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Pick your favorite outdoor summer activity.

Hoopfest

When lightning strikes

Lightning strikes illuminated the sky last Thursday night, and the map above illustrates where lightning hit the ground. According to the DNRC Dispatch Center in Kalispell, approximately 270 lightning strikes touched ground in and around the Lake County borders, with about 200 touching land inside the county. Of those 200, approximately 11 of those strikes were positive strikes, meaning they are more likely to start a fire.

Charlo BOE increases fees

CHARLO — After much discussion during the June and July meetings, the Charlo Board of Education approved the 2010-2011 student activity fee at the July 20 regular meeting.

Finley takes plea deal

POLSON — A Ronan man came to a plea deal with state prosecutors last Wednesday, resolving two different criminal cases with two felony convictions.

Harrison gets five years

POLSON — A Ronan man, guilty of committing a string of burglaries last summer, received five years in prison after two felony and four misdemeanor convictions.

Mostly quiet for police

POLSON — A man allegedly brandishing a handgun at a local bar Saturday night proved the most serious incident during what Polson Police Chief Doug Chase said is one of the busiest weekends of the year for his department.

Down to the chicken wire

LAKE COUNTY - Horse? Rabbit? Sheep? When you're a lover of all animals, how do you pick just one to raise for 4-H?

Home of: Francis Cahoon

ST. IGNATIUS — Bull and rattlesnake skins, buffalo sinew, wild rose shoots and the skull of a bighorn ram are only a handful of the raw materials neatly at rest on Francis Cahoon’s work desk.

E. coli contaminates water in St. Ignatius

ST. IGNATIUS - Based on two positive E. coli samples collected from one of the town's two wells on July 19 and 21, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a Boil Water Order for the town of St. Ignatius' public water supply on July 21. The order requires residents and businesses in St. Ignatius to drink bottled water or boil water before consumption.

Community notes, July 29

Thursday, July 29

Senior news, July 29

St. Ignatius

Bad bites

This is Public Health

Letters to the editor, July 29

Mission Valley Power consumer’s alert

Law enforcement and court records, July 29

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

News briefs, July 29

Swan makes dean’s list

Teens paint county

LAKE COUNTY - Not even once.

Big Arm 100-year celebration

Photos taken by Sasha Goldstein of the Big Arm 100-year celebration July 24, 2010.

VIDEO: Downtown dunks

Flathead 3-on-3 brings crowds, championships, jumpers and dunks to Polson

Mariners take first at Legion districts

HAMILTON - En route to a district tournament championship, the Mission Valley Mariners' (41-16) biggest struggle may not have been on the baseball field, but rather, in getting to the tournament.

Mission Valley All-stars end season at state

WHITEFISH — The 15-year old Mission Valley Babe Ruth All-Stars finished up their summer at the state tournament last weekend. While they went winless at the tournament in four games, head coach Arnold Sorrell liked what he saw from the team.

High school national rodeo update

GILLETTE — Three Lake County athletes competed in the High School Rodeo Nationals last weekend in Gillette, Wyo., where the best of the high school rodeo athletes competed for top cowboy and cowgirl honors.

Q&A: The Murphys

Kirk is the coach of the 12U Purple Wave while his daughter Kylie pitches for the team. They took third place at state two weeks ago.

Teaming up for a tourney

ST. IGNATIUS - Every Tuesday during the offseason, Mission High School tennis coach Kimimi Ashley has open courts for her players at the high school.

Hanson shines in all-star game

HELENA - Peter Hanson said he wants to be a factor on the soccer field when he puts cleats on for Spokane Community College this fall.

Sports briefs, July 29

St. Ignatius fall

Mariners B

Pictures of the Mission Valley Mariners B team taken by sports editor Brandon Hansen.

Mariners A road trip

Photos taken by Mariners' centerfielder Cory Hardy during the team's trip to the district tournament July 22-25 in Hamilton. The Mariners exited the tournament with a No. 1 seed to the state tournament.

Good Old Days

Pictures taken by Editor Heidi Hanse at the St. Ignatius Good Old Days festivities on July 24, 2010.

Water Wars in Big Arm

Unofficial results: Library district passes

POLSON - Unofficial results on the Lake County North Library District election show only 200 votes separating those for and those against the proposal. In the end, with 1,765 votes for the new district and 1,522 against it, the mil levy passed.

VIDEO: Good Old Days

ST. IGNATIUS - The candy thrown out at the Good Old Days parade last Saturday was just a pre-competition snack.

Good Old Days 2010

Meet the Mariners

Standing Arrow Powwow

Pictures taken by Lake County Leader reporter Ali Bronsdon of the Standing Arrow Powwow July 23-25, 2010.

Home of: Emory Willson

RONAN — When it comes down to it, agriculture is agriculture. That’s the way Emory Willson, Ronan High School’s new vocational agriculture teacher, looks at it anyway.

Standing Arrow faces positive changes

ELMO — With a blazing backdrop of yellow grassy hills along the shores of glistening Flathead Lake, last weekend’s Ksanka Standing Arrow Powwow was a celebration of many things — history, culture, commonality and also diversity of tribes.

Lakers thank Govenor

YELLOW BAY - Over thousands of years, Flathead Lake has been one of the cleanest, if not the cleanest, lakes in the world. For more than 50 years, the Flathead Lakers have been making sure that stays true, despite a major population base surrounding the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River.

Company hopes to salvage sunken logs

SOMERS - Some of the North Shore's long-time residents may recall the days when logs were floated down the Flathead River into Somers Bay.

Mom's trip to remember

Among other things

Letters to the editor, July 23

Polson 10U Baseball thanks

A rapid runs through it

Where beauty and chaos collide: thrills and chills on the Lower Flathead River

Weeping willows

CHARLO - Charlo's Palmer Park has long been a place of serenity, an oasis of shade and sparkling water amidst a sea of dry, hot grass.

Memorial honors veterans

PABLO - The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' veterans committee dedicated a new monument last Wednesday, four years in the making. Eagle Circle: Ksanka, Selis, Qlispe, Warrior/Veterans Wall of Remembrance honors the tribes' boldest and bravest, those who have given their lives for the security of their nation.

Special Ks

VIDEO: Bagnell baffles 20 in seven innings during double header

Family values are golden

BILLINGS - A family of athletes is nothing new, as many siblings grow up to play the same sport and even play with one another. However, it's hard to find a family with as diverse a sports background as the Plants.

Rocks of the team

Jame Petersen and Devin Kamarainen reflect on career with the Mission Valley Rockies

Purple Rain get silver

Area softball state tournament round up

SKC involved in new league

PABLO - Salish Kootenai College and other tribal schools in the state of Montana are establishing a basketball league for play between November and March. Lady Bison head coach Juan Perez said that five schools have agreed to be in the league for both men's' and women's' basketball teams. The schedule has already been formed for the upcoming season.

B team plays grade-A ball

POLSON — The Mariners B team wrapped up their season two weeks ago and the players were able to reflect on a season that saw plenty of growth and potential for next year.

Sports briefs, July 22

Hole-in-ones at Polson Golf Course

Q&A: Kimimi Ashley

The Lake County Leader sat down with Kimimi Ashley, the tennis coach at Mission High School in St. Ignatius.

Good old basketball

ST. IGNATIUS - The St. Ignatius Amphitheater saw 28 teams enter the Good Old Days 3-on-3 basketball tournament in search of glory on the court last Saturday in St. Ignatius.

News briefs, July 22

Daugherty makes Honor Roll

Law enforcement and court records, July 22

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

Senior news, July 22

Dixon senior news

Community notes, July 22

Thursday, July 22

Births, July 22

Christopher Lewis Roach

Cherry seed spitting contest

A cherry good time

Videos and photos of the Cherry Festival

Cherry Festival pie eating contest

2010 Cherry Festival

Pictures taken by Leader sports editor Brandon Hansen at the 2010 Flathead Cherry Festival July 16-18.

Mission Valley Mariners vs. Bitterroot Bucs

VIDEO: Bagnell baffles 20

Mariners win both games in double header against Bitterroot

Amish auction

ST. IGNATIUS - From belt buckles to log cabins, if you couldn't find what you were looking for at the eighth annual Mission Valley Amish Auction held Saturday in St. Ignatius, you weren't looking hard enough.

Colors show at paint-out

POLSON — Artists from around the valley descended on the Sandpiper Gallery Friday evening to celebrate the cooperatives closing of the first ever “Plein Aire Paint-Out” exhibition.

Ronan bans pot in public

RONAN — The city council approved an amendment to a recently passed medical marijuana ordinance Monday night, banning the drug’s consumption in public places.

Polson council debates grant

POLSON — No one can predict what the next year will bring, let alone the next four and that is what concerned the Polson City Council last Wednesday at their bimonthly meeting.

Home of: Tali Duford

POLSON — For all of her life, Tali Duford has lived in Polson. She has watched many things change and improve.

Rehberg visits Lake County

POLSON - Montana Republican Denny Rehberg, running for his sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Polson last Wednesday as part of "America Speaking Out" town hall forums.

Skate Ignatius is complete

ST. IGNATIUS - An extra five mouths to feed each meal might be a tall task for anyone, but Kristie Nerby took on the challenge.

Cache in on family fun

Muggles and puzzles and treasure ... oh my!

Summer Update

Cops' corner

Letters to the editor, July 15

*Editor's note: The Leader welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit for grammar and space. Letters are due by Monday at noon for the Thursday paper.

Among the best

Lake County’s finest junior rodeo athletes compete on the national stage

Mariners win John Harp

KALISPELL - A baseball team always wants to be playing its best baseball heading into the post-season. The Mission Valley Mariners are doing just that. They won their second consecutive tournament by knocking off the Vauxhall Spurs 10-5 in the championship game of the John Harp Memorial Tournament this weekend in Kalispell.

Rockies one game away

BONNER - The Mission Valley Rockies fell just one game short of the championship game in the Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament last weekend in Bonner. While it ended their season, head coach Alan Anderson has plenty to look forward to next year.

All-stars second at state

COLUMBIA FALLS - The Mission Mountain 12-year-old All-Stars won five straight during the State West Tournament en route to a second place finish last weekend in Columbia Falls. In the tournament, the team scored 93 runs and fell to Whitefish 14-4 in the championship game.

Softball roundup

Purple Rain are champions

Q & A: Best friends

The Lake County Leader sat down with the pitcher and catcher of the 12U Ronan Orange and Black Attack

Golfing for ALS

RONAN - For the eighth year in a row, people gathered Saturday at the Mission Mountain Golf Course in Ronan to honor fallen community members who suffered from ALS.

Sports briefs, July 15

Charlo Football holds camp

Brent Arthur Wilson guilty verdict, July 13, 2010

Births, July 15

Khloe Elaine Hamilton

Senior news, July 15

St. Ignatius senior

Community notes, July 15

Thursday, July 15

Law enforcement and court records, July 15

Lake County District Court, Judge

VIDEO: Wilson is guilty

POLSON - A jury of Lake County residents found defendant Brent Arthur Wilson guilty on four charges Tuesday morning after a trial that lasted just a day and a half.

Skate Ignatius park finished

ST. IGNATIUS Adding an extra five mouths to feed might be a tall task for anyone, but Kristie Nerby took on the responsibility.

Arlee Powwow Celebration June 30 - July 4

New Boys & Girls Club opens

POLSON - When an organization lists its alumni as former President Bill Clinton, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Michael Jordan, they must be doing something right. After all, these people have proven quite successful at their respective endeavors.

A new way to garden

POLSON - Instead of relying on donations for food, soup kitchens and food banks will receive produce straight from the ground.

Update: cause of death released in plane crash

DIXON - The Lake County Coroner Office has determined the cause of death for the four decedents of the June 27, 2010, plane crash near Dixon to be "Blunt Force Injuries," according to a Lake County Sheriff press release yesterday. The injuries were sustained as a result of the plane crash which is believed to have occured around 4 p.m. The bodies of the decedents were taken to the Montana State Crime Lab for examination by the State Medical Examiner on July 1. Toxicology reports are still pending.

Lake County weekend wrap up

LAKE COUNTY - An event-filled Fourth of July weekend proved relatively tame for local law enforcement and fire officials.

Troop 1947 help in Glacier

The Boy Scouts from Troop 1947 have just returned from Glacier National Park where they performed 16 hours of community service to celebrate the centennial of Glacier National Park and the Boys Scouts of America, both formed in 1910.

St. Joe's applauded

POLSON — After completing more than two years of work in the National Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP), St. Joseph Medical Center has been formally commended for its outstanding successes.

Digging up dirt

POLSON — Ground breaking began on the Armed Forces Memorial Staircase Tuesday morning near Riverside Park.

Video: Arlee Powwow hits stride

ARLEE - It's an experience that no words can do justice. Close your eyes and feel the power from each unified beat of the drum and a singing that resonates from deep within its creator. Open them, and add to that the dancers, young and old, who translate the song's emotions into waves of color and you should agree, a first-time powwow experience is something to remember.

Firecracker Tournament

Here are photos from the Mission Valley Firecracker Tournament last weekend in Polson.

Arlee Powwow

Pictures taken by Leader reporter Ali Bronsdon at the 112th Arlee Powwow July 1-4, 2010.

2010 Fourth of July parades

Pictures from Fourth of July parades around Lake County.

Mariners B team split with Loggers to end season

Waiting game starts

POLSON - The price of a latte has been under scrutiny lately in Polson.

FBI now involved in case

POLSON - The investigation surrounding a Charlo woman accused of embezzling more than half a million dollars from a Polson credit union has apparently moved on to the federal level.

Home of: Loni and Alex Havlovick

POLSON - Perhaps there is no better example of family sporting bonds than recent Polson graduates Alex and Loni Havlovick.

Law enforcement and court records

Polson City Court, Judge Olson

Letters to the editor, July 8

*Editor's note: The Leader welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit for grammar and space. Letters are due by Monday at noon for the Thursday paper.

Flathead Lake mermaid?

Among other things

Community notes, July 8

Friday,

Births, July 8

Hazel Kamille Lozeau

Senior news, July 8

Arlee senior center

Kings at home

Mariners win Firecracker tournament

Representing at nationals

Three local Mission Valley Rodeo athletes competed in the Wrangler Junior Rodeo Nationals this past weekend in Gallup, N.M.

Rockies stay optimistic

POLSON — The Mission Valley Rockies, at times, showed why they’re optimistic heading into the upcoming Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament. However, they  couldn’t string together a complete game and went 0-4 during the Mission Valley Firecracker Tournament last weekend in Polson.

Q & A: Spencer Trawick

The Leader got to talk to Spencer Trawick this weekend at the Mission Valley Firecracker Tournament. The 19-year-old from Polson is currently playing college baseball at Gray’s Harbor Community College in the state of Washington.

Purple Rain take first

KALISPELL - The 16U Polson Purple Rain made a breakthrough during the Emerald's Invite Tournament last weekend in Kalispell. They bucked their losing slump in the elimination rounds of tournaments this year to go 4-1 and win the championship trophy.

Balling at dusk

ARLEE - There was no shortage of good basketball and participants during the Arlee Celebration 3-on-3 Jamboree basketball tournaments last Friday in Arlee.

Purple Wave are golden

KALISPELL - The 12U Purple Wave won six straight games en route to a championship at the Emerald's Invite this weekend in Kalispell.

Mission Valley open

POLSON — Tennis players of all abilities from around the area came to Polson for the Mission Valley Open tennis tournament this weekend at Linderman Elementary.

Owen soars to new heights

SAN DIEGO - The road to becoming a world-class pole vaulter isn't an easy one. Polson High School Track and Field star Melinda Owen almost didn't start down that road. When the 2003 graduate was just a high school freshman, and still years from achieving collegiate and national greatness, she had a decision to make.

Area archers hold fair

POLSON - More than 100 people attended the Archery Fair last weekend put on by the Mission Valley Archers at the Van Vost Farm near Polson.

Court enters not guilty plea for Brent Arthur Wilson

POLSON - Brent Arthur Wilson was arraigned on amended charges in the State of Montana vs. Brent Arthur Wilson today at the Lake County Courthouse in Polson. In the arraignment, the court entered a plea of not guilty and Wilson's trial has been set for 9 a.m. on Monday, July 12.

Mission Valley Firecracker baseball tournament

Brent Arthur Wilson status conference, July 1, 2010

Rainfall won't reduce fires

LAKE COUNTY - Record-setting rainfall in June has grass and brush around the area looking green into July.

Charlo reps Montana

KANSAS CITY - Over 5,600 people, representing all 50 states as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, competed at the SkillsUSA National Championship last week. The championship, which took place in Kansas City, Mo., is a week-long event.

Fireworks start fire

ELMO - A quick response by two north county fire departments helped quell what could have been a major fire Saturday evening.

MVA seeks fundraising options

POLSON - Members of the Mission Valley Aquatics board of directors met Monday to discuss plans and funding options for the community pool campaign, which is in full swing now that sunshine and warm weather have returned to Lake County.