New federal policy supplants No Child Left Behind

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock supports the new federal education initiative called the Every Student Succeeds Act and says it is a much-needed policy update that will allow Montana schools flexibility to support innovation in schools and student achievement

Kay and Smith named to Shrine team

Mineral County health officer offers insight into losing weight

Mysterious morel mushrooms at center of food poisoning outbreak

A food poisoning outbreak that killed two people and sickened 51, stemming from a Montana restaurant, has highlighted just how little is known about morel mushrooms and the risks in preparing the popular and expensive delicacy.

View from above

Ninemile lookout has been watching out for Mineral and Missoula Count for 40 years

Unusual ticket raises questions

MINERAL COUNTY – In a recent Mineral County Justice Court report, an unusual entry was listed as a ticket given to a driver for not speaking English.

New CT scanner at CFVH

PLAINS - Thursday afternoon the staff at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital celebrated a new member of the facility with an open house reception. The new member: a new General Electric Optima CT660.

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.

New principal to greet Alberton students Aug. 23

School doors open this Thursday, Aug. 23 in Alberton, and students will be met by a new principal, Mica Clarkson. However, she is not a new face at the school because Clarkson taught special education there last year. She is replacing Kyle Fisher, who stepped down as the school’s principal and athletic director at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

COLUMN: Steeplechase

As comedian Jerry Seinfeld used to always say, “what is the deal with….?”. In this case, insert the word steeplechase at the end of that inquiry.

Life and death: a matter of minutes

Sanders County 911 Board assesses dispatch communication issues between Lake and Sanders Counties

Study says there are too few homes for growing population

The rub, Horowitz said, is that Montana’s population increased by 10% between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. census data, while the number of housing units in the state grew by only 7%.

Tourism conference to include Road to Buffalo project

Local group Women for a Better Sanders County recently secured an invite to present their project Road to the Buffalo at the upcoming Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation this month.

MCH says dieting program has proven effective

MINERAL COUNTY – Medical experts believe obesity has become an epidemic problem, but a new nation-wide program through Mineral Community Hospital has proven effective as a means of reversing it.

Final 4-H demonstrations showcased in Plains

Mineral County Community Calendar - Oct. 9

Free Medicare 101 Classes Coming Soon

Mineral County Community Calendar - Oct. 23

Free Medicare 101 Classes Coming Soon

Mineral County Community Calendar - Oct. 30

Free Medicare 101 Classes Coming Soon

Christmas isn't over yet

The Christmas season is over? No, not entirely. The Eastern Orthodox, the second largest Christian communion in the world, numbering approximately 1,200,000 adherents in the United States, celebrated Christmas on Jan. 7, which is Dec. 25 in the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar, the reformed Julian Calendar we use today, was implemented by a Catholic Pope, Pope Gregory XIII, in 1582, but to this date it has not been recognized for religious observances by many Eastern Orthodox Churches around the world.

Montana rail workers say new labor contract doesn't fix working conditions

A monthslong labor dispute between the Class I railroads and rail worker unions ended Dec. 2 with Congress’ intervention, subjecting workers to a new contract and using the 1926 Railway Labor Act to prevent a potential strike.