Lunches aim to offer learning forums

PLAINS – The Clark Fork Valley Hospital is launching a new program that will be open to the community.

American Legion Bar closes its doors

Sanders County health, school officials hope to curb COVID-19

An upward surge in COVID-19 cases in Sanders County has school officials and local healthcare providers...

Laura Mae Nash

A celebration of Laura Mae Nash’s life will be held at the Alberton Community Church at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 22.

Lady Devils win three in a row

Christmas break couldn’t have come at a better time for Noxon, as the Lady Devils rebounded from a loss to rattle off three consecutive wins giving them an impressive 1-1 conf., 5-2 ovr. start to a season in which little was expected of them outside their own locker room.

End of era for Alberton dump site

On the west end of Alberton, there are two parcels of land perched on the north side of Interstate 90 that contain neighboring dumps.

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.

Mineral County Community Calendar

School board wraps up the school year, looks into future

PLAINS – The Board of Trustees met on Monday and tended to business as usual in a two hour meeting at the Plains High School, wrapping up the school year in preparation of a new one.

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Regardless of what the score is, our kids are winners all the way! I would like to thank our Teams for the way they represent our school. I have been so proud of our kids: Their heart, courage, determination, and attitude as they present the very best of their ability in each game.

Superior students present ‘Foil That Villain’

When lovely young widow Penny Candy and her baby, Ruth, are taken in by her Aunt Praline, owner of The Sweet Shoppe candy store in Boston 150 years ago, little does Penny know both love and danger lie ahead.

Plains classroom receives grant

The One Class At A Time grant from Allegiance Benefit Plan Management and KPAX-TV News Station of Missoula presented a $250 grant check to Nichole Cockrell on Wednesday.

Keep public lands open: an update from Senator Fielder

One of my major goals is to find balanced solutions that allow Montanans to use and enjoy our state’s abundant natural resources while ensuring reasonable steps are taken to maintain a healthy environment. Whether we are hunting, hiking, fishing, firewooding, or four wheeling, we should be able to use and enjoy our outdoors in a responsible manner.

Rocky Mountain Rifle Brigade ready for WWII reenactment

This is a group of people from Montana, Idaho and Washington who have a fascination with World War II and share this by living as close to the conditions as possible for weekend rendezvous.

Locals welcome return of West End yard sale

Since the mask mandate ended and social distancing was removed, a pattern has emerged.

Montana Aussie Adventures with Erin-Jay

So another week in the gorgeous northwest part of the state, and I found one of the best roads to drive down.

Centennial Mania

Matt Unrau

Chaos staged to sop the vote

In a desperate attempt to keep two ballot referendums from reaching the people of Montana, democrat senators staged unprecedented chaos at the state capitol on Friday. After an initial plot to disrupt proceedings failed, they resorted to mob rule -- yelling, ranting, raving, and slamming coffee mugs on their desks. They incited their allies in the audience, who in turn began hanging over the balcony rails to scream and stomp and jeer. They did everything, just short of riot, to disrupt the legislative process. It was unbelievable.

Type II team continues to fight area fires

As the fires continue, the smoke is thickening within the county; not just from the active fires within, but also from fires burning in Washington and Oregon.

Red flags to look for in a dating relationship

Dating violence, like adult domestic violence, is about power and control.