Woman accused of attempting to drown child pleads not guilty

With tearful eyes, a Missoula woman who is accused of trying to drown her 10-month-old child in the Clark Fork River in April pleaded not guilty at her appearance at the Mineral County Courthouse Wednesday.

Letter to Editor

Unlike most government agencies, which are funded by tax dollars, the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is funded almost entirely by a combination of hunter and angler license sales and federal excise tax dollars on guns, ammunition, fishing tackle and related gear. While complicated, this system, which is over 80 years old, has been responsible for the recovery and management of our state’s unmatched wildlife resources.

Young scientists strut their stuff

According to young scientests Kylie Lucier and Chance Bridgewater, chewing gum and listening to music makes a person smarter and helps them concentrate. These were two conclusions found at a recent St. Regis science fair. The fair involved middle and high school students who competed for bronze, silver, and gold medals. Gold medalists go on to compete at the state science fair, held at the University of Montana on March 27-28.

Hecla complaint against DEQ moved to Helena

The fate of a complaint Hecla Mining Company filed in Lincoln County against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and its director, Tom Livers, will now be determined in Lewis and Clark County.

Marsy's Law or Marsy's flaw? Courts will have to decide

Sometimes the best laid plans don’t work out such is the case with Mineral County’s bid for a full-time victims advocate position. Shirley Iwata was recently hired as a part-time domestic and sexual violence advocate with grant funds made available through the Office on Violence Against Women. Iwata has held a number of position with the county, including previous work with the attorney’s office, treasurer’s and health department.

Juneau praises rural schools at Alberton graduation

Denise Juneau who served as Superintendent of Public Instruction for Montana from 2009 until January of this year, was the guest speaker for Alberton’s graduation on May 28. She ran against Republican Ryan Zinke for the US House of Representatives in the 2016 elections and is currently taking a look at the job description as President for the University of Montana. A job vacated by Royce Engstrom last December.

Montana Aussie Adventures with Erin-Jay

White sandy beaches, tropical sunshine with magnificent views and, of course, the almighty Daintree; Queensland is known as the sunshine state back home and there are more than just a few reasons as to why.

Trotters, Horsemen excel at T-Falls, Big Sky track meets

The Plains High School girls have some of the best throwers in the state and they were able to showcase their abilities at the Big Sky Invitational Saturday afternoon at Missoula.

Special election likely to decide Zinke successor

With Montana’s lone congressman set to join President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet, Montana officials anticipate a special election being held for the open seat in the U.S. House sometime early in 2017.

St. Regis football looking to play with Mullan, Idaho

St. Regis football players may be changing their colors next year from green and gold to purple and white as the school looks to co-op with Mullan, Idaho. Over the past several years the St. Regis football program has had a difficult time filling their roster. Last year the team had to cancel the season with only a handful of players available to make up a team.

Invest in Montana's rural school districts

We are writing today as leaders from across Montana’s rural school districts.  

Smokey Bear celebrates 70th birthday

PLAINS – The bear himself was on hand to meet members of the public and join with Forest Service staff in celebrating his 70th birthday.

TRACS prepares for renovations, upgrades

THOMPSON FALLS – There’s a popular saying that states volunteers are not paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.

Thirty-five years in the making

PLAINS – The Savage Horsemen made history once again at the divisional tournament in Ronan. The team came in second place, with five champions and three more placers.

Swine virus cancels 4-H projects

Double teamed

Plains wrestlers do well at Choteau Tournament

PLAINS – The Plains/Hot Springs wrestling team went to Choteau and came back placing three kids in a tough competition.

Train traffic increases

SANDERS COUNTY – Recently the communities of Sanders County have seen a variety of different train loads coming through the area, leaving some questions unanswered. Where are these trains going and what products are they carrying?

Superior Tennis head to divisional tournament

SUPERIOR – The Superior-Alberton Tennis team finished out the regular season much like they started – with a victory. 

Blizzard affects Mineral County schools

MINERAL COUNTY – As blizzard-like conditions plagued the area last week, Mineral County schools were forced to concede to the weather and change their normal operations. On Monday, Feb. 24, the Superior and St. Regis schools declared a snow day. With icy roads, which were hazardous even after being plowed and sanded, the safety of the students took priority. Scott Kinney, superintendant of the Superior schools, said the call was always to close or delay the school day if there was ever any concern for safety. “With busses, they’re difficult enough to drive,” Kinney said. “We have ice on the road deck and then significant amounts of wind, a bus is essentially like a big sail. It makes it very difficult for the drivers.” On Friday, Feb. 28, the Superior schools closed again as heavy snows kept many people snowed into their homes. Icy conditions on the roads also caused safety to become a concern again. For Superior the decision to close the school was made Sunday and Thursday evening. Kinney receives updates from the weather service and road crews about the conditions. When it was determined the roads would be too questionable the superintendents were notified. With faculty coming to the area from as far away as Missoula it was important to get the word out quickly so people would not try to brave the roads. As Missoula was pounded by high winds and blizzard conditions, the city had largely shut down. When the decisions were made, word began to spread as the schools tried to get word out quickly. Monday morning in Superior an automated system sent out calls to parents and faculty telling them of the snow day. The school secretaries made calls to those families who were not registered to receive the message. The missed days will likely be made up at the end of the year. The schools will need to coordinate with the state on what needs to be done. It is possible the state will give a special waiver and declare the storm a natural disaster. If this happens, the schools will not be required to make up the missed days. While the Alberton Public School also dealt with bad weather on Monday, they were still open for the day. The Alberton schools and busses were delayed two hours, and school did not start until 10:00 a.m. Because of their four-day school week the Alberton students were not in school for Friday’s storm. The week was a special situation and the schools try to avoid closing the schools. If the roads are clear without much ice the schools will be open for the normal schedule. “As long as the roads are safe, we don’t have a problem,” Kinney said.