Ellington

News Briefs

May 28

Pirates down Libby, get ready for state

POLSON — The Lady Pirates already had the conference title, but they beat Libby 10-5 at home for senior night just the same on Friday.

Ronan takes two

WHITEFISH — The Maidens finished the regular season 13-5 overall and 10-2 in conference after two final wins. They beat Frenchtown in an 8-7 thriller at home on Tuesday and won 9-1 on Saturday at Whitefish.

Housing markets stay afloat

LAKE COUNTY — Some would speculate that with the recent housing crisis and poor economy, fewer people are purchasing homes. But that does not seem to be the case in Lake County.

Charlo grads wont stop now

“Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out shouting, ‘WOO HOO! What a ride.’”

Obituaries, May 28

Williams, Zoerner, Swaim, Browne, Dempsey, Couture, Corrigan, English, McCormick, Wolverton

'Self defense' claimed in shooting

RONAN — An overall quiet, peaceful Memorial Day weekend came to an end for local law enforcement Monday night as they received a call from a father stating that he had just shot his son to break up an ongoing domestic incident.

Mission wins last two games before state

ST. IGNATIUS — The Mission softball team capped off a strong season with a sweep of Noxon winning the doubleheader 8-4, 11-6.

Road claims life during long weekend

POLSON — A 49-year-old Polson man was killed in a one-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 93 north of Polson on Saturday afternoon.

Mariners split two doubleheaders

MISSOULA — The Mission Valley Mariners had their plates full this past week with two double headers against Class A Bitterroot and AA Kalispell and one more game against the AA Missoula Mavericks.

Births, May 28

Bullchild, Cronk, Dupuis, Mahkuk, Billette

Home of: Montana Lee Bockman

RONAN — On May 23, a maroon sea of more than 200 Montana Grizzlies fans gathered in the Ronan Community Center and lifted their shots of ten high bourbon in the air to toast to the life of the amazing man that was Montana Bockman.

Rochins place sixth at state tourney

KALISPELL — State competition has a way of sorting out the best. And for one Polson doubles pair - that of Kayla and Kendyall Rochin - it took 16 sets of hard-fought tennis to prove they deserved a place among the best of Montana’s Class A competitors.

Third at state

MISSOULA — The Mission boys came home from state with some hardware - a third place team trophy to be exact.

Projects ready for shovels

CHARLO — Charlo schools construction plans are moving along. At Tuesday’s school board meeting, trustees were told of the progress.

Cocaine dealer gets two years prison

PABLO - A 43-year-old Pablo woman was committed to the Montana state Department of Corrections for 10 years with eight years suspended last week for dealing cocaine.

Construction teams assist first responders

LAKE COUNTY — With somewhat treacherous lines of cars stretching back both ways from the Armed Forces Memorial Bridge due to construction along U.S. Highway 93, one would wonder how an ambulance or fire truck could navigate the clutter on the way to an emergency.

Ronan-Mission track runs toward state

POLSON — Ronan-Mission track’s best competed at the divisional tournament in Polson this weekend and plenty made marks and times good for one ticket to the 2009 class A track meet.

Program grows young green thumbs

LAKE COUNTY — A new Lake County Boys and Girls Club program is helping children learn more about nutrition, as their fingers turn a little greener under the summer sun.

Eagles fly high school coop

“In an eagle, there is all the wisdom of the world.” Lame Deer, Minnicoujou

Polson youth softball roundup

It was a big weekend for Polson. Last week Polson softball girls went to Whitefish and Kalispell to compete. The Lady Pirates locked up the conference crown Saturday with a big win over Whitefish to avenge their only conference loss of the season. Head coach Larry Smith likes the confidence the girls have going into state.

Top Warriors advance to state meet

MISSOULA — It was a weekend of ups and downs for Arlee track at divisionals in Missoula. On the one hand, a few warriors earned spots at the state tournament with great performances. On the other hand, no Scarlets were able to finish in the top five and the dedicated team will have to cheer on the boys from the sidelines this week.

Lady Pirate tracksters take division title

POLSON — The Lady Pirate track team won its first divisional title since 2004 when it outscored Whitefish and the rest of Northwest A with 139 points this past weekend in Polson.

Lady Vikings take silver

MISSOULA — The Charlo Lady Vikings left it all on the track this past weekend at the Western C divisional and they went home with team silver to show for it.

4-H spans oceans

4-H has gone global! There are 4-H programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Western Europe.  Here in the United States, 4-H is a community of more than 6.5 million young people located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Together, with assistance from more than 500,000 adult volunteers, they learn leadership, citizenship and life skills. The 4-H program is administered by 106 land-grant universities across the country which deliver research-based programs through Extension Agents in more than 3,000 counties. The Lake  County 4-H program is administered by the Montana State University Lake County Office in Ronan. Extension Agents Nori Pearce and Jack Stivers, Administrative Supervisor Pat Bristol and 4-H Program Assistant Brittnee Benson assist 4-H members and volunteers with their projects, programs, activities and events.

Letters to the editor

May 28

Be Well - Women 4 Wellness Fair debuts today

PABLO — Today, in an effort to raise awareness about significant women’s health issues, the first Women 4 Wellness health fair begins. It is free to the public, and more than 100 exhibitors will be on hand to provide testing and informational health lectures at the Joe McDonald Health and Fitness Center on the Salish Kootenai College campus.

Crossett accepts manager job

POLSON — After being without a city manager for a little less than two years, the city has found someone to take interim-city manager James Raymond’s place.

Ronans run ends

HAMILTON — The Ronan tennis team won’t send any athletes to state, but competed well at divisionals just the same.

Polson starts to peak

POLSON — In one last meet before divisionals, the boys and girls of Polson track strapped them up on their home track for a go-around with teams from all around Class A in the Nelson/Thomas Athletic Booster Club Invitational.

Maidens take down Stevensville, Libby

RONAN — The Ronan Maidens came off a long break with a jump in their step, downing conference foe Stevensville 19-0, then out-scoring Northwestern A Libby 5-0.

Struggles continue during Arlee road construction

ARLEE — As the recent highway construction has impacted local Arlee businesses, measures were discussed to pave a few streets leading into the downtown area, as discussions have been underway with County commissioners to achieve this end.

Letters to the editor

May 21

Polson seals first place with win

WHITEFISH — Polson kept rolling this past week, securing first place in Northwestern A softball with a 12-3 win over Columbia Falls and a 9-0 win over Whitefish.

Lady Pirates win divisional tourney

KALISPELL — The Lady Pirates have done it again.

Pedaling town

POLSON — Last Friday, hundreds in Polsonites walked or rode their bikes to school or work, as part of a national ongoing campaign to get more people biking.

Arlee keeps running

MISSOULA — With performances from the usual Arlee track stars, and surprising showings by the lesser known, a slew of Warriors and Scarlets earned their spots in divisionals at this past week’s 13-C District Meet in Missoula.

Births, May 21

Robinson, Millard, Sanchez, Creighton

Ronan sees tourism opportunities

RONAN — As National Tourism Week winds down, the actual tourist season is gearing up and several Ronan residents and business owners got a reminder last week about the science and opportunity of it all.

Summer time means play time

Courtesy of Karen Lewing

Museum planning big year in 2010

LAKE COUNTY — This year, the annual work to ready the Polson Flathead Historical Museum will reach far beyond the museum’s season opening on Saturday. Planning and work will continue through the next year as volunteers and organizers gear up for the 2010 Commemorative Year celebrations.

McDonald swings for the fence in weekend of wins

FLORENCE — The Mission Bulldogs accomplished a lot this past weekend. They beat Thompson Falls 5-3, split games with Deer Lodge, losing the first 3-2 then battled for a 14-11 win in the second and took down Florence 11-1.

Stream fishing kicks off with reminder

LAKE COUNTY —As more and more anglers get set to hit the water with the opening of general stream fishing, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation is calling for fisherman to exercise special care to prevent the spread of whirling disease.

Mission man finds pipe bomb in lawn

ST. IGNATIUS — Sundays are always a great day to catch up on yard work and give the grass a trim. Fortunately, one St. Ignatius man had his eyes peeled when he came across a pipe bomb while mowing the lawn last Sunday.

Healthcare discussions

Reforming health care to make it more accessible at reasonable cost is uppermost in  the minds of every American, the congress and the president. It is an issue critical to everyone, and should not be pushed through Congress on a fast track and as a political football.  Because it will probably be the most monumental, and hopefully positive, action of this congress and administration, it must be structured with consideration of all the facets that play into providing the very best health care for all of our citizens.

Ronan preps for divisionals

POLSON — Ronan-Mission hit the neighbor’s track at full steam this past weekend at the Polson ABC meet. And the sun was shining on the Chiefs and Maidens.

Obituaries, May 21

Bouma, Maass, Coster, Lockwood, Bockman

Kid wash: Ronan Honor Pass fundraiser gets everyone wet

RONAN — The water was flowing, over cars and kids, as the sun was shining on Saturday, making for a perfect day to wash a few cars. Students from the seventh and eighth grade Ronan Middle School Honor Pass club were busy well into the afternoon as they raised money for the annual Honor Pass trips with a free car wash at the Mission Mart parking lot.

Charlo takes seventh district

POLSON — Charlo swept the District 14-C track meet for the seventh year in a row.

Community Notes

May 21

The story of Taps

Memorial Day is May 25. The following column  was written by veteran and Polson resident William Reed Ingram, who reflects on the  meaning of the song “Taps.”

Home of: Audrey and Gordon Granley

Lifetime Ronan residents and Total Home business owners Audrey and Gordon Granley are ready to slow down a little bit. But before they retire from nearly 40 years in the furniture business, they decided they’d go out with a bang, and the blowout sale marking their final working days was in full swing last week.

Man stable after dock fall

POLSON — A Polson man was reported to be in stable condition at St. Patrick’s Hospital Monday afternoon after being transported to the Missoula hospital by Life Flight the night before with severe injuries from a fall.

Silver Memories

Among Other Things

Silver cartwheels were great.

Mission advances netters to state

TROY — Many of the boys and girls of Mission tennis earned their spots in state after a strong showing at the divisional tennis tournaments this past week.

Bulldogs cant hold Loyola

MISSOULA — For the Mission softball team, a couple of scrimmages at Hellgate JV on Saturday gave the team a chance to work out some kinks after another tough conference loss to Loyola Sacred Heart on Monday - this one on the Bulldog’s home field in St. Ignatius.

Two Eagle readies for districts

PABLO — There is another track team in the valley and the Two Eagle River tracksters know how to throw their weight around. Three Eagles and a Lady Eagle have competed in the javelin, discus and the shot put all season, and are geared up for the 14-C District tournament today in Polson.

BREAKING NEWS Candidate accepts city manager job

Crossett to come in mid-June

After being without a city manager for a little less than two years, the city has found someone to take interim-city manager James Raymond’s place.

Classy evening benefits Arlee music programs

ARLEE — The Arlee coffee house fundraiser brought students, staff and parents together under a darkly-lit room in the high school where musical students performed crisp melodies for relaxed audience members. This was no amateur school house rock party, this was a “classy” coffeehouse show.

Good news in hard times

PABLO — Much of the wait is over this month for towns in line to see if local projects will be awarded chunks of the federal government’s stimulus package money, and for places like Pablo, the news has come at a time when the town needs more than ever to recover and reinvest.

Harris signs to play college ball

RONAN — Ronan senior Nolan Harris has signed an NAIA letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Montana Western in Dillon.

Arlee track results

Lake County meet

Ronan tennis finishes regular season

BIGFORK — The boys and girls or Ronan tennis had their final two meets before Divisionals this week. Both Maidens and Chiefs fell 7-0 to Libby and Bigfork.

News Briefs

May 14

Mission tech team medals at state

ST. IGNATIUS — A team of only four students brought home the hardware to St. Ignatius two weeks back, winning medaling trophies from six different contests at the state Technology Students Association competition April 27-28 in Livingston.

Lady Pirates finish season 18-1

WHITEFISH — Finishing the week with two more big wins, 6-1 over Whitefish and 7-0 over Bigfork, the Lady Pirates will go to divisionals behind an 18-1 season record and a sky’s-the-limit attitude - all of those wins without top hitter, senior Cali Hislop, out for the entire season with a basketball injury.

Polson woman pleads guilty to embezzlement

POLSON — A 60-year-old Polson woman pleaded guilty to the charges against her for embezzling more than $5,000 from a local business she was employed by during 2008 in district court last week.

SKC mourns loss of student athlete

COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho — In a shocking tragedy, 21-year-old Salish Kootenai College student Timothy I. Williams, known as Tim Wolfe, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting on Saturday morning in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Jocko trail system underway

ARLEE — Highway construction will not only bring newer roads to Arlee, but also foster the development of an extensive trail system.

Charlo school board selects new superintendent

CHARLO — At the last Charlo School Board meeting the trustees approved plans to bid on the new lobby and locker room, and voted to hire a new superintendent for the coming school year.

Births, May 14

Diaz, Lindquist, Haydon, Wirz-Crawford

New trustees join Ronan school board

RONAN — New school board trustees Jim Blow and Robert Jason Starkel were sworn into duty at Monday night’s board of education meeting.

Letters to the editor

May 14

Local agencies receive $97K

LAKE COUNTY — A total of $97,414 in Recovery Act grant money was allocated to three different law enforcement agencies in Lake County.

McCollum wins tourney

MISSOULA — The Mission boys and girls both went to Missoula for a healthy sampling of tournament tennis on Saturday - the boys at the Loyola Invitational at Playfair Park and the girls at the Best of the West tourney on the UM campus.

The Vikings track team gears up for districts

MISSOULA — After a strong showing against the county’s best at the Lake County meet on May 5 in Polson, the boys and girls of Charlo track went on to face inter-county competition at the Seeley invite in Missoula on Saturday.

Obituaries, May 14

Demarais, Sanford, Tremper, Peterson, Bailey

Community Notes

May 14

Rehberg visits, stops for lunch

BIG ARM — The Lake County Republican Women’s Club hosted a special meeting last Saturday at Camp Marshall near Big Arm, during which Congressman Denny Rehberg served as the keynote speaker.

Maidens take second at Lake County Meet

KALISPELL — The Ronan-Mission Chiefs and Maidens put on a good showing at the Lake County meet in Polson before taking off up north to compete against the big boys and girls of the giant Archie Roe invite in Kalispell.

One slammin' art show

PABLO — Local culture and artistic expression was on full display on May 6 as Two Eagle River students were recognized for excelling in a variety of artforms at the school’s seventh annual Art Slam.

Quit for good

Diana Schwab, Lake County Health Department Tobacco Prevention Program

Five star RV park opens for tourist season

POLSON — Memorial day is just around the corner. In preparation for guests, mothers begin to gather their favorite recipes and fathers bring their boats out of storage. Local businesses are also gearing up for the coming tourists who will visit the recently designated Polson “resort town.”

Home of: Kenny “Warhoop' Camel

Kenny “Warhoop” Camel was born 12.2 ounces to a Pend D’Oreille mother and an African American father, and comes from a diverse family of academic and athletic interests. His life is one of continual growth, and intense circumstances and relationships.

Ronans Schiele commits to Dickinson State

RONAN — Ronan senior Marcus Schiele won’t be finishing his football and wrestling careers as a Chief. His next time on the field and mats will be at NAIA Division II Dickinson State University in Dickinson, ND, where he will be attending school on an athletic scholarship.

Pirates take County

KALISPELL — Polson hosted all of the local sprinters, leapers, throwers and vaulters for a little cold and windy but healthy competition on May 5, and the home team took the majority of the honors.

Ronan Cabaret on stage this weekend, extra patrols planned.

RONAN — As the Ronan HIgh School Show choir presents its annual Cabaret event this week, the Ronan Police Department will add patrols. 

WEB EXTRA 2009 Lake City Open golf tourney results

Courtesy of Polson Bay Golf Club

It's a jungle under there

As summer months approach, orange colored barrels dot roads across the country. Although drivers will eventually breathe a sigh of post-construction relief, non-passenger critters often respond differently to a road’s rebirth.

Escape to Wild Horse Island

It’s not every day you board a boat headed for an island to witness controlled burns. And if it is, that island probably isn’t the home of a wild horse, or herds of bighorn sheep and mule deer.

River honored all week

MOIESE — The week-long events of the River Honoring began Monday. Throughout the week area schools visited the Woodcock campsite in Moiese where they learned about resource management and environmental protection.

Homeowner saves house from fire

POLSON — When Polson resident Jay Enger picked up free smoke alarms and a fire extinguisher from city hall while paying his water bill last month, he had no idea that in a matter of three weeks’ time those basic fire prevention utensils would save his home from destruction.

Ronan tennis results

Boys

Two Polson city manager candidates interviewed

POLSON — City manager candidates shared their professional experience and future plans with council members during interviews Friday morning.

MDOT plans updates for 35

FINLEY POINT — When a truck and pup carrying dry cement powder flipped into a barrow ditch along Highway 35 last week, Montana Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch was on site to see it.

WEB EXTRA Bridge resurfacing updates

Q and A with project manager below

Community bridge update and comment meetings are scheduled for every other Thursday and the next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 7 the Polson Senior Citizens Center.

Ronan stays on track

MISSOULA — The Chiefs and Maidens of the Ronan-Mission track team were at it again this week, racing for several places at the Russ Pilcher Top Ten track meet, then competing at Big Sky.

Births, May 7

Shorty, Running Rabbit, Coughren, FIrestone, O’Brien

Know your flu resources

The role of Public Health is to assure the conditions necessary for people to live healthy lives through community-wide prevention and protection programs.  Lake County Public Health (LCPH) and Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribal Health Services (CSKTH) serve Lake County and the Flathead Indian Reservation by providing an array of essential services.  The public becomes aware of the need for public health services especially when a problem develops like the H1N1 Influenza.

Fort Connah holds opening

Fort Connah’s opening this weekend marked a special occasion, as the oldest building in Montana has been reconstructed to resemble its 1846 glory.

Community Notes

May 7

Polson takes one from top rival Libby

LIBBY — It was a big week for Polson softball. It always is if the Lady Pirates get a conference win over rival Libby on the road. Add a 10-0 win over Hamilton and a 12-7 win over Corvallis to the 8-4 win over the Loggers and you’ve got one good weekend of softball on the Lady Pirates’ behalf.

Water rights talks moving forward

POLSON — The measured steps of the Flathead Reservation water rights negotiations continued last week, as teams met to update each other on the legal, technical and administrative sides of the issue.

Final Helena update

It is wonderful to be home. We are blest to live in the most beautiful place in the state, along with the greatest people.

Arlee hosts first meet in a decade

ARLEE — Arlee track and field hosted its Brian Bachmeier Memorial Twilight meet this past Thursday. In a collaborated effort, the school brought back the Twilight for the first home meet held in ten years in celebration of Warrior and Scarlet track and field and in memory of a former Warrior trackster who  passed away.

Obituaries, May 7

Thompson, Morigeau, Repnak, Farmer, Wilson, Clay

Rathe leads Mariners in first win at O'Malley Park

POLSON — The Mission Valley Mariners belted enough runs to win three of four this weekend, sweeping Kalispell 12-0 and 21-7 on the road on Saturday, before turning around to split opening home games against  non-conference foe Bitterroot Bucs.

UPDATED May 5 Lake County District election results

LAKE COUNTY — Unofficial results for the May 5 Lake County District election showed voters turned down the only levy on the ballot, but stayed true to incumbents for many of the open school board trustee positions.

Vikings do damage on their own track

CHARLO — At The Russ Pilcher Top Ten Meet at Missoula Big Sky, four Charlo athletes competed.

Letters to the editor

May 7

Home of: Edna Wheeler

ST. IGNATIUS — A pioneer, mother, worker, outdoorsman, tough country woman and combater of bears. Edna Wheeler has been a number of things over her 98 plus years of life, 94 of which have been right here in the Mission Valley.

Polson track lets loose at Top 10 meet

WHITEFISH — After the competition at the Russ Pilcher Top Ten Meet at Missoula Big Sky got its taste of Polson track on April 28, and the Pirates and Lady Pirates went on to do some damage in Whitefish at the ARM meet this past Saturday.

Burglary string suspect in court

POLSON — In four separate cases associated with an extensive local burglary string, Cote Wheeler pleaded not guilty to four felony counts of burglary and one felony count of tampering with physical evidence in an April 29 Lake County District Court arraignment hearing.

Long live GI Joe

Among Other Things

Armed Forces Day is coming up soon, May 16, before my next column is scheduled to run. Following is a copy of my “Wonderin’ GI” column in August 1953 in the Great Falls Air Force Base newspaper. Written 56 years ago, I think it still holds true today, although “GI Joan” should be added to GI Joe:

Bulldog netters remain tough

RONAN — In no easy week of tennis, the Mission boys went down 5-1 to a talented Corvallis squad and 5-1 to Troy, but came up with a big 6-0 shutout over Ronan. The Mission girls tied the Trojans and came out just ahead of the Maidens, 4-3.

Ronan now 8-2 in conference play

RONAN — Like many good things do, the Ronan Maidens’ week of softball began with a ceremony.

MIDWEEK UPDATE Polson bridge work in full swing

POLSON — The noise comes bouncing off the bridge 24 hours a day, through rain and wind, and a little, snow the crews working to resurface the Armed Forces Memorial bridge on U.S. Highway 93 aren't stopping until the job is finished.