Smokey Bear to turn 70

PLAINS – Only you can help Smokey Bear celebrate his 70th birthday.

A solution in search of a problem

I see that some Montana Legislators are going to be pushing the “Sheriffs First” legislation again this coming January. It must be close to the umptieth time this anti-federal government idea has been brought to the legislature, but it still hasn’t passed, and with good reason; it’s a bad idea and has little to no support from Montana Sheriffs.

The War for Independence

By the time independence was declared July 4, 1776, colonial Americans had already endured decades of heavy handed British rule. The war actually broke out 14 months prior when 700 British regulars secretly dispatched under cover of darkness to capture colonial arms at Concord. Tensions had been building for years, but it was this military action of April 18, 1775 that triggered Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride -- calling fellow citizens to arms.

Carol Jean Christensen (Flory)

Carol Jean Christensen (Flory), 79, of Plains, passed away in the arms of her children on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020 at Clark Fork Valley Long Term Care after her battle with cancer.

Lady Devils begin conference play

Noxon wins two and loses one in District 14-C

The Noxon girls continued their turnaround season by defeating Troy on the road 41-39 on Thursday, claimed a forfeit victory versus Two Eagle River on Friday and then fell on the road to Charlo, 26-30, on Saturday. The Lady Devils are now 3-2 overall, 1-1 in conference.

Petacular

TFalls hosts first annual Pet Fest on Saturday

It's always a shame when a proud pet owner has to leave their furry friend behind for a day of shopping at the market. However, in Thompson Falls, leaving behind pets is unnecessary as they are more than welcome at the Thompson Falls market every Saturday throughout the summer.

Two letters are being re-run this week because of a misprint in the Valley Press.

Letters

Juanita Miller Deardorff

Juanita Miller Deardorff

Hard-hitting Harlowton sisters put on volleyball camp for Hot Springs

After going 20-5 last season and earning their first trip to the state championship, the Savage Heat volleyball team isn’t resting on their laurels. With the season still months away, most of the team spent last week in the gym taking part in a volleyball camp.

Loads of laffy taffy at egg hunt

The Alberton Easter egg hunt is an annual event where kids can participate up to age 10. There are three age groups for the egg hunt; children up to age three, four to six, and seven to 10 years of age. Most of the eggs that kids are hunting for are filled with candy, and other eggs are filled with a paper slip saying a name of a prize on it.

A new author holds a special book signing

PLAINS - Tuesday night a very special guest returned home to the Plains Public Library. From 5:30pm to 6:30pm, Carol Morden, a new writer on the scene, held a book signing in the seating area of the library. Her book is titled, Dry Bones. Morden, who once lived in Plains and has since left to greener pastures, returned to Plains for a son’s high school reunion and a family reunion. Along the way through Plains to her reunions, the library asked her to have a book signing in what she refers to as her first and most important library.

Physician says more resources needed

MINERAL COUNTY - A study conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness stated in 2010, 39,000 adults live with serious mental illness in the state of Montana and the public mental health system in the state only provides care to about 43 percent of them.

Dancing in the spring

ST. REGIS – Residents of St. Regis welcomed spring over the weekend with their annual Spring Equinox Dance at the St. Regis Community Center.

Timing is everything - a garden column by Green Thumb

Gardening is much like most of life. Lawyers and realtors write, “time is of the essence” in contracts, meaning that the participants in the contract need to hurry up because “Time is money.” Many say, “no time like the present” and I would agree with that, unless the weather is so unbearably hot that outdoor and garden chores need to wait until early morning and late at night. Which hot weather makes it somewhat impossible to do things “in a timely manner.”

A lesson in school funding

With the legislative session now past the half-way point, the proposed bills will transfer from one house to the other for more work.  This is the time when all school personnel and community members begin to see the first significant language on education funding.  Plains Public Schools and the Plains-Paradise community are watching carefully to see how legislative action will affect school budgets.  To help clarify the sometimes confusing issue of school funding, Plains Public Schools would like to outline two key components of educational funding in Montana. The actions taken by the legislature will impact both Basic Entitlement and ANB funding.

Mineral County Chamber Chatter

Top ranking bighorn tagged near Plains

Whitefish hunter Glen Prestegaard recently shot a bighorn ram ranked by Safari Club International record book as No. 3 in the world for muzzleloader hunting.

Stay involved in politics

One could ask that as the elections of 2010 are behind us, are we done with politics?  The answer would be a resounding no.

Horsemen end football season on winning note

The air in Plains was filled with more than raindrops and blowing dust Friday night.

Sanders, Mineral counties to craft housing plan

A few months ago, residents of Mineral and Sanders counties were asked to fill out a survey via social media, word of mouth and from an article in this newspaper on individual opinions concerning housing.