Rediscovering home: Keeping '54'

Gusty winds set the butterflies free. But “54” is safe at home in Mineral County.

Three Tigers already qualify for state

The St. Regis Tigers golf team had two big days on the links this weekend, with several team members qualifying for state during the Loyola Sacred Heart High School Invitational in Missoula.

State's Brain Injury Help Line lost due to funding cut

State funding cuts have canceled the Brain Injury Help Line, which was part of the proposed funding in House Bill 336. The help line is through the Brain Injury Alliance of Montana, an organization that funds support groups throughout the state, as well as education and prevention outreach programs.

Mineral County to turn 100 years old

MINERAL COUNTY – As Mineral County gets set to celebrate its 100th anniversary, centennial event organizers are hoping more people will show up to participate in the event scheduled for the afternoon of Aug. 3.

Community members give blood during drive

PLAINS – Local residents pitched in for a good cause last week, donating blood to the American Red Cross at a blood drive in Plains.

Registering to vote

I'm sorry Sanders County, but it's official, I have de-registered(I'm not sure if you can do that or not) from Missoula County elections and registered for Sanders County.

Commissioners commit to re-opening detention center

After two hours of heated discussion at a public meeting on May 20, Mineral County Commissioners decided the detention center must reopen following its closure in February due to staff shortages. The questions remain how officials will attain this goal and where they will find the funding, but they are nearing a solution. Commissioners were to meet with the CEO of a private, non-profit jail corporation. Community, Counseling and Correctional Services, Incorporated CEO Mike Thatcher was scheduled to meet with commissioners on Tuesday, May 28, to discuss a jail lease deal. If officials cannot reach a deal with Thatcher, they will advertise for a jail administrator/commander position and the county will remain responsible for the detention center. “Thatcher is a big player in corrections,” County Attorney Ellen Donohue said. If they can make a deal with Thatcher, she hopes he will run the facility and be responsible for training and retaining employees. Ideally, Mineral County will maintain ten out of the 28 beds and Thatcher will hold the rest. Donohue hopes that with his resources, he could provide staff transportation from Missoula. Thatcher currently has transport operations for employees in Anaconda to commute to work in Butte. The county agrees they must find an experienced, competent jail administrator who will prevent the detention center from closing down again in the future. But hiring an experienced jail administrator would be expensive and the county doesn’t have the funding to pay an appropriate salary. A mill levy could fund the position but raising property taxes would be a challenge in a county with high poverty and residents with fixed incomes. “You’ve got to have something to vote on that people are going to trust,” former County Commissioner Judy Stang says. “I’ve tried to run levies before, and people won’t vote for stuff they don’t know enough about. They won’t vote for something that’s not working.” If the county finds the funding to pay a jail administrator a higher salary, this would cause a pay scale issue for the rest of the law enforcement officers. This means a jail administrator might have a higher salary than the sheriff. “How will that pill be swallowed by the sheriff and deputies which are decided by statute?” County Commissioner Roman Zylawy asked. Sheriff Mike Boone currently sends inmates to the Sanders County Jail in Thompson Falls the Missoula County Jail and other jails in nearby counties. Deputies must transport inmates to the other jails, leaving fewer officers to patrol Mineral County. “I fear every day for our deputies,” Mineral County resident Mary Jo Lommen said. Transporting inmates comes with liability. Lance Jasper, an attorney and Superior resident, said he dealt with a prison transport case five years ago in Plains where the patrol car wrecked and killed a mother of two in Sanders County, causing a $3 million settlement. “If we’re going to keep transporting, you better up the insurance,” he said. Mineral County pays $69.50 to Sanders County and $108 per day to Missoula County facilities to house an inmate. Mineral County paid a total of $20,000 to Sanders and Missoula counties in March. As of May 20, Mineral County had around ten inmates dispersed throughout Northwest Montana. If the county brings on CCCS, Mike Thatcher will run the facility and it will be the fourteenth facility the private system will operate. CCCS currently runs 13 facilities in Montana, Washington and North Dakota. Facilities in Butte include pre-release and treatment programs and correctional facilities. After four months with an empty detention center, the county agrees it must reopen soon. “It can’t go as it is, the commissioners have to make a decision,” Jasper says. “Are we going to have a jail or are we not going to have a jail? But they make that decision and they have to implement it.”

Alberton School students benefit from 'Spruce-Up'

Who doesn’t feel spiffy when you’ve just had a terrific haircut?

30-voice choir to perform in Mineral County

“My main concern is that the article clearly states that Superior's performance is on Saturday, Dec.16 as a 3 p.m. matinee,” writes Jim Goss, Treasurer of the Mineral County Performing Arts Council.

Bikers Against Bullies rumbles through Dixon

Saturday would probably not have been a good day to be a bully in Dixon, Montana.

Man charged with animal cruelty appears in Sanders County court

Matt Unrau

"Snow White" production coming to Superior school

Missoula Children's Theatre in town

Superior Elementary invites you to a performance of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” on Friday, April 22, at 7 p.m.

State seeks comments on I-90 work proposal near DeBorgia

The Montana Department of Transportation is seeking public comment on a proposal to improve safety on Interstate 90, east of DeBorgia.

Lolo man gets prison time for meth trafficking

Jason Dean Hager, 56, pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute meth.

Building blown up at old Smurfit-Stone Mill site as deconstruction continues

Explosions could be heard for miles around near the old Smurfit-Stone Mill site located 11 miles northwest of Missoula. Crews set off the explosives to remove one of the buildings being deconstructed on the site on Feb. 1.

Standoff in Alberton ends peacefully

An Alberton man was arrested on Friday without incident after a night-long standoff involving a Missoula SWAT team. Leonard Upton, 33, shot out his neighbor’s window with a bb gun and brandished a .38 revolver, according to Mineral County Sheriff, Tom Bauer.

Alberton students take first place at Math Counts competition

Sixth and seventh graders travelled to Missoula to participate in the regional Math Counts competition for junior high students. The Alberton Team took first place for the Class C division. Team members include Violet Claxton, Natalie Clevenger, Sorren Reese, Zoey Zimmerman, Molia Dao and Lyssah Kromrey. The team was led by teacher, Liz Stuker.

Weston Dean Haun

Ashley Devol and Jonathan Haun welcomed son, Weston Dean Haun, Saturday May 25th, 2013 at 2:30 am at Community Medical Center in Missoula. He weighed seven pounds 14 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Weston joins brother Elijah.

Little Red Riding Hood 6

Superior Elementary School students put on a performance of "Red Riding Hood" on Friday as part of the Missoula Children's Theatre program. In the play, Red Riding Hood, played by Jonna Warnken, tells her family (pictured left and played by Kylie Plakke, Wyatt Haworth, Molly Patko and Clara Davis) she is old enough to travel the forest on her own.

Severe storm warning for Sanders & Mineral Counties

The National Weather Service in Missoula has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Sanders & Mineral Counties until 3:15 pm.