Local pilot questions safety of airport due to misuse

Federal Aviation safety requirements are violated at the Mineral County Airport: it is not a safe place to fly an aircraft.

Sanders County Sheriff's Report

11/21

Tips for safe driving this season

When the snow flies, keep these hints in mind

Sanders County residents saw a consistent snow fall early last week as winter weather arrived and temperatures dropped. Between Friday, Nov. 20, and Monday, Nov. 22, the Montana Highway Patrol responded to 596 car crashes. Troopers responded to a car crash every eight minutes after frigid, snowy weather descended on the state.

Christmas starts with a bang at fairgrounds

Christmas season started with a bang at the Sanders County Fairgrounds, where the Annual Fairgrounds Lighting, and its accompanying fireworks display, was held last Sunday, Nov. 21.

Grant awarded to hospital and schools

Mineral Community Hospital (MCH) announced today that they received an award of a $175,000 grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) towards a planned woody biomass system.

Veteran of Korea re-lives experience

The Korean War is often referred to as the “Forgotten War” or the “Unknown War” because it was smaller in scale than its predecessor, World War II, and less controversial than its successor, Vietnam. To the men who served in Korea, however, it is anything but forgotten.

Charles Lester “Charlie” Burnham

Charles Lester “Charlie” Burnham, 81, died quietly at his home in Skagway on Oct. 12, surrounded by his family. Charlie was born on Dec. 26, 1928 in Plains, Mt to John and Dicie Mae Burnham. he worked summers with his dad in mines around that area. He graduated from Plains High School in 1947, and went to work in a sawmill.

The price of power

Montana and the nation are at the crux of a changing energy future. What that future will look like depends on the choices we make now. These choices will require some tough decisions by both electricity consumers and the regulators of our utilities at the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC).  Regulated electric and gas utilities in Montana include Northwestern Energy (NWE) and Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) in the eastern part of our state. Electric co-ops are not regulated by the PSC. The challenge for electricity providers and regulators is how to incorporate alternative forms of energy such as wind, biomass, solar and geothermal into our system as a long term investment towards clean energy and energy independence. As with most investments, the payoff comes over time, perhaps even over a lifetime. Judith Gap, Montana’s first wind farm, came on line in 2006, and customers are already seeing the benefits. The 135MW facility supplies 8% of NWE’s energy needs at a cost of about $40/MWH, considerably less than the cost of electricity produced at the coal fired power plant in Coalstrip ($54/MWH).

Road to recovery full of challenges

For alcoholics and addicts, the road to recovery is one that is often the hardest and longest to take. But for Donny Watson, it was a road that he was willing to walk.

Pool leaks will be investigated

Plastic pipe lines are the reason the Superior swimming pool leaked.

New bath unveiled at hospital

After raising money to replace the old tub at the Mineral County Hospital, workers have run into a problem with the new state-of-the-art bath.

Tigers comeback falls short

St. Regis fell to Valier 76-42 on Saturday, but one bounce might have changed the outcome of the Six-man North game.

Runners excel at the Edge

Peaking at just the right time – that’s the whole purpose of the 10-week cross country season.  It’s where the science of training meets the art of experience.  As a coach, you put together a mix of quality and quantity; work and recovery; motivation and support; and, above all, hope.  Hope that the plan included enough mileage – but, not too much; hope that you pushed them hard enough – but, not so hard that they crossed the fine line into injury or illness; hope that you gave them the direction needed to be successful; and, hope that you did the right thing for each of the 10 wonderfully unique individual athletes that were part of the 2010 Plains High School Cross Country team. 

Market is a great addittion

Saturday was the closing day of the Thompson Falls Market and attendees enjoyed perfect fall weather, nearly 20 vendors, live music and a cinnamon roll contest that included some of the county’s best bakers (boy, those were some lucky judges!). We are fortunate to have a market that allows folks to come together from around the county to buy locally, display and sell their made/grown in Montana goods, and to just visit with neighbors.

Wolf "problem" hits home

County Commissioners met on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of declaring Mineral County a disaster area, which would give citizens the right to kill a wolf if it threatened people, livestock or big-game animals. This proposed resolution is patterned after a similar one drafted by commissioners in Idaho County, Idaho, which asked Gov. Butch Otter to allow wolves to be eradicated in north-central Idaho County by any means necessary.

Dustin Frank Black

Dustin Frank Black was born in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1974 to Debbie and Denver Black. He was the oldest of five children. He went to school in North Dakota and graduated from Flasher High School in 1993. After high school he moved to Plains and worked for Thompson River Lumber. He then moved back to North Dakota to work on his uncle Ron and grandparent’s ranch.

Plains runners excede hopes

Wow, what a day!  That’s the thought that kept coming back into my mind as the Plains Cross Country teams made their way back from the Ronan Invitational cross country meet this past Saturday.  Coming into the meet, I had been careful not to get my hopes up. The training load for the team had been pretty significant during the past couple of weeks; and, many of the kids on the team had been fighting colds or minor illness. But, on a bright and sunny day, the kids more than exceeded my expectations. With five high school boys and three girls competing, personal records (PR’s) were set or equaled by six of the athletes. 

Plains runners improve times at Mountain West Classic

It had all the makings of a miserable day.  As the Plains and Thompson Falls cross country team bus approached Arlee and Evaro last Saturday, they were met with a wall of clouds, rain, lightning and thunder.  With the teams headed towards Missoula for the annual Mountain West Classic cross country meet, the mood on the bus was getting somber as the kids and coaches were thinking that the day was going to be long, muddy, wet and cold.  But, as the bus approached the University Golf Course on the south end of the University of Montana campus, the rain quit, the clouds thinned and a bit of sun began to poke through.  That turn of good fortune was a signal of the day to come for the Horsemen and Trotter harrier squads.

Thompson Falls Market holds challenge

The Thompson Falls Market will close the 2010 market season with the much anticipated Cinnamon Roll Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the west lot of the Falls Motel.

Eric Bryce

Eric Bryce, of Missoula, a Plains resident for more than 60 years, passed away in Missoula on Sept. 5. Until his retirement, Eric was a partner in the Flodin Lumber Company with his uncles, Swan and Walter Flodin, and his brother Millar Bryce.