Ellington

Roberta Ruguleiski

Roberta Gayle (Johnson) Ruguleiski, 79, of Plains, Mont., passed away Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, at Clark Fork Valley Hospital following treatment for a heart condition. Donald E. Ruguleiski, her husband of 59 years, was by her side.

John Gingery

John G. Gingery, 78, passed away on May 23, 2019, in Plains, Mont.

Plains Elementary Track and Field Day

Salmi fundraiser continues

Plains library offers 'Teen Video Challenge'

Plains Public Library invites teens to participate in the 2019 Teen Video Challenge, a national video competition, as part of their summer reading program.

Plains Day will feature free plane rides for kids on Saturday

Know any kids, age 8–17, who might want to fly?

Should barking dogs land you in the 'doghouse'?

If there’s anything a room full of Sanders County residents can agree on, it’s that our dogs are important to us. The May 23 county commission meeting to address a proposed ordinance about incessantly barking dogs was proof of that.

Clark Fork, St. Regis athletes excel at state track

The Seeley-Swan girls captured the Class C title at the Montana State Track and Field Championships with 90.33 points at the Laurel Sports Complex held Friday and Saturday, May 24 and 25. Laurel won the boys’ crown with 81 points. The Clark Fork girls placed 19th with 8 points, and the St. Regis girls placed 32nd with 1 point. The Clark Fork boys placed 27th with 6 points, and the St. Regis boys were 25th with 7 points. Sorren Reese of Clark Fork placed fifth in the 800-meter run with a time 2:27.56. Madison Kelly of St Regis earned sixth in the 1,600-meter run in 5:43.35. The Clark Fork girls placed fourth in the 1,600-meter relay with a clocking of 4:19.45. Ian Farris of St Regis earned third in the 100-meter dash with 11.30, and placed sixth in the long jump with an effort of 20 feet, 4 inches. Jesse Shaske of Clark Fork placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:01.64.

Superior Lions Club seeking Rodeo Princess applicants

The Superior Lions Club is seeking applicants for its 2019 Rodeo Princess and Junior Rodeo Princess. The Princess and Junior Princess will serve along this year’s 2019 Rodeo Queen Emma Hill at the Go for the Gold Rodeo on Friday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Mineral County Fair. The competition is open to all Mineral County young women between the ages 13 and 20. They must have been a Mineral County resident for at least six months and show involvement in community service. They will also be tested on horsemanship and knowledge. The winning candidate for the Rodeo Princess will receive $50 cash and a $50 gift certificate to Mountain West Co-Op (Cenex) to help pay for her outfit. The Junior Rodeo Princess and Rodeo Princess will receive a custom handmade sash from world renowned sash maker Wendy Russ. The winner in the Junior Rodeo Princess competition will advance to Princess next year and Queen the following year. Hill, this year’s Rodeo Queen, will receive $200 cash and a $50 gift certificate from Cenex. The Rodeo Princess will receive $150 cash and a $50 gift certificate from Cenex. Both the Queen and the princess will receive genuine silver crowns, made by Montana Silversmiths, donated by Lincoln’s Silver Dollar Bar. The application deadline for the Superior Lions Rodeo Princess 2019 contest is Wednesday, June 19. Applications are available at Alberton Feed and Supply, Castles Market in Superior, Idaho Forest Group in St. Regis, and all three Mineral County high schools. Contact Shawn Heyer for more information. Home: 406-822-4553. Cell: (496) 241-3678. E-mail: heyerus@yahoo.com.

The EMT shortage in Superior is nothing new

When Anita Parkin was substitute teaching at Superior High School on a Wednesday morning, she got a call on her pager from the 911 dispatcher for a medical emergency. She either had to abandon her class and hurry to the Superior Area Ambulance Service or deny the call. She opted to deny the call, but only because her co-worker, Life Science teacher Beau Servo, decided he would abandon his class of three to take it. Parkin worked to consolidate the classes while Servo fled the school to respond to the medical emergency. “The other teachers help out, but we can’t get away sometimes,” Parkin said. Scenarios like this happen often in Superior, where there are around nine active Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) who regularly respond to emergencies. “There’s a core group of us, we all have pagers and it’s basically whoever answers,” Parkin said. Parkin has been an EMT for 43 years and is the vice chair of the Superior Area Ambulance Service. She said the ambulance always struggles with EMT shortages because they are all volunteers and most already have other jobs. She says volunteers are generally not as committed as paid EMTs. “Sometimes people get off work to go (on calls),” Parkin says. “It makes life interesting.” She says there are about six EMTs who always wear their pager. Ideally three EMT’s should respond to a call, but sometimes only two are able to go. The state realizes Superior is rural, so they allow fewer responders than they would in a more populated area. Parkin says the ambulance will sometimes pick up EMTs in St. Regis or the West End if they don’t have enough responders in Superior. “It’s kind of an interesting thing, I don’t know too many other places that do it this way,” Parkin said. Superior’s ambulance was affiliated with Superior Volunteer Fire Department, but they separated in the last 20 years. The Ambulance Service is a nonprofit and the county gives them two mills every year which equals to $10,000 each. This also qualifies the service for grants. “We always need a new ambulance or something, we just built a new ambulance station and we do all the maintenance and shoveling,” Parkin said. Parkin teaches an EMT class in Superior every few years, and she recently finished one where six students finished. 12 students were initially enrolled and half of them dropped out after realizing how much work it entailed. Parkin says Superior will only gain one EMT out of this class if she passes the exam. For now, the Superior Area Ambulance Service makes do with their EMT shortage. “If we don’t have EMTs and respond to calls, they’ll have to wait for somebody from Missoula or Plains,” Parkin said. “We’ve made sure that doesn’t happen.”

Graduation Day in Superior

Commissioners commit to re-opening detention center

After two hours of heated discussion at a public meeting on May 20, Mineral County Commissioners decided the detention center must reopen following its closure in February due to staff shortages. The questions remain how officials will attain this goal and where they will find the funding, but they are nearing a solution. Commissioners were to meet with the CEO of a private, non-profit jail corporation. Community, Counseling and Correctional Services, Incorporated CEO Mike Thatcher was scheduled to meet with commissioners on Tuesday, May 28, to discuss a jail lease deal. If officials cannot reach a deal with Thatcher, they will advertise for a jail administrator/commander position and the county will remain responsible for the detention center. “Thatcher is a big player in corrections,” County Attorney Ellen Donohue said. If they can make a deal with Thatcher, she hopes he will run the facility and be responsible for training and retaining employees. Ideally, Mineral County will maintain ten out of the 28 beds and Thatcher will hold the rest. Donohue hopes that with his resources, he could provide staff transportation from Missoula. Thatcher currently has transport operations for employees in Anaconda to commute to work in Butte. The county agrees they must find an experienced, competent jail administrator who will prevent the detention center from closing down again in the future. But hiring an experienced jail administrator would be expensive and the county doesn’t have the funding to pay an appropriate salary. A mill levy could fund the position but raising property taxes would be a challenge in a county with high poverty and residents with fixed incomes. “You’ve got to have something to vote on that people are going to trust,” former County Commissioner Judy Stang says. “I’ve tried to run levies before, and people won’t vote for stuff they don’t know enough about. They won’t vote for something that’s not working.” If the county finds the funding to pay a jail administrator a higher salary, this would cause a pay scale issue for the rest of the law enforcement officers. This means a jail administrator might have a higher salary than the sheriff. “How will that pill be swallowed by the sheriff and deputies which are decided by statute?” County Commissioner Roman Zylawy asked. Sheriff Mike Boone currently sends inmates to the Sanders County Jail in Thompson Falls the Missoula County Jail and other jails in nearby counties. Deputies must transport inmates to the other jails, leaving fewer officers to patrol Mineral County. “I fear every day for our deputies,” Mineral County resident Mary Jo Lommen said. Transporting inmates comes with liability. Lance Jasper, an attorney and Superior resident, said he dealt with a prison transport case five years ago in Plains where the patrol car wrecked and killed a mother of two in Sanders County, causing a $3 million settlement. “If we’re going to keep transporting, you better up the insurance,” he said. Mineral County pays $69.50 to Sanders County and $108 per day to Missoula County facilities to house an inmate. Mineral County paid a total of $20,000 to Sanders and Missoula counties in March. As of May 20, Mineral County had around ten inmates dispersed throughout Northwest Montana. If the county brings on CCCS, Mike Thatcher will run the facility and it will be the fourteenth facility the private system will operate. CCCS currently runs 13 facilities in Montana, Washington and North Dakota. Facilities in Butte include pre-release and treatment programs and correctional facilities. After four months with an empty detention center, the county agrees it must reopen soon. “It can’t go as it is, the commissioners have to make a decision,” Jasper says. “Are we going to have a jail or are we not going to have a jail? But they make that decision and they have to implement it.”

St. Regis Spring Concert extraordinary

Ruth 'Ruthie' Warnken

Ruth “Ruthie” Warnken, 83, of Superior passed away peacefully Monday, May 13, 2019, at home, surrounded by her loving family.

Mountain Cat girls finish fifth at Western C Divisionals

The Clark Fork girls placed fifth with 20 points at the Western C Divisionals track and field meet at Big Sky High School in Missoula on May 16 and 17. The Mountain Cat boys placed 11th.

May 11 fire at Hilltop Motel claimed the second oldest building in Superior burns down

When Gary and Nancy Hill bought the second oldest building in Superior in October of 1992, the couple purchased not only a business but their home of the last quarter century.

Mineral County brainstorms ideas for community center

After a survey conducted by the Mineral County Health Department showed that the number one desire for the county was a community center, officials began discussing the idea of building one. Mineral County officials met in the packed Senior Center in Superior on Thursday, May 9 to brainstorm ideas to build a community center. Superior Schools Superintendent Scott Kinney originally came up with the idea because he wants to relocate the wrestlers to different area to practice, but he has nowhere to send them. They currently train in the multi-purpose room where there is stage and sound equipment. “It truly is a multipurpose room,” Kinney said. He says the room gets beat up from the wrestlers and would like to see a new facility for the wrestlers and to also be used for the community. This triggered conversations with County Commissioner Roman Zylawy, who also believes the county should create a new, multiuse facility or a community center. The current 4H building, or Quonset hut, has seen a crumbling roof, plumbing and structural issues since its erection more than 60 years ago. “You just about have to turn sideways to get in the bathroom,” District Ranger Carole Johnson said. 4H activities could relocate to a new building, which could also be used for shooting sports, a performing arts center and a senior center. “The current building gets used almost every day,” Johnson said. It is already used for family reunions, receptions and 4H activities, however the Quonset hut has seen better days. Jim Goss, who represents several Mineral County nonprofits would like to see a new facility to host Mineral County Performing Arts Council (MCPAC) concerts. The LDS Church currently hosts concerts for MCPAC, but Goss would like to see a separate venue. Goss would also like to see the current Senior Center relocated to the potential community center. “The facility is showing its age and the kitchen is way too small,” Goss said. A commercial kitchen and larger space would better accommodate the county’s aging population. Goss says senior centers are compelling to grants and could help with applications. But none of this can happen without funding. That’s why Zylawy has researched the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), a program that provides communities with affordable housing and community development.

Memorial Day flags erected in Plains

Those beautiful flags that pop up around Memorial Day in Plains every year do not just magically appear.

Hacks and Blasts fill the spring air at Trap Club

The 19th annual “Hack and Blast” tournament — Plains Trap Club’s light-hearted kick-off of both the shooting range’s trap season and the golf season — got off to a jolly start. Fifteen teams from Plains and surrounding towns lined up to take their shots at the doomed clay pigeons. Hours later, as they made their way around the golf course’s nine holes, they were still laughing. Flags, patriotic pants, silly team names and goofy golf drives brought friends and community together.

Sanders County Fair Board planning 2019 event

Some thought a miracle would be needed for the Sanders County Fair Board to pull off this year’s fair. With an almost completely new board and a new manager coming on just more than three months before fair time, it did seem like a daunting task.

Free lunch trumps free enterprise in America

I suppose I shouldn’t be any more surprised than most taxpaying Americans to discover that I paid more in income taxes in 2018 than the behemoth retailer Amazon.com; but then I didn’t have a net profit of $11.2 billion, either. Nor did I get anything close to Amazon’s $128 million tax refund for 2018. This is the second consecutive year that Amazon has not paid federal income taxes. In 2017, it paid no taxes on an income of $5.6 billion. All this from the April 11, 2019 “Fortune” magazine which reported on research done by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).

County show patience about barking dogs

I had the opportunity (as did you) to attend the May 9 Sanders County commissioner’s meeting on ordinance # 2019-01: an ordinance to control barking dogs within Sanders County and to establish procedures for enforcement.

Joye Pope

Joye Isabelle Pope (Willcutt), 77, passed away on May 15, 2019. Joye was born on Jan. 13, 1942, in Missoula, Mont., to Edwin O. (Kewp) Willcutt and Lenore (Toad) Willcutt where she grew up in Paradise, Mont., and attended Paradise School.

'Miss Montana' drops paratroopers, gives Plains a thrill

In a show of patriotism, skill and small-town devotion to honoring heroes of the past, the skies over Plains became a spectacular part of the “Miss Montana to Normandy” project Tuesday, May 14.

Hot Springs, county rally to support Salmi family

When the normally bubbly, active 5-year old Harlee Salmi said she didn’t feel well and complained of a sore neck, no one could have known what lay ahead.

Graduation Festivities on Sunday

Plains, Hot Springs and Noxon will hold high school graduation ceremonies during the Memorial Day weekend. All three graduation exercises are set for Sunday, May 26.

Legals May 22, 2019

PUBLIC NOTICE BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) has requested that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) modify its hazardous waste permit for its remediation activities located in Paradise, Montana. The hazardous waste permit provides requirements for operation of a corrective action management unit (CAMU), continued maintenance of designated regulated units, and Facility-wide corrective action. The revision is being submitted under Title 75, Chapter 10, Part 4 of the Montana Hazardous Waste Act. This notice is to inform the public of the permit modification and to seek their participation in the decision-making process. During the public comment period, the public may submit written comments to DEQ. The comment period will extend from May 17, 2019 to July 16, 2019. The permit modification is available online at http://deq.mt.gov/pubcom.mcpx, at the DEQ Office Helena office during their business hours, and at the Plains Public library located at 108 W Railroad St, Plains, Montana 59859. A public meeting will be held on June 12th, 2019 at 6 pm at the Paradise Civic Center, 2 School House Hill Road, Paradise, Montana 59856. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Yueh Chuang at 406-256-4040 or at email address, yueh.chuang@bnsf.com. During the public comment period, any interested person may request a public hearing. A request for a public hearing must be in writing and must state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing. If a hearing is held, DEQ will provide notice of the public hearing date at least 30 days prior to the hearing. All written comments of the draft permit should be addressed to Ann Kron, DEQ, Waste Management and Remediation Division, Waste and Underground Tank Management Bureau, P.O. Box 200901, Helena, MT 59620-0901 or emailed to DEQhazwaste@mt.gov. Interested persons may also call Ann Kron at 406-444-5824 or email at akron@mt.gov for additional information. The permittee's compliance history during the life of the permit being modified is available from the DEQ. Based on the comments received, DEQ will make a final decision to issue, deny, or change the draft permit. Notice will be given to the applicant and each person who submitted written comments or requested a notice of the decision. The final permit modification decision will become effective 30 days after notice of the decision, unless a later date is specified in the notice. If no comments are received requesting a change in this modification, the modification will be incorporated effective immediately upon issuance. Published in the Clark Fork Valley Press on May 22, 2019. MNAXLP

Clark Fork, St. Regis participate in track divisionals

Both the Seeley-Swan boys and girls captured the win with 201 points at the 13C Divisionals at Big Sky High School in Missoula on May 10 and 11. In the 14C Divisional, Charlo won for both the boys and girls with 156 and 208, respectively. The Clark Fork boys placed second in 13C with 118 points, and the girls placed second with 114. The St. Regis boys placed fifth in 14C with 52 points, and the girls were second with 73. Jesse Shaske of Clark Fork won both the 800-meter and 1,600-meter runs with 2:01.73 and 4:53.83, respectively. Ian Farris of St. Regis won both the 100- and 200-meter dash with 11.43 and 24.29. Trey Green of Clark Fork was firt in the shot put with 46-01.50. Carson Callison of Clark Fork won the triple jump with 36-09.00. Andrew Sanford of St. Regis won the high jump with 5-06.00. Cassie Green of Clark Fork was first in the shot put with 30-02.75. Madison Kelly of St. Regis won both the 800 and 1,600 with 2:45.74 and 6:08.19, respectively. Emma Hill of St. Regis won the high jump with 4-08.00.

Clark Fork tennis loses 5-1 to Granite

The Clark Fork Mountain Cats lost against the Granite Prospectors 5-1 in high school tennis at Superior High School on May 7. Lyssah Kromrey won both of her games by 6-0 scores against Granite. “After two rain delays, we gave it our best,” Coach Angie Hopwood said. SINGLES – Sierra Metesh, Granite, def. Emma Hopwood, CF, 6-1, 6-0. Makayla Pederson, Granite, def. Madison Courser, CF, 6-2, 6-1. Lyssah Kromrey, CF, def. Molly Ballweber, Granite, 6-0, 6-0. Lavinia Tenesch, Granite, def. Tori Tinker, CF, 6-1, 6-1. Alaina Marletto, Granite, def. Summer Bonsell, CF, 6-4, 6-0. DOUBLES – Sara Goff/Reece Pitcher, Granite, def. Alexea Kelsey/Barbara Garcia, CF, 6-1, 6-4.

Students learn river rescue skills on Alberton Gorge

On an unusually warm, 70-degree spring day in early May, around 20 students clad in wetsuits and drysuits willingly submerged into the still freezing Alberton Gorge on the Clark Fork River. With waters already past flood stage at 20,000 cubic feet per second — a unit used to determine river flow — students enrolled in the Swiftwater Rescue Technician course had the perfect opportunity to learn river rescue skills at challenging water levels.

Korean War vets to be honored on Armed Forces Day

Three of Superior’s Korean War veterans will be honored for their military services at the Armed Forces Day ceremony on Saturday, May 18 at Superior High School. Cabin Fever Quilters will present Wayne Bricker, Lee Magone and Doug Cummings with quilts in honor of their services in the Korean War. The event begins at noon and is open to the public.

Crews respond to fire at Hilltop Motel

The Hilltop Motel in Superior was destroyed in a fire that started on Saturday night.

Valerie Elston

Valerie Joanne Elston, 72, passed away March 12, 2019. Valerie Joanne Elston, loving Wife, Mother and Grandmother, passed away peacefully March 12, 2019, at Haven Hospice in Orange Park, Fla. She was born Feb. 19, 1947, in Plains, Mont.

Mark Legard

It is with great sadness that the family of Mark Edward Legard announces his passing.

Plains pool problems proliferate

You know how sometimes when you dig into a problem, it gets worse before it gets better? That is the case with the Plains swimming pool.

Sanders County Dispatcher McDonald commended for 'keeping her cool'

The following citation was sent to supervisors and media by Sanders County Deputy Eric Elliot, commending dispatcher Becky McDonald for a job well done.

Results from Hot Springs, Noxon school board elections

Tuesday, May 7 patrons of the Hot Springs and Noxon school districts cast their ballots for candidates running for open school board positions. At the same, Hot Springs District No. 14 J voters made the choice to either support or deny support for a $30,000 school district levy, which would have been added to the general fund.

A 70-mile parade of heroes supporting Special Olympics

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Some are heroes for what they have done to overcome difficulty. Others for being willing to take on difficulty to help or support someone else. All were on display at the Sanders County 2019 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, helping to raise funds, awareness and excitement for the county’s qualifying athletes to compete next week in the Special Olympics State Games in Great Falls.

Billy Worle

Billy G. Worle, 84, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2019, of natural causes.

Hot Springs-area residents injured in Thursday crash

Two rural Hot Springs residents escaped life-threatening injuries during a one-vehicle crash Thursday morning, May 9 in Lake County near Elmo.

Clark Fork teams win tournament at Trestle Creek

The Clark Fork Mountain Cats won for both the boys’ and girls’ divisions at the St. Regis Golf Tournament at Trestle Creek on Thursday, May 2, where they qualified four players for state. The boys’ team won with 304, and the girls won with 392. Aaron Waddle, Danner Haskins, Jonna Warnken and Zoe Kelsey qualified for the State C Tournament in Seeley Lake. “We could be very competitive at the State C level in two years with both boys’ and girls’ teams if the kids continue to work hard,” Clark Fork coach Seth Kuhl said. Both from Thompson Falls, Ethan Brown won for the boys’ title with an 85, and Megan Baxter won for the girls with 106. Clark Fork’s Danner Haskins placed third with 97, and Aaron Waddle placed fifth with 103. St. Regis Tiger JD Booker scored 135. The tournament wrapped up the regular season and the State C Tournament is May 13-15 at the Double Arrow Golf Course in Seeley Lake.

Shaske, Reese lead Clark Fork at Kim Haines Invite

The Frenchtown boys captured the win with 132 points at the at the Kim Haines Invitational track and field meet at Big Sky High School on Saturday, May 4. Seeley-Swan won for the girls’ title with 92 points. Frenchtown sophomore Jace Klucewich won three individual events and currently holds first place in the Class A 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. He also won the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 3 inches, his third victory that day. Jesse Shaske of Clark Fork placed third in the 800-meter dash with 2:07.42. Shaske also placed fifth in the 1600 with 4:43.23, and the Mountain Cats placed 12th as a team. Trey Green of Clark Fork placed fifth in the both the shot put with 44-07.75 and discus with 130-08. Bryan Mask of Clark Fork placed fifth in the pole vault with 9-00. The Clark Fork girls placed 10th at Big Sky. Sorren Reese of Clark Fork was fifth in the 400, third in the 800 and fourth in javelin (107-08). Grace King of St. Regis placed 31st in the shot put with 24-03.50. St. Regis Tiger Sunny Shoupe placed 18th in the 300 hurdles with 1:03.93.

Road-kill wolf was found on interstate near Tarkio

A Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) game warden confirmed a gray yearling female wolf was dead on Interstate 90 near Tarkio early Wednesday morning on May 1. “We usually get several reports every year on road-killed wolves on I-90,” Wolf Management Specialist Tyler Parks said.

Missoula Public Assistance to help Mineral County this summer

The Missoula Field Office of Public Assistance will travel to the Mineral County Courthouse to assist residents with Medicaid, food stamps and cash assistance applications on May 14. This will provide low income families who aren’t able to travel to Missoula an opportunity to apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid, state-run programs through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. “I just think it’s important,” says retired social worker Diane Magone. “There’s a lot of people that can’t get to Missoula.” Although the state offers an electronic system for applications, Magone says many Mineral County residents don’t have computer access. When the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a school lunch program, was dropped from the budget at Mineral County Schools, Superior Schools superintendent Scott Kinney began talking to commissioners to reignite the program. CEP provides free breakfast and lunch to students in low income areas and works directly with SNAP and TANF programs. This prompted Kinney and Magone to connect with the Missoula Field Office to inquire about travelling to Superior to assist with Mineral County applicants. Field Manager Kara Thomas arranged for their office to make three trips to Mineral County in May, June and July this year. “I’d like them to keep her coming long term,” Magone said. Superior’s Office of Public Assistance closed in 2015 due to staffing and budget cuts, and Mineral County residents haven’t received face-to-face access since the closure. “Budget cuts are happening statewide and there’s lots of problems with substances and mental health issues,” Magone said. The Missoula Field Office of Public Assistance will travel to Mineral County Tuesday, May 14, Tuesday, June 18 and Thursday July 18 from 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Happy, Healthy Hikers' first trek is a success

Hikers travelled through dynamite blasted gaps above the old Milwaukee Railroad to Point of Rocks on Tuesday, April 30 for the first Happy, Healthy Hikers event of the season. West of Alberton, hikers from Mineral County and Missoula gathered for some exercise, scenery and a history lesson on the Mullan Road. Mineral County Health Department, The Montana Wilderness Association, The Great Burn Study Group, Zero to Five, the U.S. Forest Service collaborate once again to offer guided hikes for residents in Mineral County and surrounding areas, free of charge.

Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics set Saturday

Special Olympians and Sanders County law enforcement are teaming up for this year’s Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics Montana this Saturday, May 11.

Thompson Falls trio prepares for golf postseason

The Thompson Falls boys and girls golf coach Mike Bates continues to produce successful teams regardless of his team’s situation.

Honey bees display intrigues Plains kindergarten students

“When I say BZZZZZZ, it makes my tongue tickle!”

Cabinet District collaborative projects moving forward

The Cabinet District of the Kootenai National Forest has produced a string of successful forest projects over recent years, according to leaders of the Cabinet Forest Collaborative (CFC), a local citizens group.

Clark Fork golfers place fourth at Thompson Falls

Izzy Santistevan (92) and runner-up Carly Stodghill (95) brought Bigfork to victory at the Gary Thompson Invitational golf tournament on Saturday, April 27 at River’s Bend Golf Course at Thompson Falls. Florence’s Gavin Zaluski won for the boys with 83. Florence finished 21 shots ahead of Bigfork, who took second. Clark Fork’s Danner Haskins (97) was 10th for the boys, and Jonna Warnken placed fifth for the girls. “We have three players who qualified for state,” Clark Fork Athletic Director Chris Clairmont said. He says players are improving and their scores are getting lower. Clark Fork will head to St. Regis for the Trestle Creek Qualifier on Thursday, May 2. The shotgun start is set for 9:30 a.m.

Forest Service begins Summer Trails project in Mineral County

A decade after its initial proposal, the Lolo National Forest began the Summer Trails project in early April which will establish a motorized off-highway (OHV) route system. The project will allow utility-terrain vehicles (UTV) and all-terrain vehicles (ATV) access to 180,000 acres between St. Regis and Lookout Pass from June 15 to Sept. 1. It will also add existing non-motor-authorized trails to the system and construct new trail segments, authorizing 35 new miles to OHV trails. The U.S. Forest Service began planning for this project in 2009 after motorized recreationalists voiced desires for a more extensive trail system. But the Forest Service placed it on hold due to lack of funding and higher priorities. “In the last 10 years there’s been a lot of delay,” Recreation and Range staffer Heather Berman said. “It kept getting pushed because of fire salvage from fires in 2017.” The Forest Service initiated this project in response to public demand. OHV use is a fast-growing outdoor activity and according to a national survey, one in five Americans age 16 and older participated in OHV recreation. OHV registrations increased 300 percent from 200 to 2014, according to Montana State Parks. Unauthorized OHV use has also prompted the Forest Service to create authorized trails. In the last 10 years, officials closed and rehabilitated approximately four miles of unauthorized routes within the project area. Berman says the public creates their own trails before the Forest Service can build them properly. “No matter what we do to stop it, it’s gonna happen,” Berman said. Public comments and concerns included:

Walk the Plank Event raises $4,800 for Superior pool reconstruction

Snow and wind didn’t stop Mineral County residents from “walking the plank” into freezing water to raise money for a new pool in Superior on Sunday, April 28. The Mineral County Community Foundation (MCCF) raised $4,800 during their Walk the Plank fundraiser at Eva Horning Park. The funds will benefit reconstructing Superior’s 60-year-old-public pool, which closed in summer 2018 due to leaks. The MCCF formed a subcommittee called Pool for the Park last summer after the pool closed. “We expect the total cost of the project to be at least $1.5 million, but we won’t know the exact number until we get a firm cost estimate,” committee member Angie Hopwood said. After the Walk the Plank fundraiser, the committee has raised a total of $40,000. The fundraiser events included walking the plank into a kiddie pool, a bake sale, face painting and other games for the public to enjoy. Participants received a free T-shirt if they raised $100, and are encouraged to get sponsors and challenge others to raise money. Superior Color and Lumber donated materials and volunteers helped out at the fundraiser. Hopwood says raising money for the pool is their main goal, but they also want to create more events like this for the community to enjoy. “We’re trying to bring up our community a little bit,” Hopwood said. The committee has already completed Phase I, where the goal was raising enough money to hire an architect and they are now in Phase II, meaning the committee can apply for grants. MCCF hopes to complete pool construction in Phase III by 2023. “We’re optimistic,” Hopwood said. The next fundraiser will be Bingo and BBQ on Friday, June 7 at Superior Elementary School.

Detention Center's future remains a mystery

Mineral County officials met once again on Friday, April 26 to discuss the the Mineral County Detention Center’s fate — following its closure in February due to a detention officer shortage. The jail’s future remains a mystery; however, officials are getting closer to a decision, which could mean finally having the ability to hire the minimum number of officers. Other alternatives include using the jail as overflow for Lake County inmates or leasing the facility to Community, Counseling and Correctional Services, Incorporated (CCCS), a private, non-profit jail corporation. Staffing officers for the 28-bed jail is the county’s ideal option to reopen the facility but finding eligible applicants and retaining them is a problem. There are currently four eligible applicants to begin the hiring process, however they have not gone through a background check or an interview. The detention center also doesn’t have a supervisor at this time. “I don’t want to start hiring people if we don’t have supervisor,” County Commissioner Laurie Johnston said. “But you can’t open a jail without detention officers.” Officials discussed starting the initial process, meaning they could interview potential officers but couldn’t guarantee them a job. “I don’t want to put somebody in there dealing with inmates if they don’t know what they’re doing”, said Johnston. County Attorney Ellen Donohue suggested waiting to hire a supervisor, but potential detention officers won’t have a job until there’s a supervisor. “It’s a ripple effect,” Donohue said. If the county finds their five minimum detention officers, the budget becomes an increasing issue because Missoula detention officers would need to train new officers. “I don’t have it in my budget,” Sheriff Mike Boone said. “Their detention officers are making $36 an hour.”

Effort to Put Montana First

The legislative session is now officially over. We finished last Thursday so now the results get discussed, assessed and scrutinized. Many of the results can not be “fairly” evaluated for days, months, or even years but we are all hopefull to have made the right decisions. At this point, the blame game also kicks into gear. Again I say time will tell the true story and we don’t need the blame game like we see and hear on the national level. My decisions were made to try and do the best for my constituents and Montanans, not for a rating or score.

County to help those behind on property taxes

Sanders County Treasurer Nichol Scribner wants to help people keep their mobile homes.

Public-lands users and advocates share information in Thompson Falls

What do horsemen and hikers, educators and counselors, hunters and berry-pickers, loggers and home brewers have in common that brings them together? An appreciation for the wild public-lands legacy and recreational and economic opportunities our nation has gifted to us in this area, and to future generations.

Patching up pool pipes in progress

The community of Plains worked hard to raise funds to repair the public E.L. Johnson Memorial Pool’s leaky pipes. They will be able to reap their reward by plunging in a restored pool the first week of June.

Blackfoot Telecommunications now offers a streaming primer

Blackfoot Telecommunications helped take some of the mystery out of “streaming” and “smart TVs” and even how to watch good old-fashioned local TV in today’s era, with a first-ever “Understanding Streaming” workshop in Thompson Falls April 24.