Ellington

Local athletes leave mark at Class C championships

It’s not an easy thing to win a state championship. But in the end, that’s one of the things that make a team or individual championship such a coveted achievement.

Group gathers input on proposed passenger rail route

Through a grant made possible by the Montana Healthcare Foundation, The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority has been hosting a series of meetings in rural communities across southern Montana.

46th annual St. Regis Memorial Day flea market

46th annual St. Regis Memorial Day flea market

St. Regis Memorial Day photos

St. Regis Memorial Day photos

Lady Hawks make noise with state tourney upset

Notice to future opponents of the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks fastpitch softball team: Do NOT take them for granted.

Plains star Alexis Deming claims state discus title

Isabella Berry was a one-woman scoring machine.

Community Calendar

Community Calendar

Noxon students host wax museum presentations

Second and third grade students in Noxon recently visited the Bonnner County Museum in Sandpoint, Idaho, and hosted a wax museum presentation with the school, parents and community members.

Plains High School scholarships

Plains High School scholarships

Flags placed in honor of Memorial Day

In a long-standing tradition, members of the Plains VFW post 3596 last week honored each veteran’s grave with a symbol of sacrifice and freedom — the American flag.

Rate change for public transportation begins June 30

The Mineral County Pioneer Council is a group of volunteers with a representative from the Montana Transit Association, that meets monthly to discuss the needs, changes, challenges and costs of providing public transportation in Mineral County.

Superior fifth-grader honored for law enforcement appreciation artwork

In February, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen opened submissions for the Montana Law Enforcement Appreciation Poster Contest to all Montana elementary school students.

Arrowleaf balsmroot a sure sign of spring in Western Montana

Is this year a bumper crop of arrowleaf balsmroot as it appears more abundant, brighter, and in more places?

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Junior Rodeo Princess applications due June 14

A big reason many live in rural Montana is to have animals. Raising livestock, especially for children, is a life teaching process stressing the responsibilities of accountability and the repercussions.

Legals for May, 31 2023

Gianforte vetoes bill to fund law enforcement on Flathead Reservation

Gov. Greg Gianforte last week vetoed House Bill 479 – the only bill regarding Public Law 280 to make it through the 2023 Legislature.

State taking comments on Upper Thompson conservation easement

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is initiating public scoping on a potential purchase of a conservation easement in Flathead and Sanders counties.

Food bank facing higher costs than ever

The Community Food Bank of Mineral County would like to thank Mineral County Residents and those who partner with us in our efforts to “End Hungry Tomorrows, Today."

COLUMN: Laurel a fine host

I remember well growing up just 14 official miles from Billings’ “bedroom”, a quiet little community called Laurel.

Alberton High School scholarships

Alberton High School scholarships

Photo: International Museum Day

International Museum Day

Drug prevention program 'paints the state'

The Montana Meth Project is a large-scale prevention program aimed at reducing first-time teen meth use through public service messaging and community outreach.

Superior pool capital campaign making a splash

When the Superior swimming pool closed a few years ago due to the cost of upkeep and needed expensive repairs, the community lost an icon. It was built in the early 60s and was a shining star, especially with longtime residents.

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Northwest Montana pickers prowl for wild morels

Nothing motivates people to scour the deep dark woods and examine the forest floors more than the annual hunt for Morel mushrooms.

Forest seeks to bury power lines at Quartz Campground

The Superior Ranger District is asking for public feedback on the proposed Missoula Electric Cooperative Quartz Campground Project located along Interstate 90 on Forest Service lands in Mineral County.

Legals for May, 24 2023

Community calendar

Community calendar

Ellie Baxter 3rd at State B golf tourney

The present has been really good for the Thompson Falls women’s high school women’s golf team.

Trail riders tested their skills on poker ride

Trail riders tested their skills on horseback and their luck playing poker, while riding through the historic Jones Ranch on Saturday.

5 Lady Bobcats netters earn trip to state

Just one point in a whole tennis match.

Local athletes rise up at Western C divisional meet

An old familiar name is atop the team standings following this past weekend’s Class C Western Divisional track and field tournament held under smokey skies in Missoula.

Lady Hawks fourth at softball divisionals

By all measures the Thompson Falls softball team had a successful 2023 season.2111

Trotters hot streak ends at tough divisional tourney

They began the year struggling, then caught fire toward the end, winning eight of fourteen games in the last month of the 2023 Montana high school softball season.

Lady Hawks 3rd at divisional track meet

So far, no one has figured out how to stop the Bigfork machine in Montana High School Class B track and field.

Otto Otnes answers the call as VFW chaplain

For Plains resident Otto Otnes, it was a simple matter of the door being knocked on and he answered the call.

Free lunch builds fellowship among Plains veterans

As an experienced counselor who has given talks on such topics as suicide prevention, VFW Auxiliary member Angela Muse knew the value of getting folks together to talk.

COLUMN: Track and field standouts

In the years I’ve been covering high school sports, I’ve often extolled the talents and drive of the young folks I’ve had the pleasure to write about in Western Montana.

Photos: Class of 2023 graduates

Photos: Class of 2023 graduates

Photo: Jadyn Fred Foundation

Photo: Jadyn Fred Foundation

Birth announcements

Birth announcements

CFVH nurses honored for National Nurses Week

When a patient faces a difficult health scare or situation, it is often the small things that can bring the most comfort.

Superior High School scholarships

Superior High School scholarships

Spotlight on the Arts: Kaylee Warta

Spotlight on the Arts: Kaylee Warta

St. Regis High School scholarships

St. Regis High School scholarships

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Bison Range opening day draws wildlife watchers

Friday, May 12, marked the opening day for the CSKT Bison Range, with over 125 visitors.

Final preparations taking place for Plains Day

Hours of volunteer work by Plains Councilor Connie Foust and the members of The Free Americans organization will result in a full day of exciting events in Plains on June 3.

McCloskey named the hunter ed instructor of the year

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks recently held its annual Hunter and Bowhunter Education Instructor Workshop in Region 2 with a strong showing of instructors.

Superior Elementary hosts annual fun run

Around 400 students and staff, along with numerous parents participated in the 17th annual Fun Run hosted by Superior Elementary School.

Chickenpox cases ramp up among Montana children

Department of Public Health and Human Services officials on Monday warned residents of a recent increase in the number of cases of chickenpox reported in school-aged children.

Gianforte signs bill banning state agencies from analyzing climate impacts

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed into law a bill that bars the state from considering climate impacts in its analysis of large projects such as coal mines and power plants.

COLUMN: Chuck Taylor All-Star

There was no thought of making some kind of statement. Well, maybe just a bit.

Superior Bobcats claim 14C track titles

Two massive understatements from the District 14C track and field championships in Missoula this past weekend: The Superior Bobcats were in control, and Isabella Pereira had a good couple of days.

Lady Hawks 2nd at 7B championships

This has been the year of the Bigfork.

Baxter sisters headed to state golf tourney

The first state championship of the 2023 Montana high school sports season gets underway today (May 16-17) as a pair of Thompson Falls Lady Blue Hawks head to Shelby, joined by the Lady Hawks team in quest of a state title.

Local golfers tee off at Class C championships

The Montana State Class C golf tournament got underway Tuesday (May 16-17) with a pair of golfers from both St. Regis and Superior heading to the state finals in Great Falls after qualifying this past week at the Western Division tournament in Bozeman.

Superior's Kovalsky launches into pole vaulting

Heading into his freshmen year a few years ago, Superior junior Lucas Kovalsky looked at pole vaulting and thought it looked like a lot of fun.

Lady Hawks softball ready for Western B tourney

It was a busy week last week as the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks got ready for playoff softball action beginning this Thursday in Anaconda.

Plains Trotters carry momentum into tournament

Don’t look now, but the Plains Trotters may be breaking into a gallop.

Biologists concerned about future of bull trout in Montana

Ben Eisinger loves fishing for bull trout, an activity he looks forward to every season.

Legals for May, 17 2023

Plains-Hot Springs baseball has mixed results

In what looks more like a hockey record than a baseball record, the Plains-Hot Springs Savage Horsemen baseball team posted a 1-1-1 mark last week.

Glacier Park's Sun Road opens to Lake McDonald Lodge

A portion of Going-to-the-Sun Road opened to vehicles on the west side of Glacier Park on Friday morning. Visitors can now drive as far as Lake McDonald Lodge.

Democrats deliver; Republicans waste session

The 68th session of the State Legislature has ended, but the harm done by a Republican supermajority drunk on power will continue to be felt for a long time.

Superior boys, Noxon girls lead local teams at Kim Haines Invite

With district, divisional and state track and field meets just around the corner, a good barometer for local Class B and C schools may have been this past weekend’s Kim Haines Invitational meet in Missoula.

Trotters upset Lady Hawks in softball rematch

The first time they played this year was the first game of the new season for both the Plains Trotters and the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks fast pitch softball teams.

Superior tennis sweeps Troy

They rallied together and won the match despite some disheartening news earlier in the week.

Plains-Hot Springs ace mows down 18 at Troy

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the word “dominate” means: to rule or control by superior power.

COLUMN: The dimpled orb

It is a game not for the faint of heart.

Superior’s Allen Ryan claims 3,200 win at Mid-Week meet

With district championships getting underway this weekend, last week was the final chance for several rained out or delayed events to do their thing in the world of Montana high school track and field.

Lowe and Palmer lead Lady Hawks at Eureka meet

It could be said, tongue in cheek, that Lincoln County was not a very good host for last week’s Top 8 NW track and field meet at Eureka High School.

Study looks at black bear population in Region 2

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks researchers are launching a new multi-year study on black bears this month aimed at better understanding and estimating the population across the state. The first season of field research will focus on areas in west-central Montana, including the Blackfoot River watershed from Gold Creek through Ovando and Helmville.

68th Montana Legislature adjourns

With the 90th and last possible legislative day looming, the lawmakers, staff, lobbyists, reporters and other denizens of the Montana Capitol this week knew that the end of the 68th Legislature was nigh.

Gianforte signs bill boosting block management payment cap

Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law last week a bill that will double the payment cap for landowners who participate in Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Block Management Program.

Logging project paused because of grizzly bear concerns

Last week, U.S. District Court judge Dana Christensen halted a logging project in the Kootenai National Forest because of its potential to harm an already imperiled population of grizzly bears.

Plains voters turn down school levy request

Plains voters overwhelmingly turned down a general fund levy in the May 2 school elections.

Legals for May, 10 2023

Decay ordinance questioned by local residents

Plains residents showed their concern for the town’s enforcement of the decay ordinance during this month’s Town Council meeting, which was standing-room only.

Plains students raising funds for Skills USA conference

Many students from Plains High School recently participated in the Montana Skills USA state competition.

School buzz: New coffee cart teaches life skills

The sweet aromas of espresso grounds and the whistling of milk frothing will now be permeating the halls of Superior High School.

Training aimed at curbing underage drinking

Sixteen employees in Mineral County that serve alcohol at bars, casinos, convenience and grocery stores or the state liquor store attend RASS Training in Alberton at the Rivers Edge Restaurant. Steve Schmidt, with Drive Safe Missoula with the Missoula Health Department was the instructor. Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service training is strongly recommended as it helps curb underage drinking and from alcohol salespeople and stores from being fined. For the next class later this summer, contact Anna Schreck ataschreck@wmmhc.org.

Community calendar

Community calendar

Holsters donated to Sheriff's Office

Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke is presented with Rapid Force Duty Holsters from by Frank Magee, fire chief of the West End Volunteer Fire Department in DeBorgia recently. The West End Fire and Rescue volunteers gathered donations for the purchase following a stand-off in St. Regis in March. Magee said the occasion was for first responders supporting other first responders. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)

Pollinator Initiative seed hand out events planned

The conservation districts of Sanders County are offering free pollinator plot seed to support pollinator habitat in your own backyard.

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

New York City-based Piatigorsky Foundation performs May 12

Covid catch-up continues as the Mineral County Performing Arts Council is hosting another evening of entertainment this Friday.

Lincoln-Reagan Dinner

With about 112 in attendance, the Mineral County Republican Central Committee held their annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner Saturday evening at the Mineral County Shooting Sports Building.

Who's WHO?

Who's WHO?

Superior's Haskins earns esteemed Gaylord Green scholarship

Gaylord Green is one of the pioneers of the creation, development and operation of GPS (Global Positioning System), whose work on satellites and orbits particularly affected the success of the technology.

Sheriff's Office IDs body found in river

The Mineral County Sheriff's Office on Friday identified the body of a Missoula man that was recovered from the Clark Fork River earlier in the week.

St. Regis' Jack Connolly posts low score on home course

In sports, defending the “home” turf, court, field, etc., is often a rallying cry.

Letters to the editor

Letters to the editor

Bison Stampede race results

Dixon School District held the 2023 Bison Stampede Saturday April 22nd. All proceeds from the event went towards campus improvements with the goal of this year to upgrade parking and outdoor learning spaces.

Paradise Players present 'Steel Magnolias'

Months of preparation for Paradise Players' upcoming production of "Steel Magnolias" concluded with the final dress rehearsal Saturday evening.

Craftsman turns horns into functional art

Artisans and craftsmen can see things in a different way than most people.

School board addresses questions about levy

Last Monday evening the Plains School District Board of Trustees meeting drew a room full of concerned citizens about the levy request on this year’s school election ballot.

Road work planned between St. Regis and Paradise

With plenty of notice and time for comments, the Montana Department of Transportation is announcing and inviting public input on a proposed resurfacing project that includes Montana 200, Montana 135 and Cold Creek Road outside of St. Regis.

Survey shows Western Montana hunters like mule deer regs

When you spend enough time in the woods over the years, some changes become apparent. Spotted knapweed can grow out of anything.

Elks Lodge makes donation to Superior Fire

Last Tuesday afternoon, four ambassadors from the Benevolent Protection of ELKS Lodge 383 in Missoula stopped by the Superior Volunteer Fire Department, and this made Chief Scott Dodd a happy guy.

New sawmill fill custom orders

Ron Denn is a retired farmer from Minnesota where he grew corn, soybeans, hay and raised beef cattle.

Speaker at St. Regis fundraising feast discusses pitfalls of addiction

More than 100 guests gathered April 26 in the St. Regis Community Center for a Wild Game Dinner event featuring Matt Kelley from Alabama with Equip Ministries.

Legals for May, 3 2023

Child care scholarship expansion headed to Gianforte’s desk

Rep. Alice Buckley’s Best Beginnings Scholarship expansion to provide relief for lower-income Montanans seeking child care options is headed to the governor’s desk after a final bipartisan vote in the Senate on Friday.

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls

Abortion clinics sue state over new restrictions

Montana abortion providers on Friday sued the state health department in an attempt to block a new rule adopted by the Gianforte administration’s health department that restricts how the state will pay for abortions through its Medicaid program.

Cork-pulling invention earns Noxon student high honors at science fair

It is simple, says Noxon sixth grader Tracker Scarlett.

Trout Creek archery teams returns from nationals

They may not have won the Western National Archery tournament, but the group of young archers from Trout Creek most certainly did win something of equal value in the long run: the respect and support of their fellow Montanans.

Trotters rebound with pair of big wins

After a strange ending to a tournament the week before where the Plains Trotters softball team wound up losing two games, including one that endured a long delay, the Trotters got back on the winning track in a big way this past Saturday.

Lady Hawks on a roll as season heats up

It was a busy and successful week for the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks softball team.

Savage Horsemen notch two more wins

By any measurement, this first season of Plains-Hot Springs baseball has been a good one.

Local girls shine at Top 10 meet in Missoula

The meet is a preview, in a way, of the rapidly approaching Montana State High School track and field championship competitions.

Fierce competition at Whitefish's ARM meet

There were some familiar things happening in this weekend’s Whitefish ARM Invitational track and field gathering.

COLUMN: Jock Talk

As the “civic-minded” — not to be confused with “simple-minded” — public servant I am, I thought it would be good to provide a simple guide to “Sports Terms, aka Jock Talk” for those who may be as confused about this strange language associated with games.

2,000 watercraft inspected so far this year

With the exception of Eureka, watercraft inspection stations are open.

Crews make progress on plowing Going-to-the-Sun Road

Glacier National Park road crews carefully maneuver large machinery just feet away from the cliff’s edge as they push plows closer to Haystack Creek on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Bear activity picking up across Western Montana

Bears tipping over garbage cans. Bears climbing onto porches pursuing bird feeders. Bears in back yards.

William E. Marsh, 88

William E. Marsh, 88