Ellington

Red Sleighs Over Montana delivers toys to rural families

It started as a coffee-talk conversation a couple of years ago, and in 10 days, it happened. The Museum of Mountain Flying at the Missoula Montana Airport came up with the volunteers and asked for donations, and the Red Sleighs Over Montana mission to deliver toys to rural families started taking flight.

Thilmony, Lawson tapped for Shrine Game

The honors are rolling in for local athletes, in this case selection to the East-West Shrine Game, a football showcase for some of Montana’s best high school seniors from this past season.

Locals have strong showing at Thompson Duals

Decker Milender and Silas Acker had a pair of wins each to lead an impressive Superior wrestling showing at last week’s Thompson Duals on the spotlighted mats of Thompson Falls High School.

T-Falls' Schraeder nets 26 in win over Noxon

On paper this appeared to be an evenly matched game, with both teams featuring roughly the same size players and levels of experience in Montana high school basketball play.

Thompson Falls towers over Noxon

Balanced scoring and a lot of it are just two of the reasons the Thompson Falls girls basketball team wrapped up the pre-break part of its season with an unblemished record.

Bigfork gives Plains teams trouble

Bigfork is a beautiful place on the other side of Flathead Lake, with no doubt plenty of really good Montana folk.

Lady Bobcats cruise to victory

In their last game before the Holiday break, the Superior girls basketball team continued to improve on their slow start to the season with a resounding 53-17 thumping of the winless Two Eagles River Lady Eagles Tuesday night in Superior.

Superior's Plaake lights up Two Eagle River

Without a doubt the brightest star in the Superior basketball sky last Tuesday night was Orion.

Paradise Players perform 'A Christmas Carol'

The Paradise Players presented their rendition of a longtime favorite "A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Speed limit lowered on busy section of Highway 135

Denise Moreth, General Manager of Quinn’s Hot Springs, says the process to lower the speed limit on Highway 135 near the resort was very slow, but professionalism and tenacity eventually paid off.

Superior grad returns home to open salon

Superior graduate and owner of Hello Beautiful Salon, Kaylee Ray, sort of stumbled into a career of being a hair stylist.

Plains elementary offers Christmas break activities

The elementary school Christmas Concert started off this year’s school holiday activities and took place on Monday evening in the Plains School gymnasium.

Longtime commissioner Carol Brooker to retire

Longtime County Commissioner Carol Brooker is retiring at the end of her term in December. Carol is stepping down from the political life to spend time with her husband, Tim, and her young grandson in Missoula after serving the people of Sanders County for the past 27 years. Brooker said, it was time go hiking and fishing and enjoy more "me time."

Plains library announced 2022 programs

Beginning in January, the Plains Public Library will be opening an hour earlier and will introduce a full line-up of programming for everyone in the community from babies to adults.

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Legals for December, 29 2021

Wasteful spending will only make inflation worse

Montana families across the state are feeling the pain in their pocketbooks from inflation and higher prices on everything from gas to groceries to heating their homes.

Rails to Trails gets $2,000 grant

The newly organized Mineral County MT Rails to Trails organization is the recipient of a $2,000 connectivity grant from the Rails to Trails Conservancy, an organization based in Washington D.C., whose goal is to build the Great American Trail.

Community Calendar

Community Calendar

Mineral County Commissioners host Christmas Party

Mineral County Commissioners Roman Zylawy, Laurie Johnston and Duane Simmons (not pictured) hosted their annual Christmas Party for the employees of Mineral County in their Conference Room on Dec. 22.

St. Regis mother finds comfort in foundation that supports families after the death of a child

“There is nothing that symbolizes loss or grief more than a mother losing a child,” David LaChapelle.

Local Plains churches celebrate Christmas

It was a beautiful snowy evening Dec. 10 when local musicians and singers gathered together at a Plains church in celebration of Christmas. The concert was open to the public and was a non-denominational event, supported by many churches in the Plains area.

Arntzen destroying public education

Letters to the editor Dec. 22

Semi-truck involved in fatal wreck on I-90

Before 4 a.m. on the first day of winter Dec. 21, three separate semi-truck accidents occurred within a 4-mile stretch on I-90, including one fatality.

Montana St. wins first semifinal since '84, beats SDSU 31-17

Montana State freshman quarterback Tommy Mellott accounted for four touchdowns to send the Bobcats to their first title game in 38 years with a 31-17 win over South Dakota State in a Football Championship Series semifinal game on Saturday.

Lady Tigers show improvement against Charlo

The path to getting better, AKA progress, AKA improvement, most often features a series of hurdles.

St. Regis boys smother visiting Charlo

Buoyed by the return to action of one of it’s key “smotherees”, the already smothering St. Regis boys basketball defense smothered visiting Charlo 71-56 Friday night in St. Regis.

Superior Junior High boys go 19-0

Perfection is hard to obtain. Just ask all those teams who have tried without success to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins Super Bowl winning 17-0 mark.

Thompson Falls' Thilmony has strong showing at CMR Holiday Classic

Almost 100 teams of boys and girls wrestlers took to the mats this past Saturday for the annual CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls and one of the biggest surprises was who did not win.

Community Calendar

Community Calendar

Blue Hawks triumph over rival Plains

One step forward, one step back has been the course taken by the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks boys basketball team so far this year.

Savage Heat thump Two Eagle River

It was a good night to be a Savage Heat fan, or a player for that matter.

Superior Bobcats girls trounce Noxon

This was a tale of two teams headed in opposite directions so far this year.

Timed tickets to manage traffic on Glacier park's Sun Road

Montana's Glacier National Park will implement a timed ticketed entry system again next summer — from Memorial Day weekend through the weekend after Labor Day — to manage traffic on the scenic Going-to-the-Sun Road, park officials said Monday.

Blacktail ski area opens for season

Blacktail Mountain Ski Area near Lakeside opened for the season on Friday.

Montana advances grizzly bear plans that could allow hunting

Montana wildlife officials on Tuesday advanced plans that could allow grizzly bear hunting in areas around Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, if states in the U.S. northern Rockies succeed in their attempts to lift federal protections for the animals.

James Jay Dowd, Sr., 76

James Jay Dowd, Sr., 76

Thompson Falls' Koskela named Coach of the Year

Prior to the start of the season, Thompson Falls football coach Jared Koskela was asked what he would like to see from his 2021 team.

36-lot subdivision planned near Alberton

Locals know it as the Thompson Ranch, and when it went up for sale a few years ago many crossed their fingers that the buyer would keep it the same. But many others could see the handwriting on the wall.

Santa visits Plains on a snowy morning

On a cold and snowy Saturday morning Santa arrived in his open sleigh, escorted by the Plains volunteer fire department and the Southside Sparks 4-H Club. Along the way, Santa tossed out candy to the children in the crowd.

Basketball: Thompson Falls hangs tough at Anaconda Tip-off

Three for four is not bad. If you are a baseball player and you get a hit three out of four times, you are a millionaire or better.

Salish Plant Society aims to help native people learn about traditional food sources

From the rolling plains of Montana to the high alpine region of the Bitterroot mountains, there is a rich diet to be found.

St. Regis School thankful for former and current superintendents

The board would like to sincerely thank Mrs. McKay and her husband, John, for dropping everything at home in Libby and moving their fifth wheel here to answer the call to our school district.

Mineral County law roundup

Traffic Stop, I-90 EB MM 34, Deputy took suspect into custody for driving under the influence and transported them to Mineral County Jail, vehicle towed.

Montana Viewpoint: Infrastructure, hard and soft

There are two types of infrastructure, commonly called hard and soft.

Blood drives scheduled for Sanders, Mineral counties

There is no blood donation waiting period for those who have received a flu shot or a Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine or booster, so long as they are symptom-free.

Where are Montana's porcupines?

North American porcupines live up to 18 years and average 30 inches long and 20 pounds in weight. They are the second-largest rodent on the continent.

Mineral County Pioneer Council seeks volunteer bookkeeper

This position is vital for the continuation of transportation to Missoula and medical appointments in Mineral County.

David Joe Hipple

A memorial service will be held to celebrate David’s life on Jan. 15, 2022.

William Jack Eatwell, 66

William Jack Eatwell

Juanita Miller Deardorff

Juanita Miller Deardorff

Treasures and trinkets at St. Regis Christmas bazaar

Some shoppers were there looking for the perfect present for Grandma, while at the same time some grandmothers were sitting at booths selling handmade gifts themselves. The annual St. Regis Christmas Bazaar was held on Saturday at the St. Regis Community Center. Over a dozen vendors set up tables offering a splendid variety of treasures, goodies, and trinkets.

Superior students purchase Christmas gifts for local kids

The work it takes each year behind the scenes of Santa and his elves making their holiday deliveries of food and toys to families in Mineral County before Christmas Day involves more people and organizations than one may realize. One of those groups is the fourth-grade class of Stacy Crabb at Superior Elementary School.

Horsemen have strong showing at Plains Quad

Exhausted, hoarse and happy. Those adjectives would no doubt be included in any discussion about the outcome of the Plains Quad wrestling match Thursday evening.

Local wrestlers compete at Kalispell all-girls meet

With just three wrestlers competing in the prestigious Flathead Girls Invitational meet, the Plains-Hot Springs squad finished eighth Saturday in a field of 22 teams from throughout the state.

Basketball: Hot Springs boys continue hot start

It was a mixed bag of results for the Hot Springs boys and girls basketball teams this past week.

Superior Bobcats 2nd at Bob Kinney Classic

Three first place finishes along with three second place showings helped the Superior Bobcats to a second place finish in the Bob Kinney Classic wrestling tournament Saturday in Superior.

Basketball: St. Regis girls on a roll

Don’t look now but the “Fun Bunch” just rattled off three wins in a row.

St. Regis basketball wins two at home

Two for three ain’t bad, especially with a core of youngsters on the court.

Community seeks to breathe new life into Whitepine Grange

Nestled among pine trees along Highway 200 between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek lies a small aging building called the Whitepine Grange #102.

Election critics push for special legislative committee

Two Republican state lawmakers spoke to Montana’s Legislative Council Monday to reiterate an appeal made earlier this fall for the formation of a special legislative committee to investigate alleged irregularities in Montana’s 2020 election.

Community calendar

The West End Alcoholics Anonymous in Deborgia meets every Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Deborgia School House right behind the fire hall.

Legals for December, 15 2021

Man dies after jumping off I-90 bridge fearing oncoming semi

A Baltimore man who got into a crash on Interstate 90 in western Montana died after jumping off a bridge, apparently in fear that an oncoming semitractor-trailer was going to strike the crashed vehicles, Mineral County officials said.

Fundraising effort for family who lost home in fire

Clifford Johnson and Tami Copenhaver's Alberton family home was lost to a fire on Saturday, Dec. 4.

New way of learning comes to Alberton School

Jeff Crews has been the Superintendent of Alberton School for less than a year and admits that he came to this position in a roundabout way.

Ruana knives stand the test of time

Most people who own an earlier Ruana knife have it tucked away with their shotguns that can’t shoot steel shot and family heirlooms because they have become very valuable.

Noxon hoops teams each finish 0-2 at Ronan tournament

Friday the girls took on Philipsburg, which finished the event 2-0, and wound up on the wrong end of a 65-22 score.

Blue Hawks crown two champs; Superior places four at Owen Invite

Two-time defending state champion Trae Thilmony opened strong with a dominating run through the 145-pound bracket.

Thompson Falls boys, girls basketball teams open with big wins

Saturday evening in Troy, the girls opened their new campaign with a resounding 63-7 thumping of the Lady Trojans. Later that evening the Blue Hawks boys also won big, pounding the Troy boys 65-39.

Woman dies in crash after striking moose

A moose entered the roadway and the vehicle struck it, causing heavy damage to the front of the car.

Robert Mize

Robert Mize went home to be with the Lord on Nov. 10, 2021 at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains, Montana, at the age of 79.

Superior Bobcats begins season 0-2

Friday, the Trojans of Drummond ambushed the Superior Bobcats early and kept attacking as they rolled

Superior Lady Bobcats 0-2 at Ronan tourney

The next day against Philipsburg was not even close as the Lady Bobcats were routed 37-13 in a game that was decided in the early going.

Legals for December, 8 2021

St. Regis woman wants to spread help with social media

That’s what St. Regis resident Sandra Connor has experienced. Before moving home to Montana, Connor lived in Washington and found countless community support groups on Facebook.

Christensen returns to lead Lady Savage Heat

That player was senior forward Katelyn Christensen, whose season ended prematurely last year when she tore a ligament in her knee and missed most of the year.

Hot Springs boys rout Lincoln, 77-39

Senior Jack McAllister poured in 25 points Friday afternoon.

Many changes at River Roadhouse restaurant

In the case of the River Roadhouse restaurant, the three Rs stand for “rescue, re-purpose, and renovate.”

St. Regis Tigers roll over Seeley Swan

The game was part of the annual Ronan Tip-off event that featured 16 boys and 16 girls basketball teams from throughout the area in a chance to play actual, non-practice games.

How to save $ during rising cost of living

But this isn’t the first time in our country's history where society has had to dig deep, show up at work, pay the bills, and get resourceful financially.

Sanders County Justice Court

Jesse Ike Melton, aggravated driving under the influence-first offense, unlawful possession of open alcoholic beverage container in motor vehicle on highway.

Missoula woman suspected of trafficking methamphetamine

A criminal complaint filed and unsealed on Dec. 1 alleges that Jasmine Lori Snyder, 39, possessed meth with intent to distribute.

Study says there are too few homes for growing population

The rub, Horowitz said, is that Montana’s population increased by 10% between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. census data, while the number of housing units in the state grew by only 7%.

Zinke files financial disclosure statement

He's running for Montana's new U.S. House district, which the state gained due to a population increase from 2010 to 2020.

Applications being accepted for heifer program

Applications are being accepted for the association’s heifer scholarship program and submissions must be postmarked by Dec. 14.

Montana Republicans oppose Pres. Biden's spending package

The biggest gift Montana could receive from Washington, D.C., this holiday season is a dose of common sense, not more federal taxes and debt.

In support of Tarkio community addition to Superior Fire District

Approval means we'll have water supply, a tank truck, and a building on donated two-acre parcel of land.

Mineral County woman wins second Emmy award

Superior native Emma Reed added to her Emmy collection recently when she won for Outstanding Studio Show/Daily, on ESPN’s Sports Center, also as an Associate Producer. A graduate of Superior High School, Reed’s family lives in the Cyr area near Superior. (Photo courtesy Reed family)

Hunter harvest slightly up in Northwest Montana

The four stations in northwest Montana recorded 9,624 hunters, 940 white-tailed deer, including 711 bucks, as well as 90 mule deer and 44 elk. The percentage of hunters with game at the four check stations was 11.2 percent, compared to 8.5 percent in 2019.

Hunters, harvest down in west-central Montana

In the six weekends of the season, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks operated wildlife check stations in four locations around west-central Montana, where biologists recorded 10,216 hunter stops and a harvest of 192 elk, 109 mule deer and 513 white-tailed deer.

Plains basketball teams each finish 0-2 at Ronan

Friday the Trotters opened the event and their 2021-22 season with a game against the tall and quick Ronan Maidens JV team and took the host team to the final minutes before falling 37-34.

Plains School First Quarter Honor Roll - Eighth through 12th grade

Layla Harris, 4.0

Missing woman's mother not happy with search effort

Officials have said that all signs of Barsotti’s disappearance point to a drowning, but Barsotti’s family feels there were gaps and delays in the investigation.

Deadline nears for Women in Timber/LIONS gift program

Each basket will consist of food for a traditional Christmas dinner and a wrapped present for each child in the family. But the deadline to sign up is Monday, Dec. 6 and late applications will not be accepted.

William “Seth” Day

Seth, as he was known to family, and Bill to his friends, joined the Navy during World War II where he became a Plank Owner on the USS Ajax.

Montana Viewpoint: Vigilante justice

Can individual Americans, by claiming that they felt their life was in danger become judge, jury, and executioner and not worry unduly about the consequences?

Sanders Co. resident believes in civil discourse

Many more people have become increasingly involved in what is going on in our community.

Elk B License holders will have extended season in west-central districts

Low elk harvest during the general hunting season, which ended Sunday, Nov. 28, prompted the seven-week extension in places where elk populations are over objective and elk tend to congregate and cause private land damage over the winter months.

Montana Cattlemen to host 20th Cattlemen's Day

Starting off the program, Kendra Joyce will talk about her program “Cutting Fences” which supports individuals in agriculture who have sustained injuries, accidents, or have disabilities.

Trout Creek woman recalls life on and off reservation

She recently shared her life's story with Clark Fork Valley Press reporter Monte Turner.

Friends of Scotchman Peaks hires new program coordinator

As a Sandpoint local, she will be working out of FSPW’s downtown office, although much of her time will be spent in the Scotchmans.

Legals for December, 1 2021

Mineral County Community Foundation supports those in need

Another area in need was to support an organization that provides for mental health support through counseling.

Plains School First Quarter Honor Roll - Fourth through Seventh grade

Fourth grade Cameron Barr, 4.0

CSKT to receive grant to help crime victims, improve public safety

More than four in five of American Indian and Alaska Native adults have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Governor Gianforte: Enforce Montana’s “Bad Actor” Mining Law

As a hunter and angler who’s lived in the Upper Clark Fork River valley between Deer Lodge and Anaconda for more than 30 years, I can attest to the damaging legacy of mining on our waterways.

Rep. Loge provides information from Transportation Interim Committee

Some other topics of discussion for future meetings are the electric vehicle increased use and a form of registration to pay for the road use cost, similar to the gas tax.

Thompson Falls to host blood donor drive

Emergency blood shortage persists as patient needs continue over holiday season.

Sports welcome back high school basketball, wrestling

The games will now all be indoors, with small town gyms full of basketball fans stomping and cheering for their boys and girls on the courts.

Cancer Network of Sanders County lantern launch

Plains resident Nick Ferrara releases a lantern during the annual Cancer Network of Sanders County lantern launch fundraiser Saturday night at the Sanders County Fairgrounds. Nick's wife Kathi also released a lantern during the fundraiser, which is part of a year-long series of events to raise funds for the Network and its support of cancer patients who are undergoing cancer treatment. (Chuck Bandel/Valley Press)

Twenty-five years of Block Management Access in Montana

This formally started in 1985 and then greatly expanded in 1996. It’s a cooperative program between private landowners and FWP which helps landowners manage hunting activities on their property.

St. Regis' Pruitt to play college ball at Providence

Pruitt, who has loved the game all her life, is overjoyed to be continuing her basketball career at the University of Providence in Great Falls next year.

Mineral County law roundup

Animal Found, Quartz Loop, Superior, Dispatch contacted number on caller and reunited dog with its owner.