Ellington

FWP extends wolf hunt

MONTANA — The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission on Dec. 8 extended the state’s wolf hunt until Feb. 15.

Raising the Roof

POLSON — Visitors to the building site of Mission Valley Aquatics’ new indoor pool facility in Polson have seen some drastic changes to the structure in recent weeks.

Ethel McAlear Montgomery

Berenice Jane Ochs

Mary A. Kowcun

Mildred Marie Hendrix

Mildred Marie Hendrix, 91, of Polson, Mont. passed away on Dec. 22, 2011 at St. Luke Extended Care Facility in Ronan.

Community Calendar

Polar Bear Plunge

Polson students plan to OCCUPY

POLSON — No doubt the Occupy movement has become a lightning rod issue in this country with supporters and detractors drawing a line in the sand. Lake County will now have its own Occupy movement of sorts, with Polson students making a stand for raising college tuition costs and proposed cuts to federal aid for students.

Notice of Death

Donald C. “Don” Pollack, 84, of Polson and formerly of Craig, Mont., passed away Oct. 28 in Polson. Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com. Grogan Funeral Home and Crematory is assisting with arrangements.

Births

Joseph Edward Couture

Ronan First Quarter Honor Roll

3.0-3.49

From Your Senator: Jobs Matter

The Montana Taxpayer’s Association has been around since Joseph Dixon was Governor. In 1921, Montana’s total revenue was around $3 million, but the state went a million in the red. “Montax” was formed, and has worked ever since as a nonpartisan resource for tax and government spending information.

Letters to the editor

Bell ringers

Law enforcement and court records

Lake County District Court, Judge Christopher presiding

St. Ignatius police force down to one

ST. IGNATIUS — For at least the second time in 2011, the St. Ignatius police force has been reduced to one with the resignation of its Chief of Police.

Wheels and tires stolen in Polson

POLSON — Dave Carlson, manager of Les Schwab in Polson, reported to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office that numerous tires and wheels were stolen from the store’s outdoor fenced-in storage area. The most identifiable items taken were a set of 37-inch Nitto Terra Grapler tires for 18-inch wheels and a set of 20-inch Ford Harley Davidson Hollander wheels.

Season of Light contest winners

POLSON — The beautification comittee of Envision Polson! is proud to announce the winners of the Celebrate the Season of Light contest.

Rotary club donates van to Boys and Girls Club

POLSON — For its signature project in 2011, the Polson Rotary Club raised money to help out the Boys and Girls Club by donating a van to the group, which was presented to them on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Senior News

St. Ignatius

FOUR NAMED TO SHRINE GAME

Four Lake County athletes were named to the East-West Shrine

“Welcome to town”

POLSON — The Polson Airport recently placed a large sign on the exterior of the pilots’ lounge to welcome visitors to Polson.

RONAN WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Picking up nine wins

RONAN - Ronan wrestlers won nine matches at their mixer with

POLSON GIRLS BBALL ROUNDUP: Lady Broncs down Polson

FRENCHTOWN - Strong defenses collided down in Frenchtown last

ARLEE BOYS BBALL ROUNDUP: "O" keeps going

ST. REGIS - The Arlee offense continued to hum for the Warriors

MISSION GIRLS BBALL ROUNDUP: Coming oh-so-close

ST. IGNATIUS - Facing one of the most extreme styles of

MISSION BOYS BBALL ROUNDUP: Florence outpaces Mission

FLORENCE - Dylan Evans and Stuart Grant combined for just over

CHARLO BOYS BBALL ROUNDUP: Nipped by Red Devils

NOXON - Following a hard-fought, gritty win against Lake County

RONAN BOYS BBALL ROUNDUP: On the brink

RONAN - The Ronan Chiefs got 11 points from Robbie "Le Bourreau"

ARLEE WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Mixing it up at home

ARLEE - Arlee Warrior wrestlers impressed at a home mixer

ARLEE GIRLS BBALL ROUNDUP: Scarlets win first game

ST. REGIS - Arlee picked up their first victory of the season

CHARLO GIRLS BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Tis' the season

NOXON - For the Charlo Lady Vikings, it was business as usual as

Polson vs. Frenchtown BB

Here are photos from Polson's 78-64 victory over Frenchtown on Thursday night (Dec. 22).

ARLEE WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Warriors place five

EUREKA - Arlee Warrior wrestlers continued to progress and make

RONAN BOYS BB ROUNDUP: Reaching Jet Speed

RONAN - They call him "The Jet" but last weekend, Marcus

TER BOYS BB ROUNDUP: Terrific start

PABLO - Two Eagle followed up its impressive Billings tournament

MISSION BOYS BB ROUNDUP: Close call city

ST. IGNATIUS - Four games, four nailbiters for the Mission

ARLEE BOYS BB ROUNDUP: Playing tough

SUPERIOR - The undefeated Bobcats had their hands full against

RONAN GIRLS BB ROUNDUP: Comeback win

RONAN - It had been about two years since a Ronan Maiden scored

RONAN WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Going the distance

GREAT FALLS - Ronan has already turned some heads in the early

Community calendar

Ronan sing-a-thon

POLSON GIRLS BB ROUNDUP: Win in OT

Anna DiGiallonardo contributes at both ends of the floor for Polson

HAMILTON - Three games in, there's one word that describes the

Four injured in head-on collision near Ronan

NINEPIPES — A two-car, head-on collision on Hwy. 93 just south of Ronan sent a mother and four children to the hospital on Saturday night.

Santa's little helpers

POLSON — Santa’s elves never worked so hard.

ARLEE GIRLS BB ROUNDUP: Scarlets fall to Superior

ARLEE - The Scarlets haven't gotten any favors from the schedule

MISSION GIRLS BB ROUNDUP: Hanging tough

Mission begins season with difficult schedule, keeps playing strong

ST. IGNATIUS - The Mission Lady Bulldogs have faced some brutal

CHARLO GIRLS BB ROUNDUP: Clamping down

Lady Vikings off to 4-0 record with dominating start to season

ST. REGIS - Through four games this season, the Charlo Lady

POLSON BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Krell's big night

Senior post Tyler Krell gets a career-high 31 points as Polson rolls over Hamilton

POLSON - The Pirates (2-1) had the right game plan against

SKC MEN ROUNDUP: Bison pick up two wins

PABLO - SKC picked up two wins over in-state Montana-Western's

SKC WOMEN ROUNDUP: Battling Western

PABLO - The SKC Lady Bison continued to work hard going into

CHARLO BOYS BB ROUNDUP: District Duel

CHARLO - The Vikings (5-0) passed their first big district test

Two-car collision sends woman to hospital

A two-car collision at the intersection of Hwy. 93 and Hwy. 35

Births

Jaeger Richard Bischoff

Letters to the editor

Outstanding achievement

A whole new kind of park

RONAN — Most city parks have slides and swings, some have see-saws or monkey bars and the occasional bouncing dinosaur. But have you ever seen a playground with a zip line running from an eagle’s nest into a bear den?

BASKETBALL: "The Jet" leads Ronan

RONAN - Marcus Hungerford scored 20 points to lead the Chiefs to

BASKETBALL: Polson girls gets overtime win

HAMILTON - Polson pulled to 3-0 on the season with a 53-46 road

Mission vs. Charlo (Dec. 17)

Here are photos from the Mission-Charlo Matchup on Saturday night.

BASKETBALL: Polson boys outrun Hamilton

POLSON - Tyler Krell scored 31 points and the Pirates ran out to

Polson BB vs. Hamilton (Dec. 17)

Here are photos from the Polson Pirates' 75-62 victory over Hamilton on Saturday night.

Polson hoopsters in the making

POLSON - Eight seventh-grade girls have decided to commit

Taking a new direction

RONAN - An All-State basketball player at Stevensville High

Ronan Bball vs. Florence (Dec. 17)

Here are photos from Ronan's game against Florence.

BASKETBALL: Eagles cool off Devils

PABLO - Two Eagle had a stiff test on Friday night against a

TERS vs. Noxon (Dec. 16)

Here are photos from Two Eagle River's 76-66 victory over Noxon on Friday night.

ARLEE WRESTLING PREVIEW: Bringing experience

Perhaps two of the most important advantages a high school

Mission hopes to keep on rolling

A formula for winning, especially at the high school level, is

MISSION BOYS BBALL PREVIEW: FIGHT IN THE DOG

If there seems to be one idea new head coach Patrick Irvin is

Polson Middle School Bball

Here are photos from Polson's Middle School Girls Basketball Travel team in action last Sunday, Dec. 10.

Irvin leads the Bulldogs

When he was 18, Patrick Irvin was coaching a middle school

Among Other Things

Remembering

CLASS A WRESTLING POLL: Polson ranked sixth

Nine Polson wrestlers were ranked in the latest Class A Coaches

County's first influenza case confirmed

LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Health Department reported the first confirmed case of influenza in Lake County.

Singing in the season

POLSON — Signs that Christmas is fast approaching are hitting the area like the blizzard Polson’s long overdue for. Snow is starting to fall, temperatures are beginning to plummet and people are starting to think about doing their last-minute shopping. But the holiday season in Lake County wouldn’t be complete without one standout performance.

ARLEE GIRLS BBALL ROUNDUP: Tough competition

DRUMMOND - Mahalia Hendren posted a solid weekend for the

SKC ROUNDUP: Bison split with Great Falls

GREAT FALLS - SKC split their weekend series against the Great

ARLEE WRESTLING RECAP: Busy week

SUPERIOR - Bring on all comers, western Montana.

BASKETBALL: Charlo teams destroy St. Regis

Both the Vikings and Lady Vikings pick up big road wins over St.

BASKETBALL: Mission boys win a thriller

You can see a full gallery of the game

Mission BB vs. Deer Lodge (Dec. 15)

Here are photos from Mission's 46-44 victory over Deer Lodge on Dec. 15.

POLSON BOYS BBALL ROUNDUP: Pouring it on

COLUMBIA FALLS - Come on Polson, surely you've heard of

MISSION GIRLS BBALL ROUNDUP: Facing physical teams

THREE FORKS - The Mission Lady Bulldogs fell to 0-2 in the early

CLASS B-C WRESTLING POLL FOR DEC. 14

The Mission Valley was very well represented in the second Class

CHARLO BOYS BBALL ROUNDUP: Sweeping victories

VICTOR - The Charlo Vikings couldn't have drawn up a better

RONAN GIRLS BBALL ROUNDUP: Warm welcome

WHITEFISH - Not bad for an introduction to Lake County

RONAN BOYS BASKETBALL ROUND: The best for last

WHITEFISH - If the rest of the season plays out like the first

MISSION BBALL ROUNDUP: Showing their depth

THREE FORKS - Depth is a critical asset for basketball teams,

M-C WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Plenty of firsts

SUPERIOR - The depth of the Mission-Charlo wrestling team

POLSON WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Strong on the mat

POLSON - Polson got plenty of action last weekend and continue

Senior News

Polson

TWO EAGLE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Beasts of the East

BILLINGS - Against top-flight competition, Two Eagle won two

USPS delays closure

WASHINGTON D.C. — In the hopes of passing a long-term solution to stabilize the U.S. Postal Service, a five-month delay for the potential closing of Montana post offices was announced on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Community calendar

Band concert

ARLEE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Packing on the points

DRUMMOND - While the Warriors may have some new faces, they

RONAN WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Impressive showing

BUTTE - Colby Roberts brought the pain to the Mining City Duals

BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Lady Vikes loot Victor

VICTOR - Well, it didn't take long for the Charlo Lady Vikings

POLSON GIRLS BASKETBALL: Standing tall

Polson stayed aggressive during the Tipoff Tournament in

Leader Sports Report Episode 6

Dylan and Brandon talk about upcoming Lake County Sports, the

Alfred “Hermie” Clair Hermanson

Alfred “Hermie” Clair Hermanson passed away in Helena on Dec. 7, 2011. Hermie was born in Big Timber on Feb. 13, 1926 to Alfred and Almeda Hermanson.

David William Burgan, M.D.

David William Burgan, M.D., 75, died peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife and their three daughters in Polson, Mont., on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. He died of complications from Pick’s Disease, a rare and very aggressive form of front temporal dementia.

ARLEE GIRLS BASKETBALL: Bring back experience

ARLEE - The Arlee Scarlets have been a talented young squad the

Law enforcement and court records

Lake County District Court, Judge Christopher presiding*The following district court proceedings took place Dec. 1.

Births

Dailynn Alexandria O’Roake

Mock takes first

SEATTLE - Not many people can say they've had the 12th Man cheer

ARLEE BOYS BASKETBALL: Reloading

ARLEE - Mariners fans will know the feeling well... it's time to

Banding together for the holidays

ARLEE — Who would have thought a video game would have inspired the beginning of a great Christmas community event?

BASKETBALL: Tip-off Tournament Round-up

The Polson girls improved to 2-0 on the season with a win in the

Tip-off Tournament

Here are photos from the Tip-off Tournament in Columbia Falls and Whitefish. All four teams from Ronan and Polson attended.

M-C WRESTLING: Ready for business

Mission-Charlo is going to be pretty goal-oriented this year,

Polson's downtown lights up for the season

POLSON — There was no shortage of holiday cheer in Polson last Friday night for the Annual Lake County Leader Parade of Lights, tree lighting and Sandpiper Artwalk.

CHARLO BOYS BASKETBALL: Run and gun

Vikings’ impressive speed and smarts mean Charlo will be a tough force this season

Two of the best qualities to have in a basketball team are

Polson man charged with rape in Missoula

MISSOULA — A Polson man is being charged with a felony after allegedly raping his friend’s girlfriend the same night he was released from jail.

BASKETBALL: Polson boys trounce Anaconda

He can do it on the football field and on the court, Vince

BASKETBALL: Ronan girls defeat Libby

Under new coach Clayton Curley, the Ronan girls picked up their

BASKETBALL: Polson girls down Anaconda, 66-50

Polson didn't slow down against Anaconda in their first game of

BASKETBALL: Dupuis comes up big

The Ronan Chiefs started the season in dramatic fashion, with

BASKETBALL: Polson boys ranked second in NWA coaches poll

Polson got one first-place vote and is four points behind

WRESTLING: Ronan and Polson at Mining City Duals

Both Ronan and Polson wrestling teams hit the mats for the

POLSON WRESTLING: Strong on the mat

There's one important thing about Polson's six wrestlers that

POLSON GIRLS BASKETBALL: Honor Guards

The guard-heavy Lady Pirates will be doing work with spectacular senior Riley Kenney on the team

For the Lady Pirates, the basketball season is a process and

WRESTLING: Polson fifth in coaches poll

Polson has started off the season well with a strong showing at

Counterfeit bills circulating

POLSON — Local merchants should be on the lookout for counterfeit $20 and $100 bills, which are in circulation in the Polson community, said Polson Police.

Tester visits Kicking Horse Job Corps

RONAN — United States Senator Jon Tester saw first-hand the hard work that the staff and students at the Kicking Horse Job Corps Center do last Saturday.

Kovick pleads not guilty to fraud, money laundering

MISSOULA — One of two Polson men who allegedly spearheaded the largest Ponzi scheme in Montana state history pleaded not guilty to federal charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and 21 counts of money laundering during a federal court session in Missoula on Nov. 29.

Polson Speech and Drama take on Libby Invite

Results for the Polson Speech and Drama Team at the Libby Invitational Meet on Saturday, Dec. 3:

WRESTLING: Polson dominates Whitefish

POLSON - Polson kicked off their conference dual action with a

Polson Wrestling vs. Whitefish

Here are images from Polson's 75-0 victory over Whitefish on Dec. 8.

RONAN BOYS BASKETBALL: Pushing the pace

One might think that moving from Class A to Class B basketball

Ralph Edward Bick

POLSON BOYS BASKETBALL: VERTICAL GAME

The Pirates will have new faces and they’ll be looking down at a lot of their opponents with a bevy of bigs on the roster

Move over Mission Mountains, there's going to be another

Lady Bison travel to Colorado

SKC racks up over 1,500 miles of travel, and plays Colorado Northwestern and Eastern Utah

RANGELY, COLO. - The Lady Bison wracked up 1,500 miles on the

BASKETBALL: Bison fight through injuries

DJ Fish continues excellent play at Spokane tournament

SPOKANE - DJ Fish continued his excellent play but SKC suffered

Polson Christmas 2011

Polson Parade of Lights and Artwalk, Dec. 2, 2011

WRESTLING ROUNDUP: Quick out of the gates

Mission Valley teams shine in season opening tournament

Here's the highlights of last weekend's Polson Invitational and

No charges in Friday night stabbing incident

POLSON — Local authorities responded to a report of a stabbing last Friday night at the Wolf Den in downtown Polson. The injuries to the victim were not life threatening, although he was taken to St. Joseph’s Medical Center for treatment.

Bomb threat called into school

RONAN — Ronan High School was evacuated Wednesday afternoon when an anonymous caller reported a bomb in the building.

Community Calendar

Toys for tots

Letters to the editor

Sports editing

Taylor to run for Montana Senate

ROLLINS — Representative Janna Taylor announced in November that she is running for the Montana Senate District 6 seat.

Music money

POLSON — Any high school instructor could use some extra cash to help in the classroom, but for Polson’s Richard Sawyer, more money is literally music to his ears.

WRESTLING: Valley teams shine at Polson Invite

POLSON - Mission Valley teams showed up and performed well

WRESTLING: Arlee takes ninth at Cascade Invite

CASCADE - Arlee took ninth place out of 20 teams at the Cascade

Polson Invite (Dec. 3)

Here are photos from the Polson Invitational today at the Polson Middle School. For prints of the event go to http://www.instantimagegallery.com/iig/a/795/258577

Deer, elk harvests finish behind last year

NORTHWEST, MONT. — Whitetail deer harvest picked up during the last two weekends of the deer and elk hunting season but still finished behind last year’s totals.

Pre-turkey calorie burn

Area runners and walkers had the chance to burn off a few pre-Thanksgiving calories Thursday morning at the Turkey Trot 5K, sponsored by Polson Running.

Class B All-State and All-Conference teams have Lake County flavor

LAKE COUNTY - Three Lake County athletes were named to the Class

Probation violations land woman in jail

POLSON — A 22-year-old St. Ignatius woman had her suspended sentence revoked in District Court last Wednesday, Nov. 23. Charges stemmed from a 2010 stabbing crime where, according to court documents, Tashina Carpenter violated her probation by possessing weapons and testing positive for THC and meth, while also showing resistance to meeting other conditions of the suspended sentence.

A hearty helping of community spirit: Polson community comes together to say thanks

POLSON — The Polson Senior Center was packed for their sixth year hosting a community Thanksgiving dinner.

Leader Fall Sports Awards

We hand out accolades for one heck of a fall season by numerous

Swinging for the sky

Polson’s Nick Grogan takes his love for baseball and his

Charlo athletes donate money to St. Luke

Charlo football and volleyball players helped raise $1,500 this

The best in the Northwest

Mission teenager wins first place in Seattle Seahawks team championship

Mission teenager wins first place in Seattle Seahawks team

Open burning season closed

FLATHEAD RESERVATION — The end of November also marked the end of open burning season in Western Montana. During the summer months, open burning is allowed by obtaining necessary permits, but because of colder weather conditions, comes to an end during the winter.

A hearty helping of community spirit: Volunteers serve hundreds at Ronan's community meal

RONAN — Thirty-two turkeys, 45 pies and 100 pounds of potatoes.

Senior News

St. Ignatius

SKC Basketball: Dominant DJ

COEUR D'ALENE - Opposing teams see Fish on the roster, but instead get a healthy serving of shark.