Ellington

Cyclocross racing comes to Polson

POLSON — “Good job, Lance,” Brian Campbell said as he pulled his daughter, Lyndsy, in for a hug, jokingly referring to cycling phenomenon Lance Armstrong.

Misconduct alleged against sheriff, county

MISSOULA — The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana is suing Lake County on behalf of Bethany Cajúne, a Ronan woman who claims the Lake County Sheriff’s Office withheld medication during her incarceration in the Lake County Detention Center and by doing so, endangered the life of her unborn child.

A school divided

ST. IGNATIUS — Last Friday, if you wore maroon and white, you were a Griz fan.

Cycloinsanity

There were a couple of important lessons I learned while participating in Saturday’s cyclocross race, the most important being my leisurely afternoon bike rides around Polson are a poor substitute for the training necessary to actually compete in a cyclocross race.

Human remains found near Big Arm identified

BIG ARM — The remains discovered in late October have been identified as Lawrence Bufton, of Kalispell, Det. Mike Sargeant, of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, said.

Lady Bison drop two

GREAT FALLS — Outside factors contributed to the Salish Kootenai College womens basketball team’s pair of losses against the University of Great Falls junior varsity team.

A few words of thanks

Chief's Corner

As I write this, many of us are shocked at the devastation in Fort Hood, Texas, coupled with the multiple shootings down south and the deaths of missing women back east that are being discovered as the days and investigations progress. An almost epidemic of missing children nationwide that lives so often are ending at the hands of devious people. It is indeed a sad commentary on our society.Yet.

SKC bball player wins title

PABLO — Tiffany Sinclair holds many titles: student at the Salish Kootenai College, member of the SKC women’s basketball team and she  recently added another title: Miss Indian Rodeo 2009.

Bowlers team up to give back

RONAN — Every Wednesday and Thursday, bowling leagues at Lucky Strike Lanes in Ronan compete against each other for high scores.

Root sentenced in 2008 Hwy 93 death

Clinton Root, 33, was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana Department of Corrections with 15 years suspended after being found guilty of negligent homicide.

Sewer rates raised in Ronan

RONAN — The City Council approved a resolution on Monday evening to increase the sewer water rates in Ronan to help partially fund the Spring Creek Lift Station. The increase will total $4.05 per month for each 3/4 inch hookup in a household.

Obituaries, Nov. 26

Molzhon, Diaz, Thompson, Pfefferkorn, Wheeler

Staff to bike for students

ST. IGNATIUS — With the goal of sending more Mission students to post-secondary education, St. Ignatius Schools Superintendent Gerry Nolan, along with other staff and members of the community, have founded the Mission Scholarship Foundation.

Letters to the editor

Nov. 26

News Briefs

Nov. 26

Clinics seeing lower turnout

LAKE COUNTY — With the peak of the flu season still looming,  fear about its possible devastating effects has anything but subsided, yet clinics offering the H1N1 vaccine  throughout Lake County this fall have seen a varied response so far. Attendance at special, evening clinics has dropped in the past weeks.

Snacks get a healthy makeover

RONAN— “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” has taken on a whole new meaning at a couple of local elementary schools. K. William Harvey in Ronan and Pablo Elementary are both in the first year of a new snack program, courtesy of a $40,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Lady Vikings gain a fan

PHILLIPSBURG — On the court, the Charlo volleyball team is relentless, determined and tough.

Births, Nov. 26

Diaz, Bejarano

Turkey Day Ode to our readers

Notes from the Newsroom

As you read our pages this week,

Lake County not immune to Twilight mania

If the name “Edward Cullen” means nothing more to you than “Bob McTickle” then you were perhaps one of the few Americans not eagerly awaiting the newest installment of the “Twilight” series.

Home of: Dr. Steve Culp

On Dec. 26, Ronan dentist and lifetime adventurer Dr. Steve Culp will leave the snow-filled Mission Mountains for a tropical rainforest in the heart of South America.

Community Notes

Nov. 16

Polson volleyball seniors dish on the season

POLSON — The four seniors on the Polson volleyball team know what it’s like to be at the bottom.

BREAKING NEWS Remains found near Big Arm Id'd

The remains discovered in late October have been identified as Lawrence Bufton of Kalispell, Det. Mike Sargeant, of Lake County Sheriff's Office, said.

Fast feet guide chariots

It was “awesomes” all around on Saturday after Polson’s own Cub Scout Pack 4945 took second place in the Webelo (We Will Be Loyal Scouts) chariot race competition held at Polson High School.

Polson takes fourth at state

BOZEMAN — The Polson volleyball team entered the Class A state volleyball tournament last weekend with a couple goals.

Letters to the editor

Nov. 19

Obituaries, Nov. 19

Cowan, Pitts, Fryberger, Lewis

News Briefs

Nov. 19

Metzger still in jail after bail set Friday

POLSON — After sitting in jail for nearly three months without bail, Allen Metzger has been granted an opportunity to post bond. Bail was set at $50,000 during a hearing last week.

Community Notes

Nov. 19

UPDATED Polson wins second round game

From the Bleacher Blog

The Pirates will move on in the Class A state tournament.

Deep military ties bind Mission family

ST. IGNATIUS — Decades and decades of military service by his family makes Veteran’s Day an important time of remembrance for Mission resident J.C. Courville.

Analysis: Judge swapping part of legal process

Newspapers across northwestern Montana have been covering two stories with ties to Lake County: the court cases of Montana State Sen. Greg Barkus, who faces two counts of negligent vehicular assault and one count of criminal endangerment, and Allen Metzger, who faces a charge of deliberate homicide.

Cheerful Heart, hospital team up for upgrades

POLSON — Upgrades on the third floor oncology wing of St. Joseph’s Medical Center moved into the second phase this fall.

Mission makes it farther than ever before

SUPERIOR — The Mission volleyball team made history last weekend.

Bison have rough road trip

WAHPETON — A 15-hour bus ride is hard enough, but having to face two tough teams afterward might be worse.

Residents file informal review forms en masse

LAKE COUNTY — Worry and confusion over what this year’s statewide assessment will do to property taxes, especially those linked to lakefront and recreational lands, prompted more than 2,350 Lake County residents to file informal requests for review through the Montana Department of Revenue this fall.

Charlo stumbles in Sheridan

SHERIDAN — The Charlo football team got themselves into a hole that was tough to get out of.

Barta, Hanson named to all-state soccer team

POLSON— More than a month after its season ended in heartbreaking fashion without a playoff berth, the Polson boys soccer team got some good news: seniors Peter Hanson and Jonah Barta made the all-state and all-conference team, while juniors Sean Hart and Trevor Moll made the all-conference Team.

Mission clears new chief

ST. IGNATIUS — The St. Ignatius Town Council unanimously ratified the appointment of Shay Clairmont as chief of police following last month’s meeting controversy. P.D. Van Hoose, former police chief, resigned from the police force effective Oct. 6.

Global warming plans won't work

There’s one fact about the global warming “issue” being debated in D.C. these days:

Cost, training impede police retention

LAKE COUNTY — As St. Ignatius struggles to rebuild its small police department, the troubles the town is facing are not unique.

Fire destroys shed

MELITA ISLAND — Firefighters were called to the scene of a garage fire early Monday afternoon, Karen Sargeant, fire prevention officer for the Polson Fire Department, said.

Pirate spikers prepare for state

LIBBY — If the Polson volleyball team was Superman, than Libby might be its kryptonite.

Lady Bulldogs advance to divisionals

TROY — The Mission volleyball team opened up its 7-B district tournament with an intense game.

Voters say no to resort tax

POLSON —Voters gave a resounding and overwhelming thumbs down to the proposed resort tax awaiting their approval on Tuesday’s ballot.

Agencies, students team up to discourage drug use

LAKE COUNTY— Up and down the county, local schools used a week in the second half of October to promote a drug-free lifestyle. Arlee, Charlo, Ronan, Pablo, Polson and St. Ignatius schools all took time to celebrate Red Ribbon Week with events, speakers and lessons with a “just say no to drugs” message.

Coops kept out of Polson

POLSON — The Polson City Commission thought twice and voted down a proposed ordinance on Monday that would have allowed chickens to be kept inside city limits.

Chiefs end season in Dillon

DILLON — When your offense revolves around a running game that never really gets going, losing is a grim reality.

New chefs pitch in to cook chili

POLSON — The monsters, ghouls and ghosts who ran through the streets of Polson during the Monster Mash on Saturday had a delicious treat waiting in the Linderman Gym courtesy, in part, of a witch and a devil.

Charlo suffers first loss in tournament opener

PABLO — Entering the 10-C district tournament last weekend, the Charlo volleyball team was the undefeated No. 1 seed.

Bartels to take over as Ronan judge

RONAN — Justin Bartels beat out Thomas Paro and Lauri Johns for the hotly contested vacant judge position in the city of Ronan. Bartels beat out second place finisher Paro by more than 100 votes.