Ellington

Ronan creates solicitor license

RONAN - The City Council moved to amend the first reading of the new solicitor's license ordinance during Monday's meeting.

Around the lake, April 29

Charlo school board update

CHARLO - The Charlo School Board voted at their April 20 meeting to renew the contracts of tenured employees Clair Rasmussen and Steve Love, keeping them both on as joint principals, despite budget concerns that led the board to question whether it was feasible to keep both educators on the payroll as principals.

Letters to the editor, April 29

Luncheon thank you

Spring safety

Notes from the newsroom

Hardly's back again

Among other things

Mother Nature has fun on Earth Day

PABLO - A strong coordinated effort by several local groups allowed the Second Annual Community Earth Day Event to go off without a hitch last Saturday, despite varied and weird weather conditions throughout the day.

Polson district choir and band results

WHITEFISH - The 2010 District Music Festival was held at Whitefish Middle School in Whitefish on April 15-17. About 1200 music students from schools in Music District #1, which stretches from Polson north to the Canadian border, participated in the event. Bands, choirs, orchestras as well as solo and ensembles, performed for judges from around the Northwest.

Home of: Becca Bontadelli

POLSON - Becca Bontadelli and her husband Tony know a thing or two about miles. They've traveled plenty of them, her in her passion and hobby, he in his job as an airline pilot, commuting and traveling throughout the United States and beyond. Becca is a marathon runner, having just completed her first Boston marathon and fourth marathon overall. Now the Polson-based family has found the town to be a great home for their pursuit of happiness.

Jocko Valley trails preparation begins

ARLEE - The Jocko Valley Trails Committee will be pairing up with five University of Michigan graduate students starting May 10 to begin planning and designing a trail system in the Jocko Valley.

Mack Days: week seven update

A new record of 20,829 lake trout has been turned in during the Spring Mack Days Fishing Event sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. New records were broken all over on the 7th weekend-Stephen Naethe has a total of 911 lake trout entries beating Mike Benson's 847 in 21 days set in the 2007 Fall Event which was the highest ever in the events. Anglers entered in the event have also exceeded all other events with 1095 being entered. Friday was a great day for fishing and 11 anglers turned in 50-fish totals, another record to beat. There were 1,394 lake trout entered on Friday. Saturday winds brought anglers off the lake with a few boats stranded in the boat ramp areas. Several were having a very successful day until the winds hit. A total of 638 lake trout were turned in. Sunday was a little breezy on the north end of the lake but the total was great with 1,470 entries. Sunday there were seven 50-fish totals. We continue to caution everyone to use common sense and get off the water during the windy-stormy weather events.

Marijuana zoning still hazy in Polson

POLSON - As the reality sets in that medicinal marijuana is here to stay, cities and towns throughout Lake County and the state grapple with zoning ordinances and how to regulate the businesses and people that take part in growing, selling and buying the plant and its byproducts.

Fire board surveys

LAKE COUNTY - Four candidates are battling for two positions on the Polson Rural Fire Board as the election draws near on May 4. Beth Hoel and incumbent Alison Meslin are competing for a three-year term on the board while incumbent Paul Laisy will run against Stephen Stanley for a one-year term.

Fatal accident on Hwy 28

LONE PINE - One person died early Tuesday afternoon when a flatbed truck heading south on Highway 28 crashed into the rear end of an orange tractor-trailer rig.

Births, April 29

Frank, Zepeda, Learn, Dean

Law enforcement and court records, April 29

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Senior news, April 29

St. Ignatius Center to host Internet class

Community notes, April 29

Friday,

MAC works hard for split

ST. IGNATIUS - The Mission-Arlee-Charlo softball team split games last week.

Sports briefs, April 29

Sports briefs

Polson goes one-two at meet

LIBBY - Strong wind gusts exceeding 30 miles per hour couldn't slow down the Polson girls' and boys' track teams last Saturday at the Libby Invitational. The girls had a first-place finish while the boys' team came in second.

Charlo takes fourth of 30

MISSOULA - Contrary to the difficulties other teams had due to bad weather, the Charlo boy's track team saw some of its best marks of the season Saturday at the Seeley-Swan Invitational.

Ronan tennis gains win, confidence

RONAN - The Ronan Maidens tennis team broke through for a victory Saturday as part of five matches in a five-day stretch, with only Sunday off.

Absences hurt Arlee's track team

MISSOULA - After a good showing last Thursday at the Hot Springs Invitational, the Arlee boys' and girls' track team struggled to place in events Saturday at the Seeley Swan Invitational in Missoula.

Lady Pirates go batty in four lopsided wins

POLSON - Five games in six days might leave any other team exhausted, but not the Polson softball team.

Bulldog netters earn first win

ST. IGNATIUS - The Mission boys' tennis team earned its first victory of the season Friday, taking down Cut Bank in a home match as part of a busy week of singles and doubles matches.

Ronan marks personal bests

LIBBY - The Ronan-St. Ignatius girls' track and field team saw a long list of personal best marks Saturday at the Libby Invitational. Nine girls surpassed their old marks in both the running and jumping events.

Linderman Elementary grades 2-4 music concert. April 23, 2010.mov

Ronan drops three games on the diamond

RONAN - The Ronan softball team took a string of losses last week. The Maidens were in each game with hits but head coach Tom Peterson said, but those hits weren't strung together to get runs across the plate.

Laughs, crafts combine on Fridays

ARLEE - If you shop at Wilson Foods in Arlee today and notice some decoration on your grocery bag, don't fret. The bags were just spruced up by participants at Arlee's Friday Free Three program in honor of Earth Day.

Home of: young ambassadors

ST. IGNATIUS - "Where I'm from, we eat rice with everything," Bass LaBaisa-ard said. "Here, it's cheese."

Museum celebrates birthdays

POLSON - With 100-year anniversaries fast approaching for both Polson and Glacier National Park, a community institution is getting in on the act.

Ronan H.S. has new vice principal

RONAN - Ronan School District No. 30 Superintendent Andy Holmlund announced Friday that Ryan Fisher is his recommendation to be the new high school vice principal beginning next school year. A special school board meeting was planned Wednesday morning to approve his hiring, but it occurred after press time.

Photo exhibit displayed in bank

RONAN - As of April 12, Community Bank members will notice a change in the Polson and Ronan bank branches as they make their way through the lobbies.

News briefs, April 22

Huntsman pleads guilty

Remembering Don Dubuque

Among other things

Letters to the editor, April 22

Holocaust reminder

Letters to the editory, April 22

Holocaust reminder

Local teacher leaves impact

ST. IGNATIUS - Joyce Easter didn't leave her job at the door at the end of the day. Long after the last school bus left, her friends, students and colleagues say the 69-year-old St. Ignatius teacher of 17 years, who died March 26, dedicated herself to her work in ways far surpassing her job description.

Fire Board gets grant

POLSON - Last week was a busy one for the Polson Rural Fire Board, as it received a grant and held its monthly meeting. In addition, a candidates' forum put on by Polson firefighters for those running for the rural fire board in the May 4 election was held last Thursday.

Not your grandma's tea party

POLSON - Local members of the Taxed Enough Already party lined the curb Thursday evening off Hwy 93 in Ducharme Park and peacefully protested government overspending and what they see as disregard for the U.S. Constitution.

Fatal accident kills one in Polson

POLSON - One man was killed Wednesday afternoon in a freak accident at the intersection of Montana Highway 35 and U.S. Highway 93 in Polson.

Births, April 22

Falls Down; Frank; Jennison; Suddith; St. Clair; Michel; Peone

Senior news, April 22

Arlee senior news

Weddings/engagements, April 22

Archibeque/Pearston; Larson/Krahn; Jensen/Flora

Law enforcement and court records, April 22

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Community notes, April 22

Thursday, April 22

MAC looks for consistency

ST. IGNATIUS - The Mission-Arlee-Charlo softball team is one that feeds off each other, a point that was evident in its two games last week.

Duford leads Lady Pirates

POLSON - The Polson softball team didn't look like themselves against Hamilton last Thursday.

Lady Pirates track and field takes second

MISSOULA - Before Polson senior Loni Havlovick stepped into the shot put circle Saturday at the Missoula Invitational she stretched the shot high above her head with her right arm.

Ronan-St. Ignatius athletes give their all

BIGFORK - Beautiful weather set the mood for the 18 teams competing in Saturday's meet at Bigfork, where boys' head coach Noelle Decker said many Ronan and Mission athletes were able to post their personal bests so far this season.

UM-Western football scrimmage in Ronan

The UM-Western football held its Red/Black scrimmage April 17 in Ronan.

Mack Days: week six update

A fantastic weekend of spring weather helped anglers in the 2010 Spring Mack Days fishing event turn in a total of 3,679 lake trout making it the most successful weekend yet in the eleven week event. The Mack Days Fishing Events are sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks as part of the Flathead Lake Co-Management Plan to restore a balance to the fishery of Flathead Lake. Beginning March 12th and ending on May 23rd this event is held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with $100,000 in prizes and drawings given on the last day. Entries continue to be taken until the last day of the event.

Cheifs, Maidens fall twice on road

The Maidens lost to Corvallis 2-5 and 0-7 to Hamilton on

Arlee gets all-around progress

THOMPSON FALLS -The Arlee girls' track team saw some steady improvement from last week, while the boys team struggled to get points on the board Saturday at the Thompson Falls Invitational.

Mission netters earn tie

ST. IGNATIUS - A gorgeous sunshiny spring day set the stage for ties for the boys' and girls' St. Ignatius tennis teams on Monday. The warm April day may have almost been too much for the players, as they reminisced on it snowing during their matches only two weeks ago.

Vikings clear major hurdles

THOMPSON FALLS - Both the Charlo boys' and girls' track teams barely fell short of first place last Thursday at the Thompson Falls Invitational.

Pirate tennis takes five each

CUT BANK - Dominant performances from both the boys' and girls' teams led the Polson tennis team to five big wins each in three days of tennis this past weekend.

Fishing memories

The roads were cloaked with snow and the air had turned pure white as Joe O'Hara and Bryan Zemtel made their way through Pablo four years ago, while on their way to fish their first Mack Days fishing tournament together.

Rosenbaum receives Public Service Award

On behalf of Lake County Public Health and Buckle Up Montana Lake County Coalition, Trooper Terry Rosenbaum of the Montana Highway Patrol was presented with a Public Service Award for raising seat belt awareness. In Montana, a trooper who notices unrestrained occupants is not empowered to enforce the child restraint or seat belt laws unless he or she has reasonable cause to believe that another traffic regulation has been violated.

Charlo BPA

Two Charlo students placed in their Business Professionals of American (BPA) events on March 16.

Home of: Jason Foust

CHARLO - Shortly after graduating Charlo High School, when he turned 19 years old, Jason Foust said he decided to do religious service work. He announced the decision to his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was sent to Mexico that same year.

News briefs, April 15

Polson receives IFEA

Domestic violence training for officers

POLSON - A two-day visit from international domestic violence trainer and speaker Lt. Mark Wynn was capped off last Wednesday afternoon with a Q-and-A session with community members at the KwaTaqNuk in Polson.

Plans sought for lake trout

POLSON - Despite efforts to control Flathead Lake's lake trout population, the invasive fish has flourished since its introduction in 1905, and more drastic measures need to be taken to curb the species, said representatives from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Salish and Kootenai tribes at a public hearing held Monday night at the KwaTaqNuk.

Notes from the newsroom, April 15

To our readers

A matter of public health

Celebrate National Public Health Week

Letters to the editor, April 15

Starting Brushfires of Freedom in Montana

Control signed over to CSKT and JBC

FLATHEAD RESERVATION - Today marks nearly a week since control of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project (FIIP) was turned over to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) and the Flathead Joint Board of Control (JBC) in a historic signing agreement.

Mission schools powwow

Mission schools held a powwow last Friday.

Charlo track and field

FRENCHTOWN - Both the boys' and girls' Charlo track teams finished fifth at the Tolman-Touchette meet at Frenchtown on Saturday with mixed results in each event, the girls finishing the meet with 40 points and the boys with 54.

Haiti benefit dinner

Held at the Ronan Community Center and sponsored by the Mission Valley Mennonite Youth, the dinner drew approximately 230 people and raised $2,600, according to Travis Jordan. All donated proceeds will go to Christian Disaster Relief, a group that is building and erecting tents in Haiti. All materials for the event were paid out of pocket, Jordan said, meaning all money raised will go to the project. A community member from St. Ignatius spoke at the event about his recent trip to Haiti, where he spent a week helping the displaced citizens of the devastated country.

Pirates stage second upset

POLSON - It was another game, another No. 1 take down for the Polson softball team last Friday.

Two Ronan wrestlers sign letters of intent with MSU-Northern

Ronan seniors Cameron Neiss and Micky Cheff signed letters of intent on Tuesday to wrestle at MSU-Northern.The boys will enroll at the school in the fall and begin wrestling once the season starts. In the picture, Neiss' hair is still dyed orange from the State Wrestling Tournament, where he won the title at 130 pounds, his second individual title. Cheff finished second at state at 152 pounds. Both boys are excited about the opportunity to wrestle at the next level.

Ronan tennis finally hits the courts

STEVENSVILLE - A beautiful day in Stevensville saw both Ronan girls' and boys' tennis teams lose season opening matches 3-4 and 2-5, respectively.

Sports briefs, April 15

UM Western

2010 Madck Days: week five update

Anglers had it all when it came to weather on Flathead Lake during the fifth weekend of the eleven week event. They endured rain, snow, sleet and lots of big wind. The event is sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks as part of the Flathead Lake Co-Management Plan to restore a balance to the fishery of Flathead Lake. Beginning March 12 and ending on May 23 this event is held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with $100,000 in prizes and drawings given on the last day. Entries continue to be taken until the last day of the event.

MAC bats heat up

ST. IGNATIUS - Last week, the Mission-Arlee-Charlo softball team's success depended on its performance at the plate during a span of three games in four days.

Personal bests for Arlee track

FRENCHTOWN - The Arlee girls' track team showed a modest improvement from last week's showing, finishing 13 out of 15 at Saturday's Toulman-Touchette meet in Frenchtown.

Two ties for Mission boys

BIGFORK - The St. Ignatius boys' tennis team got off to a good start last week, posting 3-3 ties with opponents Bigfork and Troy in the opening matches of its season.

Polson tennis shakes rust, looks strong

POLSON - Polson girls' tennis got off to a good start on a frigid spring weekend as the Lady Pirates took three of four matches last weekend against top-notch competition from around the area.

Young Maidens led by Durglo

COLUMBIA FALLS - The Ronan girls' track team tied for sixth place with Eureka Saturday at the Columbia Falls Invitational with a team score of 29.

Lady Pirates blow by field, finish first

COLUMBIA FALLS - The Polson boys' and girls' track and field teams finished strong last Saturday at the Columbia Falls Invitational with the girls winning five events and finishing second in five others and the boys winning four events.

Mariners get into playing shape

POLSON - On a nice crisp March morning, 15 high school-aged boys take a run to warm up and get back in shape.

Senior news, April 15

Hawaii coming to Mission

Community notes, April 15

Thursday, April 15

Law enforcement and court records, April 15

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Engagements, April 15

Kirby/Hermanson, Sheesley/Reneau, Stanfield/Lavering

Births, April 15

Frank

Two dead in crash

LAKE COUNTY - A beautiful stretch of the Flathead River near Polson turned into a tragic scene Saturday when two Missoula men were killed in a single car wreck. The lone survivor, the reported driver of the yellow, 2002 Ford Escape sport utility vehicle, is recovering from his injuries at a hospital in Kalispell.

The hunt is on

DAYTON - Chilly weather cut short the fifth annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday at Dayton Park.

Leader's new faces

Walking into the Lake County Leader office, one might not recognize where they are.

Lake County gets grant

POLSON - After receiving $12 million dollars in grant money, Lake County has a long way to go before actually tearing up roads.

Decisions made for Polson

POLSON - The Polson city council made headway on two issues Monday during two public hearings preceding a regular city council meeting.

Details emerge after Ross' arrest

LAKE COUNTY - More than a week after the arrest of Nathan Aaron Ross on felony charges of deliberate homicide and tampering with physical evidence, both the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Lake County Attorney's Office are mum on the details. But the criminal affidavit filed by the attorney's office paints a picture of four men allegedly trying to make some easy cash in a robbery that quickly turned into a homicide.

Metzger pleads guilty

POLSON - The day his jury trial on a charge of deliberate homicide was set to begin, defendant Allen Metzger came to the Lake County District Courtroom not to defend himself, but rather to change his plea to a lesser charge.

News briefs, April 8

Two cases of robbery

Community notes, April 8

Thursday, April 8

Law enforcement and court records, April 8

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Obituaries, April 8

Meadows, Kroshus, McClure, Redman, Collins, Keys, Krantz, Olsen, Clairmont

Births, April 8

Thomas, Randall, Edmo, Peterson,

Home of: Michelle Fenger

RONAN - Surrounded by millions of words and pages, streams of children and elderly patrons, and those with questions or comments, Michelle Fenger is certainly in her element. She knew as a young girl she wanted to be a teacher. Paired with her love of reading and children, Fenger has had her dream job come true as the Ronan City Library Executive Director for the last three years.

Loaves and Fishes receives donations

Jeremy Morgret, far left, president of First Interstate Bank and Amy and Fred Kellogg, far right, owners of Country Foods, pose with the Loaves and Fishes board members April 2 in the Loaves and Fishes food pantry's new location. First Interstate Bank donated $10,000 and the Kelloggs decided to match the contribution.

Pine derby

Cub Scouts, from left, Davien Adams, Matthew Druffel, Davis Smith, Daniel Leas and Kieanuneau Brown, watch the Pinewood Derby cars go racing by at the Silvertip District Pinewood Derby in Plains on March 27. Druffel, of St. Ignatius, was the first place winner at the event. The state competition will be held May 1 in Billings.

Sports briefs, April 8

Sports Brief

Mission Softball

Mission senior Jasmine Gilleard hits the ball against Plains last Tuesday. The Bulldogs won 13-1.

2010 Spring Mack Days: week four updates

The fourth weekend of the Spring Mack Days Fishing Event has ended with a total of 1,017 anglers registered and 11,835 lake trout being entered in the event sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks as part of the Flathead Lake Co-Management Plan to reduce non-native lake trout and increase the numbers of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout in Flathead Lake. Spring Mack Days is a weekend - Friday, Saturday, Sunday - event and continues until May 23. All it takes is one fish to win in the lottery style drawing held the last day of the event.

Mission ladies start swinging

EUREKA - A fresh set of St. Ignatius girls' tennis players tasted some in-game action for the first time this season, heading to Eureka for a Class 7B match up.

Polson softball trumps defending champs

POLSON - In its first game of the season, the Polson softball team soundly beat defending Class A champions Frenchtown soundly.

Charlo track and field shows skills at meet

MISSOULA - In the first track meet of the season, the Charlo track team set the bar high for upcoming meets with many athletes picking up where they left off last season.

Arlee is off and running

MISSOULA - Both the Arlee boys' and girls' track and field teams struggled at the Jim Johnson Invitational last Wednesday in Missoula at Dornblaser Field. The boys' finished 12th out of 15 teams while the girls' finished eighth.