4-H is planning for another big year at the Sanders County Fair

This year promises to be another grand year for the local 4-H groups of Sanders county.

Sanders County Search and Rescue does so much, but now needs your help

There are many outdoor activities that bring people to Sanders County from hiking to fishing and kayaking to hunting along with so much more. With so many ways to get out into the woods there are equality numerous ways to become, lost, hurt or standard. This is where the members of the Sanders County Search and Rescue (SAR) come in. They are a professionally trained group of volunteers that come from all walks of life to ensure the safety of the many who explore the county.

St. Regis Schools hold bash

St Regis Schools hosted a Back-to-School Bash Thursday, Aug. 22, from 4:30 to 7:30 to bring the community and school together. The event was sponsored by GEAR UP and the Headwaters Foundation.

Wayne Sheridan Jackson

Beloved husband and uncle, Wayne Sheridan Jackson, 76, of De Borgia, Montana, passed away at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital of Plains, Montana on August 14, 2019. Wayne was born on November 23, 1942 in Nordegg, Alberta, Canada; the son of Edward and Ruth (Hannah) Jackson.

Apprenticeship program brings training and employment opportunities to Mineral County

ST. REGIS – On Tuesday, Aug. 20, Montana Department of Labor & Industry officials visited the Idaho Forest Group St. Regis Mill as 12 apprentices signed paperwork to join the company’s first Montana Registered Apprenticeship program.

Youth Conservation Corps finishes season on Superior Ranger District

SUPERIOR — After eight weeks of exposure to nearly every aspect of the Forest Service, the five members of the 2019 Superior Ranger District Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew submitted their final timesheet, saying goodbye to a summer of adventure, unique experiences, and what some soundly describe as “FUN” while working.

Quinlan steps up as athletic director

As fall sports loom around the corner this schoolyear, Superior High School will see a familiar face as the new athletic director.

Man pleads not guilty to assaulting youth at rodeo

Law enforcement vehicles lined the streets outside the Mineral County Courthouse on Aug. 14, during the arraignment for Curt Brockway, a Superior man, who pleaded not guilty to assaulting a 13-year-old boy at a rodeo.

Plains High improving the campus in many ways

Four years ago, Plains High School began working on paving the front parking lot.

Experts say it could still be a bad year for grasshoppers

Though this year has not yet become a terribly bad year for grasshoppers, and last year was supposedly worse, it is still likely to create conditions to bring a hard time onto locals and farmers.

Man accused of assaulting boy at rodeo

Suspect released from custody; case gains national attention

A 39-year-old Superior man was charged with assaulting a minor at the Mineral County Fair in Superior on Saturday, Aug. 3, according to court documents.

County confirms that hiring guards is key to re-opening detention center

After seven months without a detention center in Mineral County, the facility will remain inoperable until officials can find interested applicants to fill the vacant detention officer positions.

Legals August 14, 2019

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Requests Input for Proposed Timber Sales PUBLIC NOTICE The Plains Unit of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is developing plans for two proposed timber sales. The first proposed sale would be known as the Sales Mine Timber Sale. This proposed sale is located approximately 36 air miles north of Plains, MT on the divide between the Elk Creek, Whitney Creek and Indian Creek drainages, Section 36, Township 26 North, Range 28 West. This sale is in the earliest stages of planning and would most likely involve seed tree and shelterwood harvests with ground and cable-based logging systems. This sale may require new and/or reconstruction of roads and would include some minor improvements on existing roads. This sale would likely sell in the fall of 2020 and is projected to generate approximately 3-4 million board feet of timber for the Common Schools Trust. The second, known as the Smiley Face Timber Sale, is located approximately 12 air miles north of Plains, MT, on the divide between the Todd Creek, Mudd Creek and Smiley Creek drainages, Sections 30 & 32, Township 22 North, Range 26 West. This sale is in the earliest stages of planning and would most likely involve seed tree and shelterwood harvests with ground and cable-based logging systems. This sale may require new and/or reconstruction of roads and would include some minor improvements on existing roads. This sale would likely sell in the spring of 2021 and is projected to generate approximately 3-4 million board feet of timber for the Common Schools Trust. These sales are being considered to generate revenue for the Common Schools Trust Fund, improve forest health by reducing the possibility of insect and disease activity, to reduce excessive fuel loading and the related risk of wildfire, and to reestablish and promote timber types historically found in these areas. These proposed harvests would contribute to the DNRC's sustained yield as mandated by state statute 77-5-222. As an adjacent landowner or interested party, we request your input regarding these projects. Your concerns and comments are needed to assist the DNRC in planning, analyzing, and implementing these projects. We would appreciate your response by October 31, 2019 so that we may incorporate it into our planning process. Please send comments to: DNRC Plains Unit, ATTN: Dale Peters, PO Box 219, Plains, MT 59859 or by email to dpeters@mt.gov or by phone at 406-826-4722 Please direct oral or written comments to: Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation PO Box 219 Plains, Montana 59859 Attn: Dale Peters (406) 826-4722 E-mail: dpeters@mt.gov Published in the Clark Fork Valley Press on August 7 and August 14, 2019. MNAXLP

FWP bear expert Kim Annis helps locals stay bear safe

Grizzly and black bears, both weighing several hundreds pounds, have little trouble getting what they want in terms of food, so it is no surprise that when a bear decides it wants something it will get it.

Legals August 7, 2019

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Requests Input for Proposed Timber Sales PUBLIC NOTICE The Plains Unit of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is developing plans for two proposed timber sales. The first proposed sale would be known as the Sales Mine Timber Sale. This proposed sale is located approximately 36 air miles north of Plains, MT on the divide between the Elk Creek, Whitney Creek and Indian Creek drainages, Section 36, Township 26 North, Range 28 West. This sale is in the earliest stages of planning and would most likely involve seed tree and shelterwood harvests with ground and cable-based logging systems. This sale may require new and/or reconstruction of roads and would include some minor improvements on existing roads. This sale would likely sell in the fall of 2020 and is projected to generate approximately 3-4 million board feet of timber for the Common Schools Trust. The second, known as the Smiley Face Timber Sale, is located approximately 12 air miles north of Plains, MT, on the divide between the Todd Creek, Mudd Creek and Smiley Creek drainages, Sections 30 & 32, Township 22 North, Range 26 West. This sale is in the earliest stages of planning and would most likely involve seed tree and shelterwood harvests with ground and cable-based logging systems. This sale may require new and/or reconstruction of roads and would include some minor improvements on existing roads. This sale would likely sell in the spring of 2021 and is projected to generate approximately 3-4 million board feet of timber for the Common Schools Trust. These sales are being considered to generate revenue for the Common Schools Trust Fund, improve forest health by reducing the possibility of insect and disease activity, to reduce excessive fuel loading and the related risk of wildfire, and to reestablish and promote timber types historically found in these areas. These proposed harvests would contribute to the DNRC's sustained yield as mandated by state statute 77-5-222. As an adjacent landowner or interested party, we request your input regarding these projects. Your concerns and comments are needed to assist the DNRC in planning, analyzing, and implementing these projects. We would appreciate your response by October 31, 2019 so that we may incorporate it into our planning process. Please send comments to: DNRC Plains Unit, ATTN: Dale Peters, PO Box 219, Plains, MT 59859 or by email to dpeters@mt.gov or by phone at 406-826-4722 Please direct oral or written comments to: Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation PO Box 219 Plains, Montana 59859 Attn: Dale Peters (406) 826-4722 E-mail: dpeters@mt.gov Published in the Clark Fork Valley Press on August 7 and August 14, 2019. MNAXLP

Alberton family will welcome exchange student

In August, a teenaged girl will fly more than 7,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean from Thailand to live in Alberton for the school year.

Wolf count in Region 2 is up, but mostly stable

Following Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 2017 Annual Report release this spring, officials estimate 633 gray wolves reside in Montana, more than the previous five years.

Legals July 31, 2019

Public Notice - Opencut Mining Permit Felstet Concrete Products LLC plans to permit an existing opencut gravel pit in Section 16, T20N, R26W, and legally described as Lot 1B of Certificate of Survey 3209MS in Sanders County, Montana. The property has a physical address of 7334 Montana Highway 200, Plains, MT 59859. The opencut mining operation currently occupies a total of 26.9 acres of land owned by Felstet Concrete Products LLC. The existing permit previously mined gravels and sands. However, the plan for this existing opencut area is for reclamation only. A Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Opencut Mining permit has recently been applied for to extend the required reclamation date to December 2021 to ensure all growth can occur as required. As a part of the permit application process they are required to send a public notice to all property owners located within one-half mile of the proposed boundary of the opencut permit, as well as publish notice of the proposed operation twice in a local newspaper. A map for this site can be obtained from the following website: https://searchopencutpermits.mt.gov/ and by searching the Opencut # "3110" in the search bar to view the current application materials and the site exhibits. Currently, the site is an existing opencut mining pit and rangeland. During previous mining, the site contained 18 of soil that will be replaced once an approved permit is obtained. Gravels and sand are the materials that were previously mined from the site, but no future mining is currently planned. The site is currently accessed off of Montana Highway 200, two miles west from Plains, MT. The attached site map shows the site operations. Also included with this letter is the MDEQ Request for Public Meeting form. This form provides information on how surface landowners can request a public meeting to discuss this operation, if desired. The current opencut permitting activities are planned to be completed by December 2021. If you have any questions, please contact the operator at the information listed below. Operator Contact Information Felstet Concrete Products LLC P.O. Box 1161 Plains, MT 59859 Phone Number: (406) 826-4100 Published in the Clark Fork Valley Press on July 31 and August 7, 2019. MNAXLP

Olthenia 'Irene' Bullock, 89

“Oh my word!” says Olthenia “Irene” Bullock who peacefully passed away June 26, 2019, in Polson Montana. Irene was a one-of-kind. Once you met her you never forgot her, and she never forgot you.

County works to attract guards to re-open jail facility

Following a failed attempt to reopen the Mineral County Jail with a private company last month, county officials met July 12 to brainstorm ideas to market the vacant detention officer positions.