Students put their math skills to the test

Bobcats cut short from State Championship

Big Sky Singers to perform at Spring Gala

County health center bites down on oral health

SUPERIOR – The Mineral Regional Health Center will provide an opportunity for uninsured children to get free dental screening at a special clinic being held on Thursday, March 6. The clinic is being put on by MRHC and Partnership Health Center, out of Missoula. The operation will be set up in the MRHC basement, where the Mineral County Health Department is located. A mobile clinic will come from Missoula to perform the exams. PHC is expected to bring a dentist and two assistants to treat patients. According to Kristi Scott, outreach and enrollment coordinator at MRHC, the dentists will do exams, screenings and minor fillings on site. Patients will be referred to other dentists for more serious work if needed. If the health center cannot fill all the appointments with uninsured kids, Scott plans to open the clinic to kids who have insurance. If they still do not have enough, adults will be welcome to the clinic. “We’re focusing on uninsured children who have no coverage,” Scott said. “I’m really excited about [the event]. I think we’re trying to target patients, children who may not have access to dental treatment otherwise.” Because the clinic is being offered for free, MRHC was unable to work with local dentists to provide the exams. Scott explained a dentist’s office would not be able to do the work for free. The clinic will refer patients to local dentists for more in-depth care. “It’s really a great partnership that we’re trying to build,” Scott said. “We’re not taking business away from [Dr. Ordelheide]. What we’re really trying to do is help him build his business, his patient count.” With the changes being made at MRHC, it was decided these sorts of services would be good for the health center. Interim Chief Executive Officer Cindy Stergar decided they should try it out and began talking with PHC to arrange the clinic. Scott recently went to a similar clinic in Seeley Lake to get a better idea of how everything worked. She felt the trip was helpful as it gave her a better idea of what the MRHC event would need to do. “I feel really good, I think it’s going over really well,” Scott said. “It was great because I was able to ask questions about [everything].” Some of the information she gathered included how much time the dentists would need with each patient. Slots for the clinic are limited. Because of how new the program is, Scott wanted to keep it small. In this first clinic the dentists will only see seven or eight patients. The health center hopes to hold more of these clinics as time goes on. Scott said they would consider how well the event worked and how it was received. More clinics may be offered in the future. If this happens they might have more room for appointments. Scott’s initial talks with Stergar about future clinics have been promising. There has been some talk about making it a quarterly event but no decisions have been made. “This is really a test run for us,” Scott said. “It’s exciting for us to get this off the ground. Our ultimate goal is making sure everyone in the community has access to quality health care. This is one more service we want to provide.” More information about the clinics can be found by contacting Scott at 822-7134.

Setting sail for Alaskan adventures in science

ST. REGIS – Education and fun will be combined as the St. Regis Science Club explores the final frontier during an Alaskan cruise this May. The trip is being called North to Alaska 2014 and will be done through Holland America Cruise line. The 22 kids and 18 adults will go on the cruise from May 3-10. This makes up approximately half the science club, which is open to students in grades seven through 12. The students will be expected to take advantage of the learning opportunities presented by the cruise. The glory of the great outdoors, from the Alaskan and Canadian tundra to the depths of the Pacific Ocean, will become a classroom as the group searches the area for knowledge. The students will examine everything from the formation of the area’s landmass to the history and culture of the native tribes. “We’ll see a lot of stuff,” said Chris West, the science teacher at St. Regis. “We’ll see whales, dolphins, bears and all kinds of things. We’ll see different people and cultures, it’ll be fun.” The cruise’s television will be another outlet for the kids to learn. The students will need to follow a program, which gives information about the water conditions around the ship. They will also catalogue information about each port as well as everything they see and learn. The kids will be busy throughout the trip. They will meet every day so the group can catch up and talk about what they did. West got the idea for the cruise after she took the senior class on a similar trip last year. The positive feedback gave her the idea for this year’s trip. “I got to thinking ‘I want to do this with my science club,’” West said. She got in touch with the cruise director from last year’s trip and started planning a new one. They were able to get a small discount this year by putting four people in each room. To cover the high cost of a cruise for 40 people, the students held fundraisers. The classes sold cookie dough, candy and had a bake sale. Some students held their own bake sales or ran booths at bazaars in their own fundraising efforts. Donations to the club were also able to help the students with the costs. A grand total of $450 was needed for each student’s ticket while adults needed $812 for theirs. Another step was needed before going as everyone needed a passport to enter international waters and Canadian ports. As a source of more chaperones, a few students will be going with their whole family. To add to the list of chaperones, according to West, seventh graders are only allowed to go on the cruise if a parent or guardian accompanies them. Fundraising for the trip began around October 2012. Some students contributed to the fund but graduated before the trip. While some students were upset they could not go, everyone in the science club understood the money would be pooled together to support the group. For some of the seniors, the money they raised was set aside in an account. After graduating they were able to request the money go to pay another student’s way on the trip. West said the student could usually nominate who got the money. For the last 11 years, the club has gone on a trip. In the past they have gone to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and Redwood National Park. They have also explored the length of the country by traveling down the Pacific Coastline. These trips are a big benefit to the student’s education, but the trips have also touched their lives. Growing up in a small community some kids do not always get to explore beyond the mountains of Mineral County. These trips give them a valuable chance to see and learn about the greater world around them. One student went on the trip and had never been out of the mountains. West said he was awe struck by how far he could see without the mountains around him. “He had never been out of the mountains here and just had never been anywhere,” West said. “That really got to me…It’s a chance for these kids to see something of the world.”

Mineral County sees increase in whooping cough cases

MINERAL COUNTY - There has been an increase in the number of whooping cough cases, also known as pertussis, in Mineral County.  According to Mineral County Health Department, thus far in the past weeks three cases of whooping cough have been reported. 

Scouting into Alberton

ALBERTON – A new scout group the whole community can enjoy has come to Alberton through the Promoting Excellence in Alberton-area Kids Foundation.

Panthers end season during tournament play

ALBERTON – The Alberton Panthers faced two defeats and were eliminated from the District 13-C tournament after their games against the Drummond Trojans and Victor Pirates.

Superior girls end season on a high note

SUPERIOR – The Lady Bobcats were eliminated after three games in the district tournament in Ronan.

Superior High School students sing out in all-state

SUPERIOR – Earlier this month two Superior High School students joined over a hundred kids from across three states for an all-star choir performance in Missoula.

Kids sharing and caring

MINERAL COUNTY – As Valentine’s Day put love in the air, the county’s kids got to end the day with parties as the elementary school classes held miniature celebrations in honor of the big day.

Alberton seniors work to help veterans

ALBERTON – In their time before graduation, two Alberton High School seniors have embarked upon a venture, which will help in the recovery of the nation’s injured veterans.

An update from Rep. Schwaderer

A lot has happened in Montana politics recently, blurring in a big way from the state level into the federal level. Former Senator Max Baucus, who served in DC for longer than this State Representative has been alive, has been confirmed and is now the United States Ambassador to China. In this scenario, it is the Governor of the State of Montana who is charged with appointing the replacement of the Senator to serve the rest of the term.

Election rules name courthouse neutral ground

SUPERIOR – A ban on campaigning within the courthouse was just one thing discussed when the county department heads presented their monthly updates to the Mineral County Commissioners during their regular meeting.

LEPC members present updates

SUPERIOR – New safety precautions and emergency response procedures were discussed during the Local Emergency Preparedness Council’s meeting on Thursday, February 7.

CFVH receives grant for better health

PLAINS - Clark Fork Valley Hospital partnered with the Frontier Medicine Better Health Partnership through a grant to improve healthcare in Sanders County. The grant funding was made possible by the federal Affordable Care Act, the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation which provided $1 billion in grant funding to projects that would aim to improve health outcomes and care and increase efficiencies while lowering total healthcare expenditures. There were over 3,000 applicants who applied for the funds and of them 700 were approved. The Frontier Medicine Better Health Partnership is comprised of 25 critical access hospitals throughout the state of Montana including CFVH.

Mineral County Jail discovers security breach

SUPERIOR – The Mineral County Sheriff’s Office recently discovered a security breach at the Mineral County Jail as an inmate drilled a hole into the window of one of the cells.

Forest Service gives update to commissioners

SUPERIOR – The Forest Service’s latest projects and fire risks for this summer were one of the main topics of discussion at the weekly county commissioner’s meeting.

Anniversary of Roe v. Wade stirs up debate

THOMPSON FALLS – The morning of Wednesday, Jan. 22 was dreary but the sunlight peeked through the clouds and illuminated the people marching down Main Street. The protesters advocated their personal beliefs, either pro-life or pro-choice, in light of the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Crowd voices opinion on new hunting proposals

SUPERIOR – The public was welcomed to present their concerns on new hunting regulations to representatives of Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks at a special meeting Thursday morning.