Plains girls basketball team get valuable experience at a nameless Ronan tourney

There were no official winners, losers or even a name for the tournament last Saturday as 30 high school teams from around Montana returned to Ronan for the 16th annual … thing.

Plains/Hot Springs wrestlers kick off practices

Driver course for local senior citizens offered in area through AARP

News articles and editorials raise concerns about older drivers on increasingly busy streets and highways. Recent statistics show older adults are safe drivers with good driving records. As baby boomers reach retirement age, by 2030 the 65-plus population will make up a quarter of U.S. drivers.

Council on Aging holds special day for seniors

Gwen Hanson, Director of Council on Aging (COA) in Hot Springs, believes doing things socially is the best way to keep a person healthy.

Christmas Tree Permits on sale

Christmas tree permits are now available at all Lolo National Forest Ranger District offices. Permits are limited to three per family and cost $5 each.

Kvelve's Comments: 'Merry Thanksmas'

Not sure how this happens every year, but it’s already Thanksgiving again.

Tough season for Alberton volleyball

Coming out of the 2009 volleyball season, Coach Rachel Clevenger said that this year the team had pans to work on improving in the areas of serving and passing. Both of those areas, she said, were the two biggest areas that they needed to improve upon and were also two critical skills to putting together a great game of volleyball.

Dixon School students return to class

As schools open across the Treasure State amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 obstacle, a small school in the southeast corner of Sanders County is proving the wisdom of two time-tested adages.

Little guy wrestling ends; four competitors place

Superior trumps Troy in playoffs

They were down 12-7 in the fourth quarter, but the Superior Bobcats weren’t about to let the playoff win slip away from them.

Choices for Change

Coping Choices -

Community Food Bank moving to new location

The Community Food Bank in Superior has had seven different homes over the last three decades. But starting next month it will open its door at its new permanent location, across the Clark Fork River in the old Bootlegger Bar.

A response

In response to letters written in rebuttal of my claim that Billy Hill has never been a sworn law enforcement officer, peace officer or reserve deputy, I shall attempt to clarify the issue.

COLUMN: Coach Bandel

Come with me now to a mystical place not many get a chance to experience. It is a place of anxiety, joy, happiness, anger, frustration….the gauntlet of human emotions.

Garcia Loop county road debate continues

SUPERIOR – A continuing debate came before the Mineral County Commissioners during their weekly meeting as they discussed whether part of Garcia Loop was considered a county road. During the public comment period of the meeting, Mike and Judith Birr came to discuss the maintenance of the road onto their land. They were supposed to appear at the commissioner’s meeting last week but were unable to come. When the Birrs bought the land the road to get onto it belonged to the county and featured a railroad crossing. The railroad later moved the crossing and the original road became inaccessible. A new road, which was not recognized by the county, had to be constructed by the Birrs to get onto the land. When the landowners tried to take out a loan the bank refused because they were living on inaccessible land. They requested the land be declared a county road so the loan could be drawn. Duane Simons, commissioner of the county’s west end, was one of the commissioners at the time and said he remembered the agreement. As he remembered it, they agreed to adopt the road in name only. While it would be considered a county road the county would have no responsibility to maintain it. Simons felt the commissioners were doing the Birrs a favor by making the declaration. Judith disagreed and said she had not seen the county’s adoption of the road as a favor. She argued the road did not belong to her either and anyone could use it freely. When they argued for the road to be adopted by the county the Birrs presented evidence to support the idea it was publically accessible. Judith said she and her husband had spent $20,000 in attorney fees over two years to research the road laws. They also tried to negotiate with the railroad to find a solution. With no evidence to suggest the road was exclusively theirs she felt it was public and therefore belonged to the county. Because of this she thought the county should be responsible for maintaining it. “There was no explanation that made any sense and your county planner had ample opportunity, so did Rail Link, so did BNSF, so did any neighbor around there, to submit evidence that it was not public roadway,” Judith continued. “They didn’t do it, they didn’t do it at all.” Judith felt it was wrong for the county to suddenly stop caring for the road. As she saw it, the county had cared for it for 65 years, during which, several members of her family lived on the land. She felt it was not good for the county to suddenly drop the road after so many years of maintaining access to the land. Judith said she took the county’s refusal to plow the road personally. She felt there was more of a risk of fires on her street. Despite this, the other side got plowed while her road was inaccessible to emergency vehicles. Because the meeting was not on the regular agenda, Laurie Johnston, commissioner of the county’s central area, said they were unable to make a decision. It was also noted the county could only afford to plow so many roads with their budget and may need to abandon more roads in the future. Judith disagreed with this argument, saying the cutoff was very precise and it would not be a significant expense to do their road at the same time as others. Simons said it might help the commissioners understand the situation better if they saw the area in question. Mike and Judith said it was hard for them to get work off at the same time. It was also a big sacrifice for them to take the time off to go to a meeting. Because of the challenges in arranging everyone’s schedules, it was suggested the commissioners and the Birrs discuss the issue more over the phone. This way, anyone who could not make it in person could still be involved. The commissioners and the Birrs agreed to schedule a more official meeting to discuss the issue in the future. In the meantime, the commissioners plan to do more research into the issue to figure out all the options and concerns.

31st anniversary of VFW a hit

Danielle Switalski

Plans moving forward for the 2013 Mineral County Fair

It is not too soon to begin planning for the Mineral County Fair in August.

T-Falls softball hopes for play-in game

The Thompson Falls’ softball team continues to gain learning experiences from each passing game according to Lady Bluehawk’s head coach Jared Koskela.

Letters to the Editor; A couple of lessons

A COUPLE OF LESSONS

Horsemen fall to Vikings

A slew of injuries and a number of penalties were the difference on Friday as Plains fell to Bigfork 42-7 on Friday in their conference opener. The loss drops the hosting Savage Horsemen to 0-3, while the visiting Vikings advance to 2-1, having not lost since their season opener versus Loyola.