Ellington

Please note: This is an informal survey of anonymous persons visiting the Lake County Leader website and does not attempt to present accurate or scientific polling of Lake County residents.

 Please note: This is an informal survey of anonymous persons visiting the Lake County Leader website and does not attempt to present accurate or scientific polling of Lake County residents.

Lake County House District No. 11, 12 and sheriff candidates: In their own words

With the election this Tuesday, Nov. 2, time is fast approaching to make your decisions and vote for the candidate you believe will do the best job for you, their constituents. Forums have been held, signs have been hung and articles, TV appearances and radio ads have been run.

MVA plans to break ground on a new aquatic facility this summer

POLSON — “The question is, are we going to start this thing in 2011?” Mission Valley Aquatics chairman Hu Beaver asked fellow board of director members at Monday night’s monthly meeting in Polson.

Preliminary poll results as of 2 p.m. Monday... Kendley 35%, Yonkin 32%, Doyle 32% and Other 2%.

As of 2 p.m. Monday... Kendley 35%, Yonkin 32%, Doyle 32% and Other 1%.

Arlee Football vs. Seeley-Swan

Here are some images from the Arlee and Seeley Swan football game last Friday.

Mission Football vs. Bigfork

Here are some images from Mission Football's game against Bigfork last Thursday.

Polson Soccer vs. Belgrade

Here are some images from Polson's semifinal playoff game against Belgrade.

Ronan discusses class B

RONAN - Monday's community forum discussing Ronan's potential reclassification to B brought questions, comments, ideas but no real consensus on the best course of action for the small Class A school district.

Senior Marissa McCrea has seen both sides of the Polson-Ronan rivalry

Ronan senior libero Marissa McCrea knows a thing or two about

Polson, Ronan volleyball teams gear up for postseason and each other

POLSON - After toughing it out, Polson junior Riley Kenney has decided to rest her injured shoulder.

Charlo ends Drummond's win streak

DRUMMOND - Two years ago, Drummond lost to Charlo 48-6 and hadn't lost a game since.

Mission using momentum

ST. IGNATIUS - Momentum is a big thing in volleyball and the Lady Bulldogs hope to ride a wave of it through the district tournament.

Class C Districts: One team to rule them all

The District 10C tournament will be taking place and it looks

Chiefs corrall 'Cats

COLUMBIA FALLS - Ronan (5-4) got to end their season a lot better than all but one of the playoff teams will this year - with a win. They upended the Northwestern A Conference leading Columbia Falls Wildcats with a 28-20 victory and did it in dramatic fashion.

Rematch for Polson

Frenchtown awaits Pirates as opponent in first round of the

Seniors push Warriors to win

ARLEE - The seven seniors on Arlee's football team had their

Bulldogs finish great season

ST. IGNATIUS - An overtime win by Troy against Thompson Falls on Friday kept the Mission Bulldogs out of the playoffs but didn't erase what the team had done over the season.

Just short for Polson

Belgrade scores on controversial goal to advance to the state

Local race supports Owen

POLSON - There was an extra surprise for Olympic hopeful Melinda Owen after the Live Locally 5K Run on Saturday. That surprise was a $10,000 check from Country Pasta owners Amy and Fred Kellogg to help her carry out her dreams. The race also earned $4,250 in proceeds for Owen.

Who is your choice for Lake County Sheriff?

Please note: This is an informal survey of anonymous persons visiting the Lake County Leader website and does not attempt to present accurate or scientific polling of Lake County residents.

News briefs, Oct. 21

RPD: Letter to the public

Among other things

Quite a contrast

Tester talks tribal roads

POLSON — Tribal leaders, spokespeople and concerned members from tribes around the country converged on the KwaTaqNuk last Friday to hear testimony at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee oversight field hearing.

Home of: Phillip Crenshaw

When you spend 22 years in the military and have four immediate family members still actively serving, you come to appreciate home that much more. For Phillip Crenshaw, who has called Ronan home since 1993, that is certainly the case: a place you can come back to no matter where you have been before. It certainly helps when home is similar to a beautiful place you once visited during your military career.

Concerns remain at Polson Board of Ed

POLSON — A specially held school board meeting last Thursday sought to clarify issues that have come about after a particularly heated expulsion hearing for a middle-school student.

Fisher back in custody

OLSON — Two days after being set free in a trial that lacked the state’s key witness, Nathan Fisher allegedly committed one of the same crimes of which he’d just been exonerated.

Survivors honored at Griz game

MISSOULA — A pre-game ceremony at the University of Montana Grizzly football game on Oct. 9 in Missoula honored more than 15 breast cancer survivors from the Polson area. Last year, Polson’s Terri Haynal, an 8-year breast cancer survivor, participated in the event’s inaugural year with about four to five other women.

Doctor presents on “aid in dying”

POLSON — Death is often something people avoid speaking about at all costs. But for others, it is a stark reality, something that is coming sooner rather than later. For the latter, deemed terminally ill, a choice in how to spend their last days is of utmost importance, said Dr. Thomas Preston, who visited Polson and St. Ignatius last Wednesday to discuss the issue.

Law enforcement and court records, Oct. 21

Lake County District Court, Judge

A living history of Lake County schools

LAKE COUNTY — Thirteen years and hundreds of personal interviews later, Joyce Decker Wegner’s dream has finally become a reality. Next week, the retired Lake County Superintendent of Schools and Flathead Reservation Area Historical Society President will have copies of her authored work, the 524 page “Lake County School History: Volume 1, Once in Missoula County: One Large District Becomes Many” on sale at various locations county-wide.

Streetscape draws ire of property owners

POLSON — Business owners along Polson’s Main Street voiced their concerns about the Streetscape Project during the city council meeting last Monday night. Property owners asked if there was any way that the council could create a committee of business owners to talk about funding to help ease the cost of the special improvement district (SID).

A trip to the pumpkin patch

Bowling with pumpkins has never been so much fun. Four-year-old Keyen Nash, 3-year-old Hanna Lytton and 4-year-olds Max Violett and Brody Sturm, all students at the On Our Way Montessori preschool in Polson, give the unique game a chance last Thursday at the Pumpkin Patch in Ronan. Run by Francis McGeaughay and family, the Pumpkin Patch offers traditional fall fun, including pumpkins of various sizes and hayrides, led by Belgian horses. The Patch will be open up until Halloween and various local schoolchildren have been visiting the grounds to spend a fall day outdoors.

Arlee Cross Country results at Loyola Runner's Edge Meet

These results are from last Saturday at the Loyola Runner's Edge meet.

Northwestern A Cross Country Divisionals

Here are some photos of local runners in Libby last Saturday during the Northwestern A Cross Country Divisionals.

Northwestern A: Girls Varsity Cross Country Results for Divisionals

Name School Time

Northwestern A: Boy's Varsity Cross Country Results for Divisionals

Charlo ends Arlee's streak

Lady Vikings and Scarlets now tied for first place in the

Polson/Ronan Football: Backyard Brawl

RONAN - This wasn't how it was supposed to play out. But the

Homecoming for area wrestlers in Ronan

RONAN - Four Mission Valley wrestlers were on display during the

Soccer: Pirates advance to semifinals

POLSON - Locked in a 1-1 tie with precious minutes ticking away on the clock in the first round of the Montana state playoffs, Corvallis' head coach Brock Hammill made a prophetic statement to Polsons' coach Jess Kittle.

Lady Bulldogs in tight conference race

ST. IGNATIUS - Things have tightened up in the District 7-B conference for volleyball, and the Lady Bulldogs are right in the thick of things.

Exhausted Maidens ready home stretch

STEVENSVILLE - It's the long stretch part of the season for

Polson Volleyball: Bringing in the hard hitters

When Lady Pirates head coach Jan Toth sees that her team is

SportsPage Bowling Scores for 10/12

(Highs for the week)

Lake County Cross Country: Ready for state

Lake Cross Country teams are geared up and good to go for the

Warriors will send off seniors against Seeley

After clinching a playoff spot with their homecoming win over

The road leads through Bigfork

If Mission wins tonight, they’re in the playoffs

Charlo Vikings Homecoming: Purple Reign

It was senior night, homecoming and the final game before

Peaks and Valleys in Lake County

News briefs, Oct. 14

SKC offers new degrees

Grow house zoning

LAKE COUNTY — Dennis Lewis wants to be very clear: he’s not necessarily against legalizing medicinal marijuana. What he is against is the growing, cultivation and sale of the drug in his neighborhood, where he is the president of the homeowners association for the 32 families.

Law enforcement and court records, Oct. 14

Lake County District Court, Judge

Letters to the editor, Oct. 14

The Lake County Leader welcomes letters to the editor. However, writers should limit contributions to 500 words and must include their signature, address and phone number for verification.

A summer of searches and rescues

LAKE COUNTY — According to Christy Rhine, secretary for the Lake County Search and Rescue team, LCSAR responded to 22 total search calls this summer, a number that is actually right on par with what the organization sees during an average year.

Glacier's gift

Autumn is my favorite season. Maybe it’s the bright colors, the cooler temperatures or the general slowing down of life in this summer recreation haven. Maybe it’s nostalgia for the start of a new school year and the excitement of high school sports playoffs. Friday night football games, Saturday cross country meets, it’s hard to not be happy during those few perfect weeks when summer scorchers transition into crisp afternoons.

An alternative way

RONAN — Close to 300 kids, parents and people on their way to work participated in Ronan’s slice of International Walk to School Day last Wednesday, city parks director Jennifer Rolfsness said.

Lil' Pirates rah-rah-rah

POLSON — The girls had the moves, cheers, chants and pom-poms down pat. They even ran out on the field during halftime of the Polson Pirates football game last Friday night and performed their little hearts out. But it wasn’t the normal Lady Pirate Cheer Squad out there, doing their best rah-rah-rah. Rather, more than 100 kindergarten through fourth graders culminated a weeklong Lil’ Pirate Cheer Camp with their half-time show, showing the older girls all they had learned.

Polson recycles

POLSON — The City of Polson now recycles cardboard, newspaper, magazines, catalogs, white office paper, aluminum cans and No. 1 and 2 plastics. City employees, Polson schools and now public bins at the city’s parks offer several outlets for disposing of recyclable materials.

SportsPage Bowling scores of the week

Curse reversed

Mission shakes off Arlee gymnasium mystique with 3-1

Ronan discusses move to B classification

RONAN - Several years of seesaw rates of enrollment has the Ronan Board of Education once again considering its classification and districting.

Polson chain Lady Dawgs

POLSON — Lady Pirates’ coach Jan Toth certainly knows how to prepare for a game.

Polson chains Lady Dawgs

POLSON - Lady Pirates' coach Jan Toth certainly knows how to prepare for a game.

Hard-nosed football gets Arlee a victory for homecoming

ARLEE - The Warriors were ready.

Seniors will be missed for Lady Pirates

LIBBY - The Polson girls soccer team said goodbye to eight seniors last Saturday as the Lady Pirates ended their season in Libby.

Making history

LIBBY - The Pirates allowed just three goals and didn't have a single loss in conference this season. After a 2-1 victory over Libby last Saturday, Polson secured the No. 1 seed from the north in the state playoffs. For the first time in school history, they'll host a home playoff match.

Charlo takes two games

HOT SPRINGS - Charlo survived a scare against Hot Springs to win 3-2 last Tuesday night thanks to juniors Jazmine Hernandez Kelley and Deondra Brown. The Lady Vikings came from behind but picked up another District 10-C win, 14-25, 25-7, 17-25, 25-12, 15-7.

Ronan saves the trees

WHITEFISH - Look up the definition of "home court advantage" in the dictionary and there's probably a photo of Whitefish's home fans. They can get a little nuts during volleyball matches.

Cross Country Roundup for Oct. 14

Cherry Valley Powwow (Native American Awareness Week)

Mild fire season

LAKE COUNTY — Despite warmer temperatures in the post-summer weeks, the beginning of fall Sept. 23 and generally wetter than normal summer weather has fire officials on the brink of declaring the 2010 fire season a done deal. But “don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” several local fire officials warned.

Law enforcement and court records, Oct. 7

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Letters to the editor, Oct. 7

*Editor’s note: The Lake County Leader welcomes letters to the editor. However, writers should limit contributions to 500 words and must include their signature, address and phone number for verification.

Death penalty system discussed

PABLO — Carolyn Madplume knows a thing or two about death. Her 20-year-old daughter, Catherine, was killed in Feb. 2005 when three men robbed and killed her boyfriend, an act of violence south of Ronan that shocked the community.

Town meeting confronts underage drinking

PABLO — A panel of more than 20 people from across the spectrum of law enforcement, probation, prevention, health, human services and five local students spoke about the crisis of underage drinking, binge drinking and drinking and driving in Lake County Monday night at the Joe McDonald Fitness Center on the Salish Kootenai College campus.

Roundup goes on as planned

MOIESE — Last week’s decision to nullify the Annual Funding Agreement (AFA) between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service had the potential to put this week’s annual roundup at the National Bison Range in jeopardy. But a relatively quick response and determination meant the event went off without a hitch.

Touring Kerr Dam

KERR DAM — Passing under 13,000 volts of electricity, you can really feel the heat. Among the giant concrete structures, countless lines of pipes and wires running above his head, Rich Bonnes doesn’t seem to notice as he carries on with his Friday morning rounds, diligently flashing his light onto every dial and into every corner in every room.

Swashbucklers!

POLSON - The Polson boys' soccer picked the perfect time to make a historic first. Not only did their 2-1 win on Saturday over Whitefish give the Pirates (5-0-1 conf., 6-3-1 overall) their first season sweep over the Bulldogs, but they also clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Class A Golf State Championship: Seniors shine under pressure

LAUREL - Authors want to make the final chapter of their book the best. Some Lake County golfers may have turned the final pages of their high school career, but they're not going to forget them anytime soon.

Life lessons in soccer

MVCA's only school sport allows kids to develop skills and

Pirates show no quit

POLSON - Down 19-7 with less than four minutes to go in the third quarter, it seemed that Polson had little fight left in their homecoming game against Columbia Falls.

Mission wins two games after loss to Bigfork

ST. IGNATIUS - The Lady Bulldogs bounced back from a loss to Bigfork earlier last week and picked up two big wins against Darby and Class A Ronan.

Polson volleyball wins two

POLSON - Frenchtown was in trouble last Tuesday night, something that usually happens to visiting volleyball teams coming into "the Pirate Ship" a.k.a. Linderman Gymnasium in Polson.

Ronan wins third conference match

COLUMBIA FALLS - Note to the rest of the Northwestern A Conference, try not to rile up the Ronan Maidens too much.

Morrison anchors Polson

POLSON - You can't get much past Jacie Morrison. The senior goalkeeper racked up 28 and 31 saves against Columbia Falls and Whitefish respectively last week.

Mission rolls over Three Fork

THREE FORK - Mission junior Austin Durglo rushed for 200 yards on 13 carries as the Bulldogs (4-1) thumped Three Fork 42-7.

Ronan warms up for Libby

RONAN - Instead of sitting around during their bye week, Ronan head coach Jim Benn had his team (4-2) play the Flathead JV last week in order to prepare for this Friday's matchup against the Libby Loggers.

Defense steps up for Charlo

NOXON - The Vikings' (5-0) defense pitched their second shutout of the season at they stayed undefeated with a 26-0 victory over Noxon last Friday on the road.

Arlee gets big win following bye week

VICTOR - Coming off a bye week, the Arlee Warriors (2-2) used the opportunity to heal up and run over Victor last Friday, 60-20.

Runners roll in Hamilton, T-falls

HAMILTON - There was no shortage of good Lake Country runners last weekend in Hamilton. Polson placed second in the girls' varsity race and third in the boys' race. Ronan's top finisher in the girls' race was junior Ashley Grandchamp who placed 15th (21:55) and has dropped her time significantly since running a 23:03 in her first meet in Frenchtown earlier this season.

Home of: Joan Hart

POLSON — Polson city police and court clerk Joan Hart is a “Type Three” personality. Characterized as the “achievers” among us, type three personalities know what it takes to get something done, and they don’t mind putting in the effort to make it happen.

Financial planner set for RCC

RONAN — The city council voted to advertise for a “financial officer” during Monday’s meeting, a decision that may face serious scrutiny as Ronan grapples with setting its fiscal year 2010-2011 budget.

News briefs, Sept. 30

Local angus breeder recognized

Man claiming corruption in LCSO has home searched

Outspoken Lake County Sheriff's Office critic Terry Leonard was served a search warrant Thursday afternoon by the very department he has claimed is corrupt.

Law enforcement and court records

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Births, Sept. 30

Payton and Paige Steinebach

Law enforcement and court records, Sept. 30

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Senior news, Sept. 30

Ronan senior news

Community notes, Sept. 30

Thursday, Sept. 30

Letters to the editor, Sept. 30

Editor’s note: The Lake County Leader welcomes letters to the editor. However, writers should limit contributions to 500 words and must include their signature, address and phone number for verification.

A good experience

Among other things

Mission Football

VIDEO: Big Blue

ST. IGNATIUS  — All things considered, Mission center Zane Foster had a pretty good night for a lineman.

Ronan rolls on

RONAN — They’re BAAAAAAACK.

Area golfers square off

Austin Von Tom finished 15th, scoring a 95.

Running start

Area’s best runners take to the course at Silver Fox Golf Course

Playoff-bound

CHARLO — There are pennants races going on in major league baseball in October and there will be one heck of a race going in the Northwestern A boys soccer standings.

Big win at Bigfork

Lady Pirates have one goal in mind: the playoffs

Charlo passes over Victor

CHARLO — You’ve met Chico Stipe the runner. Now Say hello to Chico Stipe the passer. It was a rather rude introduction for Victor, who was on the wrong end of a 55-12 loss to the Vikings last Friday night.

Pirates finish strong in Spokane

SPOKANE — Two weeks ago when Polson freshman Aja Starkey finished fourth in the Mountain West Classic two weeks ago, her biggest fan was her sister Mesa.

Polson battles past Ronan

RONAN — Call it Ronanageddon or Polsonmania or whatever you want, but there’s a lot of intensity that goes behind the Maidens and Lady Pirates volleyball games. Last Saturday’s matchup lived up to the hype and anticipation as Polson (3-0 conf., 4-0 ovr.) fought tooth and nail for a 3-1 victory over Ronan (2-2 conf., 3-2 ovr.).

Charlo's Blevins serves up win

CHARLO - When junior Dawn Blevins got up to serve for Charlo, her team was leading 13-1 in the second game of a match last Thursday with St. Regis. She didn't stop serving until Charlo won the second game 25-2 en route to a 3-1 victory.

Scarlets knock Noxon

ARLEE — You wouldn’t want to mess with Arlee junior Becca Nelson.

Mission continues success

ST. IGNATIUS — The Mission Lady Bulldogs improved to 7-1 on the season after defeating Deer Lodge last Thursday, 3-1.

Classroom jam session

d Native American story teller Jack Gladstone believes the ancient stories of his Blackfeet heritage should play an important role in today's world.

Still going strong

POLSON - Thirty-five years after starting the Port Polson Players, Karen and Neal Lewing still are in the business for the same reason they began so many years ago: the kids.

A lil' backcountry ingenuity....it could save your life

Dr. Michael Righetti’s day job prepares him pretty well for the unexpected medical emergencies he may encounter as a backcountry horseman. The St. Joseph Medical Center orthopedic surgeon knows that a little ingenuity can go a long way when limited resources and wilderness isolation force you to think outside the box to save a life.

Website investigation starts

LAKE COUNTY — A complaint has been filed and “questions are being asked” of a group allegedly acting as an illegal Political Action Committee (PAC), Commission of Political Practices commissioner Dennis Unsworth said.

Grand opening

Even though the concrete has been tested already, Skate Ignatius

It's harvest time

POLSON - It's harvest time at the Polson community garden, but master gardener Kelly Ware insists gardening season is just now beginning for next year.

Judge rules against CSKT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - United States District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered an Annual Funding Agreement (AFA) between the federal government and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes be rescinded on Tuesday, a decision that will alter the way the National Bison Range in Moiese is overseen and managed.