Sanders County Fair Board assesses successful '18 event

The Sanders County Fair Board met last Wednesday night for their “Fair Critique,” after another successful fair.

Tricon healthy after Tester visit

ST. REGIS – In the wake of a visit by Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana), Tricon Timber has continued to encounter delays on some projects. The recent snow storms have also caused problems for the mill. Tester helped Tricon get out of a deal, which would have bankrupted the company. The contract was for logging an area with helicopters, helping to remove the timber. When the Great Recession began, fulfilling the project made the costs involved unreasonable for Tricon. Tester visited Tricon in mid January. He wanted to get more familiar with the operation. The senator also talked over other issues Tricon and the community needed help with. These included several projects and timber sales the company needed help getting started. While Tester said he would look into solutions, the projects are still running into problems. Angelo Ververis, general manager at Tricon, said it has been difficult getting the Forest Service to move forward with them. This included the Cedar Thom project. The project includes several timber sales, which could be harvested to benefit the mill. The Forest Service said they would have some progress in December, but there has been no word on a timetable. “It’s still not a good answer, I guess, as far as the community goes,” Ververis said. “It’s a big project for the community. We need it to move forward, it means work, it means jobs, stability. There’s a whole bunch of things it means to the community and here we are without a project still.” The West Mullan Fire salvage was another project Tricon wanted to speed up. The project would allow companies to collect wood, which was still usable after the fire. The Mineral County Resource Advisory Group received a response from Faye Krueger, the regional forester, saying the Forest Service did not want to move forward with the project. Tricon still wanted to pursue the project and had begun to work different angles to get it started. Ververis hoped the farm bill recently put before the senate by Tester would help with this. MCRAG and Tricon have also looked to the Mineral County Commissioners for their support on projects. The commissioners are able to suggest projects to the Forest Service and have worked with MCRAG to prepare letters of support. According to Ververis, Tricon has had no interaction with Tester’s office since the visit. The heavy snows and blizzard-like conditions in the area have also had an impact on Tricon’s operation. One of the biggest problems has simply been the ability to move in the snow. With up to two feet of powdery snow in places, the loggers have had trouble moving around the forest. This has also been a problem at the mill as the new fallen snow needs to be moved so vehicles and personnel can move around the facility. Ververis felt the bigger issues were the conditions in the forest. He said logging crews had trouble getting logs out of the brush. “Trying to log in this weather is difficult,” Ververis said. The deep snow has put some logging crews on hold until conditions improve. “It’s right up to their waist and armpits,” Willy Peck, a resources manager at Tricon, said. “They’re unable to work down there.” According to Peck, the trees are instantly buried by snow in these conditions. He said the trees were only visible as limbs sticking out of the snow once workers got to them. This meant the workers had to dig through the snow to find the end of the log. “You can imagine this tree just got buried with snow, so now you’ve got this person trying to wrap a cable around a tree they can’t even find,” Ververis said. The delay is a problem for Tricon because the company normally builds up inventory during the winter months. Without the logs, the mill cannot function. Ververis said it is slightly less of a problem at the moment because Tricon was able to build up a good stock before the snow hit. The sales are not expected to be closed for long. Ververis and Peck said work would likely continue once the snow had settled. With warmer temperatures and rain predicted for this week, the snow is expected to pack down, making it easier for the crews to walk on. Ververis said he was impressed with the Tricon employees. Even as schools closed down and people stayed home to wait out the snow, the workers made the drive to the mill. He said they pushed through, despite the dangerous road conditions, to keep things running. “I can’t tell you enough how impressed I am with the contractors working through the harsh conditions,” Ververis said. “Sawmills just can’t have snow days.”

OUTDOORS: City slicker spends day with game warden

SANDERS COUNTY – Waking up early on a Sunday morning has never been part of my routine. Sunday’s are a day to relax and sleep late. I might go to the office around noon or so to finish up the stories for press time or whatever else I have to do. The annoying buzz of my iPhone alarm goes off promptly at 6:25 a.m. The ringing is loud and hits your like the bitter cold of a winter’s day. Today marks my first day in the woods of Montana.

Mountain Cats rally past Belt for state semifinals berth

This was what playoff football is all about: two hard-hitting teams with outstanding athletes on both sides of the ball, multiple lead changes and a large group of energetic fans cheering them on.

Kvelve's Comments: It's Super Bowl Sunday!

It’s baaaack!!

A man from the past

Superior man builds historical firearm’s and doubles as professional mountain man

Matt Denison, of Superior, is a firearm's enthusiast. He loves guns. He studies guns, and he makes them.

Tough season for Alberton volleyball

Coming out of the 2009 volleyball season, Coach Rachel Clevenger said that this year the team had pans to work on improving in the areas of serving and passing. Both of those areas, she said, were the two biggest areas that they needed to improve upon and were also two critical skills to putting together a great game of volleyball.

Loge reaches milestone in Red Cross donations

Denley Loge, St. Regis rancher and House District 14 Representative, is at a zenith with the American Red Cross...

Friends of Scotchman Peaks plans trail work events

Next up is a trail day at Ross Creek set for Sunday, July 25. Then comes more work at Star and Napoleon Gulch on Friday, July 30.

Large animal vet in Heron now serving region

Dr. George White has been a veterinarian for nearly half a century and he will now be operating out of his clinic in Heron on a full-time basis.

Blue Hawks notch 7B basketball victories

If you are a coach, seeing your team come together with playoffs in the not-too-distant future is usually a good thing.

Water rescue training prepares volunteers for emergencies

Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District and Plains Community Ambulance spent last Saturday sharpening their skills on water rescue techniques.

Lady Hawks ready to soar as season takes off

After a bit of a bump in the volleyball road, the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks had a week that showed the young team is getting ready to take flight.

Lady Bobcats shows improvement in loss

It has been said that even a journey of one million miles begins with a single step.

Hawks' golfers tee off season

After a fifth-place finish during last year’s State B-C golf championships, Thompson Falls senior Ellie Baxter appears to be picking up where she left off.

Fall Mack Days: Anglers weather rain during week six

Lots of rain fell from the dark cloudy skies Friday and Saturday during the sixth weekend of 2022 Fall Mack Days.

Logging truck overturns

A red ‘69 Kenworth truck carring logs was heading southbound on Highway 382 when it overturned Monday afternoon at approximately 4:30 p.m knocking down a nearby powerline.

Homicide prosecution moved to Flathead

Charges against a Polson man suspected in the shooting death of his father were filed Thursday in Flathead County.

Plea agreement reached in Resler drunk driving case

Daniel Wade Resler, culpable for the March drunk driving deaths of two teenagers, was bound for the Department of Corrections after agreeing to plead guilty to a pair of felony vehicular homicide charges Tuesday.

Forest Service rebuilds after 2015 Clearwater Crossing fire

In 2015 the West Fork Fish Creek Wildfire swept through the area, burning over 12,000 acres. This was in the southern portion of the Ninemile Ranger District where flames crossed over the ridge above the Hole in the Wall Lodge and into the Clearwater Crossing campground. It burned five U.S. Forest Service buildings including the bunkhouse and storage sheds.