projects. Bullock later blasted the GOP and asked them to “act like grown-ups.”

DEC. 28

— A Kalispell hunter’s “mishap” cost him $30,000 in restitution, fines of $735 and the $2,000 cost of killing a ewe. Judge Donald M Strine fined Jeff Fleming for the killing of three Bighorn sheep when he only had a permit to kill one.

— The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) have issued an emergency declaration because of invasive mussels on the southern half of Flathead River.