CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press
Recent Stories
Dixon cemetery cleaned up for Memorial Day
Rest in Peace is a time-honored saying wishing the dearly departed well.
Riverdogs-Loggers rivalry emerging in Legion ball
These two teams are getting to know each other pretty well.
Great Falls' Memorial Stadium filled with history
This weekend, the old lady hosted scores of highly active teenagers inside her home.
County officials discuss involvement in Paradise sewer project
To everyone it was a packed house this past Tuesday as the combatants on both sides of the Paradise sewer project convened at the Paradise Community Center.
Lady Bobcats make noise at state tennis tourney
They were a small contingent intent on making a mark on Montana Girls Class B-C tennis.
Riverdogs rebound with 2 road wins
The Dogs are back in the hunt.
Tracksters punch ticket to state meet
It was a good day for local tracksters to ply their craft as sun peeked through the clouds and winds died down.
Plains softball field sees improvements prior to tourney
After months of work, the finished product was deemed well worth the effort.
T-Falls' Baxter takes 5th at state golf
They made it to the State championships and no matter in what sport, that is something not many folks can claim.
Noxon's VanVleet headed to Montana Tech
Some folks are just meant to do some things. It may well be a segment of DNA or some kind of Divine intervention, but for some people, certain things are natural and easy.
Lady Bobcats claim 14C meet
The Superior Lady Bobcats were indeed superior thanks to depth and outstanding individual performances this past weekend as they ran away with the Western 14C District track and field title at Missoula’s County Public Schools stadium.
Local tracksters have success at 7B meet
District tournament host Bigfork was not a very accommodating place for visiting track and field fans and athletes in town for the Western 7B District championships this past Saturday.
Riverdogs hit rough patch after blazing start
As every bird hunter knows, there may be brief stretches each year where the river is too high and the dogs would not do well in the current.
Softball teams prep for postseason play
The softball postseason has arrived, with two local teams waiting to learn their fate as far as opponents go, for the upcoming Divisional tournament in Plains this weekend.
Connolly, McLees headed to state golf tourney
Neither of the two golf playing high schools in Mineral County (the only two in the area), St. Regis and Superior were able to advance a team to the upcoming State championships this week in far off Sidney.
T-Falls' Baxter scores low at divisional tourney
The golf season at Thompson Falls High is nearly completion, but not before a lone, standout golfer has a shot at bringing home some hardware from this weekend’s State golf championships.
Lady Bobcat netters headed to state
Good things are in the works for the Superior High School tennis team.
McFadgen, Chapman elected to Paradise sewer board
As the dust from Tuesday’s Sanders County Special District Elections settles, supporters of the Paradise anti-sewer group can most likely take heart.
Riverdogs win pair at Libby's wood bat tourey
It’s early in the season, but not too early to start thinking “hey, these guys are pretty good.”
Superior tennis sweeps Philipsburg in home dual
It’s a shame they don’t play tennis at many small Montana schools these days.
11 teams compete in Plains Golf Invite
The skies parted and withheld their ample supply of raindrops just long enough for the dudes and dudettes to golf.
Thompson Falls out-slugs Loyola
You can’t measure the heart with even the finest of instruments. You can measure its dimensions, but not what it means to have it.
Blue Hawks' Hyatt, Bucher in the mix at Archie Roe
This was a test and then some for the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks track and field teams.
Superior, Hot Springs show out at Missoula meet
As if a rehearsal for the upcoming post-season, a pair of District 14C stars who will be teammates this Fall at Carroll College, squared off in a long-awaited, multi-event, head-to-head track and field showdown.
Plains Days celebration returns in June
After being altered or canceled the past two years due to concerns with the Covid scare, an old friend is returning to Plains.
Hot Springs High School closed following alleged threat
In what police say is an eliminated threat to Hot Springs High School that began this past Monday evening, a suspect has been taken into custody and no further danger exists from the episode.
Lady Bobcats net win over Troy
After being jostled around by Mother Nature, it was no doubt good for the Superior High tennis team to be able to hit the outdoor courts without wearing Helly Hansens rain gear.
Lady Hawks clip rival Eureka 5-2
all off the horse they say, and the best remedy is to get back on and ride again.
Noxon shot-putter VanVleet wins Top 10
A pair of Sanders County athletes are rising to the top of the charts in Western Montana track circles, according to the recent Top 8 and Top 10 meets in Missoula last week.
Superior track gets team win in Wallace
Seniors Sorren Reese and Cassie Green, along with junior sprinter Isabella Pereira led a Superior tidal wave that swept the Lady Bobcats to the team title at the recent Wallace, Idaho Small School meet in Wallace.
Plains rallies to top rival T-Falls, again
You could almost feel it coming. The softball vibes were ripe for another comeback win in this hard-fought series between Plains and Thompson Falls.
T-Falls golfer Baxter claims win at St. Regis
Thompson Falls golfer Ellie Baxter and St. Regis golfer Jack Connelly continued their outstanding 2022 golf seasons with victories this past week at the St. Regis Invitational tournament at Trestle Creek Golf Course just outside of St. Regis.
Lady Savage Heat place 5th at Whitefish meet
So you dominate a track meet one weekend, what do you do for an encore?
Riverdogs split double-header at Bitterroot
Don’t look now, but the Clark Fork Riverdogs Legion baseball team has become a team to reckon with as the 2022 season picks up steam.
Hot Springs' Christensen excels at Seeley-Swan Invite
There are plenty of local athletes who could lay claim to the unofficial “best overall athlete” in the Sanders and Mineral County areas.
Plains Trap Club holds annual Turkey Shoot
Trap shooting enthusiasts look forward to it every year.
Plains rebounds with win over Troy
With a rematch against Sanders County rival Thompson Falls on Monday, the Plains High Trotters fast pitch softball team is hoping to find consistency put together some consecutive wins.
Local golf teams compete at Gary Thompson Invitational
On a clear blue sky morning high school golf teams gathered Saturday for the 2022 Gary Thompson Invitational at River’s Bend Golf Course outside of Thompson Falls.
Historic Plains jail renovations near completion
One of the most historic and often overlooked pieces of Plains’ history is getting a badly needed face lift.
Local teams brave the cold at Dilly Bar Invite in Ronan
No word on how many ice cream treats were consumed, but it probably wasn’t many less than the number of Bigfork tracksters who finished in the top 10 Saturday at the Dilly Bar Invitational track meet in Ronan.
Class B and C teams put on show at Polson meet
For local high school track participants this was probably like going from Little League baseball to Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Thompson Falls girls win home meet
Overall depth helped win the day for the Thompson Falls girls track team Thursday afternoon.
Mixed results for Trotters softball
Nothing like a Montana “spring” to throw a curve ball when you’re expecting heat.
Riverdogs split double-header at Missoula
If the initial two-games of the just underway Legion baseball season are any indication, the Plains-based Clarkfork Riverdogs may be on their way to a good season.
Plains breaks ground on new wastewater plant
It has taken several years amid a lot of anxiety while engineers and Plains town officials held their collective breath hoping for the best.
Press removed from Plains candidate forum
It is not unusual these days amid the bickering and name-calling of politics to have a controversy at a candidate gathering.
Paradise's anti-sewer group scores win with board selections
There have been, perhaps, bigger victories in the history of homo sapiens on planet Earth.
Superior High tennis eyes bright future
For a group of youngsters and a few players who have never played the game, the Superior High tennis program is progressing into what may become a bright future.
Play ball: Riverdogs gear up for Legion season
The boys of Springs and Summer come from all over these two counties of Sanders and Mineral.
Lady Hawks earn 4 straight wins
To say the Thompson Falls High girls fast pitch softball team has shaken off its season-opening heartbreaking loss to Sanders County rival Plains would be like saying a little snow will slow them down.