Ellington

WEB EXTRA Armed Forces Memorial Bridge history, update

Crews and plenty of new roads signs moved into Polson last week, with Saturday marking the official start of the Armed Forces Memorial Bridge repaving process. Traffic lights at either end of the bridge direct drivers over the now one-lane bridge. The north lane is currently blocked off for crews to begin the resurfacing. Wind over the bridge was intense through Wednesday.

Letters to the editor

April 30

Lending Earth a hand

Cub scouts, bike path events mark the day

Bike path comes alive for Earth Day

Community Notes - extended version

April 30

News Briefs

April 30

Agencies practice for the worst

PABLO — Several strands of the influenza have taken the lives of many throughout history, and now with the recent spread of the swine flu it is important to be prepared for a pandemic of sorts.

Connect the Dots: The character of a county

Acquittal in Polson rape charge

POLSON — A District Court jury acquitted a Washington man of rape while finding him guilty of tampering with evidence in a three-day trial concluding on April 22 at the Lake County Courthouse.

Pirates keep marks high

Polson track and field has suffered with the absence of junior Nicole Davey who has come down with an unidentified virus at the beginning of the season.

Helena update: Rep. John Fleming

Hello from Helena. With good fortune and intentions, by the time you read this, the Legislature will have reached a compromise on the state’s budget. This basic constitutional mandate must be accomplished by legislative day 90 (Tuesday). The alterative is a special session either called by a majority vote of the legislature or by the Governor. The 2007 session was unable to reach agreement and the expensive and inconvenient special session was required.

Births, April 30

Allread, Brooks, Hewkanworn, Wilson, Spotted Blanket

Lady Pirates turn it around

FRENCHTOWN — After starting the week out on a hard to swallow note with a 14-11 loss to Whitefish on Thursday, the Polson Lady Pirates rallied back for an 8-3 win over Loyola and 8-1 win over Butte Central at the Frenchtown Invitational.

Winemaker puts valley on the map

On May 2, the “closed” sign will drop from Mission Mountain Winery’s signature marker outside its tasting room in Dayton and for the 25th year, the winery will be open for business.

O'Neill leads the way for Arlee

MISSOULA — Arlee warmed up in Hot Springs on Thursday, then went for some heated competition in a bigger meet at Big Sky in Missoula on Saturday.

Ronan wins sets, matches, no meets

POLSON — For a small and young Ronan tennis team going up against some of the tougher Class A competition like Polson and Whitefish was a learning experience.

Maidens capture 1,600

LIBBY — Out performing most of the state’s competition, five Maidens and a Chief from the Ronan-Mission track team earned spots among the best at the Top Ten Meet in Missoula on Tuesday. The Libby invite on Saturday was the final test and those athletes answered like track stars do - by stretching their abilities to new season heights.

Pablo mill to close

PABLO — Timber manufacturing giant Plum Creek delivered grim news on Monday, as it announced its sawmill in Pablo will be permanently closed in no more than 60 days, ending employment for 87 workers there.

Mission board tackles funding

ST. IGNATIUS — What to expect in the way of funding from the Legislature and prioritizing a wish list of summer building maintenance projects affected by stimulus funding were two big items on the agenda at the April 21 St. Ignatius school board meeting.

Helena update: Rep. Janna Taylor

Looks like there is a solution to the budget debate. I am writing this on Sunday so it will have time to get into the newspaper, but the conference committee came to an agreement last Saturday.

Golfing for a cause

POLSON — The sun was shining as golfers took their clubs to the greens for a special cause last weekend. Twenty-eight teams of four and 12 celebrities turned out to support the Court Appointed Special Advocates fundraiser at the Polson Bay Golf Course on Saturday. 

Mission tennis has full week

BIGFORK — Both the boys and girls of Mission tennis tied Valley Christian 3-3 on April 20 to highlight a week of busy hitting.

Ronan softball results

Ronan 11, Hamilton 2

Polson boys take three

POLSON — Over a long weekend of tennis, a variety of Polson boys chipped in to get big team wins over Hamiton, Ronan and Stevensville. The Polson girls knocked off the same competition but both boys and girls fell to a tuned Corvallis squad - for the Lady Pirates it was the first team loss of the season.

Ronan hopes for funds to improve streets, sewer

RONAN — Ronan city officials are looking to federal stimulus dollars and the Legislature to help fund projects that would improve 3rd Avenue and the city’s sewer lift station.

Obituaries, April 30

Ehlert, Henning, Frey, Wolverton, Thomas, Herrierd, Black

MIDWEEK UPDATE Earth Day inspires cleanup, learning

The local Boy Scout group was just one of many groups out and about through the week last week, working to clean and learn about the Earth for Earth Day.

WEB EXTRA Polson boys swing for three wins

POLSON - Over a long weekend of tennis, a variety of Polson boys chipped in to get big team wins over Hamiton, Ronan and Stevensville. The Polson girls knocked off the same competition but both boys and girls fell to a tuned Corvallis squad - for the Lady Pirates it was the first team loss of the season.

BREAKING NEWS Pablo mill to close

Courtesy of Plum Creek

WEB EXTRA Ronan hits Bigfork track

BIGFORK - Ronan-Mission track was still battling with absences due to spring events this past week, but it didn't stop the Chiefs and Maidens from competing successfully in two meets.

Community Notes

April 23

Beading art taught

In a world of so many people, from so many different backgrounds and cultures, those seeking a richer life don’t have to look far. There are numerous educational activities the People’s Center in Pablo offers the public, in an effort to create a better understanding between all people.

Bulldogs get historic win over Florence

ST. IGNATIUS — It wasn’t just a win. It was a monster win when the Mission Lady Bulldogs beat Florence 6-5 in an overtime thriller at home.

Arlee board stays busy

ARLEE — This month the Arlee School Board met and reviewed agenda items.

Home of: Brenna Hyvonen

CHARLO — From eager student to modest teacher, master pianist to brave wildland firefighter — Lake County native Brenna Mae Hyvonen is ever evolving in her many roles.

Births, April 23

Bassett, Cutfiner, James, Walker, McDonald, Miller, Shull, Wersonick, Alexander

Hwy 35 wreck stirs memories of fuel spill

FINLEY POINT — It wasn’t much more than a year ago that East Shore residents watched a semi truck tanker crash and spill thousands of gallons of fuel on the narrow, two-lane road near their homes, spurring millions of dollars in cleanup efforts.

New briefs

April 23

Polson softball results

Polson 11, Columbia Falls 3

Ronan tennis' top hitter returns

WHITEFISH — The Ronan tennis teams went into battle against Whitefish and Bigfork with a short roster. They didn’t come out with any team wins,  but they were armed for the first time this season with senior Brit Courville, and she didn’t let them down. 

Polson tennis results

Boys

Mission tennis results

Girls

Letters to the editor

April 23

Maidens shut out Frenchtown

FRENCHTOWN — If the girls of the Ronan Maiden softball squad made a point against Polson last week, they sounded off a screaming exclamation point when they left two of last year’s top state contenders with two losses. There’s no question - after a 9-7 win over Corvallis, last year’s No. 3 team at the big show, on Thursday and a 3-0 win over Frenchtown on Saturday – the Maidens made one thing clear: These girls from Ronan are for real.

PVFD receives $1,100 grant

POLSON — The Polson Volunteer Fire Department received grant funding to the tune of $1,100 last week from property insurance company FM Global to pay for fire prevention programming.

Helena update: Rep. Janna Taylor

Just a couple more days. At this time it is difficult to determine the outcome of some of the highest profile bills in the ’09 legislative session, even though they have passed both the House and Senate.            

Fraud case alleges $14 million swindled

POLSON — The scope of the alleged securities fraud scheme involving Polson business Cornerstone Financial Corporation exploded last week,  as partner/owners and Polson residents Keith Kovick and Robert Congdon were named in the legal action documents for their alleged involvement in what could become the largest Ponzi scheme in Montana state history.

Arlee track back in action

THOMPSON FALLS — The Arlee Warriors and Scarlets kicked off the track season with two meets this past week. It started with a team-based competition at Loyola on April 14, where scores were combined among the team’s different athletes.

Obituaries, April 23

Gross, Miller, Stephenson, Knipe, Zumwalt, Bigcrane, Guenzler

Polson tracksters get moving

KALISPELL — After a canceled meet left them one more week of practice, the Polson track teams laced them up for the first two meets of the season.

Helena update: Rep. John Fleming

Hello from Helena.  In seven days, the legislature has much to accomplish in terms of the state budget and dealing with the property reappraisal. A special session is not out of the question, although not a popular prospect for most of us.

Gardens against hunger

POLSON — Money may not grow on trees, but it doesn’t take a lot of green to grow some spare greens to help fight hunger in your community this season.

Freshmen, vets lead Charlo in new week

BIGFORK - The Vikings and Lady Vikings of Charlo competed in two big meets last week. At Thompson Falls on Thursday Charlo sophomore Chico Stipe kicked up some dust on the competition, helping his team achieve a second place finish of 112 points.

WEB EXTRA Polson sets city manager interview times

Courtesy of the city of Polson

Thoroughly thawed

Among Other Things

The trip to see my brother in  Bakersfield, Calif., a couple weeks ago was great. Got thoroughly thawed out in 88-delightful degree weather. Actually the 88 was only on one day, the others were something like 78, 80 and 79 degrees. They got the job done, too.  Even got a bit of a sun tan, which is fast fading. But July will be here soon.

Polson council moves on in manager search

POLSON — More than 20 agenda items made for a lengthy city council meeting Monday night and a crowd so large that Police Chief Doug Chase was pushed to the hall for lack of a seat.

Polson rallies late to beat Ronan 4-3

RONAN - It happened in each season and in almost every sport. When the teams in purple and orange clashed over the 2008-09 school year, either Polson or Ronan would come out with a win - but only by a hair.

Charges filed against Cornerstone

Couresty of the state auditor's office

Second bison range suit filed

MOIESE — The national refuge advocacy group Blue Goose Alliance followed through last week with a threat to file a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior in response to the agreement between the federal government and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for joint management of the National Bison Range located in Moiese.

Child gun shot victim released from hospital

PABLO — A 7-year-old girl from the Pablo area recently underwent two surgeries in Spokane after she was the victim of a near-tragic accidental shooting while playing with siblings this past Friday afternoon.

Births, April 16

Webster, Finley, Gilmore, Incashola, Steele

Libby slips by Pirate hitters

POLSON - After the Polson boys played at Libby on Thursday, Pirate head coach Bob Hislop didn’t sugar-coat the narrow 3-4 loss. 

Easter Hunters - MME Easter egg hunt

Extra photos included

Fields of colorful eggs littered the green grass of the Ronan Community Park on Saturday. Children, with their Easter baskets close at hand, made their way to patches of eggs, quickly plucked them off the ground and made their way to the next area of harvest.

Polson city projects pine for stimulus funds

POLSON — The city of Polson is no different than cities across the state today. Cities are vying for money from the Legislature to be used for infrastructure, projects that will help put people back to work and stimulate the economy.

News Briefs

April 16

Obituaries, April 16

Hayek, Gibson, Christopher, Petersen, Elhert, Phillips, Cole

A well-fought battle: Autism insurance bill headed to governors desk

For the faces behind Senate Bill 234, the autism insurance coverage bill, it’s the sweetest thing that the bill’s next destination is the governor’s desk.

McMillan goes gold

FRENCHTOWN — It was all Ronan/Mission Maiden senior Sadie McMillan at the Frenchtown track and field meet on Tuesday, April 7.

Letters to the editor

April 16

Two arrested in Drug Force pot raid

ST. IGNATIUS — Two St. Ignatius residents were arrested on April 8 after a Montana Northwest Drug Task Force raid recovered two pounds of marijuana and evidence indicating drug distribution.

Polson Rural Fire District Forum grills candidates

Friday, March 27 Candidate forum information coming soon.

POLSON — Though only three of the five Polson Rural Fire District trustee candidates turned out for Monday’s forum, there was still a variety of positions and experience on display for audience members.

COMMUNITY NOTES

April 16

School boards wait on budgets

POLSON — As the 2009 Montana Legislature winds down in Helena, Polson School Board Trustees and administrators continue to play the waiting game as the budget and stimulus fund allocations are debated.

Seminar puts goals in athletes hands

RONAN — Ronan gave its student athletes a chance to define themselves this past weekend as part of a motivational seminar from the school’s contracted weight training program, Bigger  Faster Stronger.

Helena update: Rep. Janna Taylor

The 61st legislative session is finally winding down. The state has no huge surplus so things are different this time. If you’ve read my weekly session columns in the past, you know that I’m pretty careful with the taxpayer’s money.

Cap-and-trade: another scheme

Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus need to answer one question for their constituents before they vote on Barack Obama’s carbon cap-and-trade scheme.

Group cooks up book

POLSON — Polson’s longstanding Montecahto Club has come out with their second cookbook full of recipes born out of love and a tenderness of touch.

Helena update: Rep. John Fleming

Hello from Helena. With week 14 completed, it is important to note the legislature has 12 days remaining to finish the people’s business. The state spending budget is the basic job that must be completed prior to adjournment.

WEB EXTRA Tea parties rally residents

Concerned Lake County residents borrowed a note from history this week, gathering twice at Riverside Park in Polson for “tea parties” to protest government spending policies.

Mission wins two of three away

LOYOLA - Two landslide wins over Eureka and a close loss to Loyola capped another week of softball for the Mission-Charlo-Arlee softball team.

Polson girls keep rolling

LIBBY — The Lady Pirates kept their run alive with a solid win over Libby this past Thursday.

Home of: Tave Hando

RONAN — Music, as a gift and passion, has played a vital role throughout Tave Hando’s life.

Why the rural fire station affects you

Why the rural fire station affects you

Charlo owl efforts shared

CHARLO — Every day holds a new face, a new place and a new idea for the taking. This Saturday, while families were getting ready for a visit from Peter Cottontail by decorating Easter eggs and cooking ham, biologists at the Owl Research Institute in Charlo were hard at work in the warm Easter weekend sunlight.

Ronan boys have strong first meet

FRENCHTOWN — After a canceled meet the week before, the boys of Ronan/Mission track and field finally hit the track - a real track - for the first time this season.

Polson takes mercy

HAMILTON — The group of girls on the Polson softball team might not be great at everything - who knows? They could be in big trouble if they were asked to participate in a rodeo or a roller derby. But when it comes to smacking round projectiles into oblivion, they’re top notch.

Charlo takes first hurdle

FRENCHTOWN — While the rest of Lake County’s track teams had to stay home after canceled meets in Columbia Falls and Missoula this past week, Charlo launched into competition on Saturday in Frenchtown.

WEB EXTRA Engeldrum, Beavers lead way for the Chiefs

FRENCHTOWN — After a canceled meet the week before, the boys of Ronan/Mission track and field finally hit the track - a real track - for the first time this season.

WEB EXTRA McMillan takes five gold medals at Ronan's first track meet

FRENCHTOWN — It was all Ronan/Mission Maiden Sadie McMillan at the Frenchtown track and field meet on Tuesday, April 7.

WEB EXTRA Polson softball still undefeated

HAMILTON - The group of girls on the Polson softball team might not be great at everything - who knows? They could be in big trouble if they were asked to participate in a rodeo or a roller derby. But when it comes to smacking round projectiles into oblivion, they're top notch.

Lady Pirates roll Browning twice

Box scores included below

POLSON — The sun was shining on the Lady Pirates on Saturday when weeks of practice in snow, rain and fog gave way to the first two games of the season and two shutout wins for the home team.

Weekend tea party protests spending

POLSON — Concerned Lake County residents borrowed a note from history on Saturday, gathering at Riverside Park in Polson for a “tea party” to protest government spending policies.

Group says North Fork of the Flathead endangered

On a bright blue day at Blankenship black bugs come off the water and land on your head and arms and hat. They would be annoying if they weren’t such a good omen, because these black bugs are no ordinary bugs.

BREAKING NEWS Second bison range suit filed

The national refuge advocacy group

Home of: Lorraine Cornelius

RONAN — Two local hobbyists had their paintings displayed in a professional fashion last week at the Sandpiper Art Gallery’s new show, “Faces. Places and More.”

Program revs up auto interest

CHARLO — Charlo High School students have something other than summer break to look forward to, thanks to the efforts of the Mission Valley Cruisers, the school board and various donations.

Cleanup crews dig deep

Old fuel tank spills cause health clinic construction delay

POLSON — Officials say that on March 20 a fuel spill was detected on the future site of the Tribal Health Complex at the intersection of Fourth  Avenue and First Street in Polson. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Natural Resources Department Division of Environmental Protection was notified of the leakage on March 23, and cleanup efforts are now winding down.

News Briefs

April 9

Letters to the editor

April 9

Obituaries, April 9

Mullin, Overl, Gillette, Thomas, Gibson, McAlear

WEB EXTRA Helena update: Rep. John Fleming

Hello again from Helena. My three committees (Agriculture, Education and Business and Labor) held few hearings this week. But the time was taken up by long lists of Senate bills each day to receive action on the House floor. Since these bills needed previous positive votes on the Senate floor and in House committees, most required little debate and received positive votes on their way to the Governor.

Births, April 9

Kammer, Hapner, Bishop, Benn, Herreid

WEB EXTRA Helena update: Rep. Janna Taylor

The property tax reappraisal sub-committee came up with a new term, “outliers.” And, compared to the other 54 Montana counties, Lake County has the most outliers and Flathead County is second.

Journey to save a life

POLSON — Traveling over 10,000 miles away from home, across oceans and foreign continents, Andy and Jenny Learns recently made a trip that would change their lives forever. A trip to save another life.

Polson girls improve to 6-0

Mike Cast

Rogers wisdom

Among Other Things

What this country needs is a Will Rogers, whose comments, wit and wisdom help keep the chaotic events of today’s complex world a little more in perspective and to dispel some of the rancor and anger we’re bombarded with every day. While the noted cowboy humorist died in a plane crash in Alaska in 1935, perhaps a bit of his legacy can be applied to life and politics today. Some of his comments have a timeless element to them. Here are a few, complete with deliberate misspellings and grammatical flaws:

Polson council votes on annexation motions

POLSON — It was difficult to find a seat at Monday night’s city council meeting as homeowners in the Cougar Ridge Development filled the room, although no public comments were made after two pertinent motions were seconded.

Ronan tennis begins

STEVENSVILLE - Ronan’s swatters hit the court for the first time this past weekend.

Girls in blue look good early

Box scores included below

THOMPSON FALLS — The girls of Mission softball have split games so far this season, beginning with a monstrous 22-0 victory over Plains on Tuesday, March 31, then falling 9-4 to B-C powerhouse Thompson Falls this past Friday with an extremely short-handed squad.

Talking circle aims to heal

On Dec. 17, 2007, Timothy returned from Iraq “a different man.”  “He had a glaze in his eyes and a 1,000 yard stare - always looking for an insurgent,” said Mike and Kim Bowman, parents testifying before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

COMMUNITY NOTES

April 9

Armed Forces Memorial Bridge work set

POLSON — It’s going to be a headache, but it’s got to be done. And last week plans took a large step forward in the resurfacing project planned for the Armed Forces Memorial Bridge in Polson.

Mission boys out-swat Loyola netters

MISSOULA — At Loyola, the Mission Boys out-played Loyola to take home a 7-2 victory, largely due to four sweeping singles victories on behalf of four of the Bulldog’s top hitters.

Be prepared - Emergency preparedness is a necessity

Links to emergency preparedness sites listed beloww

Check out some of the great emergency preparedness resources available online at:

Flathead Basin Commission discusses invaders

PABLO — The Flathead Basin Commission met Wednesday to discuss the implications of Senate Bill 343, the regulation of zebra mussel and other invasive species bill.

Learning as an offering

ARLEE — Nearing the end of its seventh year, the Nkwusm Salish Language Immersion School, started and run in Arlee, is making strides in bringing back identity by bringing back language.

MIDWEEK UPDATE County projects waiting in stimulus bill

To track bills in the Montana Legislature, visit the

All-star game goes into OT

PABLO — The boys invited to the Mission Mountain All-Star game on Friday in Pablo must have been watching a lot of NBA  on TV, because when it came time for a cross-division, cross-county battle with players from Bigfork, Plains and everywhere in between, they couldn’t help but pull out the stunts.

Mission High School Internationale

ST. IGNATIUS — The great American poet Maya Angelou said that diversity makes for a rich tapestry. If St. Ignatius High School were a drapery of sorts, there would be none richer as nearly 10 percent of the student body are foreign students from abroad.

WEB EXTRA Helena update Rep. Janna Taylor

As everyone predicted, we passed the stimulus money bill, House Bill 645, out of the House. It’s now in the Senate. They will probably change things around.

WEB EXTRA Mission hitters show promise early

LIBBY - After practice finally gave way to the first match of the season, the boys and girls of Mission tennis finally got to put their rackets to use against the competition.

Polson girls start year with a win

POLSON — The Polson boys and girls tennis teams both came out swinging against Whitefish and Corvallis this past weekend. The weather was bad, so bad the late matches were cancelled mid-way, but Polson head coach Bob Hislop said both teams came away with plenty to be proud of.

COMMUNITY NOTES, EVENTS and HAPPENINGS

April 2 through early May

Home of: Frank Finley

PABLO — Silversmith, painter and sculptor Frank Finley has a curiosity about the world around him.

WEB EXTRA SKC hosts Thompson film screening

PABLO — Free public screenings of filmmaker George Sibley’s newest film “Shadows of David Thompson” were hosted by Salish Kootenai College at the Johnny Arlee-Victor Charlo Theatre on March 26.

Obituaries, April 2

Karlsgodt, Mullin, Sanders, Olson, McAlear, Holdren, Overley, Wolf, Petersen, Walker

Spring track and field previews

Charlo, Arlee, Ronan-Mission, Polson

UPDATED Founder, president of SKC to retire

PABLO — In a room that wouldn’t have been without him, surrounded by a campus built by his vision and perseverance, Salish Kootenai College President Joe McDonald announced his retirement last week. The atmosphere was bittersweet in the Three Wolves Cafeteria last Wednesday morning when SKC founder and long-time president announced his plans to step down at the end of the 2010 school year.

Local Little Guys compete at state

COLUMBIA FALLS — The Little Guy wrestlers went up to state last weekend in Columbia Falls. Now the Mission Valley has to figure out how to transport all of that hardware back down here.

Obituaries, March 26

Brown, MIller Milne, Mann, Tiffany, Spinney, Wolf, Olson, Novak, Sanders, Jeppesen, Chaussee

Top girls ball

PABLO  — There are those basketball players who have a little something extra. And whether it comes through in leadership, shooting, passing or flash, players who have it are called all-stars.

WEB EXTRA Helena update Rep. John Fleming

Hello from Helena as we finished week twelve of the legislative session.  Some milestones were reached this week as well as serious economic recovery work.  HB 190 is being touted as a historic consensus between landowners and sportsmen.  This bill, dealing with access to the state’s rivers, passed through the Senate . . .

Births, April 2

Adams, Brasch, Salemelin, Shrider, Rodriguez, Olson, Croft

Captain recovering after collision

POLSON — Less than two days after a fatal head-on collision killed a Montana Highway Patrol trooper near Kalispell, Lake County Sheriff’s Captain Luc Mathias was put in the hospital after being rear-ended by a reckless driver at a Polson Hill traffic stop.

Local DAV gets new set of wheels

PABLO— The Lake County division of the Disable Veterans of America Volunteer Transportation Network debuted a van to call its own last week, adding a 1999 four-door van to the pool that provides free rides to and from Veteran’s Affairs scheduled medical appointments.

News briefs

April 2

Letters to the editor

April 2