Wednesday, March 25
Bison complete AIHEC sweep
PABLO — National champions. What a title.
Woman dies after ATV, car accident
RONAN — A 27-year-old woman from Ronan died Monday morning from injuries sustained in a collision where her ATV hit a car on Terrace Lake Road the night before.
Home of: Kathy Klinge
ST. IGNATIUS — With hard times at the doorstep, our newest president spoke to the spirit of giving back and community volunteerism being more important than ever. This is something Kathy Klinge already knows, and a philosophy she has been actively carrying out for years.
Births, March 26
Gallant, Congdon, Kallowat, Perry, Starkel
WEB EXTRA Helena update: Rep. John Fleming
Hello from Helena. My three committees (Education, Business and Labor and Agriculture) are hearing and acting on Senate bills daily. These are bills representing the ideas of senators across Montana and approved by the entire Senate. House floor sessions also consist of debate and votes on previously passed Senate bills.
Teams jump back into water rights negotiations
PABLO — The technical side of negotiations took precedence last week during the first water rights meeting since the passage of Senate Bill 39.
Health store has new home
POLSON — Mission Mountain Natural Foods of Polson has moved into a new building on Main Street, with triple the retail space.
WEB EXTRA Say it aint so, Joe
SKC founder, president to retire
PABLO — The atmosphere was bittersweet in the Three Wolves Cafeteria on Wednesday morning when Salish Kootenai College founder and long-time president Joe McDonald announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2010 school year.
County projects readied for funds
LAKE COUNTY — Special interest was paid last week to possibilities opened by the federal stimulus money that may materialize into funds for public projects around the area at the annual Lake County development and housing grant public hearing.
110 years in jail
Ferndael shooter sentenced last week
POLSON – District Court Judge C.B. McNeil sentenced Ronald Lon Petersen to 110 years in Montana State Prison without parole on Monday for the shooting death of a 24-year-old Ferndale man on New Year’s Eve 2007.
Recycling options not lost in county
LAKE COUNTY — With the unveiling of the new Recycle Montana license plates last week, the upcoming closing of the Folkshop recycling center in Polson later this month, and global warming and green conversations at a peak, it’s time to take a close look at recycling in the county.
WEB EXTRA Helena update: Rep. Janna Taylor
We heard an interesting bill in House Transportation last week. House Bill 615 would set up a system to identify vehicles that are uninsured. Senator Brueggeman has a similar bill in the Senate Transportation Committee.
Tennis and softball spring previews
Mission softball
Eyes on the prize, Lady Bison No. 1
PABLO — The last time the Salish Kootenai Lady Bison had a chance to earn a spot in a national championship game they were stopped short by Turtle Mountain Community College of Belcourt, N.D. in the semifinals.
Ronan, a Little Guy battleground
RONAN — Ronan’s big boys aren’t the only ones who know how to wrestle - the littlest Chiefs and Maidens get down and dirty too.
Letters to the editor
March 26
School board updates
March 26
WEB EXTRA Western A Polson Lady Pirates softball season preview
Many anticipated that last season would be a rebuilding year given the graduation of the “magnificent seven” seniors from the 2007 class A state champion squad. The Western A conference soon learned that the cupboard was hardly bare as the 2008 Lady Pirates (9-1 conf., 16-4 overall) once again captured another conference title, nipping rival Libby 6-4 on the final game of the regular season for the crown by the margin of a single run. After a first round bye at State and a 6-4 second round victory over Butte Central on the shoulders of an Amanda James grand slam, the Pirates found themselves engaged in a semifinal battle with Corvallis and their pitcher Kasie “with a K” (over 300 strikeouts for the season) Conder . With the game tied at two apiece in the sixth inning with only one out, Sarah Newton had managed to work her way into scoring position over at third. A laser was hit by James that would potentially plate Newton and score the leading run. Unfortunate for the Pirates, Corvallis third baseman Megan Auch was able to intercept the hit in mid-flight with her glove and tagged out Newton for a double play. The epic pitchers duel would stretch into extra innings, with Corvallis plating the winning run in the ninth on a RBI blooper to right field and dropping the Lady Pirates into the consolation bracket, where they would close out the tournament against Frenchtown with a loss 8-5. Had Polson been able to get by Corvallis, they would have faced conference rival and eventual champion Libby in the undefeated game, a team they match up with quite well. That is how close Polson came to defending their 2007 state championship.
News briefs
March 26
Murderer extradited back to Montana
LAKE COUNTY — Convicted Lake County murderer Paul David Gorder appeared in district court last Wednesday, admitting to some of the alleged parole violations that were the cause of his extradition from Alaska back to Montana last month.
WEB EXTRA Central A Ronan Maidens softball season preview
Last Season the Maidens finished 3-9 in conference and 4-13 overall. The fourth and final seed for state was within sight until the last week of the season. Highlights included a doubleheader sweep from Stevensville and they clipped powerhouse Butte Central in extra innings. Several games on the negative end of the ledger were close affairs. Thought they lost both matches to annual contender Frenchtown, the games were such tight battles that the coach of the Broncs expressed relief that his team wouldn’t have to play the Maidens any further that season. The encounter with valley rival Polson was the closest it had been in years, a 3-0 loss which could have easily gone the other way with a couple of critical defensive plays and some timely hitting to back up a superb pitching performance.
Among Other Things: History Rewritten
Legend has it that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland.
Thursday, March 19
MIDWEEK UPDATE Arlee Tuesday rollover victim identified
ARLEE — A 53-year-old Arlee woman was killed in a rollover accident at approximately 7:37 a.m. Tuesday on US Highway 93.
Wednesday, March 18
Obituaries, March 19
Jahnke, Bigcrane, Vance, Prewett, White, Carmona
Ninth Avenue cherry warehouse overhauled
POLSON — A long-standing Polson building has received a major face lift, bringing new office space to the area, while keeping several pieces of the past intact.
Today, jobs are the hot topic
LAKE COUNTY — Lake County’s unemployment rate increased 1.7 percent in January, settling at 10 percent, leaving 1,132 of the county’s 11,374 labor force-ready residents without jobs.
Helena update: Rep. Janna Taylor
By the time you read this, we will have just finished hearing House Bill 2, the budget bill. The stimulus spending is now in House Bill 645. Last Thursday, there were huge lines in all the Appropriations sub-committees asking for money.
News Briefs
March 19
SKCs Carla McLean doesnt just ball
PABLO — The SKC Lady Bison’s Carla McLean has touched American Indian and basketball communities from Browning, where she grew up, to Albuquerque, N.M. where she will soon run for the very distinguished position of Miss Indian World.
SKC Bison gear up for AIHEC tourney
PABLO — It’s American Indian Higher Education Consortium tournament time, and SKC men’s coach Zach Camel knows what that means - his team can get its first championship in front of the home crowd and take the fourth win in five years, or miss out like last year.
Care to try Jujitsu?
New class gives Arlee a punch
ARLEE — Last Thursday night in the upstairs gym at Arlee Junior High School, the mats were full - not with Little Guy wrestlers, but with students of Brazilian Jujitsu, AKA submission wrestling.
Students ready for free Friday
It may seem like much ado about, well, not much, but Montana Senator Verdell Jackson is pushing a bill that would help protect Montana’s lakes and rivers from a very tiny, but very troublesome menace.
Squads get icy training
LAKE MARY RONAN — Area fire departments and Lake County Search and Rescue tested the freezing cold waters of Lake Mary Ronan this weekend as part of a two-day ice rescue training session.
Polson council mulls annexation
POLSON — Polson City Council debated the need for annexation of land near the water reservoir at Monday night’s council meeting.
WEB EXTRA Steele gives State of Tribal Nations address, full speech included
HELENA — Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Chairman James Steele Jr. examined the importance of partnership during the main address at the State of the Tribal Nations address this past Tuesday in Helena.
Two men survive tragic crashFreezing victims identity released
HOT SPRINGS — Authorities have released the name of the 21-year-old Arlee man who was found frozen to death on March 10 and those of the two men who survived the early morning crash and subzero windswept conditions.
Sensational Science
Ronan students experiment with Motion exhibit
RONAN — The circus rolled into town and made a stop at K. William Harvey Elementary — the Circus of Science that is.
Festival grows with pasty goodness - see photos of the Irish Celebration by clicking to the right on :"love those photos you saw in the paper?"
POLSON — Traditional Irish food, music and hearty conversation filled the room of the Wander Inn at the Heritage of Faith Christian Church in Polson Friday, during their Second Annual Irish Celebration.
Thats correct - Lake County Spelling Bee
RONAN — This year’s Lake County Spelling Bee saw skilled participants at every level. The spellers spelled with precision, the judges judged with indiscrimination and the pronouncer pronounced with uncanny clarity.
Home of: Jim Eichhorn
POLSON — Under the sign, “Age is nothing but a state of mind,” 96-year-old Jim Eichhorn begins his routine.
Births, March 19
Kenmille, Lytle, Kammer, Christy, Cole, Skare
Little Guy wrestling brief
PHOTO: Polson wrestler Trey Kelley, top, out-muscles a Frenchtown wrestler last Saturday during a beginner group match at the Unit Four Little Guy Wrestling Tournament. Polson, Ronan, Mission-Charlo and Arlee all placed wrestlers in the top four for the beginner, novice, middle and junior classes. The top placers will compete next week in Ronan. The top placers from there will compete at the Western Montana Championship tourney in Columbia Falls the following week.
WEB EXTRA Bill to protect Montana waterways from invasive species
It may seem like much ado about, well, not much, but Montana Senator Verdell Jackson is pushing a bill that would help protect Montana’s lakes and rivers from a very tiny, but very troublesome menace.
The down low on SKCs big man
PABLO — There wasn’t too much to do for SKC center, Sonny Eppinette, growing up in Hominy, Okla.
Helena update: Rep. John Fleming
Hello from Helena. The biggest news here at Montana’s Legislature was the progress made on House Bill 2 — the basic spending bill. The appropriations committee trimmed $60 million from the governor’s budget and used this money to fund the children’s health insurance plan. This plan was approved last November by 70 percent of Montana’s voters.
Letters to the editor
March 19
Thursday, March 12
MIDWEEK UPDATE Arlee freezing victim identified
HOT SPRINGS — A 21-year-old Arlee man was found frozen to death in a field Tuesday afternoon after he crashed his car in severe winter conditions earlier that morning and went looking for help.
Wednesday, March 11
Little guys hit Polson, CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS
Polson Middle School was the venue, and beginner and novice wrestlers from across the valley and beyond were the show this past Saturday. Polson, Ronan and Mission-Charlo wrestlers from five years old to fifth grade faced off against each other and teams from Superior, Frenchtown and Missoula. Pictured are: Polson Pirate Kedrick BakerBrown, top, gets the better of Frenchtown wrestler Carson Pyron. Mission-Charlo Irondog Wacey McClure, right, throws down Missoula wrestler Michael Deschane. Ronan Chief Ethan Yarck, right, gets a couple hands in the face from a Frenchtown wrestler. All were in the beginner age group and each wrestler got in a few matches at the jamboree.
Ronan justices to remain elected: PLUS Ronan BOE update
RONAN — The Ronan City Council decided to keep the selection process for city justices an electoral one, shooting down an opportunity for the council’s authority to bypass elections and appoint local judges at Monday night’s meeting.
Spelling champs named at bee
POLSON — Several Lake County Homeschoolers met Friday night and put on their spelling spectacles to compete for a spot in the Lake County Spelling Bee.
Home of: Kati O'Toole
Recording artist Kati O’Toole has always had a love for music and small Montana country, as her new self-released album “On Ashland” exemplifies.
Search crews respond to 911 call
SWAN VALLEY — Several search and rescue squads spent Saturday night and all day Sunday responding to a series of five 911 call hangups they received Saturday night from an isolated area on the border between Lake and Flathead counties.
Fraud case may widen
POLSON — The majority of possible victims affected by the Polson business Cornerstone Financial Corporation’s alleged scheme are from western Montana.
Helena update: Rep John Fleming
Hello from Helena. We have finished the first week after transmittal (exchanging bills with the Senate). The hearings in committees now are almost all for bills, which have had previous hearings in Senate committees, debate and two positive votes on the Senate floor. These bills have been vetted and are the survivors.
Helena update: Rep. Janna Taylor
The stimulus package is still on everyone’s mind. Senate Finance and Claims held a hearing last week to allow everyone to give their opinions on how the money should be spent. Most of the money is designated for specific programs, like $200 million for highways and roads. Montana will get to decide how about $200 million of the $800 million we will receive should be spent.
Births, March 12
Sinclair, Smith, Mergenthaler, Shows, Stenberg
Strohm-Tracker Whether
The reader need not worry about an impending storm advisory invading your sports section. Aside from a phonetic similarity to meteorological forecasts featured on your local news outlets, the following article seeks rather to highlight several of the accomplishments of 2005 Polson High School graduate Strohm Fouty and speculate as to whether she will set yet another base stealing record her senior and final year of college. Strohm is currently enrolled at Southern Oregon University (SOU) in Ashland, Ore. and is the daughter of Walter and Joan Fouty, who operate the Eagle Nest RV Resort off U.S. Highway 35. Although area softball fans may recall who Strohm is, she may not be so familiar to other readers. Thus, it would only seem appropriate to provide a little background so that a greater appreciation can be gained about some of the sporty accomplishments of this base-pinching representative of our local community blazing the base paths among the collegiate ranks.
Moto-X park to open this month in Ronan
RONAN — Racers start your engines . . . because the new Tailgater Motorsports Park is slated to get racing starting later this month.
Obituaries, March 12
Call, Booker, Kemler, Nelson, Lutes, Bick, Driver, Read, Nester, Rochelle, Lippincott
Crews break ground on fire hall in Arlee
ARLEE — Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes officials joined together with Arlee Fire District board members for last Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the Arlee Volunteer Fire Department’s new fire hall.
Mission baseball coach retires after making a lasting impression
ST. IGNATIUS — If you ask Mission Valley baseball players and coaches about Mission youth coach Randy Keeble, you’ll hear a lot of the same.
WEB EXTRA Scam hits local bank customers
-Courtesy of Montana Attorney General’s office and Mountain West Bank
WEB EXTRA New Polson specialty grocery to serve up authentic St. Pattys Day grub
A well-known Missoula specialty grocery shop has migrated north, leaving its name behind, but bringing its worldly-themed goodies, meats and cheeses to Lake County.
Letters to the editor
March 12
Tribal connections
An appreciation and mixing of cultures was experienced last Wednesday at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Tribal Council meeting.
Pauls Harveys voice not forgotten here
POLSON – Some 500 people crowded into Polson High School gym in July 1966 to hear Paul Harvey, the popular ABC-network news analyst/commentator. He appeared as a guest lecturer for the fledgling Mission Mountain College’s initial summer session. Perhaps some of his remarks of 1966 might well have been made in 2009.
Wednesday, March 4
WEB EXTRA Helena update from Rep. John Fleming
Hello from Helena . Our half way point has been reached and the last minutecrush of bills have been dealt with prior to this deadline.
Lady Vikings miss state
BUTTE — Charlo’s inside game fell just short when it met the best of the west at the Class-C divisional tourney in Butte this past weekend.
Bigfork has answer to Polson challenge
KALISPELL — One game away from a potential state berth, two Polson seniors were glowing with enthusiasm.
Obituaries, March 5
Zempel, Thatcher, Harvey, Heinrich, Felsman
Arlee grocery store upgrades
ARLEE — Wilson Foods in Arlee is nearing the completion of its remodelling project, which began with additions and renovations in October 2008.
Arlee takes third
BUTTE — It’s hard to count the ways Arlee’s performance at the Western C Divisional Tournament was special. To start with, it was the first trip the team took to the tourney since 2001.
Change?
Didn’t Barack Obama trumpet ‘change you can believe in’ a few months ago?
Letters to the editor
March 5
WEB EXTRA Helena update from Rep. Janna Taylor
It was great to have last weekend off. I figured that my ski pants were too tight because of all the sitting and donuts at the legislature. But Rock Dresen up at Blacktail Mountain told me global warming was the cause.
City loses deck collapse appeal
HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court decision that the city of Polson shared negligence in the 2004 deck collapse at Diamond Horseshoe Lounge and Casino.
Polson council wades through full agenda
POLSON — During the balmy Polson City Council meeting on Monday night, conversations swayed motions and public comment affected decisions.
Critic's Corner
Want to know which movies to see?
Prescriptions and water dont mix
We in the Flathead basin are keenly aware of the value of both our surface water and ground water resources. It would be surprising to find anyone who would not do what they can to protect or improve these waters used for drinking, irrigation, recreation, wildlife, aquatic life and sheer enjoyment.
Home of: Dave Edington
RONAN — Long-time educator, wrestling coach, and local volunteer David Edington was recently recognized at the Ronan Chamber of Commerce Banquet with the Lifetime Community Service Award.
Ah, baseball
Among Other things by Paul Fugleberg
MIDWEEK UPDATE Laid-off sawmill workers to receive relief
Montana’s U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester today announced that recently laid-off workers at the Plum Creek Saw Mill in Pablo have been approved to apply for extended federal unemployment and training assistance, a press release from Baucus’ office said.
Mission out in two
PABLO — The shots just wouldn’t drop for the Mission Lady Bulldogs at the Western B divisional tourney in Pablo. As a result, two close ones got away and want it or not - loaded with five seniors, it’s safe to say the team wanted it - Mission high school won’t be appearing at state this year.
Program brings books to Arlee children
ARLEE — Residents within the Arlee School District No. 8 have an opportunity to receive a free monthly book for children under 5 through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Pirates make final game, but cant get to state
KALISPELL — It was a weekend of ups and downs for the Polson Pirate boys.
Births, March 5
Charlo, Nash, Miller, Roylance
Cotes take battle to Helena
RONAN — Ronan residents Will and Charlie Cote have battled autism for close to two years, and are continuing their fight this week in Helena, hoping on Monday to make another crucial push to fight to secure insurance coverage for the treatment of autism.
Dogs stop Maidens
KALISPELL — The injury-ridden Maidens finished a difficult season at the Western B divisional tourney in Kalispell with a pair of losses this past weekend.
