Status quo in Flathead Lake

Deep-water divers, genetic scrutiny, and rigorous examinations with high powered microscopes have failed to turn up any evidence of exotic mussels in Flathead Lake near Woods Bay, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials announce.

Superior boys fall to Loyola

Superior finished out their regular season last week with a single game against Loyola. The boys lost 43-68 to the Rams, finishing the season 2-8, 2-16.

How to avoid blight this spring

Gardening tips for a potentially poor growing season

As this year’s gardening season approaches, local farmers and agricultural experts want to urge home gardeners to be aware of the risk of late blight, a devastating disease that reared its ugly head in the valley last year. Characterized by black colored wounds or abnormalities on the leaf and stem, late blight is the same devastating pathogen responsible for the Irish potato famine of the late 1840s. In the Mission Valley, tons of potatoes were lost last year, Montana State University extension agent Jack Stivers said.

Keeping in touch: recent legislation

Some of last week’s actions both in the committees and on the floor created quite a stir in some circles, which resulted in a flurry of emails, phone messages, letters and even letters to the editor on one of the bills I sponsored.

Horsemen a lock to finish sixth

With two more losses this week, the Horsemen (0-8 conf., 4-12 ovr.) have cemented their position at the bottom of the District 7-B conference heading into the upcoming tournament.

Long week for Devils

The Noxon Red Devils dropped three straight last, extending their losing streak to four-straight. First, a 35-53 loss at Troy, then a 44-45 nail-biter versus Two Eagle River and finally a 29-55 defeat at Charlo. The Red Devils are now 1-4 overall, 0-2 in conference.

First time skiing at Lookout offers challenges, rewards

Layer up to beat the cold this winter

It’s that time of year when you can’t just throw on the bath robe and run outside for the mail. You can’t walk your dog in your slippers and you can’t survive more than a few minutes before you’re iced over from your fingers to toes.

Hospital board meets about grant

The Mineral Community Hospital board of directors and members of the Mineral Regional Health Center board met jointly last week to discuss the community health center and to discuss where they were with the application of the New Access Point grant, whose funds are made available by the Affordable Care Act, will be awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Tfalls wrestling under way

The Thompson Falls Bluehawks kicked off their 2010 wrestling season at the Polson Invitational on Saturday.

Winter trails being prepped

The Missoula Snowgoers plan to begin grooming snowmobile trails in the Lolo Pass, Granite Pass and Gold Creek areas as early as December 1, depending on snow conditions.

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.