Ellington

Plains hoopers drop two home games

It was a tough week for the Plains boys’ and girls’ basketball teams as both lost home games to St. Ignatius (Mission) Thursday night and Eureka this past Saturday.

Hawks earn lopsided victories

It was a good week to be a Blue Hawk or Lady Blue Hawk basketball player as both the boys and girls teams won a pair of games this past week.

Rediscovering home: Elk populations

Throughout the 45 years I was away from my hometown, I returned a couple times a year to visit mother. Elk appeared to be more prevalent with each passing year as I visited the various drainages.

Bobcats get conference win at St. Ignatius

The Superior Bobcats and Lady Bobcats split a pair of road games against St. Ignatius on Friday night, with the boys pulling out a 52-44 Western 13C conference victory over the Bulldogs.

Kvelve's Comments: Unbeaten Tigers

So, there is one undefeated team still standing in the 13C conference, the mega-league that resulted from the merger of the old 14C and what was a six-team 13C.

Savage Heat roar past Charlo

The first game of the evening between Charlo and Hot Springs girls’ teams was a classic nail-biter decided by two points, with the visiting Lady Vikings edging the Lady heat 50-48 in Hot Springs Saturday night.

Tigers stay perfect with tough victory over Noxon

Defense, as they say, wins championships, in basketball and most sports.

Plains-Hot Springs wins Ted Kato Memorial

The annual Ted Kato Memorial wrestling tournament in Thompson Falls had a decidedly Plains-Hot Springs look to it this year.

Amateur radio hobbyists tune in at winter field day

Amateur radio, or ham radio, has been a popular hobby throughout the years as well as an important service that brings people, electronics and communication together.

Amateur radio hobbyists tune in at winter field day

Amateur radio, or ham radio, has been a popular hobby throughout the years as well as an important service that brings people, electronics and communication together.

Fee on snowmobile rentals would fund trail maintenance

A bill introduced to the Montana Legislature this week would add a small fee to snowmobile rentals to fund maintenance and grooming operations on Montana’s more than 4,000 miles of motorized winter trails.

The legislative process

We have completed week three of the legislative session with bills on the move in both houses.

St. Regis teams take down Two Eagle River

St. Regis is not a great place to go.

Noxon and Hot Springs split games

Noxon’s boys continued their winning ways in advance of their crucial Western 13C showdown with St. Regis the next night as they chalked up an 80-66 victory over Hot Springs on the Savage Heat’s home court this past Friday.

Mineral County man charged in stabbing enters not guilty plea

A man accused of stabbing family members in St. Regis earlier this month entered a not guilty plea Wednesday in Mineral County District Court.

Panthers take two losses

For the Alberton Panthers boys’ basketball team, their road game with Two Eagle River (TER) this Saturday night was a chance to measure progress.

Hazardous waste refresher class planned in March

The Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard is a set of guidelines produced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure the safety of workers dealing with hazardous waste and emergency situations.

Legals for January, 29 2025

Paradise presentation looks at Montana’s historic Chinese communities

Sunday afternoon, The Paradise Center hosted another “Conversations with …” which is an ongoing series that brings authors, experts and notable people to both inform residents and engage them in a dialog regarding subjects of shared interest.

Plains superintendent contract focus of public comments

The January Plains School Board meeting drew a large crowd, with attendees expecting a discussion about Superintendent Kathleen Walsh's contract and performance.

Fair board reaches deal with derby promoter

The Sanders County Fair Commission held a special evening meeting to review a proposed demolition derby contract submitted by 406 Promotions, based in Three Forks.

Fish and Wildlife Commission sued over open-meeting law, black bear quotas

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission was sued Friday for allegedly ignoring state open meeting laws when it approved eliminating some black bear hunting quotas in December.

Noxon escapes with wins over Two Eagle River

Palbo was the site of two high schools' basketball games which could have had different outcomes than they did.

Nightriders Winterfest 2025 in photos

Nightriders Winterfest 2025 in photos

Legals for January, 22 2025

Loge stands ground on rules debate

Greetings from Helena. While being new to the Senate, I am a more senior legislator. I've spent my life clearing paths, literally plowing snow on our highways, mending fences on the ranch, logging and attending important community meetings.

Superior senior leads Junior Firefighting Program

While others flee, firefighters run toward the danger. Being a first responder requires courage and selflessness, but when you also add in labels like “junior” and “volunteer” it takes this brave act of service to a whole other level.

The case for prescribed fire

As forest research shows, the Rocky Mountain region’s natural history reveals a pattern of fire occurrence extending from time immemorial, meaning before human memory, with drastic curtailment in the early 1900s when wildfires began to be suppressed.

Missoula Children’s Theatre presents 'Singin' in the Rain Jr.'

The Missoula Children’s Theatre Youth Series presents a musical with such an iconic name you can almost hear the raindrops. "Singin’ in the Rain Jr." will be live on stage, Feb. 7-9 performed by a talented cast of students, from 8th -12th grade who go back in time and jump some puddles with a classic musical.

Kerby James Smith, 63

Kerby James Smith

Kvelve's Comments: A comeback

There are many good, some potentially great, stories brewing as the second half of the local high school basketball and wrestling seasons come into focus.

Clearing the way: Maintaining county roads a big job

The elevation of Alberton is 3,055 feet. Superior is 2,720 feet and St. Regis sits at 2,635. The I-90 corridor gains altitude as a person drives west where Haugan is at 3,425 feet and the summit at Lookout Pass is 4,710 feet.

Lady Bobcats get wins over Plains, Troy

The Superior girls’ basketball team is one a good roll with the team picking up their third straight win with a pair of victories this past week.

Hot Springs takes on tough Stillwater teams

These are games that technically don’t count, at least for now and not in the Montana high school standings or rankings.

Thompson Falls sweeps county rival Plains

It would be an understatement to say Thompson Falls boys and girls had a good night in their rivalry games against Plains this past Friday night in Thompson Falls.

Red Devils take down Charlo

If offense is your thing when it comes to basketball, Noxon’s Red Devils boys’ team is for you.

St. Regis boys get two wins

As country legend Buck Owens sang, “it looks like I’ve got a Tiger by the tail”, he was likely not referring to the St. Regis Tigers.

Hawks sweep Eureka Lions

After a pair of resounding home wins over rival Plains this past Friday, the Thompson Falls boys’ and girls' basketball teams were looking for a Western 7B conference sweep as they entertained Eureka Saturday night in T Falls.

Hot Springs notch wins over Alberton

Spa City was not so nice a place to visit for the Alberton boys’ and girls’ basketball teams this past Friday night.

Resource Advisory Committee seeking new members

In a world of acronyms of organizations that overlap with similar names but have different goals, it helps to start in the correct hallway.

Local wrestlers perform well at Jug Beck, Choteau Classic

The Plains-Hot Springs co-op wrestlers (Savage Horsemen) are on a roll on the mats.

Woods reappointed as chair of Fair Commission

A special meeting of the Sanders County Fair Board Commission was held last week to address several important issues that had been tabled during their previous regular meeting.

Legals for January, 15 2025

Pickleball club swings into Mineral County

After playing golf one Saturday during the summer of 1965, Joel Pritchard, congressman from Washington State and Bill Bell, a successful businessman, returned to Pritchard’s home on Bainbridge Island, Washington, near Seattle, to find their families sitting around with nothing to do.

Thompson Falls teams top Charlo, Mission

It was a busy week that would have been awesome for the Thompson Falls boys’ and girls' basketball team had it not been for a pair of games against red-hot Missoula Loyola’s boys and girls.

Trotters roar back for win over Darby

After one quarter of play, things did not look well for the Plains Trotters basketball team Saturday night against the Darby Lady Tigers in Plains.

St. Regis boys stay unbeaten

For the St. Regis boys’ basketball team, it was another week on the job, as they took care of business with a pair of victories that kept the unbeaten season record intact at 8-0.

Seeley Swan topples Hot Springs

Seeley Swan’s Blackhawks boys’ and girls' basketball teams were not cordial visitors to Hot Springs this past Saturday evening in a pair of Western 13C conference games.

Local woman dies in head-on crash

A local resident was killed Jan. 8 in a two-vehicle crash near Perma.

Fredette nets 34 in win for Panthers

On small step for Alberton, one giant leap for Panther nation.

Kvelve's Comments: Lace 'em up

It is what could be described as an insidious problem, or a silly one.

James (Jimmy) Raymond Jr., 48

James (Jimmy) Raymond Jr., 48

Fair commission renews demolition derby contract

The Sanders County Fair Commission addressed several key issues at its first meeting of 2025.

Superior hoopers snag wins at Darby

Superior’s boys' and girls' basketball teams made the most of their only contests of the past week as the Bobcats boys and Lady Bobcats girls swept a pair of road games in Darby Thursday night.

Noxon boys notch fifth-straight win

Momentum, as defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary is “the impetus of a moving object equal to the product of its mass and its velocity.

New growth at local greenhouse business

Originally from Pennsylvania, Milton Pearce and his wife worked for 18 years at the Northwest Indian Bible School in Alberton before moving to their current location in St. Regis 22 years ago.

Local grapplers put on show at Cut Bank

For local high school wrestling fans, the 157-pound match between Superior sophomore Turner Milender and Plains-Hot Springs senior John Waterbury would be the dream match of the year.

Irvine Flats ranchers win state stewardship award

Irvine Flats west of Polson is cow country, with lots of grass, hills and swales. Ranch families are the main residents in the sparsely populated area, and one of those families, Greg and Lynn Gardner, their daughter Brittany and her husband Wacey Cathey, received the 2024 Montana Stockgrowers Association Stewardship Award.

Tigers stay undefeated with win over Prospectors

It’s not really a surprise that the St. Regis Tigers boys’ basketball team is off to a “good” start to the season, it is almost expected at the Mineral County school.

Hot Springs and Arlee tangle on the court

The boys and girls basketball games between Hot Springs and Arlee this past Saturday were multi-faceted to say the least.

Superior hoopers drop pair of games

Sometimes a break in the schedule can be a momentum killer.

Thompson Falls felon sentenced for illegal possession of firearms

A Thompson Falls man with two prior federal felony convictions and other state felonies was sentenced Jan. 3 to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for admitting to firearms crimes after law enforcement found numerous guns at his residence, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

PHOTO Lookout Pass ski area in prime condition

Lookout Pass Ski Aera had plenty of snow on New Year's Eve with the Peak 1 quad chair lift packed, but with short lines. The ski area has a 50-inch settled base at the summit. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)

Mineral County Sheriff's Office report Dec. 22-28

Mineral County Sheriff's Office report Dec. 22-28

Rediscovering home: Community spirit

The leadership shown by local residents jumps out from the pages of the Mineral County Historical Society file on the construction of the two swimming pools in Superior.

Spotlight on the Arts: Sonny Brown

Spotlight on the Arts by The Paradise Center honors and encourages students in the arts by highlighting their talent and acknowledging the support they receive through their schools and teachers.

New Year's celebration lights up Quinn's

The year 2024 came to a spectacular close, marked by a vibrant display of fireworks and a jubilant crowd at Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort near Paradise.

Kvelve's Comments: Giving it their all

There are a lot of good things in sports, and admittedly some not so good things.

Blue Hawks lock up Wardens

It was an arresting evening for Thompson Falls boys’ basketball team as they locked up a 69-58 victory in Deer Lodge against the Wardens.

Snowmobile club adds to annual event

The Montana Nightriders Snowmobile Club is well known for the $1,000 Super Poker Ride the last weekend in January. Up to 400 sledders have partaken in this signature event held in Haugan for the last 36 years.

Trotters take care of business against Troy

Plains wasted no time getting back to work after the Christmas break as the Horsemen and Trotters hosted the boys’ and girls’ teams from Troy Thursday night in a pair of Western 7B conference games at Plains High.

Irwin Donald Bangen, 92

Irwin Donald Bangen

Gerald (Jerry) Allen Matthew, 75

Gerald (Jerry) Allen Matthew, 75

PHOTO Fire department pay tribute to former chief Steve Temple

The Superior Volunteer Fire Department had the Town of Superior Public works employees hang a display of banners in honor of Steve Temple, the former fire chief, who recently died. (Mineral Independent/Amy Quinlivan)

Steven Temple, 72

Steven Temple, 72

James (Jim) Marvin Harris, 87

James (Jim) Marvin Harris, 87

The Wardens to perform in Superior

Three Canadian wardens are making a special trip to Superior on Jan. 23.

Legals for January, 8 2025

Surging Noxon sweeps Alberton

There were two games with lopsided outcomes, with the surging Noxon boys and girls sweeping a pair of road games against Alberton, whose teams are showing signs of emerging varsity talent.

Knitter makes good on special request

Some puzzles require a bit of unraveling. That was the case when tracking down a young lad who had requested a special-colored hat during a Halloween giveaway in October

Superior wrestlers place at Ronan Duals

The wrestling school in this area that has the smallest number of wrestlers on its roster was the lone representative from Sanders and Mineral counties during this past weekend’s Western Montana Invitational, aka the Ronan Duals.

Suspect arrested after three stabbed in St. Regis

A suspect is in custody after three people were stabbed in St. Regis on Monday, authorities report.

Hot Springs splits with St. Regis

It was a post-holiday split for the Hot Springs boys and girls in their games against home-standing St. Regis this past Thursday in an early season Western 13C basketball clash.

Effort to rename Libby bridge after fallen soldier headed to Legislature

When the state Legislature convenes next Monday in Helena, Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, will introduce a bill to rename the Montana 37 bridge over the Kootenai River as it exits Libby in memory of former resident Arthur J. Rambo.

Mercer to seek appointment to open 20th District Court judge seat

The abrupt resignation of judge-elect Britt Cotter last week reopened a seat in the 20th District Court that had already been plagued with turmoil.

I’m honored to serve; here’s my mission

Montana, earning the chance to serve you as your next U.S. Senator is truly the greatest honor of my life. To those who voted for me, thank you. To those who did not, I’m ready to serve you too. In the military, I took an oath to serve all Americans, and on January 3rd, I’ll take an oath to serve all Montanans.

PHOTO St. Regis Mail drop-box damaged

The St. Regis mail drop-off box is going to be out of commission for a few weeks. It's either been bumped by a vehicle or started the New Years celebration early (photo Mike Alexander)

Travelers’ Rest State Park host First Day Hikes

Travelers’ Rest State Park near Lolo will host a "First Day Hike" on New Year’s Day. The guided hike will begin outside the Travelers’ Rest visitor center at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 and is free and open to all ages.

Legals for January, 1 2025

Paradise Center open house draws a crowd

The Paradise Center opened its doors during the Christmas season to showcase recent improvements to its exhibits.

Montana climate office adds 37 new monitoring stations

The Montana Climate Office at the University of Montana has officially completed the 2024 Montana Mesonet build season, adding 37 new stations to its expansive and growing network of weather, snowpack and soil moisture monitoring instrumentation across Montana.

Judge-elect resigns after drug charges filed

Lake County's newly elected District Court judge has resigned after being accused of attempting to purchase and distribute drugs following a months-long investigation by state detectives.

Smalley takes oath as new commissioner

Shawn Smalley retired earlier this year after 20 years with Montana Highway Patrol. He attained the rank of sergeant and was the supervisor for Mineral and Sanders counties while raising his family in Superior for almost 19 of those years.

June Augusta Anderson, 99

June Augusta Anderson

Spotlight on the Arts: Tony Susic

“Spotlight on the Arts” by The Paradise Center honors and encourages students in the arts by highlighting their talent and acknowledging the support they receive through their schools and teachers.

Kvelve's Comments: New Year predictions

As another year comes to an end, I want to take the opportunity to clear the air, make amends and make a prediction or two for 2025.

Local teams return to action after Christmas break

Silent Night and Auld Lang Syne are in the rear-view mirror.

Locals earn All-State football honors

Six players from Sanders County were selected to the Montana High School 6-player all-state team during recent post-season meetings.

Seidel family takes over Jackies Flowers

A local family has purchased Jackies Flowers, Gifts and Espresso in the old Superior School.

Thanks to all who have supported MCCF

First, I’d like to thank the many volunteers and donors to an organization I’ve been involved in for over thirty years, the Mineral County Community Foundation (MCCF).