News briefs

Burglar hits church

PABLO — A burglar got away with Oakland Raiders merchandise, cash, a laptop and a wireless router last week at the Christian church on Clairmont Road, Lake County undersheriff Jay Doyle said earlier this week.

“The pastor called in last Thursday morning and said the office door was ajar and had been gone through,” Doyle said.

No suspects have been identified yet and Doyle said the investigation is ongoing. He encouraged anyone with information about the burglary to contact Crimestoppers at 883-7309 or dispatch at 883-7301. Anyone with information could be eligible for a cash reward, Doyle said, and callers can remain anonymous.

-reporter Sasha Goldstein

Pipe bomb found

RONAN — Law enforcement responded to a report of an unexploded pipe bomb south of Ronan Saturday afternoon, Lake County undersheriff Jay Doyle said.

“The device was found out in a field between Marsh Creek and Hillside Roads,” Doyle said. “It was 4-inches in length with a fuse sticking out, made out of white PVC pipe.”

The bomb was far from any residences, Doyle said, and deemed not a threat as nobody was in the vicinity. The sheriff’s office secured the area and called in the Office of Emergency Management, Doyle said.

Local OEM director Steve Stanley responded and secured and has stored the suspected bomb until he can have a local contractor dispose of it. Stanley said a rock was attached to the pipe and because it was located near a feeder canal, he surmised that somebody may have been intended to use it to “go fishing,” a way to illegally kill fish with the homemade bomb.

-reporter Sasha Goldstein

Salvation Army Kettle Drive

POLSON— This Christmas season, when you shop at Super 1 Foods and Wal-Mart, you will see volunteers from the Polson Ministerial Association and various community organizations ringing the bell for the annual Salvation Army Kettle Drive. Over the past several years, the Salvation Army has partnered with the Helping Hands Fund, a project of the Polson Ministerial Association, by providing vouchers for those who have emergency needs. The Helping Hands Fund serves individuals with: food, lodging, rent, utilities, propane/fuel oil, bus tickets, gas, personal care items and meals.

In the past, bell ringers were paid, which was not found to be profitable. Salvation Army vouchers, available each month through the Helping Hands Fund, are a direct result of donations raised by the Kettle Campaign. The individuals you see ringing the bells Nov. 24 though Dec. 24 are volunteering their time. Ninety percent of all funds raised during the Christmas Kettle Drive stay in Lake County.

Last year a “traveling” trophy was awarded to New Life Christian Center for raising the most money on behalf of the Helping Hands Fund. Churches and organizations will be vying for this honor again this year.

So when you see and hear a bell ringer, please put whatever you can afford into the kettle to help us raise the additional funds necessary to sustain our help to the needy throughout the coming year.

If you wish to volunteer for this year’s Kettle Drive, please call 883-5532.

-courtesy of Linda Greenwood

Dock reminder

The Lake County Planning Department would like to remind lakefront property owners on Swan Lake and Lake Mary Ronan that floating docks are required to be removed from the water by Dec. 1, in accordance with Section 5-3(A)(3) of the Lake County Lakeshore Protection Regulations. The Lakeshore Protection Regulations are available online at: www.lakecounty-mt.org/planning/lakeshore.html or at the Lake County Planning Department, 106 Fourth Avenue East, Polson. For questions or more information, contact the Planning Department at 406-883-7235 or by e-mail at planning@lakemt.gov.

-courtesy of Lita Fonda

Depredation hunts

FLATHEAD RESERVATION — The Tribal Wildlife Management Program often responds to human/wildlife conflicts on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Most conflicts between private landowners and big game occur in the autumn and winter months.

To try to mitigate the impacts of these conflicts, the Tribal Council has approved development of a call list of individual Tribal member hunters interested in harvesting deer or elk involved in conflicts on private lands.

The Tribal Wildlife Management Program will seek Tribal member hunters who are interested in participating in depredation hunts, as well as solicit interest from private landowners who wish to allow hunter access to their lands. A list of interested hunters will be developed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested hunters and landowners will then be contacted when conflicts arise. This project strives for a cooperative effort at managing deer and elk populations and crop depredation on private lands.

“When the Tribal Wildlife Management Program receives a contact from private landowners who experience depredation of hay or other crops by deer or elk, hunters who have indicated an interest may be called to remove some animals through harvest,” biologist Dale Becker.

Landowners and hunters who wish to participate in this project are asked to contact Stephanie Gillin at the Tribal Wildlife Management program at 883-2888, extension 7241 or by email at stephg@cskt.org. All applicable Tribal hunting regulations will apply. Interested hunters will need to provide their name, address, Tribal Identification number and telephone number to participate.

-courtesy of Germaine White

PPL Montana road hours

POLSON —Beginning Nov. 29, the last three miles of Kerr Dam Road will be open daily to the public from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. After hours vehicle access will be limited to authorized traffic. Next year from April 15 to Oct. 15, the road will be open daily from 7 a.m. until sunset, returning to winter hours on Oct. 16. For more information please call 883-4450.

-courtesy of Lloyd Turnage