Ellington

Woman pleads guilty to theft from CSKT program

MISSOULA — A Ronan woman admitted to stealing nearly $10,000 from a Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal program in federal court last week.

Teaching tradition: People's Center introduces students to time-honored ways during Native American Awareness Week

PABLO — A visit to the People’s Center last week may have been a little overwhelming if you were not first given the proper introduction.

More high pressure matches for Lady Bulldogs

Mission goes four games against old district foe Bigfork, then

Rise of the young guns

POLSON - The young guns continue to roll for the Polson Lady Pirates.

A Note from the Fire Chief

It is that time of year when everybody wakes up in the morning and decides that it is cold in the house and does any number of things, turns up the thermostat, starts a fire in the fireplace or just gets a heater and plugs it in.

Lady Pirates play together in close matches

Polson wins battle against Thompson Falls, then sweeps

Falcons get best of Bulldogs

Mission has strong start with first drive but falls to

Scarlet Thriller

Arlee outlasts Ronan in an exciting five-game set

Down to the wire Warriors

Arlee plays another close game before falling to Drummond

Getting those Donuts

Polson defense has yet to be scored on

HIGH-OCTANE VIKINGS

Tra Ludeman and the Charlo Vikings rack up the yards in 56-36

Making a statement

Lady Pirates golf wins divisionals by 36 strokes, headed to

Man caught trying to sell stolen items

POLSON — A 23-year-old St. Ignatius man was sentenced to five years in prison for burglary in Lake County District Court last Wednesday after he was caught trying to sell stolen items from a furniture shop to a pawn shop just two days after the theft occurred.

Saying I Can to You Can't

When she isn’t changing perspectives, Carley Lefthand-Irvine is changing lives

Scholarship opportunity

L. G. Baertsch scholarship applications are available at the First Interstate Bank Trust Department or at the Polson High School guidance office. Applications are due back to the bank by Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Patricia M. Miller

Patricia M. (Stevens, McSloy) Miller, 68, of Ronan, passed away peacefully at her home on Sept. 24, 2011.

Eva Louise Moran

Eva Louise Moran, 90, passed away silently August 18,2011, at St. Luke’s Nursing Home  in Ronan. She was born Dec. 13, 1920 to Melton and Evelyn Montgomery in Acequia, Idaho.

Dorothy Lee Preston

Dorothy Lee Preston, 84, of Polson, passed away peacefully in her sleep Sept. 21, 2011 after a brave battle with melanoma cancer. Dorothy was born June 3, 1927 in Fort Benton, Mont. and grew up on a wheat ranch about 40 miles from town. Dorothy was a lifelong learner and love to nurture all living things. She loved flowers, reading, painting, sculpting, children and her family.

John Lyle Hansen

John Lyle Hansen, 77, of Polson, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 at his home in Polson.

Letters to the editor

Animal rescue

Man jumps out of second story window avoiding police

POLSON — A 36-year-old St. Ignatius man admitted in Lake County District Court last Wednesday to resisting arrest after he entered an occupied apartment and jumped out of a window head-first in order to escape arrest. James W. Allen will be charged for the misdemeanor and fined $500 for evading and challenging police last June.

Celebrating National and Native Pride

ST. IGNATIUS — With themes such as friendship, pride and honor flowing throughout the Mission High School gymnasium, students, faculty and performers celebrated Native American Heritage Week on Monday, Sept. 19.

Among Other Things: A great project

The early aviation boosters responsible for founding the Polson Airport would be amazed at fly-in events such as the Sept. 10 event.

Note from the Newsroom: Happy Birthday, Tomy Parker

What did you do on your 21st birthday?

WARRIORS BATTLE TO THE END

Arlee mounts furious fourth- quarter comeback against Noxon

Polson golfers ready for divisionals

LIBBY - Polson's girls golf team picked up right where they left off at Columbia Falls with another convincing win at the Libby Invitational on Friday, Sept. 16. Led by Kat Medland's second-place score of 90, the Lady Pirates once again won big, this time by 41 strokes over runner-up Whitefish High School.

Charlo FB: Storming the Gates

True to their mascot’s name, the Charlo Vikings sack Darby with

Polson FB: The Zero Heroes

Pirates down Anaconda 44-0, have yet to be scored on three games

Six-Man FB: Eags can stand the Heat

The challenge was very formidable for the Two Eagle Eagles, but they handled themselves very well and played hard from whistle to whistle in a 62-14 defeat at the hands of the fourth-ranked Hot Springs Savage Heat.

Polson VB: Lessons learned

Lady Pirates split in conference action, and show strong work

Parents turn child's friend in for having drugs in their home

POLSON — A Polson man pleaded guilty to criminal possession of dangerous drugs in Lake County District Court last Wednesday, changing his original not guilty plea from January after his friend’s parents found illicit drugs that belong to him in their house.

James “The Lawman” Larson continues scoring spree, Pirates diversify offense

POLSON - The good news for the Polson boys soccer team? They just survived a marathon stretch of three games in five days that might break a lesser squad. The bad news? It's going to be a sprint to the finish.

Polson's young scorers starting to show their potential

Polson picked up their first conference victory of the season last Thursday with a 3-1 road victory over Libby.

Fort Connah: A window to the past

POST CREEK — Its view hasn’t changed much in 165 years.

Taking down Townsend

RONAN - They'd better start checking Ronan for weapons of mass

Senior News

St. Ignatius

Charlo stayed undefeated with win over 10-C district rival Arlee

CHARLO - The Charlo Lady Vikings ran their stellar record to 7-0 with a hard-fought 25-22, 25-13, 25-14 straight-sets victory over the visiting Arlee Scarlets Saturday, Sept. 17.

Mission uses offense to down Ronan 3-0 in new 6B district rivalry

ST. IGNATIUS - As if there needed to be any more importance put into the Mission-Ronan volleyball rivalry, the two teams now compete in the same district.

Sports Photos (Sept. 22)

Here are the sports photos of the week for Sept. 22.

Karla (Missy) Baasch

Karla (Missy) Baasch, age 41, was born Aug. 9, 1964 and died Sept. 14, 2011.

Caleb Altig

Caleb Altig, 91, of Polson, passed away on Aug. 8, 2011. Caleb was born to William and Edna Altig on March 28, 1920 in Greenleaf, Idaho. Caleb was a beloved son, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend.

Rosemary Agnes Magnuson

Rose died of natural causes on Sept. 11, 2011 in Boise, Idaho. When her husband, Bill, retired in 1985 they moved to a house on Rocky Point Road near Polson on Flathead Lake where they shared spectacular meals, gardens, good conversation and all the things that come with living by the lake with their friends and family.

Skyline Drive/TIGER Project update

POLSON — The detour has created some confusion and the best solution is “drive the route” to become familiar with the numerous re-routes.

What is the best part about the fall season?

Births

Braxton Red Hawk Folsom

Letters to the editor

Rescued

Ronan Schools refinance to save taxpayers money

RONAN — On Wednesday, Aug. 31, Ronan elementary and high school districts successfully completed the refinancings of their outstanding 2001 general obligation bonds to take advantage of low historic interest rates.

Peaceful Valley: Ewam event brings people together to celebrate peace

ARLEE — Just 29 miles north of Missoula on U.S. Hwy. 93 lies a hidden wonder, where a barn full of small Buddha statues resides. It’s a blend of rural Arlee and Tibet, known as The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas.

Strong showing at Flathead Invitational

Mission FB: TOUGH DAWGS

Bulldogs show their grit against Cut Bank

Woman gets deferred sentence for criminal endangerment

POLSON — A 34-year-old Dixon woman was sentenced in District Court last Wednesday to a five-year deferred sentence for two counts of criminal endangerment after she was found passed out in her running car in the middle of a highway with her two children inside during a snowstorm last winter.

Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 18-24

POLSON — Sept. 18-24 is “Child Passenger Safety Week” and Sept. 24 is “National Seat Check Saturday.” Lake County Coalition is hosting a car seat check- up event on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Wal-Mart in Polson from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We urge everyone to help reduce injuries and the tragic loss of life by buckling up themselves and their children — every trip, every time.

New life, new hope, new voice

Indigenous Summer Theater performance brings Dixon storyteller’s play to life

Polson Golf: Top shots

The Polson girls golf team just isn’t beating the competition,

FWP proposes Swan Lake study

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), Region 1, has written a draft environmental assessment (EA) proposing to conduct a three-year study to assess the effectiveness of using modified electrofishing equipment to destroy non-native lake trout eggs and embryos in Swan Lake.

Polson Girls Soccer: Making Adjustments

Polson girls shore up midfield and pinch Park in second half of

Polson Boy's soccer: Larson lays down the law

POLSON - James "The Lawman" Larson once again showed that he's the final word around these parts with a game-winning goal in the 56th minute of last Saturday's matchup against Park.

Lady Pirates make championship game

Polson gets No. 1 seed in divisional crossover tourney

Mission VB: Saturday showdown in Mission

Lady Bulldogs and Eureka find out that they’re evenly-matched

Chiefs take down Troy with running attack

TROY - The Ramblin' Wreck from Ronan rolled up to Troy last Friday and, much like their counterparts at Georgia Tech, proceeded to steamroll the Trojans to a 40-8 victory.

Playing for Aunt Karen

When Ronan senior Jack Humphreys took the field last Friday, he

Charlo FB: CHARLO SHOOTOUT

Vikings get in another offensive battle against tough

Guest Column: Groundwater Concerns

Groundwater is often thought of as an invisible resource — out of sight out of mind. However, when the well runs dry, or conversely the water table rises to the surface of the land, groundwater comes to the forefront.

Charlo VB: THE SWAT TEAM

Charlo dominates VC with a strong hitting night, stays

Driver gets five years for Lower Flathead car crash

POLSON — After signing a plea agreement in Lake County District Court last Wednesday, 25-year-old Shain Steffens faces five years in jail with the other 15 years suspended for two counts of negligent homicide, stemming from an April 10, 2010 crash that resulted in the death of Joshua Clairmont, 23, and Drew Austin, 21.

Bucking the Broncs

Chris Cote and Vince DiGiallonardo lead Pirates to second

Senior News

Arlee

Arlee Homecoming: UNSTOPPABLE

Arlee Warriors scorch Philipsburg defense in homecoming

Skyline Drive / TIGER Project Update

With the good weather and fairly long daylight hours, Skyline Drive re-build is progressing at a steady pace. The prime contractor has stated they now have two full crews in place and may bring in yet a third to expedite the progress. Excessive ground water has been an obstacle and is expected to decrease with the scheduled shut down of the “C” Canal on Sept. 15.

Marjorie M. Sassaman Howell “Marge”

Marjorie M. Sassaman Howell “Marge” left us to be with her Lord Jesus and to be reunited with her husband Reed on Sept. 8, 2011.

Joan Wilkins Mager

On Sept. 10, 2011, our beloved mother Joan Wilkins Mager passed away peacefully in Helena. Joan was born on July 12, 1931, in Miles City, Mont. to Sidney and Gertrude Vollin. She was preceded in death by her sister, Jean and brothers, Jack and Jay.

Maurice “Butch” Richter McEnaney

Maurice “Butch” Richter McEnaney died at the age of 64 on Sept. 11, 2011 at his home in Polson, overlooking at what he thought to be the most beautiful valley he had ever seen.

SP of the Week (Sept. 15)

Here are the Lake County Leader's sports photos of the week for Sept. 15.

Moon Over Mission Dam

Birth

Notices of Death

Bruce P. Beaudry

Law enforcement and court records

Lake Country District Court, Judge McNeil presiding

The Perfect Gift

POLSON — If you’re contemplating the perfect wedding gift, you might want to take note of Eileen and Dave Evertz’s wedding.

Taking out TROY

Mission volleyball wins five-game thriller against former

Football: Bulldogs Unleashed

PLAINS - The Mission Bulldogs haven't missed a step from last season.

Volleyball: Arlee trounces Noxon

NOXON - After sitting out Arlee's first game against Superior because she hadn't been cleared from a summer sickness, senior setter Cortney Dix made up for lost time and led the Scarlets to a 3-0 victory over district rival Noxon.

Volleyball: Charlo downs Hot Springs

HOT SPRINGS - Charlo improved their record to 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-14) on the season with a sweep of Hot Springs last Saturday.

Battling the BOBCATS

Charlo plays tough in 44-32 loss

Shoulder taps lead to four arrests

LAKE COUNTY — On Monday, Aug. 22, members of the Lake County/CSKT Joint Alcohol Enforcement Team conducted Alcohol Compliance Checks to determine if local establishments would serve alcohol to minors. When asked, the minor was to produce their own valid identification card which shows the minor to be under the age of 21. There was no attempt to deceive the servers. Eight local businesses were picked at random. All eight passed.

Public weighs in on USPS closures

ELMO — The United States Postal Service held two public meetings in Lake County last week, seeking public comment on the potential closures of two of the county’s rural post offices — Elmo and Dixon.

Missoula man pleads guilty to negligent homicide in crash near Polson

POLSON - After signing a plea agreement in Lake County District Court on Wednesday, 25-year-old Shain Steffens should face five years in jail with the other 15 years suspended for two counts of negligent homicide stemming from an April 10, 2010 crash that resulted in the death of Joshua Clairmont, 23, and Drew Austin, 21.

Boys' Soccer: Polson ties Hamilton, 2-2

HAMILTON - Polson has historically started off the fall season slow in boys' soccer, but they are already on the right foot with a 2-2 tie in Hamilton on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

Senior News

St. Ignatius

Helen B. Roys

Helen B. Roys, 89, of Polson, joined her Lord and loved ones on Aug. 23, 2011, passing away at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, due to natural causes.

9/11 Video Header

Arlee Football: Running Wild

Warrior RB Zach Tameler wows Arlee crowd in home opener

Hitting the ground running

Polson cross country has core group of runners this season

Capitol Letters - "It's All About Business"

Old-Horn gets 100 years for Mitchell murder

POLSON — A man convicted of deliberate homicide proclaimed his innocence in Lake County District Court Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Chief Cliff area fire rating improved

CHIEF CLIFF — The Chief Cliff Fire Service Area (CCFSA) recently underwent a Public Protection Classification Survey by the ISO to analyze the structural fire suppression delivery system in the communities served by the CCFSA. These communities include Elmo, Dayton, Proctor and Lake Mary Ronan.

Letters to the editor

Military might

For the youth: Rotary raises $15,000 for B&G Club with annual chili cook-off

POLSON — The Polson Rotary Club not only cooked up some tasty chili Saturday, but they looked good doing it.

Returning threat

Plenty of players are back for Charlo to make another run

Polson Volleyball: New look in P-Town

Polson has quite the pedigree after making three straight trips to the state tournament since head coach Jan Toth righted the ship and put the Lady Pirates among the elite of Montana volleyball programs.

Pirates ready for new NWA

Polson beat Frenchtown twice last year, and now they'll be welcoming the Broncs to the Northwestern A conference this season.

Quit Line a helpful resource for quitting

LAKE COUNTY — Have you been thinking about quitting smoking or chewing? Why not take advantage of Montana’s free Tobacco Quit Line?

Dixon celebrates 20 years of Melon Days

DIXON — Neither men nor melons were hard to know (as Benjamin Franklin once insisted) at Dixon’s 20th Annual Melon Days — an event filled with community togetherness and plenty of local fare.

New location, same community service

ST. IGNATIUS — With a spiffy, and spacious, new location, the Mission Valley Food Pantry is more prepared than ever to continue providing an essential community service.

Lake County Bucket List

Friday morning I sat in the sunny kitchen of my landlord, Tana Seeley, and signed over my apartment lease to my roommate. We were looking over some documents when I heard dogs barking and collars jingling outside.

Bobcats trip up Warriors

Large Superior team defeats Arlee in the first game of the

Volleyball: Superior downs short-handed Arlee in season opener

ARLEE - Arlee was without their starting setter in their season opener against Superior and fell 3-0 in Arlee last Friday night, 25-10, 25-16, 25-20.

Mission takes 2nd at home tournament

Mission falls to Lady Vikings, surges in tournament

A BIGFORK IN THE ROAD

Ronan opens up its first season in Class B against the defending

This is Public Health: Emergency Preparedness

As an annual recognition of the importance of being prepared for disasters, September is nationally recognized as Emergency Preparedness Month: Encouraging Americans to prepare to cope with emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses and communities helps prevent or minimize negative health effects that may result from disasters, including emergency disease events.

Barbara Hickel

Barbara Hickel “graduated” to heaven on Aug. 9, 2011 from St. John’s Liggett Cottage. Liggett had been her home for the past year after a stroke finally quieted her body and amazing mind. The staff at St. John’s had become part of her family as they lovingly cared for her.

Senior News

St. Ignatius

Fire crews on high alert

POLSON — The Polson Fire Department put out a small grass fire along the bike path near Hillcrest Drive Saturday night. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Community Calendar

Transportation plan