News briefs

Fire damages basement

POLSON — The occupant of a residence at 200 Thomas Lane was unharmed after a fire began in the structure’s basement, Polson Fire Chief John Fairchild said.

“It appears to be an accidental cooking fire,” he said.

The fire seems to have started after a piece of cloth ignited on a two-burner camp stove while the resident was sleeping, Fairchild said. The Polson department responded around 6 p.m. to find flames coming out of the basement door.

“I’m thankful for the conditions because neighbors said if it had been a few days earlier, the road would have been completely iced over,” Fairchild said. “We would have had to hike up with hose, which would have delayed the response and made it more difficult on the volunteers.”

The quick response allowed the department to put the blaze out fairly quickly, isolating the fire damage to the basement area.

Fairchild estimated the damage to “property, house and contents” at $175-200,000.

“The saddest part is someone is displaced at this time,” he said.

-reporter Sasha Goldstein

SD 6 seat remains vacant

LAKE COUNTY — The state Senate District 6 seat, which covers most of Lake County, remains vacant as local Republicans try to fill the position before the 2011 legislature begins Jan. 3.

After the resignation of Sen. John Brueggeman, of Polson, on Nov. 29, the Lake and Flathead Counties Republican Central Committee has been working to find a suitable candidate for the opening.

The committee has 45 days to submit three names, after which the six combined county commissioners will have 15 days to notify the secretary of state of their decision. Lake County Republican Central Committee chairman Brent Matson said his group did come up with three names but a majority of the 21 members of the Lake County committee, needed to ratify the candidates, voted against forwarding the three selected names.

Matson said his group would work to find three names they can agree on and will then try again, with the hope to send on to the Flathead and Lake County Commissioners for the final decision.

-reporter Sasha Goldstein

A message from Chief Chase

POLSON — This is the time of year when dozens of thefts are reported from unlocked vehicles or houses. The year end holidays are the worst time of the year for this crime. Please do NOT leave keys in your car, or valuables in sight and then be sure to lock the car. While it’s great in households to have presents under the tree, we ask you refrain from doing so until just before Christmas. Miscreants look through windows and if they like what they see they try the door. My wife and I have learned valuable lessons over the years as we have been victimized twice.

It CAN happen to you.

After the holidays we ask you to place gifts out of view, especially smaller electronic items as this is a time thieves like to take advantage of your trustworthiness and thus you become a victim. Be sure to copy down serial numbers in case you do incur a theft. It aids us in their recovery should they be found. Together we can work as a team in the true spirit of community policing. It’s a sad commentary but oh so factual that thieves do not care about you.

-courtesy of Polson Police Chief Doug Chase

Tribal law enforcement increases safety patrols

PABLO — Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Law Enforcement will increase patrols both day and night during the holiday season. Patrols will be doubled at times during the 19-day holiday period.

“Traffic safety enforcement will be the emphasis of the additional patrols,” said Tribal Police Chief Craige Couture. “Officers will concentrate on seat belt use and getting drunk drivers off the roads.”

The tribal police for the Flathead Reservation are among thousands of law enforcement agencies taking part in a nationwide holiday crackdown on drunk driving, “Drunk driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.”

“Our officers expect to make a lot of contacts with motorists and use the opportunity for education,” said Couture. “We’re asking the people in tribal communities to protect themselves by using their seat belts and never riding with a driver who has been drinking.”

An increased emphasis on enforcement has contributed significant success in the reduction of motor vehicle fatalities on the Flathead Reservation. “Historically, there were some years with more than twenty deaths,” said Chief Couture. “But in 2008, there were no American Indian fatalities on the reservation. And from 2009-2010 there were only three fatalities on the reservation. In the five years prior, we averaged eight deaths per year. We want to continue to hold the line on these preventable deaths,” he added.

Enhanced enforcement for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is funded by the Montana Department of Transportation Selective Traffic Enforcement Program. Educational support for the law enforcement activities is provided by MDT’s Safe On All Roads (SOAR) program, in partnership with CSKT Tribal Health.

This holiday season SOAR encourages everyone to plan your ride at plan2live.mt.gov. Keep this holiday season safe - plan ahead make sure that a sober driver is behind the wheel, wear your seat belt every trip and don’t text and drive. We want everyone traveling in Montana to arrive safely and enjoy the holiday season.

-courtesy of Louis Fiddler, CSKT Tribal Police

Mission Valley Health Clinic closure

ST. IGNATIUS — The Mission Valley Health Clinic in St. Ignatius will close its doors on Dec. 30, owner and health care provider Randy Trudeau said last week. Trudeau has practiced family medicine in St. Ignatius for 15 years and the MVHC has been in business since 2006 serving roughly 1,000 clients from Missoula to Bigfork.

Patients can reach the office at 745-8765 for information about transfers and recommendations.

“We’ve enjoyed serving our patients and clients over the years and regret the fact that we need to close, but due to economic and health reasons, we are forced to do so,” Trudeau said. Read more about the clinic’s closure in next week’s edition of the Lake County Leader.

-reporter Ali Bronsdon

Montana Hail Board approves refunds

HELENA — Montana farmers who bought state hail insurance this year will receive a refund of 10 percent of the premiums they paid. The state Board of Hail Insurance approved the refunds after reviewing an actuarial report at its annual meeting earlier this month.

The Montana Department of Agriculture issued 2,178 hail insurance policies covering 1,910,365 acres during 2010. That’s below the record of 2,058,886 acres in 2007. The program had a loss ratio of just over 94 percent due to increased hail incidence during the summer, said Ron de Yong, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture.

The board decided premiums for the 2011 crop year will remain the same as those charged this year, said Chairman Gary Gollehon of Brady.

Serving with de Yong and Gollehon on the board are Monica Lindeen, the state insurance commissioner, and producers Trudy Laas Skari of Chester and Jim Schillinger of Baker. For more information about state hail insurance, contact the Montana Department of Agriculture’s hail specialist at (406) 444-2402 or by email at agr@mt.gov.

-courtesy of Lee Boyer

Engineers return from deployment

HELENA — Montana Adjutant General, Brigadier General John Walsh, announced today that the approximately 50 members of Detachment 3 of the 230th Vertical Engineer Company, a subordinate unit of the Montana Army National Guard’s 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, will be returning to the United States this week from a year-long deployment. The unit deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in January of this year. The unit is scheduled to arrive at Seattle-Tacoma Airport on Wednesday of this week. The unit will then be transported to Fort Lewis to begin the demobilization processing. Montana Adjutant General, Brig. General Walsh and other command staff will be in Fort Lewis to greet the unit upon its arrival to Fort Lewis.

Although the unit will not be able to be in Montana for the Christmas holiday, the unit will be given time-off to celebrate the holidays with family that can travel to Washington.

The unit, upon completion of its demobilization processing, is scheduled to arrive back in Montana during the last week of December.

The unit, a vertical construction engineer unit headquartered in Hamilton, conducted construction missions to support theater operations in Afghanistan.

-courtesy of Maj. Tim Crowe